(Ok then, here we go! I know this intro bit may seem a bit basic, but i'll make it better later)
The tavern was dim and noisy, with various people, beings creatures alike, sat and talked while swigging their drinks. This part of Furrae was one where beings and creatures lived in relative peace. In one particular corner sat a figure, his face concealed by the hood of his brown cloak. I his lap was a small black creature, with floppy rabbit like ears and a paper-thin tail, snoozing peacefully. Reaching out a red gloved hand, he picked up the glass of beer on the table in front and took as swig, before setting the glass back down on the table and pulling out a letter, reading the writing on the paper once again.
"Dear Mr. Manoko,
As you may have noticed, your mother and uncle have disappeared. I am sorry to tell you that they have actually been kidnapped. I cannot tell you where they are, but i can tell you where to start looking. Tomorrow evening, you must go to the tavern near Harkhun; "The Smoking Dragon". There, you will find something which will aid you greatly in you search. Good luck to you."
It had been two days since his mother and uncle, Alica and Jacob Hannack, had disappeared. Only yesterday had Gareeku received his letter. Altough greatly puzzled by it, the wolf had decided to follow its intructions, as he had no other clues to where he should start looking. As his visible deep blue eyes scanned the tavern, Gareeku wondered what exactly he was looking for...
Spring, 1992. A pale, gaunt figure wearing sunglasses strode down Charing Cross Road, before pausing outside Soho Soundhouse and gazing at the equipment in the shop's display. After a few seconds he went inside, looking at the array of recording equipment on offer. Here he spent several minutes browsing before one of the sales staff intercepted him.
"Can I help you, sir?" said the younger man. "I'd like to buy a Revox, please. The B77." said his customer, his voice tinged with a faintly Nordic accent. "Certainly, sir. The B77 is two thousand, one hundred pounds. Although if you don't mind me saying, it's a little primitive by today's standards. Have you considered the C270 instead?" he said, wandering to where the newer machine stood on display. It cost half as much again.
The older man looked at it critically and bent down to inspect it. To the salesman's surprise, he sniffed twice. "Microprocessor controlled," he said, straightening up. "Thanks, but I'll stick with the B77, I think. It will be easier to repair."
At the till, the salesman offered an extended warranty, but his customer declined with a faint growl. "I will probably be leaving the country fairly soon. I'm not sure a warranty will be practical for me."
He paid by credit card and left, carrying the box containing the recorder with both arms and walking quite briskly despite the 17kg weight of the machine. The salesman shivered, despite himself.
There was something not quite right about that customer... he thought, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't the way he had stood while the credit card was being authorised, with one hand in his coat pocket and his face lined with concentration, or the creepy way he seemed to have been smelling the more expensive machine, it was just after that, when he was straightening himself up.
The salesman had been able to see over the shades that Mr. Cross was wearing, just for a moment. The colour of his eyes was unusual, but what was truly unnerving was the way they reflected the lights on the display, like the eyes of a dog sometimes do. But that was ridiculous.
The salesman never saw what happened to Mr. Cross, which was probably for the best. His misgivings so far would have been as nothing had he witnessed Cross entering the dark alleyway and vanishing in a flash of black light.
***
Jakob put the box containing his new recorder down on his workbench at SAIA. He had reverted to his usual appearance, which would have scared the shop assistant shitless. Charing Cross Road is a somewhat exclusive part of London and the staff would have objected to serving werewolves.
Jakob reflected for a moment about the way he had paid for the recorder. It was better this way, he decided, and although it would have been easier to use gold, the shop steward would have been even more suspicious and probably refused it outright.
It meant a long time spent apparently browsing, while he was actually monitoring the credit card traffic from the other customers with the device in his pocket, part science and part magic. The shop had got their money, it just hadn't come from the account on the credit card, because that didn't exist. Instead, he had routed the money from one of several accounts that he and Azrael had set up some years earlier.
500 years earlier.. he mused, although it was maybe ten years to the inhabitants of the human realm. If the shop and the bank ever noticed that the number on the card and the number actually sent by the store's computers were different, it would probably be written off as some kind of freak error.
Just as he was about to unpack the deck, Jakob spotted a note sitting on his desk, evidently placed there while he was out shopping in the human realm. Reading the note, he gave a muted sound of dismay and read it again more slowly.
Pulling out a small CB radio, Jakob called Fa'lina to request a short leave of absence. As usual, she replied without using her own CB at all, instead modulating the radio waves directly by mental force, a skill that Jakob envied. Leaving Izak and their assistants to keep shop while he was gone, Jakob packed his rucksack, made a small gesture and disappeared in a flash of blackness.
Jakob suddenly appeared in one cubicle of the gents in The Smoking Dragon, fortunately unoccupied at the time. Concealing his headwings, he strode out into the bar, looking for the small group of adventurers promised by the note.
Parking his bike outside the tavern, the large armored wolf reached for the door...No one looked up as the red fox in a shirt and jeans entered the tavern. Sitting at a table the fox ordered a drink from the waitress. Paying for it when she returned with a rather large tip he received a smile and a wink in return. Reaching inside a pocket he removed a packet of notes and Began to read them.
Captain Sheppard
Sir as per your orders for any unusual events occurring to one Gareeku Manoko, we are informing you of reports of his relatives being taken/kidnapped. Command has also received reports of numerous other kidnapping/missing persons in the same area, Command requests you look into both cases with urgency. Following we have attached these reports and a map of locations of suspected abductions. Maintain cover if possible.
Support Operations, Royal Guards Commando Regiment, 3rd Battalion
Frowning, the fox flipped through the reports, the only thing linking them was the times and the skimpy information on all of them. Following Gareeku here without him noticing had been difficult but he had wanted to observe from afar first. He sat back and sipped his drink, Pal waited to see what would happen.
marco sat at the bar. it had been a long time since walking the beat made him want to get drunk. " a shooting on south holly and main two dead victims. when cops arrived the suspect was still at the scene, and a fire fight ensued two injured cops one dead." the events played in marcos mind like an american football clip on review. " i could have done something.... i really could have." he picked his head up off the bar and tried to sober himself. "i cant forget why im here. that monoko fella needs help." south holly and main wasnt more than three blocks from the tavern. when marco arrived he herd shots and ran like a bat out of hell but was too late. sure he caught the suspect but that sight would have broken down anyone. sarge told marco to go to the bar whare the contact was and have a few. and so back to present time. marco looks over the bar for the white wolf.
The robed figure sat at a table, the only showing was their muzzle, and their hands are heavily gloved and feet covered by huge boots. The figure looks over to the men, their curiousity rising. Taking another swig from their bottle of Rum, a low voice growls as the Bottle is thrown to the floor, breaking into pieces upon contact. This lowdown bar wasn't like it thought it would be. They were expecting many men with money and valubles to come in, but all they had seen so far were a few adventures and people down on their luck. "What a stupid place..." a female voice snarls. "And the rum is gone..."
marcos head nearly snapps,truning to see the robed figure. he gets up and walks over to the table. "might i ask what the problem is here?"
An orange squirrel looked across at the tavern as he walked by. The place was bright and full of life, unlike the dark road ahead of him. He scratched at the red bandana that was carefully tied over his purple hair. The hand he used had a symbol like that of a tear (or maybe it was a flame?) embedded in the fur in purple. He shrugged suddenly.
"What the hell, I might find some good emotions in this place. Might even have a drink myself."
The squirrel walked through the doors, taking care not to bump his orange and purple batwings on the entrance way. As he walked over to the bar, there was a certain confidence in his stride. He motioned at the barkeeper for an ale and leaned back on the stool to stretch, barely noticing the fox beside him.
Alex shuffled along a road, finding the tavern to stay. He looked around and saw light in the distance. Finally finding a tavern ofcaurse Alex had to make a comment about everything he disliked about the Inn before entering. He walked over to the bar and sighted. This place is awful, To crowded. There's not enough beer smell and the tables are ugly He sat down and waited for the bar keeperto come and help him.
A young Fox came into the tavern whilst wearing casual clothes as not to cause trouble with his regular appearal...this fox was a ninja looking for a certain someone... when he spots him out of the corner of his eye...
"ah...Gareeku Manoko..." he said to himself " I guess I should talk to him..."
the Fox cubi, named Issac Shinji Prower, went to sit by the white wolf...
OOC> edited to keep canon>
Gabi took one last look at the mysterious letter before putting it back in a pocket of her backpack and walking into the tavern. She took a look around. The place was very crowded; it was probably the most popular tavern in the town. Everything looked normal. She wondered for a moment if she'd arrived at the right place, but what were the odds of there being another tavern named "The Smoking Dragon" in the area?
She took a deep breath and looked for an empty table in order to take a seat and wait, but the sound of a familiar name disuaded her. It had been little more than a whisper, but she was almost sure she's heard the name 'Gareeku' being called, or at least mentioned. She walked in the direction the sound had come from, searching with her eyes, ears and nose, and soon she found him. He looked worried, and lost in thought. Another fox, one she hadn't met before, was taking a seat next to him. She walked to their side and, for lack of better words, greeted them both with a simple "Hello".
Noticing the people who were now sat the bar, the polar bear barman made his way to them, a welcoming smile on his face. "Hey there, can I get you guys some drinks?" He asked, the smile refusing to leave his face.
"Yeah, you can get me another glass of ale." A gruff voice suddenly said to the left of the group. Now stood at the bar was Gareeku, his hood now taken off to reveal his face as Li sat on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry sir, but these guys will be served first." The barman said sternly to the wolf, before turning back to the group to await their orders.
"Damn it..." Gareeku muttered under his breath, running a hand through the bangs of hair that cascaded down over his forehead. Looking around the bar again, he noticed that a few new faces had arrived, although he didn't seem to notice Jakob or Gabi.
"Cheer up Gareeku, we'll find them!" Li said to the warrior, trying to cheer Gareeku up with her reassuring words.
"I hope that we do, Li." Gareeku replied, forcing a small smile for his warp-aci before finishing the rest of his ale with two large gulps.
*How long am I going to have to keep avoiding these guys...* Chris wondered as the winged fox walked away.
"More $#@! henchmen sent out to look for me..." the panther muttered under his breath as he stepped form the shadows. He padded silently over to the area the searcher just vacated.
"What's this?" Chris picked up a letter form the ground. It was unmarked, but positively reeked of danger and intrigue. Chris looked around him, ensuring he was alone. "Ah, what the heck."
He opened the letter. It was not clearly to or from anyone; it contained only one block of text.
People are disappearing. You could be next; I could be next. There is more going on than what you know. Important people are being targeted. You know what that means.
If you want answers, you may be instead called on to provide them.
At The Smoking Dragon, everything will begin.
Chris frowned and read the short letter again. "One might think that $#@% searcher might have even wanted me to find this..." The panther threw up his arms in frustration. "What the heck. I've got nothing to lose. If nothing else, I could get a drink..."
...
Chris rummaged around in his pockets for money. "Just enough..." He flagged down the bartender. Or at least, he tried to. "What's going on over there..."
He felt the faint tingle of suppressed magic in the room. This made his sour mood even worse. *Hope nobody's looking for me... that would really make my day.* He noticed the barkeep trying to serve the sudden influx of customers he received.
*Looks like a busy night...* Chris thought, observing the others in the room. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation, and contented himself with sitting at the bar to wait to order his drink.
The merc had tracked his target this far - to this tavern, no less - "The Smoking Dragon" - and it was about time he got his mark, too. The problem was... it was far too busy inside to make a move, so instead he settled for finding a hiding place nearby, with a clear view of the entry to the tavern.
Arcalane slung the assault rifle over his back, and, using training and natural agility, scrambled up into a nearby tree, then up higher into it, perching near the top where he had something to lean back against, with a semi-clear view of the entry to the tavern. Unslinging the rifle again, he brought the butt to rest against one shoulder, watching the doorway through the 3.5x optical sight.
[Ah, perfect positioning... now I wait... hr hr hr... and I can wait all day.. and all night, too.]
He waited patiently, tail wrapped around his waist.
Bent sits at a rowdy table in the corner. He seems to be involved in a loud, ahem, debate.
"Hey, good thinking," he says sarcastically, " 'DURR HURR I'M A STEREOTYPICALLY DRUNK MAN, I KNOW EXACTLY WHY THOSE BUMS DON'T CONTRIBUTE TO MY SOCIETY!' Yeah, good thinking. They're definitely too lazy. It's the only logical explanation, after all. Congrats."
The man goes red-faced. He's not nearly drunk enough to mistake that sarcasm. You'd have to be deader than dead to miss it.
"Look, They can go be bums sum'ere else, in another city, like. Get 'em outta here." he says grumpily. "I dun see why they've got to hang around on my street."
"Yeah, why should they hang around your house? I mean, it'd be below you to give them, oh, a bit of money or something, right?" Bent says with a twisted grin. "Or hey, why don't they go home to their Hillside homes and order the butler to put some coins in their hats? I really think you ought to head right outside and tell the first beggar you see just that. With luck he'll knife you and steal your wallet."
It was a testament to the man's strength of will that he didn't attack Benetier then and there.
The figure looks over at the group forming around a white wolf, and they sigh. "need more Rum..." they say before calling over a waitress, who seems to read their mind, and brings over another bottle of rum. As the figure gulps from the bottle, the hood falls off to reveal a female with black fur, fox-like ears and a wolf-like muzzle. Her hair is Black with red at the top (trickling down) and Purple stripes on each side of her face and a purple crescent-moon on her left eye. as she sits the bottle down, she opens her eyes and looks at the group again. her right eye is gold and slitted, while the left is light blue with no pupil. She growls at the noise, a headache forming. "Bloody Idiots..." she says, a drunken slur to her voice.
Paladin nearly chokes on his drink as Blaze walks up to the bar. Bloody hell whats he doing here?!?! Checking his mindshield is inplace, Pal keeps an eye on Gareeku's small group and the other on Blaze. "This is getting complicated" he mumbles.
"Give me something sweet and light on alcahol." He made a gesture that looked like he was throwing stuff at the bar man. This Tavern is getting more busy by the minute, He looked at the bar and found a letter. He read i with little care. I'm already here. What Jester did this?
Growing impatient, Jakob did another circuit of the bar. This place is bigger than I remember, he thought, how am I going to find anyone in this crowd?
Suddenly his eye caught on a previously-hooded figure. Jakob swore and chided himself for being too shy to ask.
"Gareeku!" he said, shaking hands. "I've got your letter.." he trailed off, as he saw Gareeku's expression. "You mean you didn't send it? But it's signed with your name, and it told me to meet you here!"
Noticing that Gareeku was also clutching a letter, Jakob placed them side-by-side. The handwriting was identical.
Blaze's ears twitched as he downed the ale.
'There's something strange about this place. The emotions; anger and saddness... though also confusion and anxiety. That's not something I'd really expect in a tavern full of drunks.'
The squirrel's wings shifted uncomfortably behind him as he placed a slightly stronger mind-shield up to dampen the incoming emotions.
'More of an irritation, if anything... though still, rather curious.'
Issac went over to sit by Gareeku and ordered some sake....
" I heard from a source that your mom and uncle were missing, Mr. Manoko...Have any idea what's going on?" he said to Gareeku.
OOC> post has been edited to keep canon...and not to tick Gareeku off...
On the second floor of the Smoking Dragon, Anzimani woke up from her evening nap. Falling asleep like that was unusual for her; an hour before, she had gotten unusually sleepy and decided to nap for a while.
She got out of bed, stretching her feathered black wings, and buckled on her belt that held her sword and dagger. She combed her long black hair, and, setting the comb back on the small bedside table, she noticed something that hadn't been there before. Frowning, she picked up and opened the letter that sat beside the washbasin.
Go downstairs. Manoko needs your help.
The rest of the paper was blank. Perplexed, she turned it over. There was no seal to mark the sender, and it was unadressed. She shivered; someone must have slipped in while she was asleep. She checked her worn backpack to see if they had stolen anything, but everything was in its place. She put the letter in her pack, slipped the pack onto her back, and exited the room.
Who the heck is Manoko? she wondered.
She padded down the stairs into the tavern's main dining room, going slowly in case it was some sort of trap.
Like they'd need a trap, when they just snuck into my room like that... whoever 'they' is, she thought uneasily.
She looked around the room, but there was nothing out of the ordinary except that the tavern was more crowded than usual. She walked over to the bar and ordered a small cider, preferring to have her wits about her in case someone meant her harm. Seated on a small stool, she surveyed the room from lidded chocolate brown eyes.
Most of the Dragon's customers were on thier own, sitting at distant tables and looking appropriately shady and inconspicuous. She recognized a few of them from that morning, when she'd eaten breakfast at the bar. If there were groups, they were slightly drunk and having loud, bawdy conversations. The only outstanding table was where several figures were gathered, seemingly looking at something on the table.
She tuned her keen avian ears to the group, only catching snatches of conversation. "...Seems to be the problem... cheer up, Gareeku... I hope that we do... Gareeku!... your letter..."
The feathers at the base of her neck pricked as she heard the name. Gareeku... Gareeku... I know that name! Frustrated, she tried to pick out where she had heard it before. Wait... Gareeku Manoko, the adventurer! she thought, giving a small smile of triumph as she made the connection. She had heard the name in connection with several heroic acts during her travels.
Why would he need my help? I suppose it was him that put that letter in my room... She scowled. She was still a little perturbed that she hadn't heard the messenger; she had always fancied herself a light sleeper. She hesitated for a moment, before she convinced herself that nothing could be solved by just sitting there. She padded over to the group.
"Excuse me, is one of you a Mr. Manoko?"
Manoko, Manoko...wher have i heard that name before? The female says to herself. she takes another swig of rum, then stands up, taking off her robe. Her red and black dragon wings unfurl, and her long (and extrememly fluffy) purple-striped tail plops to the ground. as she walks, slightly drunkenly, towards the group, the extremely large sickle claws on her feet click on the ground. her ragged brown trousers are extremely filthy, and her 'Shirt' is naught but a rag tied around her chest area. She cintinues to walk towards the group around the white wolf, but she trips on...something, and falls to the ground. "Bloody Floor tastes awful..." she snarls
A large group was beginning to gather around the table. Gabi recognized a few... especially Jakob. When he arrived shouting something about a letter, something began to feel even more suspicious.
"Jakob!," Gabi called him. "Something odd is going on here. I got a letter too."
She fished the letter out of her backpack and showed it to the incubus.
"Mine wasn't signed, but it seems someone's trying to gather us here for a reason."
She looked around, and then asked: "Is everyone else an adventurer of some sort?"
"Is everyone else an adventurer of some sort?"
This catches the Female's attention and she raises her hand in the air, still lying face-down on the floor. "Aye!" she says, a bit muffled by the floor. her longs tail starts to swish about, clearing off the dust that's on the floor.
Benetier's tufted ears perk up at the mention of adventurers, and he misses the large dog's response to his latest sarcastic comment. He turns around and looks at them, almost glaring at the group gathering near the white wolf.
The canine grows even more enraged as the Lynx blatantly ignores him.
As he waited for his drink, the white wolf glanced at the figure next to him, slightly raising an eyebrow for a second. Something about the stranger seemed oddly familiar. There was also a squirrel present, Gareeku again raising an eyebrow, as the squirrel almost looked like a male version of someone he had met before...
Having received his new glass of ale, Gareeku proceeded to take some more big gulps of the liquid, before two familiar voices suddenly spoke to him. Turning around, he found the voices to belong to none other than Jakob and Gabi, two of many who had accompanied him on his journey two years ago.
"Jakob...Gabi...its good to see you both." Gareeku said with a warm smile to the two of them, taking the incubus' outstretched hand and shaking it. Jakob's next comment, however, would greatly confuse the warrior.
"I didn't send you a letter, Jakob..." Gareeku began, before the wolf incubus put his and Gareeku's letters together, finding that the writing was indeed identical. It was soon found that Gabi had also received a letter, again with the same handwriting. It was then that he suddenly noticed a figure on the floor. Shaking his head, Gareeku picked up the figure, finding it to be none other than Xzeliea.
"Heh...I think someone's had a bit too much to drink. Either that, or you just can handle it." the warrior said with a slight grin, seating Xzeliea down on the barstool he had previously sat on, before turning to the others with the serious look back on his face.
"Whoever sent these letters obviously wanted us to meet up." Gareeku growled, his eyes scanning the tavern to see if anybody was acting in a suspicious manner. It was then that another voice spoke.
"I'm Mr. Manoko. How can I help?" Gareeku asked the stranger who had spoken.
" I am Issac Shinji Prower...I come from the Guardsmen of Sune'nok..." said Issac.
"What, exactly, are you playing at?" Anzimani whipped the letter out of her backpack like an arrow from a quiver and held it out for the wolf to see. "Normal people knock, you know." On the outside she appeared angry, but she also was curious as to why Gareeku needed help. She hadn't been in this area for very long, and hadn't had the chance to catch up on the town gossip.
"Nice to meet you, kid." Gareeku said, before suddenly finding what appeared to be an angry phoenix shoving a letter in his face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Gareeku asked, a growl in his voice as he spoke. Reading the letter, it appeared as if it was the same person who had sent all the other letters, as the handwriting was the same.
"It wasn't me who sent you this letter," Gareeku said calmly, "It was the same person who sent all these letters to all of us. As I said, someone obviously wanted us to meet with each other. The question is; why?"
Jakob decided to share his theory. "Well, your letter and mine both relate to the fact that members of our family have been kidnapped. I can't speak for the others as I've only seen our letters in detail.
Now, I don't know about your uncle, but I seem to recall you saying that your mother is a succubus, correct?" he asked, looking directly at Gareeku.
"Well, my father was kidnapped too, and that means whoever is doing it is strong enough to overcome at least two 'cubi. Now it might be that our letter man - or woman - is trying to raise some kind of army of adventurers to prevent further kidnappings."
Jakob hesitated and looked around at the others. "Of course, it could also be a ruse, so the kidnapper can take us all in one fell swoop."
Blaze's eyes side-glanced as he picked out the voices of the group sitting nearby.
Kidnappings? No wonder I'm getting all those weird emotions in here. The anger is definitely coming from those guys, no doubt about that. He ordered another drink from the bar, this time a cider. There's quite a few creatures in here as well... especially 'cubi. I don't recognise any though, thank gods. If I run into another moron from Sanctuary, I'll burn them alive.
Blaze's hands tightened around the glass he held. He didn't want to think about those memories anymore...
Xzeliea lifts her head up to Gareeku and Smiles. "'Ey...what ya doin' 'ere?" she asks drunkenly before noticing all the others. "Aye...are we off on another adventure, mate?" she asks, smiling. cuz if ya are, there's no way yer gonna stop me from comin with ya... she thinks inwardly
marco didnt like being brushed off but he delt with it, for he had a mission much larger than dealing with drunks disturbing the peace. marco walked over to a white wolf. "Mr.Monoko i presume? the police cheif sent me to help out with this recent suspicious activity." and sat next to him.
Listening to Jakob, Gareeku nodded his head in agreement as the wolf incubus stated what the possible reasons for the recent "turn of events" were.
"Jakob is right. Whoever sent these letters wants our help, or our lives." Gareeku stated flatly, his arms crossed as his eyes scanned the tavern once again.
"What do you think we should do then?" Li asked, still perched on the wolf's shoulder as she looked at him, cocking her head slightly.
"We need to find out if anybody else has received one of these letters. The letters haven't said anything about anywhere to go after the tavern, but i think it would be best if we stayed a little while longer. We'll need to see if any clues are around here anywhere. Besides, i could do with another drink." Gareeku said with a smirk, before taking another swig of his ale.
Jakob gave Gareeku a look of disapproval. In his youth he'd been blessed with a supply of fresh water from the farm well, so he'd never really developed a taste for alcohol. A city lad from that era would have been brought up on watered-down wine or beer, as the water by itself generally wasn't fit to drink.
"Don't overdo it, Gareeku," he said nervously. "If these letters really are from the kidnapper, getting drunk is not going to aid our chances against them."
Noticing Jakob's disapproval of his drinking, Gareeku grinned.
"Hey now, I can handle my drink, unlike some..." Gareeku said jokingly, teasing Xzeliea as he spoke. Plus it eases the pains... Gareeku thought inwardly, forgetting the fact that there were people present who could read minds.
Xzeliea looks at the others, not really recognising them. She then turns to her old friend and grins. "Don't be thinkin' 'bout me now mate. I'll 'ave you know ah've been drinkin 'ere for 3 days straight..." she mumbles drunkenly. "now ah've 'eard that members of yer families 'ave been taken away, eh?" she says, a twinkle in her slightly glazed eyes.
Watching the small group form Paladin smiled, So the old group is forming. As Gareeku's unshielded thoughts hit him, Pal winced wanting nothing more than to say to blazes with his orders and comfort his friend. It never lasts long my friend.
Alex looked behind him seeing a group gather around a table talking to each other. Catching a few words of what was sai. Letters, Just like this one interesting.... Maybe I'll get some money if I help. If not well My family is dead to me anyways He got up and approached the group. "You people all got a letter like this one?" He threw the letter onto the table. But the letter didn't land in the middle of it because of a small gust.
Anzimani set her half empty cider glass down on the table and thought. "Whoever it was left this letter in my room no longer than two hours ago. Unless whoever it is can teleport, which is likely, they might still be in the area." She lifted the drink and sipped it. "It's a pity this place is so busy. Tracking will much harder in all these people." She sniffed the letter carefully. She didn't catch anything out of the ordinary, but she hadnt really expected anything helpful.
Stranger and stranger... Blaze thought to himself with a touch of amusement, staring into the bottom of his mug. And curious too. Kidnappings, with only a letter left behind as evidence. Someone is going to an awful lot of trouble to do this; and if they're not careful, they'll be in an awful lot of trouble too. These people are hiding a lot of anger deep down...
He had a thoughtful look on his face as he took a sip of cider and set the glass mug back down.
I better find out what Blaze is doing here Pal thought. Grabbing one of the napkins on the table, Paladin writes a small note. Finishing he sends a mental call to Rex, as the small creature warps silently in next to him Pal hands it the note. 'To Blaze thanks Rex' Pal thinks at the warp-aci 'as quiet as you can'. Pal orders another drink again tipping generously.
Blaze's hands nearly slipped from his mug as something landed atop his head. He stared up cross-eyed as a Warp-Aci poked its face down from above. A little grumpy at the sudden appearance, he picked it up by the scruff of the neck and placed it on the table top before him.
The Warp-Aci pushed a letter into his hands. Blaze raised an eyebrow at it as he unfolded it.
Blaze: red fox, at your 5 o'clock. How's your sister? - Pal
The squirrel slowly scanned across the tavern until his eyes landed on the described red fox sitting nearby. Blaze turned back, flipping the paper over and grabbing a pen out of his saddlebag. He scribbled a new note on it and handed it to the Warp-Aci.
*Hm... big crowd over there.* Chris looked towards the growing group. *There seem to be a lot of adventurers...*
While still wary, Chris was reasonably sure that they weren't looking for him. The action seemed to be centered around a certain wolf, who looked like he had a headache, among other problems. And there was the matter of that greenish something that moved around him...
Chris caught another glimpse of green and black. *No... it can't be...* The panther tilted his head to the side, trying to get a good viewing angle through the others surrounding the wolf. *It is! I never thought I'd see one!* Chris continued to lead over, staring at the creature on the wolf's lap.
Thump! Chris fell off the stool he was sitting on and smacked the floor loudly and painfully. "Oww..." He said, getting up while rubbing his sore cheek. He noticed everybody staring at him.
"Uh... hey." He said weakly. "I saw your... what was the name... ah, right, warp-aci. I've never seen one before; I've heard of them and always dreamed of seeing one someday." Li seemed pleased at this comment. "Uh..." The panther nervously scratched behind his ears. "What were y'all talking about? I heard bits and pieces, and it wouldn't have to do with strange letters, would it?" He asked, not really expecting much of an answer.
"Actually, yes. You see..." Gareeku began. The conversation resumed.
Jakob sat with a drink of iced water in his hand, contemplating what the group's next move should be. Realistically there were two possibilities, he reasoned. Most of the people at this table had been gathered by the mystery letter-writer, and that almost certainly meant that he or she would eventually turn up at the tavern. But what would happen then?
If the letter-writer was friendly, all they had to do was sit and wait, which was more-or-less what was going on right now. But if they aren't, perhaps we should be preparing to defend ourselves, he mused, and then gave a snort of amusement. Like what? Barricade the door? The Landlord would go mental! And if the kidnapper is that strong, barricades aren't going to help. They can probably teleport anyway, he thought.
On the other hand, perhaps the tavern was safe, at least for now. There were a lot of patrons, many of them Creatures, and a kidnap attempt would not go down well amongst them.
Unable to decide, Jakob stood up. "I'm just going to stretch my legs for a bit," he said, and wandered out of the tavern. Strolling around, something caught his eye in the car park, and after staring at it for a few moments, he strode briskly back inside.
"Paladin is here," he whispered to Gabi, looking around the room. "Are you sure?" the vixen asked. "Yeah. I've just seen his bike. I can't see him, though. He's probably shapeshifted. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or a bad one."
After Rex had returned Pal read the note with a grin.
She's fine, though I haven't been able to check up on her in a week or so because of my business trip. No doubt she's annoying Headmistress Fa'lina though and missing you. Anyway, nice disguise- hiding from me, or somebody else?
Picking up his drink Paladin wandered over to where Blaze was sitting. "Hello Blaze." The wolf incubus said with a smile. "See that small group over there?" Getting a nod in return he continued. "The slightly drunk white wolf over there had his mother and two relatives snatched, and several others have had their family members go missing aswell. The guard has sent me here to investigate, the biggest problem for me is that I know the wolf and his family so I need to maintain some distance."
The squirrel shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
"Quite a situation then," he mused quietly. "I heard them over-talking about something to do with kidnappings. Can't say I've heard too much about it myself before now- I've been on a business trip for the bakery. We've been having a small wheat shortage."
He cast a gaze back over at the gathering group.
"So I guess that you can't directly 'interfere' with him and the others then and whatever they've got planned? That's got to be hard."
"...and so currently we're figuring out what exactly we should do." Gareeku said the Chris as he finished explaining the situation to the pather. It was then that something suddenly caught his eye. Looking over to the winged squirrel sitting at the bar, a small creature suddenly appeared on top of his head. It was strange...it was like he'd seen the warp-aci who had suddenly appeared before...Then it hit him. He had seen it before, as it was Rex; Paladin Sheppard's warp-aci. Reconfirming his suspicions, Gareeku observed Jakob return from outside and whispering something to Gabi, the word "bike" being audible to Gareeku's ears.
Heh...so he IS here...but i wonder where... Gareeku thought to himself with a slight smirk, before he noticed Rex was now by a fox who was sat near the winged squirrel. ...Gotcha...
Choosing not to say anything, for the time being at least, the white wolf turned back to the bartender. "Say...you haven't seen anyody dropping off letters around, have you? Maybe someone who went upstairs before coming back down a few moments later?" Gareeku asked.
"Nope, can't say i have, Gareeku." the bartender replied apologetically. Frowning once again, Gareeku has lost nearly all hope of finding some sort of clue, when something suddenly occured that suprised Gareeku greatly. Glancing at the letter in front of him, the wolf's eyes widened as the letter suddenly began to morph, the ink beginning to ooze around the paper, though in a way that suggested it was about to depict something else...
Alex looked over Gareeku's shoulder he observed the letters mysterious morphing. Why would someone take the time to make such a thing? Alex scratched behind his ears. slow morphing &*() that thing is "This is the first time I've seen someone actually use morphing letters.."
Jakob had picked out a few potential candidates for Paladin when he heard slight a gasp of surprise. Turning around, he looked at Gareeku's letter, which was reconfiguring itself. When it had finished, the paper contained a few random-looking lines and the odd word here and there.
Jakob pulled out his own letter and noticed that it too had changed, but was different to Gareeku's. "What the hell is it?" he murmured. Staring at them for a few moments, something clicked. He placed his paper below Gareeku's, and the lines continued from one to the other.
"It's a map," he said. "But it seems to have been split up. We'll have to have all the letters in order to get the complete picture. This could be tricky, as we don't know how many letters there are in total."
Alex grabs his letter from the other table and puts in beside the other letter. It too ws morphing, altough quite slowly. "Morhping letters....Well here you go." Alex sighted, How did he get involved into this bull%^& ? He just stared at the others.
Upon hearing about the morphing letters, Gabi stopped looking around for Paladin, the tavern being filled with too many smells to pinpoint his exact location. She fixed her eyes on her own letter for a few seconds, then put it on the table. It began to change.
"It looks like someone's playing with us," she said. "If the sender wanted our help, why send morphing letters instead of regular ones with the map pieces clearly visible, or even full maps? Unless they wanted to make sure we were all together before we found the map, but that would mean he or she has a reason for wanting all of us."
She contemplated the map pieces and tried to think of a way to make them fit, or to recognize some landmarks, but her thoughts kept interfering. This person knows about us and we don't know about him. Or her. We could be being watched at this moment. She gave one more look around before she decided it would be useless. She didn't even know what to look for. I guess all I can do for now is help solve the puzzle, she thought, and gave the map pieces another look.
"We must be prepared for anything," she warned the group. "But for now I don't think there's much we can do before we get this puzzle sorted out. Who else has a piece?"
"Here."
Anzimani picked up her letter from the table, where she had dropped it in surprise as it began to change. She fitted it in next to Alex's, trying to look at the map and figure out which ones were edges. That way they could get some idea of how large the map would be when finished, and thus how many pieces it would take.
If some of them had borders, that would be helpful, she thought to herself. She looked over the map, trying to puzzle out exactly what area was pictured.
Chris fervently wiped his hands on his jeans. He had been holding his letter when it began morphing. Though he quickly dropped it on the table, the sensation he received while it was in his hand was... weird. It carried the obvious tingle of magic, and the more subtle but familiar feel of an ordinary item given magical properties.
*Not that it really matters...* He thought as he picked up the letter again. *I wonder where my piece fits...*
After everybody had handed their letters in, the pieces of paper were put next to each other. Gareeku was contemplating which piece went where, when suddenly the pieces fused together, creating one big piece. The ink began morphing again, oozing and flowing into the correct places where the pieces of the map where supposed to join up.
"Well, that made it easier..." Gareeku commented, an eyebrow raised as he spoke. Turning the large piece of paper over, his eyes widened in slight surprise as a note appeared on the other side to the map.
You will need this map is you wish to find your loved ones. This a confusing time, i know, but i am someone you know, Gareeku. You can either trust what I have provided, or you don't. The choice is entirely up to you, my friends. It is adivsed that you all, even the cubi, rest for the night before beginning your search, for you will have a long day ahead of you all tomorrow. Good luck.
Well, the way the note was written sounded friendly enough... Gareeku thought to himself after reading the note. Still, all they had was a map which had no directions, but only displayed a layout of the surrounding area, including the nearby towns and villages.
"Well, I say we trust this letter," Gareeku stated flatly, taking a swig of his ale before continuing, "It's either going with what we've been given, or looking around blindly. Personally, i'd like a bit of help with this, even if the mysterious stranger is exactly that."
"I agree." Anzimani finished off her cider. "This is the only lead you have to your lost ones, and I think you should follow it." She set the glass down. "I'll help, of course. That is, if you want me to. This is the greatest chance for adventure I've come across so far."
"I will help too," Gabi added. "It's not the first time I've embarked myself in a dangerous mission... with some of you, even. Those I've traveled with, I know I can trust, and if any of you needs help, I won't turn my back on you."
Besides, she thought, I want to know what this mystery's all about. But the fact that we know so little makes it all the more dangerous. Still, mystery or not, the kidnapped need to be rescued and I won't stand with my arms crossed if there's any kind of help I can provide.
"Like you wouldn't believe" Pal said to Blaze sighing, noticing increased activity by the group Pal pointed it out to Blaze. "Hey somethings up over there."
Xzeliea scratches her ear gently. "Weel, mate, i may be a bit tipsy at teh moment, but i do be live ah'll be joinin you again.." she says to her old friend before hiccuping a bit.
Blaze's golden eyes flickered over towards the group Pal had pointed out to him before. "Huh, yeah. What's with the pieces of paper?"
He watched as the members of the group all handed pieces of paper in to Gareeku. They stared intently at the pieces as they seemed to merge.
"Now there's something you don't see everyday," muttered Blaze, "Whoever this person is, they're definitely being tricky about this."
"Perhaps I'm being paranoid," Jakob began, "but I can't help feeling a little twitchy about the fact that they have instructed us all to go to sleep. I can't think of a better way to round up the entire party by stealth."
"Anyway, I guess we'd better decide what we're going to do. We can probably find rooms in the inn if the plan is to stick together. Otherwise, we can go our separate ways and regroup in the morning - here is as good a place as any."
Gareeku smiled as heard Gabi's, Xzeliea's and Anzimani's word, comforting him greatly.
"Thank you all," Gareeku said with greatitude, "this will very likely be dangerous, so it is understandable if any of you are not willing to embark on this journey."
Looking at Jakob upon hearing his words, Gareeku frowned. "You seem to be forgetting that cubi don't have to sleep. If you really feel that way, then don't sleep, it's up to you. You could be on guard duty, if you like." the wolf said flatly to his old friend, before ordering another ale.
"I think the letter-writer is correct.. I should try to get some sleep." Jakob decided. "You know how sleeping on a problem can sometimes give you the answer to it? Well, that still works for me, even though I no longer dream very much. Perhaps it might give me some insight into what we've just seen," he said, gesturing at the map. And there's always the slim chance of a dream anyway.. he added, mentally.
"Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm going home. I'll check back here around seven if that isn't going to be a problem."
Bidding the others goodnight, he went back into a cubicle in the gents and had soon teleported himself back to SAIA, where he began to rifle through a collection of tapes until he found one labelled 'Deep Purple - 03/04/1970' - one of the work tapes he'd managed to steal from a skip in London. Putting it on, he lay down on his bed and tried to relax.
If you've been bad... Oh Lord, I bet you have...
'Damn right,' thought Jakob. 'Although I've tried my best to make amends..'
And you've not been hit by flying lead
You'd better close your eyes and bow your head
And wait for the ricochet..
'This is the best bit,' thought Jakob to himself, lying blissfully on his bed with his eyes closed, as Ian Gillan began to howl manically.
Human music was all very well, but it tended to be rather lacking in treble which made it somewhat fatiguing for canids to listen to for extended periods. The faint hiss caused by the tape recording helped make up for it to some degree, and Jakob was proud to have invented treble resynthesis many years before the humans at Aphex had accidentally built their first Aural Exciter by assembling a valve amplifier incorrectly.
Of course those tricks were merely crutches - it was always best to have the treble in the recording from the start, and the vocal range of this human was quite something to behold.
When Jakob awoke, he was mildly disappointed to find that he hadn't dreamt. However, there were a number of memories sticking prominently in his mind - as he had hoped, his subconscious mind had been sifting through things while he was out.
There were two main things.. a feral cat stuck in a tree which he had rescued some years ago, and Paladin's bike in the car park of the Smoking Dragon. In addition, he found himself whistling Child In Time again. "Wait for the ricochet.."
Jakob was convinced that his subsconscious was trying to tell him something important, but he couldn't understand what it was. It was to do with something he'd sensed with his mind while he was in the car park, something out of place.
Well, whatever it was, it must be long gone by now, he thought. Mentally shrugging his shoulders, Jakob looked at his watch, and seeing that it was getting on for seven, teleported back to the Smoking Dragon.
Gabi went to sleep as well. Unlike the cubi, she did need it, and it wouldn't be wise to start a journey unrested. She knew that consciously, but she had trouble convincing her body to switch off for the night. She had too much on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the letters. She tried to figure out what the sender had been thinking ... what meaning was hidden in them. But she knew too little to reach any reliable conclussions, and that worried her to no end. The fact that Paladin had been there but hadn't made his presence known added to her confusion, and the cocktail of smells from the tavern still lingered in her nose. A few were familiar, and a few seemed out of place, but there were so many that she couldn't make them out. She tried to stop thinking, but failed. Then she tried thinking about the dreams she'd had the previous night... now it seemed like a long time had passed since then. She eventually managed to doze off, but the changing letters still haunted her dreams, along with the enemies she had faced with the others two years earlier and, for some odd reason, explosions and fires. In the end, blissfully, things calmed down and she dreamed of her brother, but then she woke up missing him. It had been a long time since she'd last had news of him; she wished he were with her. Well, at least he hadn't been kidnapped, as far as she knew, but she could sympathize with Gareeku. She didn't want to think of what she would feel like if William's name had been in the letter she got.
Xzeliea Yawns and stands up a little shakily "Well, i do belive i better go get some sleep..." she says before starting to walk off. "i'll see ye later.." she says before tumbling to the floor, half-asleep
Alexd just noddded and walked outside. He climbed into a big old tree and layed down withing it. I already slept today but who cares, Aslong as that 'darn dumb dude' isn't going to think that I'm going to sleep in that overexpensive Inn. A few minutes later Alex had fallen asleep. He didn't dream. At the first rays of sun he woke up but stayed up in the tree resting a little longer. 3AM in the morning, I don't think the others are up yet. He watched people walk about in the road bellow him. Nobody till now had noticed him. In the good old days I would have thrown rocks at them, But I'm grown up now. Things th at once amused me do not anymore.
Watching the group disperse to rooms and Jakob to the mens room, Pal thought about his next move. Reaching a decision Pal asked the innkeeper for a room. Walking back to Blaze, Pal thought of something else. "Blaze I just got a room here but I thought I might drop in on RJ while this lot are sleeping, would you mind keeping an eye out for me?"
Dropping one of the room keys into Blaze's hand Paladin heads to the room, once there he calls Rex again and they warp to SAIA. Pal spent the next eight hours catching up with Raine telling her of his latest adventures, and her responding with the latest SAIA gossip.
When his time was up he parted RJ with a hug and warped back to the Smoking Dragon and headed back to the common room to see if the innkeeper was serving breakfast.
Blaze blinked as the key dropped into his hand. "Yeah, sure. I don't mind. Say hi to RJ for me then if you want."
He watched as the other cubi warped away. Blaze juggled the key in his hand as he headed for his room. He glanced around, using his senses to pin-point many of the others Pal had pointed out to him before.
"Interesting situation," he mumbled to himself as he sat down in a chair in the room. He picked up a newspaper that had been placed in the room beforehand and gazed through it. "I'm going to have to keep an eye on this whole thing. It's too curious not to leave alone. Heh."
The orange squirrel put his feet up on the nearby table, settling the newspaper in his lap as he continued to read. He twirled the key around one of his fingers, the key turning a bright red as Blaze subconsciously heated it up. Soon the sun, glowing red like that key, would rise to signal the new morning.
Chris went gratefully to bed. The fatigue that comes from being pursued combined with the alcohol and the unexpected situation he now found himself in was enough to make him exhausted. Though the room and bed that was give to him weren't exactly top notch, the panther fell asleep almost immediately after lying down on the lumpy mattress. His dreams were never pleasant, and tonight was no exception...
His parents were dead. His sister was dead. Everybody he knew was dead. He was about to die. Or... maybe not die, but something worse.
He was on his knees, surrounded by darkness that weighed on him like he was underwater. He cried out in anguish as he felt sinister forces working around inside him, tearing through his bones, muscles and arteries. He tried to combat the forces with his own limited magical powers, but his resistance was brushed aside easily. The panther's eyes glossed over as the unseen forces reached their target inside his body. He realized what was happening; it was now too late to fight it.
He was unable to scream as his soul was forcibly removed from his body.
-----
Chris awoke, bolting upright in the bed. Although this one was worse than normal, he was used to nightmares and had trained himself to refrain from screaming in his sleep.
He glanced at his PDA on the small table beside his bed. *Now's a good a time as any to wake up...* He thought as he got out of bed. *One helluva dream...* He yawned and stretched in the traditional feline fashion, which was made difficult by the confines of the room.
*It probably means nothing. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, but it certainly can't be that bad.* Chris splashed water on his face and gave his fur a perfunctory cleaning.
Walking over to his backpack, he carefully extracted the crystal he stole. *I wonder if I'll have to use you... or if I'll even figure out what you do.* He shrugged and replaced it in his pack, along with his other possessions. He headed back to the common room, hoping there would be something to do. Running, hiding, and waiting had grown old rapidly and he ached for action, as youth are prone to. Perhaps he would see some in the immediate future...
Anzimani picked up her empty glass and walked back to the bar. Handing a coin to the barman, she asked, "I'd like to take last night's room again, if it's not a problem?" The barman nodded and pocketed the coin with a smile.
She climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway to her room. Opening the door, she tossed her bag onto the newly made bed. She closed the door, laid down the belt that held her weaponry, then undressed. After washing her face, she pulled on dark green pants and a long shirt of a lighter green. The shirt had a pattern embroidered on the hem in thin gold thread, and both were of a soft, comfortable material. Pushing her pack to the floor, she slipped into bed.
At first she had trouble sleeping, but then she slowly slipped into unconciousness. She dreamt strange, disconnected dreams about whirling desert sands and old, long dead demons. As time passed, she dreamt more coherently, and smiled in her sleep as her young friend Vitara walked into her dreamworld. The fiesty silver-haired youngster always made her feel better when she was upset or stressed, as much as Tara's strange powers might irk others. Not a youngster anymore, her dreamy head thought. She'll have grown while I've been gone.
She dreamed pleasantly about hunting for rabbits with her friend for a time, but eventually felt the pull back to conciousness and the real world.
Opening her eyes blearily, she tried to sit up, but was thwarted by the sheets that had gotten tangled around her as she slept. She freed herself and, yawning, checked the old Bonheur pocket watch she carried in her bag. A small part of her wanted to sell the stupid thing and buy a new, more modern timekeeper, but why replace it if it still worked just fine?
Seeing that it was almost seven o'clock, she jumped to her feet and dressed hurriedly. That was the time that the wolf, what had he said his name was? Jakob, that was it, had said he would return to the inn. She assumed the others would do the same. She pulled on her black pants from the day before and a long black shirt with gold embroidery on the hems, not unlike her nightshirt. She pulled her hair back with a thin black ribbon and slipped her feet into her boots. Slinging the pack onto her back, she left the room to pad down the stairs to the main room, muttering about getting an alarm clock.
Another evening, another night, another morning. And a day later, no less.
Arc had, over night, been power-napping up in his tree, finally falling to sleep around 11pm and waking up at around 5am. He was starting to wish he'd brought his old rifle with him. Aforementioned rifle was a custom-built piece of work, "acquired" for him by an... "associate" as a reward for a particularly difficult job. It could have been described as "master-crafted", and it could well have been. Whilst it may have been a single-shot, bolt-action rifle, it only needed one shot.
But enough about the rifle - Arc was awake, and that was what mattered. Pulling his senses together, he clambered down from the tree and did a little recon of the outside of the inn. Whilst he wasn't exactly inconspicuous, he didn't need to be, it was an unearthly time in the morning, and he was moving quietly enough as it was...
As everyone went their separate ways, either to bed, home or otherwise, Gareeku remained at the bar and continued to drink ale.
"Don't you think you've had enough, Gareeku?" the bartender asked, a conerned expression on his face as he cleaned up the bar, preparing to close for the night.
"Its helps me sleep...I need to sleep, Nathan..." Gareeku replied to the bartender, before taking another swig of his ale.
"Whatever you say, my friend. I'm closing the bar now and heading to bed. I trust you to finish your ale and go to bed yourself." Nathan said before disappearing to his bedroom, trusting the wolf as he had known him for many years.
The next morning, Gareeku woke to find that he had fallend asleep at the bar, his empty ale glass next to his as he lifted his head from the bartop. Looking at the clock on the wall behind the bar, Gareeku found it was 7am. Feeling slightly groggy, the wolf decided to head outside for a breath of fresh air. Walking out in to the car park, Gareeku saw Paladin's bike for himself, smirking slightly as he laid his eyes on it. Unknown to him, however, was that he was not alone...
Xzeliea opens her eyes to bright daylight. "Goddamnit shut the stupid thing off!!" she yells, standing up, quite grumpy. she heads outside only to fall down in the dirt. A colorful conversation with the ground ensues.
Just before 7 AM Alex jumped out of the tree, Some people walking on the road where startled but most where just annoyed by the hindrance. Alex walked into the Tavern and sat down on one of the chairs.
The back of the building in the carpark seemed as good a place as any, although Arc wasn't quite expecting Gareeku to come outside to get a breath of fresh air. Still, he might know something, so Arc unholstered the Steyr M1-A and moved up behind Gareeku.
He kept the pistol in one hand and at arm's length, himself standing sideways, the end of the barrel not more than a centimeter from the back of the wolf's skull.
"I suggest you tell me everything you know about a Mr. Johan Cross... right now."
Many thoughts were racing through Gareeku's mind as he stodd outside in the fresh morning air. Who was this myterious stranger that was helping them? Where was the kidnapper? Even though they had received a map, it did not appear to show them where to go to find those kidnapped. Gareeku was about to head back inside when a voice suddenly spoke behind him.
"I suggest you tell me everything you know about a Mr. Johan Cross... right now."
Looking out of the corner of his eye, Gareeku saw the shadow of a figure to the side and behind him. Gareeku was no fool...he knew that anybody who made a threat such as that would be pointing some form of weapon, and the gun shape in the shadow on the floor proved this to be correct.
"You could have asked nicely, you know..." Gareeku replied calmly, a smirk on his face as he slowly turned around to face the stranger, purposefully turning around slowly as he knew that any sudden movements would mean that he would be dead. "...very well. Johan Cross was a figure who lived about a hundred years ago. He ruled over a number of cities, and was known for his mysteriousness, as no one, except his closest henchmen, saw his real face," Gareeku continued, "that is all I know."
Arc keeps the pistol - and his guard - up, watching Gareeku.
He smirks.
"You have no idea, do you? Funny how I saw him in this very carpark last night. He's still alive and kicking."
He glances over at the bike, then back at Gareeku.
"Besides, I don't do `nice`."
Hearing the feline speak, Gareeku laughed slightly.
"You saw him, did you? You saw Johan Cross, who always used to conceal his identity whenever he went outside his fortress, so no one would know his true identity?" Gareeku said, the smirk still on his face as he spoke. "Whatever. I don't know anything about Johan Cross other than his history. If he was in that tavern last night, then i wouldn't know, as i've never seen his face before."
Jakob sat in the bar again with another glass of water, wondering where Gareeku was. It was fairly early in the morning, so most of the patrons in the bar were Creatures who had been there all night. Jakob found this somehow oppressive and decided to step out for a few moments.
As he approached the entrance, he noticed a tree. By the look of it the leaves had been disturbed recently. Suddenly the mental images from the morning made sense. His eyes widened. Sniper!
Impulsively, Jakob teleported back into the bar, causing a few grunts of displeasure from the patrons at this breach of protocol.
He sat down, pulse racing and tried to pinpoint the sniper's mind - it would be concealed of course. But there was no-one in the tree any more.
Widening his search, he suddenly touched Gareeku's mind. His 'cubi shielding was down and Jakob realised that he had done this in a desperate bid to let him know what was happening.
As an impromptu disguise, Jakob gave himself dalmatian fur and poked his head out of the doorway. Looking stealthily outside he could see Gareeku and the feline gunman threatening him, and he could hear the gunman's voice in Gareeku's mind.
"You have no idea, do you? Funny how I saw him in this very carpark last night. He's still alive and kicking."
Will it never end? thought Jakob unhappily, and concentrated on Gareeku's mind. Gareeku wasn't a full 'cubi so he didn't have the ability to read Jakob's mind in return. Jakob concentrated hard and sent a mental impression to him.
"I'm going to distract the gunman. Get ready to run. Use Li, or whatever. Just get out of there when his head goes. I won't be able to hold it for long."
One of Jakob's party tricks was an invisibility spell. It worked by tunnelling light across an object, rendering it completely invisible. The big problem was that anyone inside the invisibility field was completely blind since the light would skip past their eyes.
Go, my friend! thought Jakob, and projected a two foot sphere of invisibility around the feline's head, which from Jakob and Gareeku's viewpoint disappeared along with a large chunk of his chest. From the feline's viewpoint, everything suddenly went completely black.
The lack of vision did very little to deter Arcalane, and rather served to make the situation worse. He sighed, shook his head, and aimed where he remembered Gareeku's upper-left arm to be, then pulled the trigger.
"First mistake."
Of course, whether or not he hit was another question entirely.
Seeing the stranger's head disappear, Gareeku took the distance to turn and run as fast as he could back to the inn. He would have warped, were it not for the fact that Li was still in the inn and the likelihood that the stranger would have fired the gun as soon as the warp-aci would appear. Gareeku was almost through the door, when a searing pain suddenly racing through his arm from his elbow. Getting through the door and slamming it shut, the wolf looked down to find his arm covered in blood, staining his gloves a darker shade of crimson in the process. Trying to move his arm, Gareeku was only met with the pain increasing greatly. It seemed the bone in his elbow had shattered from the impact of the bullet.
"Shit!" Gareeku cursed, clutching his arm as a grimace appeared on his face.
"ASSASSIN!" Jakob shrieked at the barman and patrons the moment Gareeku got inside, and began to barricade the door with chairs and tables. He'd already planned this last night in case of emergency. Looks like my paranoia was justified, he thought. Damn! I hate it when I'm right.
It wasn't until he'd reverted to his usual wolf colouring and ensured that some of the patrons were standing guard, that he noticed Gareeku's injury and slumped clean away.
Anzimani was halfway down the inn's stairs when she heard Jakob shout. Her eyes widened and she took the remaining stairs three at a time, nearly losing her balance near the bottom step. She had to unfurl her wings and flap them once to keep from landing face-first on the floor. Murmuring an apology to a patron she'd nearly hit, she dropped low and moved slowly toward the window nearest the door. She'd had plenty of experience with assassins-- she'd gone on vacation with a runaway royal family once, and it was not an experience she wanted to repeat.
Lifting her hands to the glass, she moved fingertips that sparkled with purple fire from top to bottom in a square, following the edges of the window. Anyone who tried to pass through the transparent web of electricity would be stunned within five seconds. Ducking around the barricade of furniture around the door, she moved to the other window and began to seal it in the same fashion.
While all this happened Alex looked at the empty glass of beer in front of him. "Assassin, With a gun?" He muttered While looking at Gareeku. "He wasn't there to kill you?" He said with a slight smirk. He got up and grabbed a few bandages from a small bag. He Looked at Gareeku's arm "Let me see the wound, I might be able to put some bandage around it. But It'll be smart to wash the wound first, Infections."
Xzeliea stands up and walks back inside, smelling the blood. she leans against the doorway, growling. "Prehaps that is the one who sent the lettes..." she snarls, just loud enough for a passerby to hear. "this could be a trap, mate...an' i 'ave no idea how to avoid this sort 'o thing..." she sighs, slumping down.
an' i dunno if i even know how to defend even myself anymore... she says to herself.
. o O ( The term is `mercenary`, not `assassin`. Get it right. )
Once his vision returns, Arc blinks and shakes his head a bit. He reholsters the M1-A, and looks around a bit.
. o O ( Perfect. )
He had no doubt they'd be securing the downstairs, but what about the upstairs...?
He scrambled up a tree near the inn, and looked for an appropriate opening. A window would be all he needed to get inside. And there was one just across from him. He made sure all his equipment was secure, then judged the distance. The tree seemed sturdy enough, and the window fragile enough. A convienently placed branch allowed him to swing back and forth to gather momentum, then all he had to do was let go, shield his eyes with one arm and 'fly' through the window... with the sound of smashing glass and splintering wood from the frame.
A few nicks from the glass, but nothing major, he noted. Arc stood up and dusted himself off, then took the XM-8 from his back and brought it up to his shoulder, covering the stairs as he moved towards them, one step at a time.
As Jakob slumped to the ground, Pal shed his fox persona, the now huge armored cubi oozing menace.
Moving to Gareeku's side he checked on his wound, seeing that it painful but not fatal Pal stretched his mind out searching for the attacker. With all the confusion and stress levels of the early morning crowd he couldn't find anything, giving up he heard the breaking of glass up stairs.
Drawing his shortswords he leapt at the top flight, using his wing-tentacles to haul himself the rest of the way. As he landed, he felt a burst from the feline's assault rifle slam into his chestplate staggering him slightly. Snarling he aimed a tentacle at the rifle to wrench it up and to the side. Thrusting his swords towards ether side of the feline's windpipe, he growled out: "Surrender or I tear you apart!"
Blaze heard screams tear through the air outside his room. He placed his newspaper down and exited cautiously. He heard someone yell 'Assassin' from the front bar.
The squirrel frowned and sprinted towards the front- there was complete chaos around him. He saw Pal check on the wolf he had pointed out last night and shed his illusion as the shattering of glass upstairs gained his attention. Blaze gave a shout to Pal, but too late as the wolf incubus raced upstairs ready for battle.
"Damn it," Blaze muttered, taking the stairs as well. He nearly tripped over as he bumped into Pal, holding his swords at an unknown feline's neck.
Blaze's brow furrowed as the wolf issued a warning. They furrowed even deeper at the guns the feline was carrying. He gulped silently before regaining his stance.
"You better listen to him," Blaze said to the feline. "Or else you might just have me to take on as well..." He held up his hands, holding twin fireballs in them. He glanced at Pal. "You okay? Who is this guy?" he whispered quietly to him.
Having cleaned the wound as much as he could, Gareeku let Alex wrap the bandages around his elbow. Hearing Alex speak, Gareeku smirked.
"I don't think he was, though he certainly left his mark," Gareeku replied, "what I wouldn't give for a healer."
Noticing Jakob faint, Gareeku rolled his eyes, before picking up the now unconscious wolf incubus with his free arm, setting his friend on a chair, with his head rested on a table. Paladin and Blaze were not the only ones who had heard the mercenary break in. Racing up the stairs, Gareeku's eyes widened as he saw the two of them try to take him on.
"Get back! His rifle will easily take you down in a place like this!" Gareeku shouted out, slightly frustrated that the two of them had not realised that fighting in a place such as a hallway only meant that there was less room to move about, and that it also meant that the mercenary could easily take the two of them down.
"Young minds make them reckless, as age makes people stubborn. " Alex sights "In the good old days, without guns..." Alex shakes his head. "Now I want I gun myself." He Walked over to the stairs and looked up but didn't See anything. "No way I'm going up there, If they haven't overpowered him already they'll probably to dead anyways. We should prepare ourselves." He looked at the barricaded door. "No use keeping our only escape route blocked. Let's get rid of that shall we?" he walked over to the barricade and moved some stuff at of the way. Not to much however and he soon returned to his position beneath the stairs. "Gareeku, If this guy's only after you I want you to know that when he comes down I won't stop or delay him at the cost of my own life. Whats the use of two people dying to try and save one?"
Hearing Alex speak, Gareeku's brow furrowed in annoyance at his words.
"Well I can tell you're going to be a reliable ally in a fight." Gareeku said, his voice filled with sarcasm as he spoke. Turning back to the situation at hand, a grimace appeared on the wolf's face as he hoped that the two in the hallway at the top of the stairs would get out of there safely. He didn't exactly want any fatalities today.
Alex smirked "Don't get me wrong... Gareeku, wasn't it? I like you, but I don't value above my own life. I'm not a warrior like you, I don't believe in honor and doing the right thing." Alex glansed opstair once more. "Altough I would really like to kill the guy that did that to you, but he has a gun and dieing isn't on my agenda." He grabbed a few chairs from the barrida and put them infront of the stairs. He yelled to the people upstairs "Hey cubies, are you alriight up there?!?"
Chris was restless and nervous from his earlier nightmare when he heard the cry of "Assassin!". It appeared that there would be some action today, and this was evidenced by Gareeku's wound and the sounds of a scuffle upstairs.
Chris had stood and drawn his handgun, unsure where the threat was. He saw some of the group he met earlier head upstairs, and from the sound of things they were now engaged in combat. He had considered helping Gareeku, but it looked like his injury was being taken care of. As he then saw Gareeku head upstairs himself, he noticed that he didn't have his warp-aci with him.
*Well, darn. I figured that little green creature would be able to help greatly in a fight...* Chris wondered where Li could be. He walked over to Gareeku and Alex, intending to ask this and other questions.
"I overheard you saying you want a gun yourself." Chris said to Alex as he glanced down at the pistol in his paws (which was at that moment pointed at the floor). "Can I help?"
Turning to Gareeku before Alex could answer, Chris asked, "And where is your little warp-aci helper? Is it in danger?"
Hearing the crashes from upstairs, Anzimani crossly broke her connection with the seals on the windows, letting the magic flicker and disappear. There was no point in draining herself to keep up shields when the assassin was already inside. She left her sword in its sheath, as her magic would be much more useful against someone weilding a gun. She prepared to cast a shield around herself if needed, but didn't do so immidiately. Shields drained her more than anything else, apart from form-shifting. It was a good thing she had spent time building up her magical stamina.
She clacked her beak in irritation, padding over to where Gareeku and the others were, by the stairs. Glancing warily at the newcomer, she peered up the stairs. She couldn't see anything except a peice of empty hallway at the top.
"Is this who wanted to get all these adventurers together? One guy with a gun, taking us all on? That can't be it. No one's that dumb."
Feline reflexes seem intent on winning the day, and Arc has plenty of time to -hear- Paladin coming. Terrain and apparent tactical-training advantages far surpass numerical advantage in such situations. He moves back, holding his rifle one-handed as he hops back, bringing his own sword out and up in an attempt to knock Paladin's two shortswords off-course.
"Back off before I give you an impromptu trepanning, Поймите?"
Hearing Chris talk of Li, an idea suddenly manifested itself in Gareeku's head. The wolf had let Li roam the local area, as he knew very much of her curiosity and her fondess of exploration.
Li...come to me...I need your help... Gareeku called out in his mind. Normally, Gareeku did not possess telepathy, but he and Li had developed a mental connection with each other through the times they were together. A few seconds after he had called out to her in his mind, the little creature appeared on his shoulder.#
"What's wrong, Gareeku? What's going on?" the little warp-aci asked as she looked around at the state of the inn, before noticing his injury, "Gareeku, your arm!"
"I'll be fine..." the wolf replied calmly, before decided to explain further via their mental connection, but I need you to get me upstairs. There is a gun-weilding man up there. Get me behind him.
"Back off before I give you an impromptu trepanning, Поймите?"
"I don't think you're in a position to make such threat..." a calm voice suddenly said from behind the feline mercenary. Stood there was Gareeku, Li perched on his shoulder and his blade held in his uninjured arm, pointed at the back of the mercenary's neck as the wolf's eyes did not move from looking at the stranger. If he tried anything, then it would safe to say that he would receive a rather nasty cut to the neck. "Drop your weapons."
"Опять...?" - he practically spits. "The arm wound not enough for you?"
Arc does nothing for the time being, practically 'frozen' in place, tail not even moving.
Listening to the feline stranger speak, Gareeku smirked, his white canine teeth showing as he chuckled slightly.
"What can I say? I'm a persistent guy." the wolf said in reply, "I'll say it again; drop your weapons. I also want to know what exactly your mission is. Spare no details."
Blaze's ears picked up as he heard someone yell 'How you doing, cubies?' up the stairs. He grimaced slightly as he thought to himself.
Of all the things for this person to be carrying, it just had to be a gun... I don't really have the reflexes to take on one. If I had set up a fire shield before, I'd be fine, though I'd be limited in any way I could attack... not to mention this place is a fire hazard in the making... The incubus groaned inwardly. Why'd I go running up like this? Damn, even RJ would do better in this situation than me! He paused, wincing as he remembered the last time he tussled with her. Maybe not...
His thoughts were interrupted as Gareeku appeared behind the feline, sporting a warp-aci on his shoulder, and a sword at the feline's neck.
Blaze eyed the gun, then glanced at Gareeku after he told the feline to lower his weapons. "If he doesn't comply, then shall I melt them right in his hands?"
Listening to Blaze's words, Gareeku grinned slightly.
"If he doesn't comply, then yes. I'm sure his weaponry is quite expensive," Gareeku commented, not moving his sword from its position at less than an inch from the feline's neck, "we wouldn't want all that money to go to waste now, would we?"
Quote from: Gareeku on August 07, 2006, 07:12:14 PM
Listening to the feline stranger speak, Gareeku smirked, his white canine teeth showing as he chuckled slightly.
"What can I say? I'm a persistent guy." the wolf said in reply, "I'll say it again; drop your weapons. I also want to know what exactly your mission is. Spare no details."
"Fine. I hear a lot of things, specifically that old Johan Cross is coming out into the open again in this area. Knowing his history, I'm sure I needn't mention the fact that there is a lot of money on his head when it comes to telling you my mission is. Dead or alive, in fact."He glares at Blaze.
"If, however, my informants are wrong, I'm sure something can be arranged in terms of compensation. And then I suppose I'll have to go looking for another job. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Really. Because being stuck in the arse-end of no-where is not particularly useful."Arc pauses.
"And do remind your friend downstairs - it's 'Mercenary' not 'Assassin'."
He nodded at Chris" Will do do later, discuss a price if you will " Alex smirked at sound of Gareeku's voice upstairs Warp-Aci, Great idea Gareeku. Alex took the chairs way from the stairs and put them around a table. He heard the Feline comment. "...Mercenary not assassin" Alex grinned He should have stayed away from assassins work then, Because killing someone for money is assassin territory. He put his knife away and went upstairs. As he saw the feline he stopped grinning. "So here's our mercenary that attempts assassinations." He looked at the feline and then his gun. Nice equipment... A shame that Gareeku is a warrior, Most other people would have killed the intruder by now.
"I can tell you quite a bit about him," said a raccoon demon in Jakob's voice. He was still a little queasy from seeing Gareeku bleed, but he'd had enough presence of mind to conceal himself.
"I've studied his history and spoken to the Beings he left to run his empire after he disappeared. In effect, he can really be considered to be three separate people.
"To begin with, Johan Cross is just a pseudonym. What his real name is, we don't really know. But we do know he was a regular easygoing guy, until someone assassinated his friend and mentor.
That's when he flipped out, became evil and started calling himself 'Cross'. All because of people like you," he added sadly. "He spent about three hundred years planning revenge, and built a small empire on the side. In particular he shut down a number of rival crime rings and turfed a few Creatures out of their territory. Perhaps he wasn't the only one who can hold a grudge for hundreds of years.
"Anyway, when he finally got his revenge, that took away the drive that sustained him. Some say he was ashamed at what he'd done. Either way, he disappeared - presumed dead.
No-one really believed that though, and people still take bets on who might really be Cross, even though he hasn't been seen in a hundred years . One of the favourites is that nature film guy, Jacob Peterson or whatever his name is. I've never been able to ask him about it, though.
"Finally, there was someone pretending to be Cross a couple of years ago. Gareeku here was telling me about that. Apparently it was some succubus puppet of Charline's."
"So," asked the raccoon, "Who are you after? The crime lord, the impostor or the harmless-looking guy who makes wildlife films?"
Arc turns to Alex.
"Mercs take on any kind of jobs. There's a thin grey line between extremes. It's shared by many professions - Bounty Hunters, Assassins, Adventurers... so many people see in black and white."
He slowly lowers the sword back to his side and thumbs the rifle's safety on, but drops neither. He also takes on a bit more of a relaxed stance.
"Safety's on - besides, I wasn't quite expecting the 'royal guard' and whatnot. Especially not this many `Creatures` in one area. I mean, come on. Two incubi and a demon in this backwater? What are the chances, eh?"
He then glances over to the `coon-demon.
"People like me? I don't kill for sport, nor for blood. It's a dirty job - but without people to do it, what happens? Things go to hell in a handbasket, if you'll pardon the expression. Being a Merc is a lucrative business - much like being an Adventurer or Bounty Hunter. Difference is, I don't mind taking shots at either side. There are jobs I won't take. Collateral is not my style."
He pauses at the mention of there being two alternatives.
"Whichever is the real one and can be confirmed as such. Need I say more?"
Still peering up the stairs, Anzimani's eyes narrowed at the 'raccoon's words.
What is he going on about? Did he just name himself as possibly being Johan Cross? Anzimani had, of course, heard of Johan Cross in her travels, but she assumed he had been killed by an adventurer who did not want to garner attention, or something of the sort.
Something wierd is going on here... She didn't say anything, as she hoped Jakob had some reason for what he was doing. Instead, she listened closely in case another clue was presented.
Alex smirked "You and I are much alike feline." Good, Evil it's all the same to me, I wouldn't hurt anyone in this party tough. These people can help me and have been tolerant of my presence..... Alex stopped thinking remembering that he was among Cubi. "However I really would like to know why you didn't kill our friend Gareeku here. You where taking a risk by letting him warn us." and entering the tavern before assaulting someone might have been smart.
((`scuse the rapid fire posts, it's easier if I remember to tackle the questioning as it comes rather than letting it build up into one lengthy rant-like thing.))
Arc eyes Alex.
"Risks are in the job description."
"Yes, people like you," said the demon bitterly, "people who kill others for personal gain. If those three demons hadn't murdered his mentor in an attempt to usurp his patronage, Cross as we know him today would never have happened.
"I've been trying to compile a biography of Cross," the raccoon explained, "Trying to give people a true picture of what he was really like. Most of the rumours about him eating Beings, mass executions and rampant soul-devouring are quite simply false. As near as I've been able to tell, the death toll from his entire reign was about ten people, including the demons he swore vengeance upon.
"On average, that's one man every 30 years. How many people have you killed?" he asked, looking distastefully at the cat's fearsome assortment of automatic weaponry. "You speak of avoiding collateral damage, but you shot Gareeku, you thought nothing of using an assault rifle in an inn full of innocents and opened fire on one of the Royal Guards.. all in pursuit of a retired gangster who in all likelihood is quite happily making documentary films about wild mushrooms."
Calming down, the raccoon paused for moment. "Have you ever considered that whoever it was might be ashamed of the Cross era? Perhaps they want to forget about it and try to pretend it never happened. Besides.. supposing you did meet Johan Cross. What then? No-one knows what he looked like then, let alone now. The only way you can prove that the man you've caught is Johan Cross is if they own up to it themselves - which they can't do if you bring them in dead, by the way.
Even then, who would believe them? While writing this book I've met five 'cubi who claimed they were Cross, and I'll probably meet at least five more before I've finished it."
I don't get a single word of this... Blaze thought to himself, remembering to keep his mental shields up- he didn't want anyone to see a weakness in him, even if it was knowledge-based. I'd probe some minds, but I doubt I wouldn't be noticed... and it's not my style either. I'm surprised at how comfortable these other people are with me...
Blaze decided to stay quiet, listening intently to what was being said. He would just have to work it out later...
Straightening out of his combat stance, Paladin with one fluid movement sheathed his swords behind his back. He started as Ark made the comment about the Royal Guard but then realised it was just a comment.
Leaning against one of the walls he waited as the conversation played out.
As Jakob explained the story of Johan Cross, Gareeku's eyes glanced over to the winged squirrel. He seemed so familiar...like he was a sibling of someone he had met before...
Shaking these thoughts from his head, Gareeku's attention was refocused on the feline in front of him.
"Well, you've got the information. What the raccoon says is true. I did defeat a Johan Cross impersonater a couple of years ago, yet as the raccoon has said, the succubus was nothing more than a pupput under Charline's control." Gareeku explained, still holding his blade at the feline's neck, always wary of any possible surprises.
Anzimani scooted around the barrier and cautiously made her way up the stairs. She formed a small, purple ball of light around each hand as she did so.
"Who sent you?" She asked as she reached the top, and was able to see the mercenary at last. Her shrewd brown eyes were fixed on his face. "Is someone paying you for this information? And if not, why is it important to you?"
Gabi heard noises, and then shouting. She sprang out of bed, scolding herself for not being there and for letting her thoughts and feelings delay her. She got dressed as quickly as she could manage, and ran towards the source of the sounds.
She stopped before she made it to the stairs and tried to make out what was going on. Many had gathered there, some of them with blood on their furs. Everyone who had been at the table with her the night before seemed to be there, as well as Paladin and some others he didn't know. One looked remarkably similar to a squirrel succubus she'd met before, only he was male. They seemed too focused to notice her. They were all surrounding someone she couldn't recognize, and a raccoon she could almost swear was Jakob in disguise was telling a story about Johan Cross and his various impersonators. The story matched what she had heard only partially, and she wondered what his idea was.
She walked a few more steps towards the group. She didn't want to speak out and interrupt whatever was going on, but she did want to make herself useful. Aware of the presence of several cubi, she directed her thoughts to them. Is there anything I can do to help? I'm a healer.
"You want the headcount? Half a dozen HVTs*. That's not counting bodyguards. If they're dead, they can't testify against it either."
Arc listens to the rant, then turns to face Gareeku.
"Just makes my job easier, nyet?"
He then turns to face Anzimani, locking eyes in an entirely uncomforting manner.
"Nobody sent me. I don't get paid for information, I get paid for bringing my target in, dead or alive. Depending on who they are, I can get paid by different people. Simple enough."
((*High Value Targets))
((Yes, PARANOIA logic. As in the old P&P RPG. They can't testify against you if they're dead. Likewise, they can't testify against any accusations. >:3 ))
The raccoon said nothing in reply. Instead he wrinkled up his face and sneezed a few moments later. What he was actually doing was sending a telepathic reply to Gabi, but it took a lot of concentration and he had to conceal it somehow.
"This guy shot Gareeku's arm," said a voice in Gabi's head, speaking rapidly. "someone's bound it but he should be your top priority. Pal's hit too but his armour took most of it. Check him out later. Watch out for the cat.. someone sent him to kill me and he doesn't seem to care who else gets hurt."
"Well," said the raccoon to Gareeku, "what are we going to do with him? We can't just let him go because he'll kill us. Even if we take his weapons first, the guard will find out that he attacked Paladin and they'll kill him. Strange as it sounds, I don't want his death on my conscience."
Listening to Jakon speak, Gareeku smirked slightly.
"Personally I don't give a shit about his death on my consience," Gareeku said flatly, "But I suppose now isn't the best time to be thinking along these lines."
It was then that, probably to a few people's surprises, that Gareeku sheathed his sword. However, he would be ready if the feline tried anything.
"I think he should come with us," the wolf continued, keeping the hand on his uninjured arm on the hilt of his blade, "He could come in handy. Besides, if he''s really that desperate for a bounty, then whoever is behind these kidnappings may have a nice little price on their head."
The flames vanished from Blaze's hands as he stood down.
"I may not be involved in this situation directly... but I would rather not have such a death on my conscience either- not when I don't even understand the situation itself." His golden eyes landed on the feline and Blaze raised an eyebrow at him. "The wolf here is making a pretty good deal, I reckon. Either case, if you refuse, it seems someone will die. There are too many of us for you to take all on at once. Even by the time you move, I'd already have burnt you to a crisp."
Mentally, Blaze smacked a palm to his forehead for resorting to bluffing. The actual chances he'd be able to do something like that in a situation like this with so many people around were slim to nothing.
He continued though, "If you go with them, you'll probably end up with a nice amount of money anyway. Plus, you'd be doing something more justifying than you are now."
Gabi nodded and approached Gareeku slowly. She didn't have the cubi's ability to read thoughts but it was obvious he had other things in his mind right now. After he sheathed his sword, and after looking around to make sure no one was about to start fighting again, she touched his hand gently to get his attention.
"May I have a look at your wounds?," she asked him.
Arc flicks an ear toward Gabi.
"I'd suggest removing the bullet before trying any healing. If none of you can manage that, I should be able to."
He ponders, running his tongue over his teeth as he thinks over the matter.
"Alright." He smirks. "Better than being stuck out here."
"Good, " said the raccoon in a relieved tone of voice. "you know, it's a good job Johan Cross isn't here. He would probably just have killed you." so saying, he turned away and sat down at a nearby table as Gabi began to examine the wounded. With his back to them, no-one could see as he concentrated on Gabi's mind again.
"Gabi," he thought, "I'm not sure I trust the cat, so I'm going to stay raccoon for a bit longer. Address me as 'Jay' if you can, and I'll trust the others pick up on it."
'Jay' looked at his watch - it was approaching 7:30. He stood up again, and carefully avoiding the sight of Gareeku's wound, made his way to Gabi. "Do you remember who has the map?" he asked her, verbally this time. "It's changed before... I want to see if it has any further enlightenment for us."
Acknowledging Jakob's plan, Gabi replied.
"Not sure, Jay. It was still at the table when I left last night. The last one to leave must have taken it."
Anzimani let the purple glow around her hands fade, and crossed her arms. She gritted her teeth, biting back a protest. She couldn't help not trusting the newcomer. She wouldn't say anything for now, but she would keep an eye on him. After all, that gun could be helpful-- as long as it remained on the right side.
Feeling Gabi's touch of his hand and hearing her words, Gareeku removed the bandage which was wrapped around his wounded arm. Having removed the bandage, it could clearly be seen that the impact of the bullet had shattered the bone in his elbow, parts of which were protuding from the wound. Observing his damaged arm, Gareeku's eyes suddenly spotted the bullet which has caused the injury; lodged in his elbow, having blown its way nearly all the way through. Saying nothing, Gareeku then reached into the wound, a grimace appearing on the wolf's face as pain shot up and down his arm, before removing the hand, the bullet between his fingers.
"Ok, the bullet's out." Gareeku said, a slight grin on his fce as he spoke. Hearing Jakob speak of the map, Gareeku reached into his top, pulling the folded-up map out and unfolding the paper. On the back of the paper was a new message:
You must first journey to a land where many a winged creature dwell. Not a town, nor a village.
Raising his eyebrow at this apparent riddle, Gareeku began to think of what it could mean...
While Gareeku looked at the map, Gabi focused on healing him. She was curious about the new message too, but other things took precedence. She was sure she'd find out more eventually anyway.
'Jay' stared at the map over Gareeku's shoulder.
You must first journey to a land where many a winged creature dwell. Not a town, nor a village.
It didn't make a lot of sense to him, either. City? Hamlet? Commune? There's a lot of birds that live on or above the sea.. but it says 'land'...
"Penguins in the arctic?" he said, thinking out loud, and walked over to Paladin.
"I guess you're here to help investigate the kidnappings," he said. "Do you have any leads, by chance? We don't have an awful lot to go on so far."
"I doubt it's penguins," Gabi said automatically. "They usually live in the South and I've yet to meet a penguin creature. But lots of creatures do have wings, that's not much of a clue."
She finished treating Gareeku's wound.
"There," she said. "I don't need to tell you to be careful. Not that you will, even if I do."
She half-smiled. There was something to be said for adventurers putting the needs of others before their own, but they never made good patients. Then again, she couldn't really complain. She had become an adventurer of sorts herself.
"Who else is hurt?," she asked the group.
Hearing Gabi's words, Gareeku grinned.
"Thanks Gabi...hey now, I'm careful...just not very often." he said with a chuckle, before resuming his efforts in trying to figure out what the message on the map could mean...
Anzimani sat down on the floor in the hallway, leaning her back against the wall. "Cubi have wings... what about SAIA?"
She rested her chin on her hand. "That's the only thing that comes to mind. Though maybe a... kingdom, or something like that." She shook her head. "It seems adventurers are destined to always be given vague instruction."
"Not much sorry, 'Jay' just an overall picture from where people have gone missing."
Pal handed over the map he has to Gareeku.
"No pattern I could figure out."
Quote from: Hilary on August 17, 2006, 08:29:35 PM
Anzimani sat down on the floor in the hallway, leaning her back against the wall. "Cubi have wings... what about SAIA?"
She rested her chin on her hand. "That's the only thing that comes to mind. Though maybe a... kingdom, or something like that." She shook her head. "It seems adventurers are destined to always be given vague instruction."
Arc ponders. He then points at Anzi.
"Would a Phoenix Temple be considered a town or village?"He smiles.
"The Phoenix Oracles are winged, correct?"
Blaze rubbed the underside of his chin as he listened. "Even if it wasn't the right place... a phoenix oracle would be helpful anyway..."
Just as long as it doesn't mean going anywhere near the ruins of Sanctuary Island, then I'm fine, he thought cautiously.
"Helpful?" said Jay, turning to face Arc and Blaze. "In my experience they'll be about as helpful as that letter."
He paused, thinking it through. "On the other hand, if it was written by an Oracle, that could be why it has been so secretive..."
Anzimani looked up at Arc's words. "That would make sense," she said slowly. "Though I'm afraid I don't know very much about the Pheonix A group. They might be more helpful if it's another pheonix looking for information." She fiddled with a piece of her hair, looking doubtful. "But I admit, not much can persuade them to speak plainly."
Arc grins.
"And that's why I'm not afraid to play dirty when it comes to getting information..."
"...bar torture, of course."
He smirks.
"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone."
Jay looked at Arc strangely. "Are you proposing to question the Phoenix Oracles at gunpoint?" He pondered the idea. "It might work.
On the other hand, the succubus Aaryanna did something quite similar and got a completely distorted prophecy as a result. She almost ended up killing the son of her friend and mentor, or so I've heard. Then again, they might simply kill you with their powers.
"Anyway, if no-one has any better ideas, we ought to give the Oracles a try, I suppose. Assuming Paladin is coming, that gives us two warp-acis, doesn't it? We can split into two groups, or perhaps they can take the party a few at a time.
"I don't think there'll be any need to knock at the temple - they 'll have foreseen us coming, after all." he added cynically.
Arc snorts at Jay's last comment.
"Then they'll know we mean business and haven't time to listen to or `decode` any stupidly vague prophecies."
Upon the mention of the phoenix oracles, Gareeku grimaced. It was safe to say that he did not like them at all. He had never dealt with them himself, but the amount of stories he had heard concerning their vagueing and often lying created a deep distrust in Gareeku.
"I have no time for the phoenix oracles, myself," the wolf growled, folding his arms as he lent against the wall, "but if you guys think they would help at all, which i highly doubt even when at gunpoint, then i'll go along. Just be warned though, one or two of them may end up with a few injuries."
"Well, I don't know," said Jay. "perhaps they'll be able to foresee our mercenary friend here going on an orgy of destruction if they give us a bum steer.
"Mind you, I'm perfectly happy to try the penguins instead if you think that would be a better idea."
"Does anyone know where the nearest pheonix temple is?" Anzimani straightened up. "I don't know of one anywhere near here, although I haven't been here long."
A deep sigh from the doorway signals a thought from the mixed-breed. "five miles down." is her only reply before she returns to her silence. Better to keep quiet for now than reveal anything that might get her in trouble.
"I don't have much experience with Phoenix Oracles, but maybe if we explore the area around the temple we can find someone who does," Gabi suggested. "I've heard rumors about some non-phoenixes working at the temples, not as oracles, but doing maintenance work and other tasks. I haven't met any myself, but if it happens to be true, we could get some help from one of them. And if it's not... Well, even an obscure clue is better than nothing."
"If we're going to head there, I suggest we split up - some to go to the temple whilst others search the grounds and area around the temple itself. Any of you know the region down there at all well?"
Arc casts his glances over the group, watching them and sizing them all up.
The mixed-breed stands back up and walks next to Gabi. "Going to a temple could also be dangerous. There might be a chance that an enemy is one step ahead of us already, you know?" she says before casting her own glance around the group
Gabi raised an eyebrow at the warning.
"And how is that different from staying here?," she questioned.
Xzeliea cowers a little, not having thought of that. "Good point." she says, straightening up a little.
Jakob, still in his raccoon disguise, was leaning indolently against a wall as the debate went back and forth. As it began to settle, he folded his arms and looked at the others. "So," he said, "are we agreed then? We'll try the Phoenix temple. I'd be surprised if the answer makes sense until we've already worked it out ourselves, but it's got to be safer than sitting here and waiting for the kidnapper to arrive."
"Sounds good to me." Anzimani stood, pulling her pack up with her. "Something new might be revealed on the way there, too. And maybe I'll be able to ask them how everyone back home is doing." She rolled her eyes. "Though I'll probably get some jibberish about 'the sands of time.'"
Quote from: Xze-Xze on September 02, 2006, 10:44:36 AM
The mixed-breed stands back up and walks next to Gabi. "Going to a temple could also be dangerous. There might be a chance that an enemy is one step ahead of us already, you know?" she says before casting her own glance around the group
"Then it's a risk worth taking."Arc turns around and eyes Gareeku.
"Stand aside. I'm going out the way I came in. If you guys want to stand here all day and chatter idly, so be it. Time doesn't stop for the idle, and I'm sure I needn't remind you of the objectives."
"No, you don't, oh mighty leader...* Gareeku stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he replied to Arc's statement, walking in front of as he did so and calling to the others, "Let's get moving."
Outside of the inn, Gareeku stood on the spot with his arms crossed, his brown hooded cloak blowing softly in the breeze as he waited for theo thers in case they needed to pack anything.
"I take it you don't trust that Arc guy..." Li said while perching on the wolf's shoulder.
"Of course I don't. But he will be a useful member of the group." Gareeku replied in a calm voice, not caring if anyone heard him or not.
Paladin followed Gareeku out the door, once out side he droped a heavy gauntlet onto his shoulder. "Want me to watch our backtrail or stick to the main group?"
Xzeliea Walks out the door, impatient. "alright, yeh pansies. ei'er we get this show on the road or i leave yeh all behind." she says, a drunken slur once again dominating her speech.
Smirking as Gareeku heads downstairs and outside, Arc exits via the window, landing neatly, carefully and quietly. Keeping his rifle over his back, but his pistol casually in hand and his other hand on the pommel of his sword, he moves around towards the front of the building, walking slowly and confidently...
Then straight past the group. He nods at Gareeku & Paladin and twitches one ear almost coincidentally as he heads on toward the Temple.
If either of them understood it, it was simple body language. I'll meet you there.
Anzimani followed Arc out, hopping off the windowsill. She unfurled her black wings and beat them once to ease her descent-- her bones were relatively fragile, and it wouldn't do to break an ankle before the trip even started.
She scowled after the mercenary, obviously still not completely trusting, but shook it off as she refolded her wings, clearing her expression.
As she joined the others at the front, she pulled a slightly bruised peach out of her pack for breakfast.
Not feeling the need to make a smart comment, Gabi simply joined the group as they left the inn and headed towards the temple.
It would have been quicker by Warp-Aci, Jakob thought to himself. Teleporting would have been quicker still, but not many people could do that unaided and he didn't want to get Arc suspicious.
Why are we out in the open like this? Jakob looked around, trying not to show that he was actually quite nervous. Disguised as a raccoon, he had less to fear, but since there seemed to be a price on his head once more, he was in no mood to take chances. And that was without the threat of the kidnapper.
"Let's go...the nearest Phoenix temple is a couple of day's walk from here, but we should cover quite a bit of ground..." Gareeku said to the others, taking into consideration the fact that it was still early morning. Pulling the hood of his cloak over his head as he began to walk down the path with the rest of the group, the wolf looked at Xzeliea with a slightly raised eyerbrow. Gareeku would have normally made a good-natured comment back, but his current mood would suggest otherwise, his mood being a result of the recent events, and the dull headache that seemed to be plauging him since a week ago. Also noticing Jakob's subtle nervousness, the wolf put a hand on his old friend's shoulder.
"If we try to hide low, it will make the search more difficult. Besides, we'll be able to handle ourselves should anyone decide they want to cause trouble." Gareeku said to the raccoon beside him.
That evening, the group were walking through an area of quiet countryside. Rolling meadows were visible as far as the eye could see, broken up the occasional cluster of trees. Arriving at one particular cluster of about half a dozen trees, Gareeku turned to the others.
"I think we'd better stop here for the night. Even those of us who do not have to sleep need some rest." Gareeku said to the group.
"Gotta say I'm not used to stopping really when it comes to travelling..." Blaze mused, glancing at some of the others. "But, taking a rest can be nice too I suppose. I'll take care of the fire if you want."
The squirrel cubi cleared a patch of dirt before gathering up some fallen branches. After setting it together, he casually placed a ball of fire into the wood. The fire crackled as it took hold.
"That should last until morning," he advised before sitting with his back against a nearby tree and staring up at the sky for a moment.
Seeing what Blaze had done, Jay hurried over to the fire and looked at him. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked. "There's someone out there who has kidnapped at least two fully-trained 'cubi, and it's even money that he's after us too. A fire is all well and good, but it could draw unwanted attention to us."
He pondered it for a while.
"I daresay your fire magic is better than mine. Do you think you could tweak it so that it doesn't smoke too much, Mr..." Jay paused, suddenly realising that he didn't actually know the squirrel's name.
"You know, I don't think we've been introduced. The name's Jay. Jay Farrow."
"I've been studying fire magic my entire life- so I know my way around it." Blaze's mouth twitched into a quick smile. "I've made it so after a certain distance, the fire becomes hardly noticable. I can place a limit on the smoke too, maybe even channel it into the ground below us instead."
The squirrel stuck a hand out. "And the name is Blaze... Blaze Joybringer."
"Joybringer!," Gabi exclaimed. She had a tendency to join conversations whenever they caught her interest. If she was intruding, she didn't notice until later.
"Now I know it can't be a coincidence. You must be related to Raine Joybringer, aren't you?"
With both sets of wings hidden again, Paladin rode his bike up to the group.
"Well our trail looks clear, but I've still got a feeling we're being tracked somehow..."
The armored wolf swung off the bike after kicking its stand down. He smiled as Gabi posed her question.
Clothed once again in her black robe, Xzeliea sits at the base of a tree, growling slightly, making marks in the ground. every so often she throws what seem to be...bones...upon the markings, studies them, then makes more marks. after a bit, she is still again, but obviously agitated, her tail thickening as her fur stands on end
Blaze glanced over at Gabi. "Yeah, she's my little sister... Well, twin sister." He gave a slight grin and shook his head. "Hard not to think of her as being anything but like a little sister with the way she acts."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "So I presume you're a friend of her's? She always has more friends than enemies it seems..."
Gabi smiled at the comment. "Yes... That's good for her, I guess. We met 2 years ago, when I first joined an adventuring crew much like this one; we'd been through a nasty fight and I'd exhausted my magic, but 2 of us were still badly wounded, and she saved them. She helped us a lot. She's a very good healer."
"Yes," said Jay, somewhat distracted by the sight of Xzelia, who appeared to be casting runes. "Yes, I've met Raine too. A good-hearted person.
It's good that you've concealed the fire, too. Among other things, I'm still worried about the cat, Arcalane. I'm just not sure it was wise to let him go off on his own. It may be that he really is off to get a head-start at the temple, but it's also possible that he's doubled back, and I don't want him to see the fire. Out here, without the protection of the other patrons of the Smoking Dragon, we could be in real trouble if he decides to try something."
Jay paused, wondering how much to tell Blaze, when another thought struck him. "And what if he's going to set up an ambush at the temple? He could kill half of us before we knew what was happening."
Hearing the conversation between Blaze and Gabi, Gareeku smiled.
"She is indeed. If it wasn't for her, those who were injured would have certainly died." The wolf said after Gabi had finished speaking, the warm smile still on his face as he reached out to shake hands with the cubi squirrel, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's Gareeku Manoko, it's good to meet you."
Turning to the raccoon, Gareeku frowned.
"I won't let that happen." the wolf said flatly.
Meanwhile, Li was sat in a branch of a tree, observing Xzeliea.
"What'cha doing?" She asked curiously, her green eyes blinking as she spoke.
While the others were talking, Anzimani had flown up to the top of one of the taller trees and deposited her pack on a limb. She swung herself down through the branches to the rest of the group and flipped over so that she was hanging upside down from a lower branch by her knees, glancing curiously over Xzelia's shoulder at the runes.
"If you want, Jay, I could set up a simple trap. We'd quickly be warned of anyone coming."
"Oh! And I'm Gabi," Gabi added, only just realizing she'd done it again. "Sorry, things happen so fast that I keep failing to introduce myself. Nice to meet you, Blaze."
She extends her hand to the squirrel, but as Gareeku turns to look elsewhere, she can't help wondering what he's looking at, and turns to look as well.
She looks up to Li " trying to figure out if we're being followed...or if we aren't..." she purrs. sniffing the air once again, she growls. "i don't like this..."
Noticing Gabi looking at him, and then looking in the same direction he was, Gareeku smiled slightly.
"Beautiful, isn't it..." Gareeku said quietly, "...the sunset, I mean..."
The golden glow of the sun was now turning the surrounding area the same colour as it began to disappear behind the mountains in the distance. Gareeku's face then began to display a look of discomfort as the dull ache in his head became temporarily stronger, before dying down again. It was then that the wolf decided to share something that he had chosen to keep a secret for quite a while.
"Gabi...what I am about to tell you is something that I do not want repeated to anybody else..." Gareeku said to his friend as he turned towards her, "...I don't have a lot of time left. I'm dying."
The femme's ears twitch as she overhears Gareeku's words. almost as if arrows have pierced her whole body, she goes limp. turning to look at Gareeku, she holds back on saying anything, yet at the same time, she cannot hope to hold back the tears that seem to come on their own. she then covers her head with her robe, hoping not be noticed, as usual.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gareeku noticed Xzeliea's reaction and sighed.
damn it...me and my big mouth... the wolf thought to himself in self-annoyance, before walking over to his friend and sitting next to her.
"I take it you overheard what I said..." Gareeku said as he put a hand on Xzeliea's shoulder, "...but I'm not going anywhere yet. I promise you."
Jakob had been preparing to ask to Xzelia about her casting when he caught the last part of Gareeku's conversation with Gabi. A wave of horror passed through him causing his raccoon form to waver for half a second, but he recovered quickly. Using a combination of stealth and a small amount of shapeshifting, he concealed himself behind the tree.
Did I honestly hear him say that? he thought to himself... but yes, he could feel Gabi's emotions and realised that he had indeed heard right. This was confirmed a few moments later as Gareeku spoke to Xze.
He doesn't want anyone to know, Jakob thought, with a lump in his throat. I'll have to pretend I didn't hear. But my Gods, I'm going to have to keep a close eye on him now. As if we didn't have enough trouble already.
Anzimani cocked her head as she heard Gareeku's words.
Curious... she thought, noting the other's reactions. She hadn't known Gareeku long at all, so the news didn't affect her as strongly. She was more interested than distressed.
The pheonix slipped down quietly from her branch and onto the ground. She padded around to the other side of the tree, then walked about fifteen paces away from the group.
She picked up a small stone and touched it with one fingertip, then pulled it away slowly, a thin string of golden magic extending from the rock to her finger. She muttered a soft word and the string disappeared. It was still there, but not visible to the naked eye.
Setting the rock back down, she circled the camp, still trailing the invisible string from her finger. Occasionally she would touch a tree trunk, rock, or bush, creating a ring around the group. If anything larger than a forest animal crossed the laser-like line, she would feel it, the magic string tugging at the power still left inside of her.
"Oh, nice to meet you..." Blaze responded, smiling from the praise he had heard over his sister.
His smile dropped as his ears twitched, just catching Gareeku's words.
Damn, he thought quietly, that doesn't sound good.
Gabi gasped. Her mind was full of questions, but she couldn't quite put them in words. She also felt sorry for Gareeku. She tended to care for others by default, but even if she hadn't, Gareeku was one of those people worth caring for. It was definitely a blow. When he spoke again, she became aware of the general reactions and felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It took me by surprise, I couldn't shield my thoughts in time."
Thoughts kept fighting each other for the use of her mouth. The need to make up for her carelessness defeated the questions for the moment.
"Is there anything I can do for you?," she asked.
Sitting away from the group Pal felt the shocked emotions pass across the camp.
'This cant be good.'
Hearing Gabi's words, Gareeku smiled softly at her, getting up and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I wish there was, Gabi..." the wolf said, "...Don't be sorry, maybe its better out in the open."
Looking around, Gareeku forced a reassuring smile as he had guessed that most, if not all of the group, knew about his secret. Saying nothing more, Gareeku turned and walked away to a quiet area nearby.
"Gareeku..." Li said to herself quietly as she watched him walk away.
~~Meanwhile~~
Arc had been making good time through the forest, mostly because he knew the area and was used to forest environments. That didn't stop him from being jumped by three bandits.
He didn't know it, but he was only a short way from his "allies'" camp when the three showed up. They didn't look like they'd been on the job long - three honest guys who'd turned to crime for one reason or another, almost certainly. So when the leader stepped forward, grinning like an idiot - obviously trying to impress his friends - Arc merely smirked.
"Let me guess... my money or my life?"
The bandits grinned, advancing forward.
"Then let me pay you in bullets."
Unholstering his pistol, two shots quickly dispatched the lesser two, and a running kick knocked the third to the ground. The third, attempting to roll over to get away, soon found a boot on his chest, and a swordpoint at his neck.
"I suggest you tell me what you were stalking around these parts for..."
Jay slunk back from behind his tree. A wave of unhappiness had spread through the camp like a disease. It was pretty obvious that everyone now knew about Gareeku's illness, yet there seemed to be a silent, unspoken pact not to discuss it openly.
Suddenly Jay's ears went up and he crouched low. There were gunshots in the distance.
Oh shit, he thought. Oh shit, not again!
"Did anyone else hear that?" he said, in a low, urgent voice. "That gun-toting feline maniac has killed someone, I just know it."
With a pop of displaced air a warp aci appeared, making a beeline for Paladin, it place a sealed letter into the wolf's hands and dissapeared again.
Taking the note Pal stood as the shots rang out. "I wouldn't be surprised Jay..." Opening the letter he suddenly clamped down on his mental shields but not before his anger and dissapointment radiated from him.
Walking over to Gareeku, Pal had a short conversation before moving towards his bike. Stopping as he pasted Blaze he patted him on the shoulder. "Say hi to RJ if you see her, I've been called back to the city. Take care of these guys ok?"
Saying a farewell to the rest of the group Pal got onto his bike. Rex climbed on Pal's shoulder and they both disappeared in a flash of light.
Gabi heard the shots too. Then she saw Paladin leave. A lot of things were happening, and they weren't good things. She wished Paladin had at least given her the chance to say goodbye. She sighed, and turned to 'Jay' and Gareeku.
"Should we check what's going on?," she suggested.
Where there were shots, there was trouble. Gabi didn't really like heading into it, but there were probably innocents involved, and she couldn't just turn her back on them, whether she knew them or not.
Hearing Paladin's words, Gareeku nodded his head and watched his friend leave, before turning to Gabi.
"We better had. It's probably Arc." the wolf growled, before beginning to run in the direction of the gunshots. Although he thought it better if they investigated the gunshots, Gareeku was not overly worried. hey not have liked Arc very much, but he knew that the mercenary was not one to merely go around killing innocents...at least, he didn't think so...
"Arc! It's us!" Gareeku's voice yelled out, letting the mercenary know it was them before suspecting it was more possible attackers. Around 10 seconds after he had called out, Gaeeku arrived on the scene, observing the fur that Arc was pining to the floor.
"Mind telling me what's going on?" Gareeku asked with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms as he spoke.
Anzimani launched herself off the branch, flapping after Gareeku. Spiraling up to the top of another nearby tree, she watched the scene below with a birds-eye veiw.
She quickly glanced over the bandits that Arc had already dispatched. Not recognizing either of them, she settled herself on a branch and tucked her wings behind her.
"You're catching up," said Jay, looking at the corpses. "Just two more and you'll have drawn level with Johan Cross." Oops, almost said "me", Jakob thought. Don't want to give him any ideas.
"Now, how about you release this guy and explain what the hell is going on? He's totally outnumbered, after all."
Arc snorts, picking the bandit up by the collar. He stares at the man - in the low light it's hard to tell what he is - and speaks without turning his head.
"They chose the wrong person to try and ambush."
He glares at the survivor, then throws him to the floor, quite roughly.
"Go. Now."
Not one to argue, the bandit scrambles to his feet and runs off, dropping his weapons as he flees into the forest.
"It was me or them and--... well, they... never really stood a chance. Now if you'll excuse me... I have to be going."
Before anyone has a chance to get a word in edgeways, he's already moving off toward the treeline.
Jay shook his head as Arc left. "Someone really needs to teach that guy the Stun spell."
This was mostly wishful thinking, though - Stun was actually quite a hard spell to master, and whether a Being would be able to do it at all was somewhat questionable.
"I suppose we'd better bury the victims," he said with in air of resignation.
Gabi nodded. "I doubt he'd be willing to use it, though. Some people see violence as the first and only choice."
She looked around, sadly.
"I'll help," she offered.
She hoped beyond hope that at least one of them still had a pulse, so that she could do more than just help put their remains underground. She reminded herself that they were criminals, but the sight of the corpses kept reminding her of the terrible view she'd encountered when she'd first entered Ha'Kun. It was one of those things someone like her would never forget, even if she tried.
"Guess I'm a bit slow on the uptake," Blaze commented, walking towards them and glancing down at the corpses, "sorry about that."
I can't help but feel a little out of all this with Pal gone now... The squirrel thought with a slightly irritated frown.
Anzimani watched Arc leave with narrowed eyes, a small smile playing across her face. He reminded her of someone she used to know; a believer in the 'fill him with bullets, then ask the corpse questions' philosophy.
And look where that one ended up, she thought with a smirk. Pushing up daisies.
She scrambled down a few branches until she reached one where she could unfurl her wings more comfortably. Flapping down to the others, she looked at the former bandits with a twinge of sadness. Who knew what they could have been? Done?
But she quickly pushed those thoughts away. Dead was dead, and they were dead for good.
"I suppose I'll help stick them in the ground, for all the good it will do. Personally, I'm a fan of cremation."
"Cremation?" said Jay, his hands glowing faintly as he used a spell to loosen the topsoil of the grave. "I'm nine hundred years old Anzi, and in my time I have seen many good men turn to crime out of desperation. These two may have lost their chance to redeem themselves, but did they really sink so low that they don't deserve at least something in their memory?"
Redemption, Jakob thought, haunted once again by his shameful past,
everyone should have a chance to try and make amends...It was very dark by the time they had buried the pair. Jakob chose a suitably heavy stone and, sharpening his claws to razor points as most Creatures can, carved a brief epitaph in the rock with his hand.
We never learned their names
They learned that banditry can carry a heavy price
May others learn from their mistakes
"Now, if no-one objects," he said, rising, "I'm going to catch some rest. I suspect tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"Jakob is right. I'm pretty certain that these men did not turn to crime out of free will." Gareeku said after Jakob had finished speaking, before helping to dig the grave.
Once they had finished, Gareeku stood and looked at the now finished grave, complete with headstone.
"Heh...just think...I'll have one of these to myself soon enough..." Gareeku commented, a slight smirk on his face as he spoke, "...I just hope I get one to myself. I like my legroom."
Saying nothing more, Gareeku turned and walked away, sitting against a tree a short distance away, looking up at the star-filled sky above him.
"People sometimes turn to the worst of things just to get through the day." Blaze grimaced at the tombstone and the message Jay had clawed out on it.
His eyes followed along as Gareeku left to sit against a tree before strolling up casually and leaning against the same tree.
"Hope I'm not intruding," he said while crossing his arms, "but I think I should just tell you... don't start to wallow in this."
The squirrel glimpsed up at the sky.
"You've got a lot of friends- more than myself, that's for sure. I think you owe it to them to not act like a self-pitying cynic and make them feel worse..." Blaze paused before pushing off of the tree and glancing down at him briefly. "Do you want people to feel depressed when you die? Or do you want them to feel lucky to have known such a hero?"
Blaze shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk back to the camp.
As the squirrel walked away from Gareeku the white wolf shifted against the tree, that combined with a gust of wind was enough to cause a small figure near one of the upper branches to slip. Managing to hold on and start to climb up again it was just about to rest again when a sound the black furred figure didn't want to hear...
The sound of the branch snapping off near the trunk.
Those below would have barely had time to register the sound when the figure made its decent.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh." The cry ended as a black (obviously female) furred figure wearing green leathers landed on top of the wolf.
The branch meanwhile hit the ground on its end, the younger branches on its end bending and then like a spring straitening spinning it towards the squirrel, only missing by a few centimeters.
"Ouchies." The young girl half moaned.
Gabi's ears perked up ash she heard Gareeku saying Jakob's name, but she said nothing and forced herself to think of something else. She'd messed up enough already. The tasteless joke he made afterwards made it easier. She wondered how he could say something like that... and then she wondered what it felt like to know something like that... and what exactly it was that he knew.
She put a stone on the last grave. Her parents had tought her to do that. "Flowers fade and rot, but stones last forever," they'd said. She doubted they could really last forever, but agreed that they probably lasted for long enough.
Her reflection was interrupted by a distant cry, which concluded with an assortment of bumping noises and a not so distant moan. She turned around and approached the recently fallen stranger, taking a look at her in order to decide how to react to her presence. The healer in her reminded her of what came first.
"Is everyone alright?," she asked.
As the squirrel talked to him, Gareeku said nothing, though his anger was starting to build. He had been annoyed enough when Paladin had just decided to vanish. Granted, Gareeku knew it was for the best, but he couldn't help feel a bit put off. That was just the way he was. Now he was being told straight by Blaze, and had to stop himself from snapping back at the squirrel. Deep down, the wolf knew the incubus was right, but he wasn't really in the mood to be thinking rationally about these sort of things.
I'd love to see him tell me the same thing if he was the one who only had a short time left... Gareeku thought to himself with a slight grimace as he put up a mind shield. He didn't want people prying into his thoughts again in the same night.
It was then that, just as Gareeku was about to close his eyes to sleep, he suddenly felt a large weight fall on top him, causing him to emit a loud "oof!". Looking to see what had fallen on him, the wolf's eyebrow raised when he found it to be a young girl.
"I'm fine..." Gareeku said with a slight growl in reply to Gabi's question, not taking his eyes off of the young girl as he stood up and dusting himself off slightly, "...Mind explaining to me what it was you were doing up there?"
As the branches whizzed past Blaze's ear, the squirrels eyes twitched and widened.
Are we being shot at?!, he thought in a sudden panic. The fur on his ears had puffed out dramatically.
As he noticed they were only branches he gave a sigh of relief and recomposed himself. He clamped his hands around his ears to try and smooth the fur down, though to little effect.
Blaze turned around, attempting to look calm and collected despite the fact his fuzzy ears made him look bizzare. His brow twitched as he saw Gareeku pulling a girl off as he quickly stood up.
The only words that came to him to say out loud were "What the...?"
Gods, what a night.. thought Jakob as he heard a snapping branch and a cry of horror. Turning around, he saw the others reaching out to examine a dark shape sprawled on the ground before them, obviously just fallen out of the tree.
"She's probably not an assassin or a mercenary," he said, his mind jumping to thoughts of self-preservation as usual, "but I think we should take her weapons until we know why she was hiding in that tree."
Gabi listened to Jakob's words and nodded.
"Probably," she said. "But I think we should give her a chance to explain her actions."
She then turned to thw newcommer.
"Who are you?," she questioned her. "And what were you doing on that tree?"
With her panic being broadcast, and plain on her face the tasmanian devil crab crawled backwards away from the group of creatures, her red hair done up in a ponytail and her green leathers proclaiming her ether a thief or a hunter...But the bow slung over her shoulder meant it was most likely the latter.
'Crapcrapcrapimgonnadietheyregonnakillmeijustwantedtofindjade-' Her train of though was interupted by her backing up against the tree.
Seeing no choice she decided to answer, "I..I..I'm Ephrael...P..Please don't kill me I just wanted to find my sister!!"
With this she curled up into sobbing ball.
A letter, very much like the ones the others had floated down out of the tree and landed on the part thief part hunter.
Sitting with her back against one of the thicker trunks, Anzimani had been feeling a little hostile toward the newcomer, as she couldn't read minds like most of the others. But when she heard that the girl was looking for her sister, her heart automatically softened. The pheonix had almost lost her own sister once.
She was pretty sure she knew what the letter contained, but she stood up and padded over to pick it up and see if her suspicions were correct.
"Don't worry... we're not like that. You should be glad we found you first, though." As she spoke, she bent down to retrieve the letter, shivering inwardly at the thought of what would have happened if the girl had startled Arc instead.
Looking down at the cowering figure, Gareeku suddenly felt very sympathetic towards her. It was probably a very frightening situation for the young girl, what with her being surrounded by a group consisting for creatures. Bending down, the wolf put a hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly.
"Don't worry, we won't hurt you, I swear it," Gareeku said softly, "What's your name?"
Glancing over at the letter but not yet reading it, Gareeku's eyebrows raised slightly. Could she also be looking for a missing loved one?
"Say...you wouldn't have happened to get this letter after your sister disappeared, would you?" the wolf asked.
Jay relaxed. "I'm sorry if we came over as threatening," he said, "but it was necessary to establish if you were dangerous. These last few days have been rather perilous and we are all somewhat on edge as you can probably tell. The name's Jay, by the way."
Blaze's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he crossed his arms. The fur on his ears were only just starting to get out of "panic-fuzz mode", as his sister called it.
A wave of distress and panic washed over him as he saw the new girl backing away from the others, stammering out her situation. For a second, Blaze felt guilty at having been annoyed at her.
Sister, huh...? he thought. So she's like a lot of the others here searching. Wonder what it'd be like if RJ went missing...? Blaze gave a tiny smirk to himself. What am I talking about? RJ's too much of a destructive force to be kept hostage somewhere... But, maybe I should try a little harder to understand what these people are going through?
Blaze uncrossed his arms and tried to look as unthreatening as possible, though it was a tough endevour.
Uncurling from her ball Ephrael hugged her knees to her chest. "Y..Yes I went o..out hunting two d..days ago and she was gone, and t..that letter was left on t..the floor."
Some of her shock began to wear off, and her broken ankle started to send pain signals up her leg. She cursed loud enough to send the birds in the nearest trees into flight. "S..Sorry" She stammered
As Anzimani reached for the letter Ephrael flinched, then gave her the piece of paper.
Noticing Ephrael's predicament (as if it were possible not to notice it with the way she cursed), Gabi approached her slowly. She looked down to see what part of her lower limb was hurt, and then looked back at Ephrael's face.
"May I take a look at your ankle?," she offered. "I'm a healer. My name is Gabi."
"O..Okay" Ephrael managed. "Thank you."
She gingerly streched her leg out to Gabi.
Eph smiled weakly at the white wolf touching her shoulder. "Have you lost someone too?"
"Yes, I have," Gareeku replied to the woman next to him, the soft reassuring smile still on his face, "my mother and uncle were taken. All of us have lost someone close to us. We're currently tring to find them. From the looks of things, you've been given a letter like the rest of us."
"Curious," said Jay, "I was sure we had the complete map. I didn't think it would be able merge itself if there was a piece missing."
"Tell me, Ephrael," he said, more to distract her than because he was interested, "when did you learn of your sister's disappearance?"
Gabi listened to the questions and made a mental note to evaluate them later. Right now, she had a patient to treat, and that took precedence.
She examined Ephrael's ankle, which by now was quite swollen. Something was broken inside, but fortunately none of the tendons had snapped. She paused for a minute to think. If she did things right, Ephrael would be able to walk again without limping. But a wrong move could leave her permanently handicapped.
"One of the bones in your ankle is broken," she announced. "I'll have to force it back into the right position. I can use magic to numb the pain and reduce the swelling, but it will still hurt a bit; you must make an effort to stay still. Then I'll have to immobilise it so that it doesn't slip out of place again."
She looked at Ephrael to make sure she understood, and then turned to the rest of the group.
Can someone please bring some short sticks, and hand me the bandages from my backpack? And if you can find something she may use as a walking stick, that will help a lot.
She looked back at Ephrael. Now that she'd played and replayed the whole process in her mind, she felt more comfident.
"Don't worry," she reassured her. "You'll be walking again soon. If things go well, I can use another spell tomorrow to help your bones seal, but I must give your body some time to react or else it may lose the ability to heal itself. Even after that, it will still hurt a little and you'll have to be careful not to make any sudden moves, but the pain will go after a few days and then you'll be as good as new."
She waited for Ephrael's reaction and for the items she requested in order to proceed.
Anzimani smiled reassuringly and took the proffered letter. As suspected, it was similar to the ones recieved by herself and the rest of the party. She sat the letter down beside Ephrael and cast her eyes around for suitable twigs or a walking stick.
One of the nearby trees had several slender limbs protruding horizontally from the bottom of the trunk. They were brown and dead, all the sunlight having been stolen by the higher, leafy branches. Anzimani strode over to one and, placing a foot at the joint where limb met trunk, pulled up sharply while putting her wieght on the branch. It broke off with a loud crack, and Anzimani stumbled back a little before regaining her balance. Checking the end to make sure it was free of sap, she brought it over to Ephrael and the healer.
"Will this do for a walking stick?" After a moment of thought, she voiced the idea, "If you wanted, you could sharpen the top end and it could double as a makeshift weapon."
"Two, n..no wait, three days a..ago now." Ephrael said looking at the raccoon demon.
As Gabi examined her ankle, Eph looked at her foot, feeling another surge of pain. Gritting her teeth she forced back a scream '-painpainpainpaingoddamnthathurts'and asked instead; "Why does it h..hurt more when you look at it?" When Gabi asked her to try not to move she nodded.
Gabi looked at Ephrael's eyes. The way she had phrased the question puzzled her.
"Do you mean when I touch you, or literally when I look at you?," she asked. "The latter shouldn't happen. Unless you get more tense when I look at you or... You don't have a resistance to magic, do you?"
Jay crouched down next to Ephrael. "If you need it, I can cast a spell to remove your pain for a short while." he said.
Eph looked mortified "N..No I didn't mean you maam...I meant when you hurt yourself it hurts more after you look at it. I don't know why it just does..."
"I..If you think it will help J..Jay." She said turning to Jay, "I don't really k..know much about magic."
"Who are you t..two?" Ephrael asked of the pheonix and squirrel demon.
((ooc) Ehp doesn't know Blaze is a cubi and I'm assuming he has his bandana on.)
Blaze attempted a smile at the girl. "Blaze Joybringer. You don't have to worry about me... I'm really just a baker. I'm also kind of the odd one out here..."
He glanced around at the others, a tiny look of guilt on his face before he looked back at Ephrael with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry to hear about your sister. I know I'd be upset if my own sister went missing too... not that she probably couldn't look after herself..." he ended his sentence in a mumble and scratched at his bandana.
"I think we're all odd ones out here," Gabi commented. "And most of us have people we care for. To be honest I've been worried about my brother since this whole thing began. Fortunately, his name hasn't shown up in any letters. But I haven't heard from him in months and that worries me."
She made an effort not to think about that. She had something much more urgent to focus on.
"Don't worry, Ephrael, that's normal," Gabi said. "I believe it's something the mind does. Things hurt more when you think about them, especially if they look bad. But you'll be fine soon; believe me, it could have been a lot worse."
Jay knelt down in front of Ephrael and stared deeply into her eyes. His hands were glowing, and he placed one gently on her forehead.
Incubi and succubi have the ability to feed passively on radiated emotional energy, but they can also feed aggressively - most notably by tearing the soul from their victim and devouring it. Somewhere in between these two extremes lies the ability to enter someones' mind and actively feed on their emotional energy at source, effectively draining it from them. On occasion Jakob had used this ability to remove people's anger or pain, and this is what he did to Ephrael right now.
The glowing hands were simply showmanship, since he had no desire to reveal his 'cubi heritage to the already-frightened Ephrael, and besides there was still a chance that Arc might see him.
"That should be better," he said. "I'm afraid it will only last for a few minutes before pain builds up again, so I may have to do it again. I guess that will depend on how quickly Gabi here can knit your wound."
Gabi allowed Jakob to help her with the magic part. Now that she thought of it, she was grateful for the offer. She could have done it herself, but it was easier to focus on one thing at a time, and this gave her more freedom to think of the mechanical part... determining right force to apply and where to do so.
She waited until the magic had achieved its effect, held the lower part of Ephrael's lef with one hand and her foot with the other, and in one strong but careful maneuver set them both in the right position. She held them together firmly, and repeated her request.
"Sticks and bandages, please!"
Blaze quickly crouched down and picked up some strong-looking sticks before he searched through Gabi's bag until he found the bandages.
"Here, think these sticks will be good enough?" he asked as he turned to her.
Gabi turned to look at what Blaze had brought, without easing her grasp on Ephrael, and nodded.
"They're perfect, thank you," she smiled.
She allowed herself to use a little magic to put the sticks in the right place without using her hands. It was one of the first tricks she had learnt as a child. Then she pressed the sticks against both sides of the ankle with her left hand and cleaned, the wound and wrapped the bandages around the ankle and sticks with her right hand. Once she determined it was tight enough to hold while still allowing the passage of blood, she finished tying up the bandages with both hands.
She took a look at her own work, searching for any details she might have missed, and once she was satisfied she cast a spell to reduce the swelling, and tigthened the knot a bit. She took a deep breath, and began to relax as she exhaled.
"That should take care of it for now," she announced. "It will need some time to adjust, so I think it's best if I finish the work tomorrow. Until then you'll need a walking stick. If it were an emergency I could do it all at once, but then if for some reason your ankle broke again, it might not be able to heal without magic. But it's your body, so the decision is yours."
She looked at Ephrael, awaiting her answer.
With her pain gone, and fear slowly fading, Ephrael smiled alittle.
"Are you staying here for the night?" She asked, finally managing a sentence without stammering. "If you think I should wait I will."
Ephrael looked about at what she supposed what were her new campanions.
Gareeku. Friendly, troubled, Leader...somewhat hunky'
Gabi. 'Nice, friendly, healer.'
The Pheonix. 'No real idea yet seems nice'
Jay. 'Suspicious, on edge, seems ok, mage maybe?.
Blaze Joybringer. 'Nice doesn't say much, nice, friendly, *drool* very cute..nah scratch that Hunky...Baker?'
Anzimani sat the stick down beside Ephrael. "I'm Anzimani Havkova. I salute the Light in you," she said, using the formal greeting from her homeland.
"I think staying the night would be a good idea, but I understand if you want to press on."
She hadn't had her own relatives taken, after all. If anyone close to her had been kidnapped, she would have used every moment she could in pursuit.
"We'll stay here for the night. I think its safe to say we have quite enough activity today," Gareeku stated before turning to the new girl with a smile, "besides, you'll rest that ankle of yours."
Walking to a tree a few meters away, Gareeku sat at the base of it and observed the stars which now littered the night sky, also subconsciously wary of anything that fall from the tree, having already been hit once.
Blushing a little Ephrael was thankful the white wolf was letting her rest.
Looking around she saw that her pack hadn't followed her to the ground. Gazing up, Eph saw it was still resting in the branch next to the one she had been on. "Oh smeg..." With slow motions, as not to alarm anyone she unslung her bow, and pulled an arrow with a weight instead of a sharp head from her quiver.
Taking aim, Ephrael fired the arrow at the bag, neatly hitting it and causing it fall off the branch.
Catching the arrow as it fell she placed it back in the quiver, while the bag which almost seemed to be in a pinball machine, bounced off branches and landed sofly in the smiling tasie devils lap.
((OOC btw shes still sitting down so anyone watching would be (in my opinion atleast) slackjawed :3 and she pulled this off only because a. shes a good shot b. has a good head for phisics))
After taking a blanket from her pack, Ephrael used the bag to prop up her ankle. "Thank you for helping me." She said as she covered herself. Laying back she promptly fell to sleep.
Jay tensed himself as Ephrael reached for the bow. It was fortunate that she had aimed it upwards, otherwise he might have had to do something drastic with his tentacles and ruin his disguise along with Ephrael's bow.
"Very clever," he said with admiration as she reached for the pack. "but you might have warned us first."
As Ephrael began to doze, Jay settled against a nearby tree to rest himself.
Noticing Jakob's reactions out of the corner of his eye, Gareeku rolled his eyes and grinned.
"Relax, Jay. She's not going to hurt you. She wouldn't be able to do much in her current situation anyway." Gareeku commented with a slight chuckle, "No offense, Ephrael."
However, it was that Gareeku found that she had fallen asleep, but not before hearing her words.
"Heh, no problem..." Gareeku said with a smile, before resuming to observe the stars above.
Anzimani grabbed a strap of her backpack and lugged it up after her as she climbed the tall tree again. When she reached the upper branches, she set the pack down on a thick one and stretched out, looking down on the camp. She always felt more secure with a good vantage point. Absentmindedly, she softly hummed a ballad as she drifted off to sleep.
"I guess we might as well make ourselves comfortable," Gabi said, looking for a place to sleep. "Shall we organize watches for the night?"
Now that Pal's gone, there aren't many Cubi left, she thought. And only Blaze can admit to not needing sleep; it wouldn't be fair to have him watch over us all night long.
Blaze ran a hand over the back of his head. Things get stranger and stranger... RJ would be able to deal with these sorts of things better than I would. She's always been the "people" person in the family.
He watched quietly as the rest of the group settled in for the night. Most emotions he felt were fuzzy as sleep took over.
"Looks like I'm official watchman for the night, huh?" he asked softly, taking a spot over next to a tree. He opened a hand, creating a small fireball in it.
"Wake me up if you get tired or would like company," Gabi offered Blaze. "I'd like to get up early to check on Ephrael in any case."
((OOC: slight character controlling here...hope nobody minds. >_>; ))
Through the night, each member of the group took turns to be watchman, with Gabi being the last so she could check up on Ephrael when she woke up.
Feeling the warm sunshine on his face, Gareeku came to, opening his eyes and observing the beautiful scene of the countryside before him with a soft smile on his face. Most people knew the wolf as a fierce warrior adventurer, yet there was also soft side to himl believe it or not.
After a couple of minutes observing the scene before him, Gareeku was fully awake, and so rose to his feet to check up on the others. By this time, Ephrael was awake and was being checked by Gabi. Walking over to the two, Gareeku knelt down and smiled.
"Good morning you two...how did you sleep?" Gareeku asked them both.
After waking up just after dawn, Ephrael watched as Gabi worked on her ankle. When Gareeku walked over she blushed slightly as he crouched down. "I..I slept ok thank you Gareeku. I'm r..realy sorry I fell on you yesterday." Her cheeks now flushed bright red, Eph wished she'd just melt into the ground.
Gabi smiled. "Good morning to you," she replied. "It was a calm night. It was good to get some rest after everything that happened yesterday."
She finished examining Ephrael's ankle and concluded that it was healing well.
"Good news," she told Ephrael. "Your ankle's responding well. I should be able to finish sealing your bones now. Are you ready?"
Thankful that Gabi said that her ankle would be fine, Ephrael nodded for vixen to go ahead.
Gabi concentrated as she felt Ephrael's ankle and allowed the magic to work. After a few minutes, she looked up at her patient and smiled.
"That should do it," she announced. "Just don't put too much pressure on it for the next few days, and try to watch your step. I wouldn't recommend climbing more trees for now."
Noticing Ephrael's mannerisms and apology, Gareeku smiled.
"Hehe, don't worry about it." the wolf replied with a slight laugh. The other members of the group would probably have noticed his sudden change of attitude from the night before. While he had been taking his turn as watchman, he had been thinking about what Blaze had said to him, and concluded that the squirrel was right.
Hearing Gabi's words, Gareeku thought for a few seconds, before getting up and heading to a nearby tree. Cutting off a pair of sizable branches with his sword, the wolf then used his blade to carve a pair of crude-looking crutches. While they weren't the most attractive things in the world, they would be able to support Ephrael's weight with no problems.
"Here, i made you these if you're not up to walking properly yet," Gareeku said with a smile, "but you don't have to use them if you don't want to."
Jay woke up. Unlike Beings and to a lesser extent demons, it wasn't necessary for him to sleep in order to stay alive, but it did reduce his energy needs and besides it was necessary that he at least appeared to sleep in order to maintain his disguise.
"Another day," he said. "I hope it proves less stressful than yesterday. I suppose we had better take stock of our supplies. How far is it to the temple, anyway?"
Taking one of the offered crutches, Ephrael squeeked out a "thankyouverymuch" as she huged it to her chest.
After packing her blanket back in her bag, she fiddled with her lucky bracelet as she watched the others pack up and take stock.
Hearing the girl's thank you, Gareeku smiled, before turning to read the map.
"Hmmmm...it says here that the oracle's temple it about a day's walk from here," Gareeku said, pointing to the trail which the map displayed, "It could be dangerous along this trail. I recognise it as the "Devil's Path". Not a very reassuring name for it i know, but it seems that its the only way to get to this temple."
Having found this out, Gareeku wasn't looking forward to the times ahead. The "Devil's Path" was famed for the ruthless bandits who often lurking along it. Even though the group was a relatively powerful one, the wolf was still annoyed that it seemed to be the only path to take.
Gabi pondered Gareeku's words.
"The 'Devil's Path' is the only way to get to the temple?... It sounds rather ironic. How did that come to be so?... Could it be some kind of test? And is it really the only way?"
Jay moaned as soon as he heard the name. "Devil's Path? Oh Gods. I hope Arcalane is as good at stealth as he is with a gun, otherwise we'll just have to follow the trail of dead bandits." he shuddered, a sudden and horrible recollection of when he was younger and more like Arc himself.
Just then an even nastier thought occurred to him, but he didn't voice it out loud. He would just have to try and ensure that Ephrael kept with the group at all times, in case Arc mistook the newcomer for a bandit too and rendered all Gabi's healing irrelevant. Well, in the worst case... he thought and reached for one of the jewels he always kept around his neck.. only to find they were gone. He'd left them in SAIA to repair the chain.
Aah! he thought, and leaving Gabi and Gareeku to discuss the origins of the trail, hastily scrabbled around for a suitable piece of flint, sharpened his claws and began carving it into something resembling the pendants he usually wore.
"How many of us are able to cast invisibility magic?" he asked, looking up briefly from his carving. "I have usually found it better to avoid a conflict altogether than to try and win it."
As he tried to take stock of the spell-capable members of the party, he suddenly noticed something, almost dropping the piece of crystal. "Where the hell is Xze?" he asked. "Did she wander off in the night or something?"
Anzimani's eyes widened as she jumped down from her tree branch. "If she got kidnapped like the others..." That would mean that someone not only knew where they were, but that they were skilled enough to kidnap a member of their party almost silently.
Her eyes still worried-looking, she answered Jay. "I can keep us invisible while we're stationary, but I'm afraid I'm useless on the road. I use energy to distort the air, but it needs to be anchored in at least five places. Unless we had objects programmed to follow beside us..." She paused a moment and thought. "If someone has the power to animate objects, I think my magic could be combined with theirs..." She pulled a small notebook out of her pack and scribbled a few notes before slipping it back in, recording her thoughts for later study.
"But I'm fairly sure it would be less complicated for someone else."
Blaze scratched the back of his head, having never really heard of the path before, but not quite liking the sounds of it either. He turned to Anzimani after she discussed her idea.
"Can't say I'm very good for illusion magic," he admitted with a shrug. "I could help support you with some pure magic for energy if you need it though."
"I've never tried an invisibility spell myself," Gabi admitted. "Not like this, I mean. I could try, but I'm not sure I'd achieve anything. Though I could float around a few light objects, if that helps."
Looking nervously around the group Eph spoke up, "umm why don't we just pay the toll?"
Being a being with no magical ability Ephrael tended to think in a fairly strait forward and mundane way.
"That depends," said Jay, looking up. "I haven't been here before, I've only heard a few rumours. If the region is controlled by one single bandit group then yes, we might just be able to pay them off and be left alone. If it's populated by several different groups all demanding money like trick-or-treaters, it could get very expensive, very quickly. And don't forget, we'll most likely have to pay a tribute to the Oracles as well."
He had finished carving now, and had in his pocket three 'jewels' made from flint. Polycrystalline rock wasn't the best material for what he jokingly referred to as 'last aid', but it would do at a pinch. I just hope it isn't necessary, he thought.
Gabi thought for a moment.
"I don't think They'd call it Devil's Path because of toll collectors," she reckoned, at the same time as Jay spoke. "If it were just that, and the toll was not insanely high, we could just pay it, but odds are things will be a lot more complicated than that."
She then looked at Jay and tried to relpay his words in her mind.
"What he said," she concluded.
Hearing that no one knew illusion magic, Gareeku frowned slightly.
"Hmmmm, I hate to admit it, but we'll need Arc for this...I've got a feeling he'll be quite effective..." The wolf said, before rising to his feet, Li now perched on his shoulder. Damn...this could be difficult... Gareeku thought to himself.
"Gareeku...we'll be ok, won't we?" Li asked, her face displaying a mixture of concern and slight fear.
"We'll be fine, Li. Don't worry about it." Gareeku replied with a reassuring smile.
"'Quite effective?'" said Jay, alarmed. "What do you have in mind? If the soldiers of the realm are unable to flush the bandits from this place, there's no way that six travellers can take them on. How many of us are even armed? We'll have to use a stealth approach, surely!"
Jay looked away briefly, the prospect of yet more deaths to his already-tarnished name filling him with horror. If only Paladin was here, he thought to himself.
Hearing Jay's comments, Gareeku sighed.
"Listen Jay, I know you're thinking about the group, but its starting to get old," Gareeku growled, his annoyance and short temper beginning to show through, "I do know what i'm doing. The soldiers of the realm couldn't give a crap about what goes on in the "Devil's Path". That's why they're "unable" to flush the bandits out."
Jay bit his lip, stifling his intended reply. Careful.. don't blow your only chance to rescue Petter, he thought.
But Gareeku said that he's dying. What if he weakens during a battle? Heck, even the mere knowledge that he's dying will put him at a disadvantage.
A dark corner in the back of his mind took pleasure at the notion of bringing a slain Gareeku's soul back home in his pocket, but he clamped down hard on it. Listening to that voice had caused wars and brought terror to millions.
"What about Li, then?" he asked. "Can't we just warp to the border with the temple?"
"Who's Li?" Ephrael said, rather confused about what this 'warp' thing was.
((OOC: Eph hasn't seen Li yet not a warp aci for that matter :3))
"Li would be his Warp-Aci," explained Blaze shortly, feeling her confusion. "To put it simply, Warp-Aci are creatures that allow instantaneous travel from one place to another without having to physically walk there."
The squirrel glanced down at her.
"Does that make sense?"
Gabi hadn't considered the possibility so far, because she had little to no experience with Warp Aci (she'd met Li before, but their interaction had been limited) and she'd assumed the Cubi knew better than she did about their powers and limitations. Now that Jay had brought it up, she was beginning to wonder whether it was possible or not.
"Is it possible?," she asked Gareeku. "Can Li take us all there from here or... is there a problem?"
Turning to Jay and Gabi, Gareeku frowned.
"I wish it were that easy. Warp-aci can only to places if they know where the destination is. Li's never been near the devil's path before, so that creates a problem." the wolf explained.
Getting on his feet, Gareeku then looked at the group.
"If anyone doesn't want to come through the devil's path, then they stay here if they wish. The last thing I want is anybody to have regrets about this. Theo nly reason we're going through is to visit the temple. Once we've done that then we'll most likely return here, as this is the main path through this area." the wolf said, concern from the others evident on his face. Even though he had met many of them only a couple of days before, Gareeku had the habit of watching out for other people's well-being.
"I'll come.." Eph said in a half squeak, "I want to find Jade"
Jay remained silent for a few moments, his eyes closed as he desperately tried to think of a way out of fighting, but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke.
"I don't like this, Gareeku. I grew up to be a farmer, not a warrior, and I was taught from an early age that all life is precious. So I hope you'll forgive me if I'm not exactly eager to fight my way through to a temple where that cat is most likely planning some kind of ambush.
But if it has to be done, it has to be done."
Blaze shrugged at him. "Count me in I guess. I haven't got much else to do, so might as well get to know some of my sister's friends a bit better."
He grinned suddenly.
"Plus, it's been a while since I've had an adventure."
Gabi smiled at 'Jay's comment, but quickly became serious again.
"All life is precious, I agree," she said. "And I can't say I like this either, but I don't see any better options. If you're all going, so am I."
Anzimani's answer to that question was easy-- there was no chance of her letting others face danger while she stayed behind.
"I'm going. The more people we have, the better. Plus, I'm interested to meet the other Phoenix and ask them some questions of my own, if I get the chance. They might be in contact with another of their temples that's near my home. It also might... encourage... them to speak more clearly if you have a Phoenix along."
Her eyes narrowed a little bit as she said this. She wasn't eager to take any of the oracle's mumbo-jumbo, but she wasn't looking to start a fight, either. She hoped they could persuade the oracle to tell them something that could be of use.
Anzimani reached around and tightened the straps on her backpack. She might have to fight with it on if they were ambushed, and she didn't want it swinging around and putting her off balance. Plus, that made it a little harder to steal.
Listening to the others' replied, Gareeku nodded his head in acknowledgment, in particular when Jay and Gabi gave their answers. He wouldn't fight unless it was necessary. He wasn't stupid. However, the wolf also knew that if the group was to encounter theives, then he doubted they would be in the mood for talking. The bandits that inhabited Devil's Path were apparently prone to acting first and asking questions later.
"Ok then, it's settled." Gareeku said in a calm voice. "Let's go."
As he followed Gareeku, Jay prepared himself both physically and mentally. Demons and 'cubi have the ability to toughen their skin and while it wouldn't stop an armour-piercing round or a gunshot at point-blank range, it would certainly render him less vulnerable.
Perhaps it won't be so bad, he thought. If they were really lucky, they might make it to the temple unmolested, although he didn't really believe that for a moment.
And if not, well, he knew a number of nonlethal attacks... the ability to enter someones' mind and shut it down, or at a pinch, the Stun spell.
"What were your plans for Arc, Gareeku?" he asked casually, trying unsuccessfully to forget his own violent past.
As she advanced, Gabi did her best to stay close to the others while keeping her senses alert for any signs of danger. She held her fighting knife in her right hand, leaving her left hand free in case she had to use a stun spell.
Anzimani took a thick band of fabric from her pack and wrapped it around her arm, tying it just inside the elbow. Taking her dagger out of her belt, she slipped it beween the fabric and her skin; hidden, but easy to reach when it would be needed. She'd have to invest in an actual concealed sheath one of these days (being cheap doesn't make for very nice equipment).
She pulled out her sword, the smaller knife up her sleeve giving her the mental security the larger weapon could not. The only thing this pigsticker is good for is roasting dinner over a fire, she thought. In my hands, anyway. But it's better to not give the enemy what they're expecting.
About half an hour after they had set off, the group had arrived in Devil's Path. The path itself went through a deep valley, the hills on each side towering over the path almost like a series of fortresses. The air seemed still, and there was no noise, save for the odd sound of birdsong and the sound of flowing water from the small stream that ran alongside the path.
As they walked, Gareeku's eyes were continually looking around and his ears were constantly swivelling, never fixed on the same spot. his hand was also rested on the hilt of his katana as they made their way along the path.
"Stay close..." the wolf muttered softly to the others.
After another short while, strange noises could be heard from along the hillsides. Sounds that, if one were not paying attention, would appear to be the wind. However, if one were to listen closely, it would sound almost like whispers were travelling through the valley...
Suddenly, Gareeku stopped in his tracks and quickly unsheathed his katana. His eyes narrowing, he looked around as his ears swivelled, trying to find out where the people who were watching the group could be.
"Who is there?! Leave us be, and no harm will come!" The wolf called out in a commanding tone, his grip on his blade firm.
"Oh I don't think so, mate. Now, be a good bunch of travellers and hand us your valuables." a voice suddenly replied, belonging to a brown furred feline who had appearing in the path ahead of the group. As soon as he had finished speaking, others appeared, swords, bows, and other weapons, accompanied by magic, at the ready and pointed at the group menacingly
"Shit..." Gareeku muttered. The group was completely surrounded, outnumbered by at least 6 people, if not more.
"Now then...lets all play nice, and then you can be on your merry little way. If you don't then..." the feline said, a smirk on his face as he spoke, imitating the cutting of the throat motion with a thumb. However, little did he know that they in turn were also being watched...
"Can't we just give them some gold?" said Jay, in a cool, unconcerned voice as if he was talking about carol-singers or feeding ducks in the park. "I can probably create more than they'll be able to carry away, or any other base element come to that."
"That way we'll all be able to walk out of this with our souls..." he added, his voice taking a slightly manical affectation.
Gabi's ears perked, and she turned to look at Jakob. "What are you planning?," she thought.
She took another look at the bandits. They looked like common thieves, but there was no way to know if they had any tricks up their sleeves. She'd have to expect anything.
Blaze's brows furrowed as he thought about the situation. It's really too close quarters for me to use any magic here. We're all so bunched up that there's a big chance I'd hurt someone if I tried. And that's the last thing I want...
As if to prove his point, Jay held out his hand and a few moments later, a lump of gold had appeared there accompanied by a faint smell of ozone.
Direct creation of matter from energy is not particularly efficient on account of e=mc2, and in any case Jakob wasn't an especially powerful spellcaster. Transmuting nitrogen and carbon dioxide into gold was relatively easy however, so long as you remembered to direct the surplus neutrons away from yourself and took pains to ensure that the resulting isotope was atomically stable.
Jakob had no idea if the bandits were interested gold at all, but this was really more of a diversion than a solution to their problem. As he performed the transmutation, he kept his eyes on the crowd of bandits, probing their minds in turn.
Two of them had little or nothing in the way of mind-shields and he was quickly able to gain a foothold. His original plan had been to shut their minds down completely, but since they would have fallen unconscious that may well have provoked the bandits to attack.
So instead he put them into a daze, the pair of warriors standing vacantly among the throng, caught in a daydream of Jakob's own making.
That should help even things out a little, he thought. Turning his attention back to the gold, it had reached what he considered to be a suitable size.
"Catch," he remarked, and rolled the nugget of gold across the grass in the direction of the head bandit, gently so as not to alarm him. It came to rest before his feet.
As Jakob created the gold, many of the bandits wore uncomfortable or angry expressions on their faces. They could feel their minds being investigated, intruded upon. However, no one seemed to notice the ones who had been drawn into a daze.
"Seems like we've got us a little braveheart." the feline, who seemed to be the leader of the group, growled. "Leona, you know what to do."
Stepping forward, a female equine narrowed her eyes as she searched for whoever was trying to probe their minds. Almost immediately finding the culprit, she then put a hooved hand to her head. The next thing, Jay would find himself knocked back off of his feet.
"Leona here is rather skilled in psychic abilities." the feline explained, looking down at Jay, "So if I were you, I wouldn't try anything. Heh, you must really think we're stupid. We've been occupying the Devil's path for years. We've come across many, both being and creature. Hell, many of us used to be adventurers. But thank you for the gold anyway."
Gareeku, meanwhile, kept his eyes locked on the feline, a grim expression on his face as he did so.
"Next time, try not to do anything rash, ok?" he ask in a slight growl, his question directed at Jay. Hearing this, the feline smirks again.
"I'd listen to your friend, if I were you." he said, his comment directed at the group as a whole, before turning to the wolf. "And just what are you looking at?"
"Oh I don't know, really." Gareeku replied, a smirk now present on his face. "I want to say "adventurer", but then I realised that you're just too god-damn stupid."
"Watch your tongue, wolf." the feline growled, putting a knife to Gareeku's throat. "Or you may find yourself without it."
Gareeku, however, was not phazed, continuing to stare into the feline's eyes with a firm glare. Deciding not to waste his time with the wolf, the feline stepped away and nodded towards another member of the group, who promptly picked up the small lump of gold.
"Thank you kindly, but what we're after is currency, not bits of shiny metal." the feline remarked. "Currency tends to be a lot easier in that you can spend it quicker. Now then, mind handing it over?"
Some 20-30 meters away from both groups, another party was taking a certain interest in the goings on. Taking up position, Arc made sure the scope on his rifle was clear, then settled down and shouldered the rifle, looking through the scope.
[Dear oh dear. Kids these days can't take care of themselves, even in a valley full of bandits.]
He lined up the scope, looking first at the apparent leader, then at the other who had stepped forward. Arc paused for a moment, considering the ups and downs of which one to shoot first.
[Cut off the head and the body withers. Hrhrhr.]
A few final adjustments. Arc lined the scope up with the leader's head. With a zoom like this he could have counted the guy's whiskers. But that didn't matter, the idiot wouldn't be needing them much longer. He settled down, compensating for wind, his own breathing, getting the rhythm as the scope drifted up... down... up... down...
After only a second or two more, a single gunshot echoed through the valley.
A hidden figure had been watching the bandits, drenched in the shadows of the hills and manipulating the hidden niches and landmarks to her advantage. The traveler knew this path well enough in her field. The bandits here were quite the prize...dangerous to any other traveler, but not those who knew how to manipulate their style of stealth and ruthlessness.
Now these bandits, so many of them, were swarming around this group like the predators that they were, greed and bloodlust their fueling marks. But they had overlooked one more factor of their methods...cockiness. It was what made them dangerous. But what also led the bounty hunter to help turn the battle in favor of the adventurers, a few of whom she knew all too well to just give up and run. She had to be careful and quick...the psychic one may have already detected something...
Suddenly, as if from nowhere (or up in a tree if one actually happened to look there), an object burst from the shadows and whizzed through the air with a silent and deadly accuracy towards the line of outlaws far from the leader's line of sight...he wouldn't have noticed until the audible shing...groan...thump, in that precise order. But, before anyone could gauge the direction of the sounds, the figure cloaked in red had jumped out of hiding, a blade with a dragon-skin hilt having been drawn and sliced into a short line of those bandits circling the others (two or three) and giving the others an exit if any so needed, before any of those struck could blink.
Landing roughly but gracefully, a curled black tail with an emerald ring swishing from beneath the cloak, the figure picked up and replaced the bladed boomerang she had thrown and looked the group over. Her eyes were partially covered in shadow with the hood over her head. A few of the adventurers would have recognized those stealthy moves, even if after a few seconds. She knew at least that the wolf leading them would.
The grin from beneath the shadowed cowl that the pantheress gave them told the ones who didn't know her that she was a friend, not a foe. "Advice? Either start running or start kicking tail," she said with a smirk in her tone and whirled, only pausing to jump at the gunshot.
"Booby-trapped mind-shields," said Jay, rubbing his muzzle. "I haven't seen those for centuries." He folded his arms and took on an irate look.
"Look, let's be reasonable about this... there are a few things which I'm not sure you've considered. In an emergency we are quite capable of teleporting out of here if need be, so to be perfectly blunt, and speaking for myself, I'm not scared of you.
"What does scare me is what might happen if we come to blows. If you knew half the tales that follow some of our members," he gave a sidelong glance at Gareeku, "you'd shit yourselves.".
"I realise that you probably don't believe me," he continued, "although I hope I'm wrong. I don't want to see another massacre or more soul-devoured corpses... because I was taught that all life is precious.
"Now my point is this... if we give you all our coinage, we won't be able to achieve our aims when reach the phoenix temple. That means we may as well leave now, in which case you get nothing and we have to look for another temple. If we fight, some of us may die, but since there are several 'cubi among our party, many of you stand to lose your very souls. Are you sure you want to risk total death for the sake of a few coins?
I'm sure we can come to some sort of compromise."
Turning to Jay, the feline snarled angrily.
"And what do you know?!" He snarled, "This is our way of life, so deal with it?! And one more word out of you, and you'll be finding an arrow through your head!!"
Glancing towards the canine next to him, the feline was about to tell him to pick up the gold when a shot suddenly ran out through the air. The feline stared on shock as blood began to pour out of the canine's ears, nose and mouth. People on the other side of the canine would see that a bloodied hole was now present in the side of the canine's head. Watching the now-dead canine drop to the floor, Gareeku smiled darkly.
Ah, that would be Arc's handywork... he thought to himself.
Less than a second later, the group of theives was attacked again, this time by a silent assassin who had killed a number of theives with a silent and deadly dance of the blade. Hearing the voice, Gareeku smiled upon realising who it was.
"Don't mind if I do!" he replied, quickly unsheathing his katana and, before the feline knew what was happening, knocked the leader's sword out of his hands, before delivering a powerful slash to his neck, slitting the feline's throat in the process.
"We're being attacked!!" one of the theives cried out in panic, signalling for the others to attack. However, before he could do anything more, he found a bolt of magic slamming into his head, sending him flying back unconscious.
"Way to state the obvious!" Gareeku replied with a smirk. By now, the theives had begun advancing on the group, which by now was most likely more spread out into a more comfortable position to fight. To each member of the member, there were 2 to 3 theives, each one brandishing their weapons menacingly, furious at the fact that this group had gotten the better of them, albeit with a little help.
"It's good to see you again." Gareeku said upon noticing Aisha was standing nearby him. He had not seen her since their last adventure, and his happiness upon their reuniting was evident on his face as he shot her a warm smile.
"No..." wailed Jakob with a great sob, his eyes wide with horror as the canine died messily before him.
he was just a bandit... he wanted to kill us anyway... he means nothing to me... Arc, you bastard... it wasn't my fault...
Visions came unbidden to his mind of times centuries past, when he'd seen a doberman's head burst open in exactly the same manner, and before that when he had pulled the trigger himself upon a feline, one of his own guards.
Jakob had never forgotten that killing, never really been able to shake off the guilt at what he had done. It was these events which had made him come to despise the guns which he himself had designed and built so long ago.
..it's just a corpse... it's just a corpse...
Jay would have been violently sick if he it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't a Being and thus hadn't eaten for several weeks. His head began to swim and as his legs buckled, he fell to the ground in a manner not unlike the dead canine himself.
And then something rather curious happened. As he lay there his fur began to change itself from cobalt blue to something paler. Seconds later, it was not the raccoon demon Jay Farrow who lay there but the grey wolf incubus Jakob Pettersohn, alias Johan Cross.
Before anybody could say anything more, however, Gareeku heard someone sobbing. Turning to look, his eyes went wide upon seeing Jay turn into none other than Jakob.
"Jakob?!" Gareeku exclaimed in surprise. Before he could say anything more, however, the wolf looked as one of the theives, filled with rage, raised his sword for an impaling strike. "JAKOB!! LOOK OUT!!"
Almost instinctively, Gareeku lunged, tackling Jakob to safety. It was then, however, that the wolf felt a large pain in his leg. Crying out slightly, Gareeku turned round to find that the theive had followed through with his impaling strike, driving the sword through the wolf's leg. Growling angrily, Gareeku grabbed his sword and, still on the floor, drove the blade through the chest of the attacking theif.
"Damn it..." the wolf cursed, clutching his bleeding leg. It was then, however, that the wolf turned to Jakob.
"Jakob...I'm sorry you had to see this." he said apologetically, knowing the wolf incubus' dislike or violence. Rising to his feet (or rather, to the foot on the leg which hadn't been stabbed), he looked around to see how other were doing, pulling Jakob back onto his feet in the process as he used his katana almost like a walking stick.
Arc lined up his scope with Leona and fired off another shot, then moved his scope down to try and pick off anyone who got too close to the now-wounded Gareeku, firing on any of the bandits who dared move too close to him.
[Guess this is what it feels like to be a guardian angel. Damn, times like this, makes wish me I packed a nice bolt action rifle.]
Fortunately for him, Jakob's faint lasted only for a short time. He opened his eyes muzzily to find Gareeku supporting him. Although his sight was dimly returning, it was the senses in his mind which were prevalent. There were strong emotions abound, and he used these to fortify himself. And then he had a brainwave.. he entered his own mind and fed upon his own horror, removing it in a bizarre act of emotional self-surgery.
All trace of his weakness gone, Jakob released himself from Gareeku's hand and howled, like a feral wolf on the plains. His eyes burning with rage and fury, he scanned the ranks of approaching bandits for the equine mage.
"Leona," he screamed, "this was your fault! I could have put you all into a nice little sleep while we went our merry way. Your leader could have lived. You could all have lived! Yet you chose to interfere, and now look what's happened!
"You like playing mind games, eh? Well you're good, Leona, but you're still only a Being. Pit your wits against me if you dare, you nag! I promise not to hurt your soul too badly..."
Among the fighting, there knelt Leona beside the dead body of the feline. Tears were streaming down her face as she held him in her arms.
"No...Johnathan...no...!" she sobbed. It was then, however, that she heard Jakob's call of rage. Looking up, her face turned from one of grief and sorrow to one of pure rage.
"YOU!!" she yelled, "I loved him, you bastard!!"
Rising to her feet, she began to slowly walk towards the incubus wolf. "You have no idea!! We were theives because we had to be!! And you are one to talk, Johan Cross!!" she screamed with anger, "Yes I know all about you! I could feel it in your mind!!"
Screaming with rage, Leona then unleashing a powerful wave of psychic energy at her target. She may have been only a Being, but was she was a very powerful one.
Jakob gave a peal of laughter at Leona's outburst, as he scanned the area behind and around him with the heads of his wing tentacles.
"Bullshit," he sneered. "You held the pass for almost a decade, remember? That's the mark of greed, not desperation. And as soon as you saw who I was, you knew that you were all out of your depth. 'Loved him?' Ha! If you really loved him you would never have let him get into a fight which you knew he couldn't win!"
As he spoke, he ducked, Leona's burst of energy causing a rush of agony as it passed through the tips of his ears and careened into a bandit he had seen creeping up on him.
Closing his eyes, he scanned the area for the newly-dead, his lips taking on a smile as he spotted Jonathan's shade. Apparently he had either decided to stay and watch the fight, or he was waiting for Leona to fall as well. Well, that's just too bad, he thought and reached for one of the flints.
Throwing a fireball at Leona to distract her, Jakob clutched at one of the crystals in his pocket and stared at 'Jonathan', who suddenly gave a look of terror as the spell took hold. The crystal grew warm in his hand.
He turned his attention back to the equine. Prepared for any further booby-traps, he began to attack her mind-shield. Forced entry into an unwilling mind was extremely painful for the victim...
Hearing the wolf's comment, Aisha was about to answer when she was interrupted by another bandit coming up toward her. Her sword came up in the split instant his came down to block it. Struggling to hold her ground, that was when she answered him with a smirk. "Good to see you too, Gareeku. Though I must say," she laughed and shoved the bandit away with her foot, "Trouble seems to follow you." With a snort, she turned to help the others.
Hmph, and I was hoping that this wasn't going to be such a violent affair, the panther thought as more bandits fell by her blade and that of the others. The scent of blood stuck in her nostrils like so many times before, except she was always a little shaky when it was a Being...she was more used to taking assignments on the heads of Creatures.
Once the ones that were ganging up on her were cut down, something caught her eye and she turned to glance at one of the party who was suddenly on the ground, and with concern and slight interest, watched him transform. That instant, memories of the previous adventure with this group shot through her mind, as well as a name that was pushed in everyone's face several times...those affected by its influence.
Her mouth went wide open in shock. "Jakob?" She always preferred to call the wolf incubus by that name, although he also had the Johan Cross alias. Well, there's a surprise.
But it would be time for greetings later. Things were happening quite a bit fast to keep up with...Gareeku's wound, Jakob's outburst, and the equine woman's attack. Aisha simply tried to keep the remaining outlaws away from them, releasing her boomerang into the air like a flying sawblade...
Anzimani stared at the newly transformed wolf, dumbfounded. She would have continued to stare while mentally processing all that had just happened, had it not been for the bandit who lunged at her from behind.
She heard the whoosh of a weapon at her ear, dropping just in time to avoid a sword blow that nearly severed her head. A couple of black feathers floated down beside her-- the creature had clipped the top of a wing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the weapon coming at her again from above. She dove to the side, doing an awkward half-roll over her right shoulder. She stood up as soon as her feet met the ground, spinning around with sword drawn.
Facing her was a sharp-faced fox demon. In his hands was a strange blade; blue light pulsed up and down it in a spiral, not unlike a very sharp barbershop pole. His own eyes reflected the helix of energy, giving them a demented look. However, his next blow was very controlled and skilled; he definitely had his senses about him. Anzimani barely deflected the attack, the greenish shine of her own sword mixing with the blue sparks of the enemy's.
She wouldn't last long with swords-- she needed to get in closer. She took a step forward, sword arm hanging loose at her side. There was a brief moment of confusion and suspicion on the fox's face, but then he raised his arm with a smug smile on his face; he was clearly more than ready to run her through. Anzimani tensed her wing muscles until the feathers trembled. Just as the fox threw himself at her, she shot upward, rolling forward in the air in a quick whirlwind of feathers. She threw her sword while airborne, the powerful throw stopping the feline being that had slipped silently behind the fox literally dead in his tracks. She landed behind the fox, little puffs of dust raising around her feet. He spun around deftly, quick and prepared. He grinned when he saw that she had foolishly gotten rid of her only weapon. He lunged at her again, forcing her back. As he struck once more, she whipped the dagger out of her sleeve, stabbing the fox in the heart. He didn't even have time to be surprised.
"Don't you remember what I warned you?" taunted Jakob, as he continued his assault on Leona's sanity. "I said that if we could reach some kind of compromise we could all walk away from this with our souls. But you fucked that up, Leona, and someone had to pay the price for your interference. Guess who it was?
"Hehehe.. don't expect to meet Jonathan when you die, Leona," he cackled, "Because while you were playing dodge-the-fireball I was busy eating his soul! How does it feel knowing that the spell I'm going to kill you with is part of him?"
His enemy stared back at him, an expression of shock in her eyes.
She didn't notice the tears in Jakob's own eyes as he wept for the bandits murdered by Aisha and Anzimani, or the pain in his face at the terrible things he was saying.
Weakening his fierce grip on the equine's mind-shield for a moment, he sent a telepathic message to the vixen in their party, his mental voice filled with anguish as he pleaded for her to help.
Gabi! Stun someone... for Gods' sakes! Please... please... so there can be at least some survivors... I don't think I could bear another massacre...
But acting comes naturally to 'cubi, and there would be time to mourn later. So, marshalling his thoughts, Jakob composed himself, and when he turned back to face Leona, it was with a cruel, sadistic expression of triumph.
When Jakob turned back to face Leona, he would find that she had charged at him. Her grief had by now totally overwhelmed her, and she didn't even have the energy to launch any psyhic attacks. Instead she was pounding on his chest with her fists, though her strikes would be very weak due to the sheer grief filling her emotionless, which would be incredibly strong to the incubus wolf.
"No! No no no no!!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face as she continued to pound weakly, "You b-bastard! No!!"
Completely breaking down, the equine fell to her hands and knees. Then, out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Anzimani's sword. Quickly grabbing it, she held it against her. To Leona, now that her beloved virtually no longer existed, life was simply not worth living anymore.
"You've taken everything I ever loved...I hate you..." she whispered, looking up at Jakob with a sad expression, the tears still streaming down her face as he looked up at him. Then, with all the strength she had, she plunged the blade deep into her heart, dying instantly as her body slumped to the floor in a pool of blood.
For a few fleeting moments, Leona's shade stood on the spot, her eyes closed as what seemed like a tear trickled down her face, before vanishing from the mortal plane.
Seeing this, Gareeku's face displayed one of shock. Turning to another attacking theif, he turned his sword, choosing to smash the hilt into the theif's jaw and knocking him unconscious. In his eyes, enough blood had been shed. It was then that he turned to Jakob.
"I hope you're happy." the wolf spat, a look of disgust on his face as he spoke, before turning away and limping off, looking to help out those who needed it.
Jakob barely noticed Gareeku as he stared down at his foe's corpse. Without a word he threw her remains over his shoulder and vanished in a flash of black light.
Arc carefully lined up and picked off one last bandit who was stupid enough to have hung around. He then stood up from his sniping spot, reloaded his rifle, and took a few minutes to replace the spent ammunition from the magazine with a new set. He also carefully picked up the casings and looked down on the group in the valley.
[Stupid kids are gonna get 'emselves killed.]
He stood there for a minute or two, watching, then slung his rifle over his back and silently moved on, starting at a jog.
Anzimani stood still for a moment, bloodied dagger in hand. Bringing it up to her face, she looked at it, studying the trickle of cooling blood as it traveled down the already cold blade. She slowly shifted her gaze, staring down at the bodies at her feet.
She fell to her knees on the path. She stared at the dagger again, breathing hard, then flung it with a growl at the nearest tree where it stuck fast in the trunk, quivering with a metallic sound. Slowly, she kneeled and put her head on her knees.
She had never killed before.
She had injured, yes, and she had, long ago, assisted in the trapping of a soul. But she had never done this. Now she had killed two, and her sword had been the death of another.
She always knew she would be able to do it, if the need arose. Half of her brain was still reminding her that if she had not done what she had done, it would be her and maybe her companions lying in the dust. But the other half was screaming that she could have stunned them, done something other than kill them. But her own self-preservation instinct had taken over, and it was done. Even now, her muscles were tense, ready to retaliate if more attackers came. She loathed herself for that readiness.
Everything had happened too fast. Gabi had barely managed to stun one thief upon hearing Jakob's call. Then Leona had killed herself and that seemed to mark the end of the attack. Others had died too. It wasn't the first time she'd seen someone die, but it didn't feel like something she could easily get used to.
"At least they weren't innocents this time," she thought, remembering the sight she had encountered on her first day in Ha'Kun. "At least I managed to save one of them." She wondered whether she had only saved him so that he could go on commiting crimes and eventually getting himself killed anyway. But that wasn't something she could know, or do anything about. At least he had the choice now.
She took a look at the rest of her group. Some were wounded, but luckily none of their injuries seemed to be life-threatening. She was glad to see Aisha again. She had come to like her during her previous adventure together, even if her attitude towards creatures had originally reminded her of the kids that used to bully her as a child. But she knew Aisha was different from them, as her prejudice came from bad experiences rather than an irrational hate for anyone who was different, and as such it could be countered with enough good experiences.
Anzimani looked upset, but Gabi didn't know her well enough, so she doubted she could do anything to help her and was not even sure if she should. Arc had left again... thankfully. Gabi could never be calm when he was around. She was worried that next time she had news of him might be because he'd killed someone again, but she had her hands full as it was. Maybe after they'd managed to rescue those who were missing, if they could make it, she could try to do something about him. For now all she could do was hope he didn't cause too much damage in the meantime.
"Ok, the time for reflection is over," she told herself. "It's time to do something useful."
So she went to tend to the wounded, giving Aisha a smile as she passed by her side and telling her it was nice to see her again.
Blaze's eyes widened when he heard the gunshot, followed by the sight of one of the bandits falling with a sickening thump of the ground.
Crap... he thought.
Suddenly, it was chaos as the bandits charged forward to attack. Blaze felt pain as a thrown dagger left a gash in his ear and continued to fly away.
"Hey, Fluff-Butt, not too quick upstairs, are we?" asked a voice thick with some unrecognisable accent. "Maybe your pretty wings are draining the blood from your head?"
Blaze turned, seeing a female rabbit twirling a dagger in her hand.
"He's quite the looker, but I'm not in the mood for fixing a date at the moment," commented a female feline that stepped up next to the first woman.
Blaze could only stare with a slight cringe as he noticed the un-lady-like clothes they both wore. Before he could blink though, they leapt at him, throwing carefully aimed daggers.
"Sorry ladies, but I'm not in the mood for games either," he frowned, forming a fire shield before himself. The daggers melted before they even hit.
Blaze dispersed the shield, noticing that the women had vanished into the chaos. His brow suddenly twitched as he heard a noise behind him. He turned, just as the women leapt at him and kicked him in the gut. Blaze doubled over, gasping for breath.
"Geez, this fire mage is pathetic!" groaned the rabbit. Her partner nodded.
"Who said I was just a fire mage?" whispered Blaze.
The womens' eyes widened as wing tentacles grabbed them by the wrists and held them up in the air where they flailed and kicked to get free. Blaze held them just out of reach from their kicking feet.
"Play nice, kiddies," Blaze warned them with a scowl. "Or else I might have to get rough."
Damn, I'm just outta shape for stuff like this, he thought. I haven't had any real serious battles in years now... He watched the battle unfold before him, throwing fireballs to distract and injure those who attempted to jump him and grab the two women he held hostage.
A flash of black caught his eye suddenly as he was sure he saw someone vanish.
What was that? Blaze asked himself.
Before he knew it though, the battle was over. The bandits who were not dead or seriously injured had fled, leaving only corpses and those in Blaze's group... though with a few exceptions.
Things... don't seem to be going quite our way, he thought with a sigh.
"Hey! Hey! What're you gonna do with us?!" demanded the rabbit he was still holding up.
"We'll sort it out later," Blaze growled as he walked towards the others. "Just stay still and you might just live."
Jakob strode through the forest with the body of his fallen foe. He listened carefully as he walked, the birdsong dying away as he approached. This was good - if the birds had been silent already, that would mean he was not alone.
Finally he reached the graves they had dug for the other two bandits - Arc's victims - and a short way away he laid the corpse upon the grass and began to dig.
Wolves in the wild are capable diggers and the fact that Jakob was humanoid in appearance didn't present much of an issue. Indeed, his incubus heritage eased the task as he was able to toughen and sharpen his hands. A physical task like this was what he needed to distract himself from the grief that the battle had filled him with, but it didn't stop the trickle of tears down his muzzle.
Finally he laid her to rest, removing the sword which she had used upon herself. He would have left it there to avoid further damaging her remains, but he was pretty sure it belonged to a member of their own party and it would only be honest to return it.
Upon a rock he carved an epitaph as he had done before:
LEONA, BANDIT QUEEN
SLEW HERSELF TO
ESCAPE JOHAN CROSS
..which wasn't strictly true, but was probably more than she deserved, all things considered.
I'm going to have to book another appointment with Delna, he thought. By an intricate series of self-manipulations he had managed to choke off the raw grief, at least for now, but he still wasn't quite ready to face the magnitude of his failure. That would have to wait.. he still had to resume the quest and rescue his father first.
No, not yet... he thought. They'll still be fighting. Killing each other. Why did it have to be like this? He found he was crying again at the prospect.
Then an idea came to him. He made a pass and left the forest entirely, finding himself back in his bedroom in SAIA. Taking a shower to clean off the mud and gore, he rummaged around the apartment and took three things:
The chain of soul-pendants which he had left behind, a large bag of money and a black leather trenchcoat - just like the ones that Johan Cross had worn.
Well, he thought to himself as he wriggled his wings into the holes of the coat's back, if this mess that Arc and Gareeku have got us into is going to be blamed upon me, I guess I ought to at least look the part.
He was almost ready to leave, but there was one more thing he had to do first. Fishing the flint crystal from the pockets of the mud-stained clothing he had just removed, he strode off to his laboratory.
Right Jonathan, he said to himself, it's time we had a little talk.
By the time the handle of Aisha's boomerang was back in her hand, she had more than witnessed enough carnage for the day. The blood of Beings, albeit evil ones, coated the bladed edges, a sight that was never pretty. She straightened herself and found a small boulder nearby on which to sit and rest, just before she'd rejoin the others in cleaning up. It seemed Jakob had gone to do just that, with the body of the distraught bandit woman.
Her face, still shadowed by the cowl, looked on about the others of the group; curiously at the ones that she had yet to be introduced to, and with a smile at the ones that she already was. She replied back to Gabi that it was also good to see her again...in the last adventure they had become friends, as Aisha had with pretty much everyone, despite the fact that her attitude wasn't the best in the world.
Wiping the blood from her weapons with her cape, Aisha's hand came up and lifted the cape hood from her face, revealing the black jaguar's young face and piercing red gaze. She watched Gareeku with concern, but certainly with Gabi's healing he would be alright, as well as the others who were injured.
"So...I'm guessing nobody's on this path for a friendly business trip," she chuckled, trying to lift the somber mood with humor that was even half-hearted.
"I wish," replied Gabi, looking at Gareeku's leg. "We're trying to solve a nasty mystery, but we have too few leads and things just keep going wrong..."
She tested Gareeku's leg with her fingers.
"It's a large cut, but it doesn't seem to be broken," she told Gareeku. "Can you move it?"
Jakob strode towards his private laboratory, only to find that he no longer had the key. Suddenly he remembered that he'd lent it to Ash. Now where would he be? Sitting before a VT100 terminal, he called up the department schedule and soon found that his deputy would most likely be in the electronics lab at this hour.
There wasn't a class scheduled for the lab so it was being used by a number of students for their own private projects, and Ash would be minding it to ensure they didn't get up to anything... students being students, after all.
As he entered he saw that his friend was huddled over a small hunk of equipment which he was discussing avidly with another feline incubus.
"Oh hi Jak," he said, "I thought you were off on leave. Have you got a moment? This is more your area, I think."
"I'm just dropping in," said Jakob. "I'll have to be off again pretty soon, but I can spare you a few minutes if you'll lend me the lab key again. What is it?"
"Oh, Alexei here has brought in a nightsight that isn't working. Care to take a look?"
Jakob prodded the disassembled device with a pair of 'scope probes, looking for the point where the signal from the vidicon tube disappeared. "Looks like this op-amp has blown," he said. Pressing his finger against the IC, he felt it with his mind, scanning the circuit tracks inside it. His finger glowed momentarily as he created a new track over the break, the small screen flickering for a moment to reveal a picture of the desk.
"I'd check the voltage regulator as well, and preferably some of the supply caps too for good measure. Otherwise it may happen again," Jakob added.
"Yes, thank you very much!" the incubus replied happily, reaching for the multimeter. Jakob stopped dead in his tracks, and looked the cat over very carefully. That voice sounded very, very familiar. "Uh... is something wrong?" he asked, seeing Jakob's concerned expression. The incubus' hair was black, but otherwise his coat was almost the same.
"Do you happen to know of a feline Being by the name of Arcalane?" asked Jakob.
"That would be my son," he said. "Why do you ask?"
"He wants to kill me," Jakob replied.
((OOC: *dramatic chord!* :B))
Alexei frowned and eyed Jakob.
"Have you been staying up late again? What exactly could you have done to have gone and got him chasing you, mmh?" Alexei pondered. "That reminds, he did ask for a particularly advanced model I'd brought in... I hope he hasn't broken it."
"Apparently there's a price on my head," said Jakob. "I did a number of rather questionable things a couple of centuries ago back in Ha'Khun. Someone killed my best friend, and I went a bit funny. I started calling myself 'Johan Cross', took over a couple of cities, killed a couple of ne'er-do-wells, threw a couple of rebellious Creatures out on their ear... that sort of thing. Fa'Lina was very impressed, but I still wish I hadn't done it... and I guess someone's still mad at me." he sighed.
"That's why I came back to SAIA," he added. "I wanted a fresh start, wanted to try and forget it all, to try and help people instead of treating them like pets. But other people keep coming along and digging the past up."
He was silent for a bit.
"When this mess is over, I'm going to have to do a new documentary. Film my own autobiography... set the record straight. In the meantime, I have to play dodge-the-bullet with Arc."
Alexei nods.
"I do not doubt that. The shorter lifespan of Beings tends to lead them astray from the bigger picture, I notice. The past has a habit of staying unburied around them." He smirks. "My son is a good shot. I suggest you stay out of his way altogether if possible. He is not a man you want to be in the way of, I assure you." Alexei sighs. "He may be stubborn, quiet and destructive, but he is persistant, loyal and tougher than a pair of old boots! The only thing that seems to make him lighten up is his sister Anya. I tell you, he's a different person around her."
Alexei pauses and shrugs slightly.
"Anyway, I best get back to working on this nightsight."
"Yes, good luck with that," said Jakob. "Remember... check the power supply! There's a load more op-amps in the drawer, but if you fry the camera tube, it's going to be very difficult and expensive to repair."
Jakob turned to go, but then remembered he needed the keys from his deputy. Ash was standing there with a slightly wistful expression on his face until he came to and handed over the keys to the lab. "Was it really so long ago?" he asked.
"Well, it's only been about a hundred years," Jakob replied with a faint smile. "But I still wish people would forget. And what's it all for? I only killed ten people - Arc has almost certainly caught up with that by now. Anyway, I must go. I have work to do... dead people to talk to, and probably bandits to intimidate."
"Oh, so that's what the get-up is for, is it?" he asked, gesturing at the coat.
"Quite. Don't worry Ashley, I know what I'm doing." I hope... he added, mentally.
* * *
Jakob unlocked his private laboratory, and placed the flint crystal in a rather complex machine he'd designed, a fusion of magic and advanced technology. It looked very much like an electron microscope or an ion lathe, but its function was totally different. He put on a headset, specially designed so that the earphones and mic were in a suitable place for his lupine skull, and flicking the switch, looked at the screen as it warmed up.
"Hello Jonathan," he said.
You! What... what have you done to me? came the reply, as the ex-bandit leader's face appeared on the screen.
Meanwhile back at the group...
Ephrael, an arrow noched in her longbow came running up the path to the others.
"I'm sorry I fell behind..."
Gabi hears running and immediately turns to look. She's relieved to see it's Ephrael rather than another bandit... and a bit proud to notice her ankle has healed so well.
"It's ok," she tells her. "Are you alright?"
Blaze glanced over at Ephrael. "Guess you're lucky you fell behind... this wasn't pretty."
He placed the two women he was still holding captive with his wings onto the ground, though he kept their wrists held firmly together.
"What should we do with these two?" he asked the others.
Keeping the longbow ready Eph walked over to Gabi.
"I'm ok did anyone get h-hurt?"
"Do not kill them," said a voice behind Blaze. "there has been too much blood spilled already. Besides, I want someone alive to remember this day." Jakob strode into view, his trenchcoat flapping behind him as he walked, and a sombre expression upon his face. He crouched in front of the captives, staring them in the eyes with a look of cold menace.
"I'm a big believer in second chances," he said. "And if, as I hope, these two have learned their lesson, they will pose us no further danger." Reaching into his voluminous attire, he pulled out a handful of coins, dropping a pile in front of each captive.
"Don't spend it all at once," he remarked. "And be thankful that Johan Cross can be merciful." he looked around for Gareeku, and was thankful to see that everyone in their party appeared to have survived. He took a step or two forwards, but then suddenly stopped and turned around.
"I almost forgot. We shall be coming back when our business at the temple is concluded. If I find you still here, I shall take your souls... the way I did to your leader, Jonathan. I do not believe in third chances."
So saying, he strode towards Gareeku, leaving Blaze staring after him.
Jakob kept up his 'Johan Cross' act until he reached the white wolf, who sat near Gabi, eyeing him with a look of distaste.
Jakob came close to tears again, and his voice was unsteady as he spoke. The tough-guy act had been bit of a strain on him, and it brought back bad memories... of earlier that day and of times long past. His leader's distrust did not help.
"I've sent Jonathan on after his lover," he said. "I offered him a new life in a new body, but he declined. Still, at least they're together now." he sniffed.
"Now, where is Arc, how many people has he killed, and who does this sword belong to?"
Gabi, who was still next to Gareeku and had stood up upon Eph's arrival, was glad to hear what Jakob had done to Jonathan. She felt she knew him just well enough to know he'd been bluffing about eating his soul, but she'd also felt the need to know what had actually happened.
She replied to Ephrael's question: "yes, but fortunately nothing they can't recover from."
She then looked at the spot where she had left the stunned bandit. He was still lying there.
"He will probably wake up soon," she told Jakob. "Unless you feel like threatening him too, maybe we should leave before he regains consciousness. After all that's happened, a verbal threat may be redundant."
Blaze unwrapped his wings from the wrists of the two women after giving a small inner sigh. RJ would have killed me anyway if she had heard I had killed unarmed people... After that day, we promised we wouldn't kill if it was avoidable....
He bent down to the women, scrabbling for the coins as quickly as they could. "You better make sure you stay well clear of this place. I suggest you go make new lives for yourselves."
He stood back up as they ran from the scene before turning to the others. "I have to agree- getting back on track might be the best choice at the moment. Also, Gabi... would you mind taking a look at this gash on my ear please? It's getting to be a bit of a pain."
Blaze glanced over the group for a brief second, feeling a touch of worry suddenly. This is not going to become a simple adventure anytime soon...
"A mystery, huh?" Aisha inquired, head lowered in thought while glancing around, mostly to watch for the possibility of any others hiding in wait. The pantheress was still seated just a fair bit away from the others, listening in to their conversations and plans but not offering anything of her own yet. After all, she had appeared to help...though nobody said her company wasn't wholly welcomed, nobody said that it was, either. Yet, things are connected. It seems many are looking into this same mystery.
She only then noticed when a squirrel (who curiously looked very similar to someone familiar in appearance) came with two remaining survivors. In a way, the huntress was relieved. It wasn't a total bloodbath, but it would be a hard one for the witnesses. Right after, Jakob reappeared almost suddenly. Her eyes kept on him curiously, the name "Johan Cross" still sending a small shiver in her bloodstream from the last adventure. But Aisha wasn't one to jump at shadows...she knew that he was an ally. She merely watched as he finished talking to the bandits and then walked over to where Gareeku and Gabi were.
Aisha gripped the confirmation that they were indeed taking the path to the temple of the Oracles. There was a smile on her face. How easily paths converge into one again. The panther stood up at the suggestion that they leave before something else happens. "I don't think that we should linger here any more than needed..."
Her bow to the others was polite. "It seems we're all going the same way. I don't suppose there'd be room for one more in this party? It would at least be nice to keep up with old friends again," she cast a smile towards Gareeku, Gabi and Jakob, then one to those she had never seen before. "And...make new ones. Name's Aisha."
Look around as he knocked another theif unconscious with the hilt of his sword, a sad expression appeared on Gareeku's face as he saw the bodies of those who had been slain. Saying a silent prayer for those who had fallen, Gareeku fastened his sheathed sword back to the side of his waist, before sitting down on the ground. Seeing Gabi walk over and check his wounds, Gareeku nodded his head at what she said.
"Yeah, I can still move it. I think it just went through the flesh." the wolf replied. "I only left the thing in there to stop the bleeding getting worse."
Looking up, Gareeku smiled to see Eph had arrived. In a way, he was thankful that she hadn't seen what had gone on in the battle. Hearing Aisha speak, Gareeku chuckled.
"It would be a pleasure, Aisha." the wolf replied warmly. It was then, however, that Jakob walked up to him, dressed in his new attire. Noticing the incubus' look of sadness, Gareeku could not help but feel a twinge of guilt.
"Good. At least they're together now." the wolf replied calmly, not choosing to say anything more.
Anzimani took a deep breath to clear her head, then sat up slowly to respond to Jay. No, it was Jakob, if what she'd heard was correct. Or was it Johan? Well, whoever he was, he was holding her sword.
She stood up, steadier now, and strode across the path to pull her dagger from the tree. Bending down, she cleaned it on the roadside grass. She slipped it back up her sleeve and padded toward the wolf. Eyes wary, she halted. She didn't know anything about him, but so far he had only assisted the group. She had no reason for distrust; she would keep quiet and learn by listening.
"The sword's mine." She noticed the blade was glimmering a slightly brighter green, as if joyful in the dried blood it wore. She told herself that it was due to the contrast of red on green, but she knew it was more than that.
I'll bet that's the only joy the old crone gets anymore, she thought bitterly. And I'm glad.
"I presume Arc has left us again," said Jakob, turning to face Ephrael, Blaze and Anzimani, and handing the latter her sword.
"I guess I owe you three an apology for my deception. My name is not Jay but Jakob Pettersohn. A century or so ago I was known as Johan Cross, and under that name I did many things which I now regret... things which made me come to detest violence." he looked again at the carnage and a small tear came to his eye.
"It would also seem," he continued, blinking rapidly to clear it away, "that someone has hired Arc to kill me for my ancient crimes. That was the sole reason for my disguise, but sadly my cover is blown. Even if I assume another form, he'll guess it's me, or worse, he may shoot Ephrael or Aisha thinking them to be my disguise.
"In case you're wondering about the coat, I feel that it may be to our advantage if we try to make use of my infamy. I have little doubt that the two we turned loose will soon be telling tales of how Johan Cross was at the Devil's Path, killing many men. Much as I find the notion shameful, if I can use such rumours to prevent even one more death, it will be worth it.
"Whatever you may have heard of me, we are in this together and I hope you can judge me by my deeds now rather than deeds long past."
He paused and then looked at Anzimani, feeling her mixed emotions. "Tonight was the first time you killed, wasn't it?" he said gently. "Don't be afraid to cry about it if it will help. Remember... guilt is precious, so treasure it. For if we lose our guilt at killing, what else is there to stop us becoming monsters?"
Listening to Jakob explain his true identity to the others, Gareeku could not help but smirk slightly.
For somone who wishes to rid himself of his past, he sure seems to be talking about it a whole lot... the wolf thought to himself as Gabi healed his leg. Thanking her with a warm smile, Gareeku rose to his feet.
"I think we should bury the dead. They deserve some dignity despite their choice of lifestyle." the wolf said calmly, looking down upon the dead with an almost emotionless expression on his face.
Gabi reflected on Jakob's words. "Nothing," she concluded. She nodded sadly and finished tending to Gareeku's leg, subsequently proceeding to check Blaze's ear. She decided she would help bury the dead only after she was done taking care of the living. They needed her more right now.
Anzimani inclined her head a little, taking her sword. "I understand now; it was necessary." She did not yet sheath the weapon. The blood would take a little scrubbing to get off.
"I will not cry. But I will keep your words in mind; they are wise ones." True to her word, Anzimani's eyes were dry. But she let the tears harden inside her, like so many little stones.
Carrying her sword to the edge of the path, she sat down in the grass and took a ragged cloth out of her pack. Bending over the weapon, she began to clean it.
I'll have to name it soon, she thought remorsefully. In her village, a weapon was not named until it was used in battle. That small connection to her home brought a little smile to her face. I'll have to make it a good one.
As the pantheress introduced herself, Ephrael managed not to duck behind Gabi and waved at Aisha. "H-Hello I-I'm Ephrael".
Seeing that se wasn't going to need her bow anytime soon Eph returned arrow back into its quiver.
"Well met, Aisha," said Jakob. He hadn't actually had much chance to talk to her since her arrival.
"I trust you are keeping well? It's just a pity that we had to meet under such circumstances..." he continued, gazing mournfully at the piles of dead.
While listening to Jakob's explanation, Aisha had nodded in understanding, agreeing to what words of encouragement the others had given him. She guessed that for what he had gone through in his life, such things were to be expected...however, her eyes did widen a bit when he mentioned an assassin out to kill him.
Someone's hunting the party? The panther narrowed her eyes. Hm. Wise to keep a watch, then.
Despite the notion, the pantheress nodded back to Jakob, with a polite bow to Ephrael. "Well met to you as well, all of you. Heh, I'm keeping well enough, yes, though almost everywhere I passed there was a slight uproar about reports of kidnapping. There are a bunch of hunters and adventurers out and about. Me..." her gaze was cast aside, thoughtful. "I've no need to worry about someone I know having been kidnapped. I was on my way to the Oracles on my own..." then, her eyes rose again, a grin on her face. "But, I'm glad to be accepted to join in."
While casting a glance at Gareeku, she heard his suggestion of burying the dead and agreed without a second thought. "Better them than us...they instigated the fight, they threatened...but it would be noble to lay them to rest."
Though only one thing I wonder is just who would bring a shovel on a quest...
"Okay," said Jakob, his voice trailing as he contemplated the dead, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the fact that they were once people, regardless of the mistakes they had made in life. If someone had pulled a stunt like this in Ha'Khun all those decades ago, his rage would have been boundless and he would most likely have killed the perpetrator in person. No, try not to think about that...
"Okay. I guess we can do this by hand or by magic. If need be I can probably return to the Academy and pilfer some equipment from the turfing class. Magic would be quicker and easier, although it seems somehow less... personal."
Struck by an idea, he turned to Gareeku.
"Do you think we could get Li to scoop the graves out by teleportation? We'll have to shovel the earth back on by hand, but it would save time.
In fact, I would say that would be the best compromise, since it would be wise to make the temple before dark. We never really found out of there are other bandit groups as well."
As he spoke, he began to look around, scouring the area for potential headstones. Exactly what he was going to carve on them he wasn't sure, since he only knew Jonathan's name. Actually, I should bury him next to Leona, he thought.
As Jakob spoke, Gareeku did not turn to him, choosing instead to continue looking at the bodies laying on the ground.
"Magic would indeed be less personal." The wolf replied flatly. "And I suppose Li -could- do that..."
Li...come here, I need your assistance... Gareeku called out to the warp-aci in his mind. A couple of seconds later, Li appeared on his shoulder.
"Li, would you please teleport some of the earth out for us? We need to create some graves." the wolf asked with a slight smile. looking at the corpses, Li flinched somewhat, before nodding her head and getting to work.
A short while later, a series of graves had been created a little way off from the side of the path. Thanking Li, Gareeku then carefully picked up one of the bodies in his arms and walkover to one of the graves. Setting the body on the ground, Gareeku then turned to Li, who then teleported the body into the grave.
Jakob took hold of Jonathan's corpse, and vanished. He returned some minutes later, his hands covered in earth, and began to help the others as they scooped the earth upon the dead.
"It's a funny thing..." he said distantly, "more people have died this day in a single battle than I have killed myself in three hundred years of my reign, and I am called a tyrant. Yet a band of warriors can do far worse and be hailed as heroes."
Hearing what Jakob said as he walked past him with another body in his arms, Gareeku stopped and looked the wolf incubus in the eye.
"You think we enjoy doing what we do? I for one, do not. People die in this world, Jakob. Get used to it." the wolf replied; his voice calm, yet his look deadly serious. "You of all people should know. Warriors are labelled as heroes because many of them defend either themselves or those who are harmed. Besides, we don't choose to mess with people's minds and cause them to commit suicide."
Saying nothing more, the wolf continued walking on, Li following close behind as she prepared to teleport the body into another grave.
That's good coming from the soul-eater, thought Jakob, but he said nothing.
Gareeku was evidently in a foul mood, and provoking him could well result in a fight that would destroy their mission. But why was he so angry? Jakob wasn't sure.
Perhaps it was because despite his manner, he was deeply upset at what they had done. Or perhaps it was because of what Jakob had done.
And if so, he has every reason to be, Jakob thought. Because for a brief moment today he actually saw Johan Cross.
Sheathing her now clean weapon, Anzimani hesitated for a moment. She really didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to.
What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, she told herself as she carefully picked up the limp body of the fox. But right now all I want to do is forget this ever happened.
She carried the body to an empty grave and returned for the body of the feline, likewise lowering the corpse into a neighboring pit. She stood over the pair for a moment, muttering a short version of the funeral rights in the old, softly rolling language of the desert. It felt like the only thing she could do in return for the lives she had taken. It wasn't much, but it felt right.
Blaze gazed down at the corpse he had just laid down into one of the holes. Gently, he placed a sword on the body's chest that he had found clenched in its hand before. There was a look of reminiscence in his expression as he caught Gareeku's words.
"Death is never something you should ever really get used to, because every life is precious. It doesn't matter what kind of person they were, they still had a right to live- we shouldn't judge. And a warrior... That's just a word, isn't it? People kill all the time, yet not all of them are called that. Murderers, warriors, heroes... sometimes it's a hard thing to define..." He stood up and glanced at the other graves, a sad smile on his face.
"At least, that's what RJ told me once... and we've seen our fare share of death too. It's not always easy to forget what you've done."
The atmosphere was getting too gloomy. Gabi left Blaze's side and sat down for a moment. She felt the need for a break. But she realized the work wasn't over, so she stood up again. There were the graves... There might be someone else with wounds she hadn't noticed... and there was this awful gloom all around. She could almost feel it in her fur. She had to do something.
"Our journey's had anything but an auspicious beginning," she said. "Unlike epic stories where everything seems to start out well. But I for one am glad this is not a story. Real life is a lot more flexible. If something starts out in a bad way, there's often a way to change it so that it ends well. I have seen horrible things in the past too. I'm lucky in that I've never had to choose between my life or someone else's, but if I go on like this I know that someday I may have to. And if I make it I'll feel awful, I know. But... but I'd know I had no other choice. The path we're taking leads us to views we'd rather not see and actions we'd much rather not take. I guess that's why not everyone goes out to try and make things right whenever something bad happens. It takes courage... not so much to fight as to live with the result of the fight, whether you lose or win. But, at least in my case, I go on because I'd rather have this than the alternative. I think of those we're trying to rescue... and others we may help along the way... There are lots of awful things happening in the world, but isn't that why we're here? To try to make things better?"
When she finished speaking she felt she had probably sounded corny... even childish. Almost everyone here was older and more experienced than she was. She wasn't saying anything new. But somethimes things like these need to be said again, she thought. Sometimes we need a reminder, to help us keep going. I know I do.
With that, she risked a direct look at the whole group and, before anyone could give an answer to her little monologue, asked if anyone else needed help.
Jakob gently lifted the body, carrying the bandit away from the graves and propping him up by a tree. He was one of the few survivors, and Jakob had no intention of seeing the living buried among the dead by mistake.
Checking the stunned Being's mind, he made a few minor alterations to ensure that he did not suddenly reawaken while the party was still around.
Turning back to the grim work of burial, a piece of music came unbidden to his mind. Although Jakob did not have much in the way of a singing voice, he found himself muttering the words with a bitterness that exceeded even the original recording.
"Clear the battlefield and let me see
All the profit from your victory
You talk of freedom - starving children fall
Are you deaf when you hear the season's call?
Were you there to watch the earth be scorched?
Did you stand beside the spectral torch?
Know the leaves of sorrow turn their face
Scattered on the ashes of disgrace."
Jakob found that he was crying again and had to stop for a few minutes. When he was able to carry on again, a sudden realisation occurred to him.
How could I possibly have forgotten? Of course Gareeku's going to be in a strange mood. Here we are burying the dead, when he knows that it won't be too long before he joins them himself. Perhaps that's why he was so eager to fight... because he has nothing to lose.
Aisha was caught by surprise after a second when Li appeared, as she was still caught up in her thoughts of just how to dig the graves. Magic-users...she seemed to smile in slight amusement when they gave the solution. She wasn't one herself, so it was always truly interesting to see it. Even more, it made her reminisce about the earlier adventure, both the high points and the low.
The pantheress watched as the graves were made, and then searched around for those in particular that she herself killed. Her face had a solemn expression, a neutral look in her eyes that hinted to the fact that, like many of the others, she had seen more than enough death to have gotten marginally used to it...but her mind was rushing with short blessings, taking each one to their final resting spots. Forgive me. I only had to protect my friends. And forgive us all for that. No blame to be placed.
Meanwhile, the others were giving their own little soliloquies. Being a silent one usually, Aisha had nothing to add...but she listened. She hadn't been there when this adventure started, but with the somber tension hanging around the corpses and the undertakers...and Gareeku in particular seemed a little distraught...and Jakob she heard crying.
But one ear was kept to the wind, and to the ominous quiet surrounding the tones of the path. When it finally got a too quiet, a little too somber, Aisha looked up from her work. "Okay, what did I miss, anyway?" she said, going for a casual tone while trying her hardest not to be insensitive. "One couldn't cut this morbidity floating around if they tried."
Gabi half-smiled at Aisha's comment.
"I think it will be best for all of us to leave here as soon as possible," she suggested.
"Yea, really fast. This palce has always creeped me out..." Ephrael said, not quite cowering behind Gabi.
Once the burials had been taken care of, Gareeku began the task of gathering large rocks, unsheathing his blade and carving into the stones befoe Li teleported them to the heads of the graves. Once that had been done, the wolf walked back onto the path.
"Nice song. Prehaps you will sing that for me, as well." Gareeku commented as he finished listening to Jakob's song, before turning and walking away. "The temple awaits."
"What did you miss?" said Jakob vacantly, trying to collect his thoughts. He turned to Aisha.
"My father has been kidnapped, as have Gareeku's uncle and mother. Most of us have had someone close disappear, and we each received a letter instructing us to meet at a tavern. It turns out the letters were enchanted, and when brought together they formed a map. It also gave us a cryptic message... uh, 'You must first journey to a land where many a winged creature dwell. Not a town, nor a village.'
"We took it to mean a Phoenix temple. I'm not convinced, since it says 'land' and not 'place', but I guess if it isn't, we can just ask the Oracles. I hope we can make it work out, because otherwise, all these poor people will have died over a mistake.".
He sighed, and resumed speaking. "The other main thing is that someone appears to have called a hit on 'Johan Cross', but I've already mentioned that. It's probably one of the Creatures I threw out of Macura Province or Port Okra. Anyway, this bounty has attracted one Arcalane Celso. We managed to talk him out of it at swordpoint back in the tavern, but I'm not convinced he'll keep his word."
"Frankly, I'm not sure what to do. I guess I have three choices: return to SAIA and hide until after he's dead, which probably means no more nature films, or try and convince him to give up the bounty. I have half a mind to do a documentary about the Johan Cross affair, you know... set the record straight. On the other hand, there are advantages to keeping the old myth alive - casual enemies are less likely to attack the Devil himself.
"But Petter has to come first."
Gabi thought for a moment before respinding to Jakob's words.
"If you hide now, won't they keep looking for you?," she questioned him. "Won't others come after he's gone? Won't you be just prolonging the way things have been all this time? Is that what you really want? I had the feeling you were doing something good... something different. Not to mention you'd never see most of us again."
"Thanks," he said to Gabi. "You're right of course. Anyway, hiding in SAIA wouldn't even help. You see, I met his father just before my conversation with Jonathan. Arc's entire family are 'cubi apart from him, and that means he has access to the Academy via them.
Of course Fa'Lina would eat his soul if he managed to kill me within it, but I'm not sure he knows that. Alexei's best advice was to avoid his son completely."
Jakob paused.
"So I don't know what to do. It might be a good question for the Phoenix Oracles - assuming Arc doesn't put a bullet in me before we get there, of course."
While waiting for an answer to her question, which didn't come until after a few moments, Aisha dusted the soil from her clothes and watched solemnly from one side as the graves were marked.
But as Gareeku walked on past, she caught his comment and curiously quirked her eyebrows. "Yeah..." she finally muttered slowly and started to walk amongst the others. The intricately-built gravesite was soon starting to be left behind them to sit in time's hands.
But, finally, Jakob had filled in the answer, to which she gave a nod of thanks. Ah...so it IS the kidnappings. Well, I can't think of any better group of adventurers to be investigating with. Now, she too was pondering the riddle, just to keep her mind occupied...and trying not to think also that everything wasn't answered entirely...
"If it isn't the Oracles, then it's a good idea to be paying them a visit anyway for what they know," she commented. "As for this 'Arcalane' guy...well, what worry could we have from one person?"
"I would have thought you'd have known that better than me, Aisha," said Jakob, raising an eyebrow. "No offence intended. Arcalane is a highly proficient sniper with a gym bag full of guns.
Outside the tavern he put a gun to Gareeku's head and later shot him when he tried to escape. He's killed as many people in about thirty years as I have in nine hundred, and doesn't seem to have much in the way of a conscience either. Did you see what he did during the battle just now?"
Jakob paused, with the expression of one about to throw up and had to steady himself against one of the others.
"Excuse me... He could be hiding anywhere. His sniper rifle probably has a range of half a kilometer at least. If he's set up an ambush, we won't know until someone drops dead."
Aisha glanced back at Jakob as he spoke, quirking an eyebrow herself. She was about to retort that, after all, she too was as proficient in stealth tactics. But for all of her cockiness, the panther did in fact remember what had happened during the battle and kept silent. The gunshot that happened just as she appeared...and the bandit that fell from the strike...the sound still rang in her ears.
And he made an attempt on Gareeku's life too? Her teeth clenched slightly in her closed mouth. For everyone to be up in arms over this guy, he MUST be dangerous.
"None taken," she finally replied, holding a hand up. "My apologies, I didn't know." Still, despite the sudden urge to stay on alert, she gave an assured smirk. "At any rate then, I'm glad that I caught you when I did. I don't know how good he is at keeping hidden, but I still dare say that no friends of mine will drop dead." And if this sniper is staying close then I hope he hears that.
Her eyes then focused back to the path ahead, and her pace quickened to keep up after having slowed down to talk to Jakob. The mist settled over the place like a veil, hanging heavier than the air that they were breathing and masking the sounds of the travelers' footsteps on the gravel.
"How far are we from the temple anyway...?" she inquired after a while.
As the others left, Jakob hung behind for one last look at the grave site. Forgive me, he thought, I tried to prevent it. I might still have succeeded if it hadn't been for Arcalane. He gave a sigh.
Gabi is right... I can't carry on like this. Something has to be done about Arc, and soon. I'm just glad they didn't ask me what the third choice was.
Head bowed in sorrow and shame, Jakob turned and strode away from the scene to catch up with the rest of the party.
Blaze glanced over at Gareeku with a concerned look. "It's not too far... hopefully. Unfortunately, I'm not too much help when it comes to weapons like guns. It wasn't until the past few years that I learnt that such things existed, so I don't have any experience with them."
He gave a crooked smile. "Funny really... I was trained for over four hundred years on using element magic, yet such a tiny thing like a piece of metal could be the end of us. I never thought it would be possible."
The squirrel looked thoughful for a moment before he changed his gaze to Aisha. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Blaze Joybringer. By the looks of it, I suppose you're also a friend of my sister's?"
While listening to the others and gauging the distance down the path, it still seemed to disappear in the slight layers of mist. By now everyone was just waiting for the temple to come into sight...
Listening to the squirrel, she suddenly turned her head with an interested look. "Joybringer?" she smiled. "No wonder you looked familiar. Yes, I knew your sister...I was part of the past venture with she and Gareeku, and a few of the others." Her head bowed politely. "Good to meet you, Blaze. How is your sister now anyway?"
At any rate, it was a good break to at least get some lightheartedness out of the trip.
Blaze smiled. "I haven't seen her in a little while because I've been travelling, but I'm sure she's her usual crazy self." He gave a casual shrug. "I really should get a Warp-Aci, but I like to get around the old fashioned way."
"Summoning a Warp-Aci isn't trivial," said Jakob, as he caught up with Blaze. "It takes a lot of time and skill, and they can be a pain sometimes. If you're still in the baking trade, it might not be a good idea as they're liable to eat a lot and they don't seem to have a very firm concept of private property.
"Petter always says they're for girls, but perhaps he's just jealous. On the other hand, if he had summoned one, I probably wouldn't have to rescue him now.
"For what it's worth, I've managed to learn how to teleport of my own accord, although it took me the best part of two hundred years to get it down pat.
Still, one of these decades I might be tempted to summon one anyway, for the company if nothing else."
~Mountainside~
Arc kept moving, not wanting to arrive late, although his jog had picked up the pace, even if he had nearly done himself a mischief or two on the way down. Fortunately the semi-mountainous terrain seemed devoid of further bandits, meaning he could make good time. He scrambled his way down back into the forest and continued moving, making for the edge of the forest quickly.
Finally reaching the edge of the forest, he waited for the rest of the group to arrive, and although he figured he probably wouldn't have to be waiting long, there was probably a chance his sister would show up right about--
[Now.] He thought. Right on cue, there was a 'fwomp' noise and Arc found himself pounced to the floor, lying face down, and with his sister sat upon his back before he had a chance to react. Anya had arrived, of course, not holding her appearance back at all, as she never did get the hang of shapeshifting. She was, as ever, dressed for functionality rather than style - jeans, loose t-shirt, and a loose-fitting vest-jacket over the top of that. Not to mention boots.
"Punctual as ever, Anya."
"I'd hate to disappoint."
"Bah! You know I'd prefer you punctual to perforated."
"Well I suppose that is true."
"Now, d'ya mind? I'd like to stand up."
"Ha! Not like you need to be going anywhere right now, waiting for people."
"And it's bad manners to go reading people's minds like that."
"Oh please, like you could stop me."
*sigh* "True."
"Oh my, you have been busy."
"Heh."
"Oh, and... Pa wanted me to drop you a message."
"He did? I thought he disliked meddling in my affairs?"
"Well, usually he does. Apparently he's... concerned for your safety. Thinks you might be in over your head on this one."
"The whole Cross thing?"
"Mhm."
"Tales for scaring children, Anya."
"You know I worry about you."
"Yes I know, you needn't remind me of my mortality."
"Hmph."
"Oh stop pouting."
"How did you--?"
"You're predictable."
"Bah."
"Quite. I take it everything has been proceeding smoothly?"
"Quite smoothly, dear brother."
"Excellent. You know what happens if you mess up in class."
"Oh no... not your cooking."
"...I'm not quite that cruel, you know."
"If you keep facepalming like that, your paw will stick to your face."
"Either that or I'll break my skull."
"I suppose there is that."
~~...~~
As the others conversed, Gareeku stayed silent as he walked at the front of the group, focussing on the path ahead as the group made their way along it. Nearing the edge of the forest, the wolf's ears swivelled as his eyes narrowed.
"The breeze carries voices..." he muttered as he could hear the fainst whispers of distant voices, recognising one of them to be Arc's.
Gabi's ears perked. She managed to make out some of the words, but couldn't make much sense out of the dialogue. One thing was clear, though: Arc was not alone. And the female voice didn't sound like it belonged to someone she would like to meet. Had she just called him 'brother'?
"Is there a way, at least once on this journey, that things don't keep getting worse?," she whispered.
"What is it?" hissed Jakob, seeing Gabi's ears twitch and sensing a wave of anxiety flowing through her.
Listening himself he became aware that the birds were very quiet, and that meant that they were not alone.
Ever since they had left the tavern, Jakob had been on a knife-edge over Arcalane, and so his first thought was of the bounty-hunter.
"At least there's the mist," he whispered back. "If it is Arc, he won't be able to see well enough to pick us off at a distance. He'll have to actually confront us if he's planning any kind of mischief." he paused.
"In a way, I hope it is him. I don't want to have to bury any more bandits."
Aisha kept up the walk, listening to the others converse and being slightly thankful for the fact that the mood had lightened if only a little bit. The adventurer still sometimes found it hard to believe that she was on good terms with a few 'Cubi. Hard to believe, but not impossible. There was a stolen glance at Gareeku, who was the most quiet. That wasn't all too unusual, but there was still something unsettling going on...
The panther was still mostly silent herself, instead concentrating with her own senses on the path before them, listening for more bandits or perhaps their infamous sniper. The voices came across the wind to her own ears about the time that Gareeku and Gabi pointed them out.
So that could be Arc? Hm, a few minutes into the journey through bandit country and already it might get more interesting. Glancing at Jakob, Aisha kept a hand on her sword hilt out of caution. "Me neither. But at least they're easy enough to get out of our way..."
Ephrael silently walked behind Gabi, almost in her shadow. "I hope so." She said in reply to Gabi's whispered coment.
"I wouldn't be too concerned for yourself, Ephrael," said Jakob. "Unless there's something you're not telling us, he's more likely to be after me than you. Assuming it is him, of course."
Gabi looked around, surprised that everyone had suddenly gathered around her. She felt the urge to say something, but wasn't sure of what, so instead, she kept listening.
"I think they've stopped talking," she said, still in a low voice but just loud enough for the others to hear her.
She sniffed the air. It helped that the wind was coming in the direction of the group, it brought some of Arcalane's scent with it.
"I'm sure it's him..." she added. "I wish I knew what he's up to. I doubt he'll want to confront us directly, it wouldn't be wise. And the female..."
She didn't finish the phrase. What was she going to say? Nothing was certain. She'd heard her call him brother, but that could mean many things. And she wasn't close enough to tell whether her smell was similar to his or she was just catching his smell mixed with hers. There was something different, that was certain, but still... to vague to draw conclusions. They'd have to get closer to be sure of anything, and that wasn't something she was looking forward to. Not without a good plan.
Anya yawns and stands up, stretching her wings and arms out, looking down at Arc has he hauls himself to his feet, brushing dirt off his clothing.
"Nothing worse than usual, I take?"
"Of course not. Usual being crawling through muddy fields."
"Ew."
"Quite."
"Aaaanyway, your friends are almost here."
"Joy."
"Yes. Quite. I sense you are practically a fountain thereof."
"Any more sarcastic comments like that and I'll--"
"You'll what?"
"Nevermind."
"That's what I thought."
~~...~~
((Just giving people a little more time to get closer... :P))
As the group neared, Gareeku could hear that it was definitely Arc's voice. The other voice, however, he had not heard before, and was quite curious to see who it was.
"Standing around and chatting? That's not like the Arc I know." the wolf said as Arc and his sister came into view. Walking up to the two of them, a smirk appeared on his face as he looked at Arc, before turning to the succubi as the smirk turned to a gentle smile. "A pleasure to meet you...and you are...?"
Here goes nothing, thought Jakob. Here I am, dressed as the very person he's hunting. No chance to back out now, I've just got to go with the flow.
Your move, he thought, readying a projectile shield. It was technique he'd picked up of projecting a force barrier in the air, a circular region about a foot and a half in diameter extending from the palm of his hand. It caused a very slight distortion if you knew where to look, but otherwise it was invisible. This was due to the light-tunnelling effect Jakob had used on it - left on its own it would glow with a pale light.
The projectile shield was a very useful spell, but only really applicable for short range one-on-one combat as it had to be moved to cover a specific body part like the real shield an adventurer might use. Against a hidden sniper or a second gunman from behind it was not much use.
As with everyone else, Aisha had kept a curious focus on the conversation ahead, along with the group's reactions to it. Already the panther felt that she knew enough about Arc from what she had been given, but she would have to wait and see what would happen before making any judgments.
Finally they came upon the two figures, and her eyes narrowed to see them better. A hand rested lightly on the pommel of her sword. Prepared, cautious, but altogether not ready for another fight. She stayed briefly off to the side, watching as Gareeku greeted them, while her ears were pinned at the skull. There was a curious glance cast at Jakob. I wonder what ensues now.
Before Arc can get a word in edgeways, Anya introduces herself. Not wanting to interrupt, he keeps quiet for the time being, looking Aisha up and down before looking at Jakob and raising an eyebrow at the strange choice of clothing.
"Anya Celso. Nice ta meet ya." Anya nods to Gareeku, smiling a little. "I understand you've all already met my lout of a brother here." She chuckles. "Say, what are you doing out here, Jakob?" Anya eyes him. "I thought you were still in trouble after that one time you got caught on a 'nature documentary' filming?"
Jakob was initially somewhat thrown by the appearance of the succubus, but quickly settled into a state of relief. Thank goodness for that, he thought. I was afraid things were going to get nasty. It seemed that he was to be spared a confrontation, at least for now.
"I'm on leave," he said, ignoring the jibe. "My father has been taken in some kind of mass-kidnapping and I intend to try and rescue him. Many of our party have similar aims," he added. "We believe the same agency is responsible for them all."
Jakob noticed that the succubus was staring at his attire and his face fell. "There was a battle," he said bitterly. "Started by your trigger-happy brother, I might add. Many men died and despite my best efforts I was unable to save so much as a single soul. As the killings will no doubt be attributed to my alter-ego of yore, playing the part may cause future bandits to think twice before tackling 'Johan Cross'." his voice filled with bitterness as he said the name.
"Distasteful as I find it, if dredging up my sordid past can prevent even one more killing, it will be worth the affront to my dignity. Of course this brings its own problems..." he said, staring hard at Arcalane.
Anya frowns. "Strange. Well, I haven't heard anything about that, so I can't help you there. Good luck, I guess." She smiles, then Arc gets his word in edgeways.
"Started? Ha." His tail twitches. "I was following the group in higher terrain and keeping an eye on the lot of you. Much as I'd love to leave you in the hands of a mob of bandits, I'm not quite that cruel." Another twitch. "It was you or them. Be thankful I chose them." He smiles and his sister gives him a clip 'round the ear. "Ow-- besides, you can't pay those people. Next time they'd just want more. Think of it as doing a service to the community by restoring trade routing through the pass."
Arc turns his back and starts walking away slowly, leaving Anya and the others behind, although slow enough to allow someone to catch up with him.
"Perhaps the region can lose it's bad name, just like you've been trying to." He smirks.
Jakob watched Arc leave with a distrustful yet puzzled expression upon his face. "It's strange how much he resembles my former self..."
Shaking himself back to the present, he turned and looked at Anya. "You know him best," he said. "Do you think he has really given up on the bounty, or is he just biding his time?"
Or perhaps he just doesn't want to fight me in front of his sister?
"So she was his sister after all," Gabi thought, holding up her mental shield. "And she's a succubus. That's unusual. But she doesn't seem to be as heartless as he is. I wonder how someone can get to be like that."
She let others do the talking. She didn't seem to be needed right now, and couldn't trust herself to say anything without snapping at Arc. The sight of the newly-dead bodies was still fresh in her mind.
"There was another way, I'm sure," she thought, now without the shield as she didn't care if anyone heard that, and because constantly keeping the shield up might give the succubus the impression that she had something to hide. "It can't be 'kill or be killed'. It's too late now, but there must have been another way... if only we'd been able to think of it in time. Next time we must find it, before he gets his way again. And there will be a next time, whatever we're dealing with can't be good. Well... at least he's not attacking Jakob for now. I hope he understands. Right now I trust Jakob a lot more than I trust Arc."
Anya shrugs. "It's hard to say. Getting into the parts of his mind where the 'important' stuff is like crawling through thorn bushes - invariably unpleasant and quite possibly rather painful." She smirks. "If he was going to have shot you, he'd have done it by now, I'll tell you that much."
She stretches again.
"Still, look at it this way - if he hasn't shot you yet, chances are he's trying to think of another way to clear up the situation. I'd suggest you find a way of keeping in touch with him." Anya yawns, thinking quietly to herself.
"Thanks, I'll bear that in mind," said Jakob. "Perhaps we can come to some kind of agreement."
As long as it isn't the kind of agreement we came to with the bandits, he thought to himself.
Jakob turned away slightly, staring into space for a moment as an idea struck him - a counter-offer that Arc might well accept if he did give Jakob the chance to negotiate.
Staying silent, Gareeku listened as the others conversed.
Who would have thought it...Arc having a creature for a sister...let along a cubi... the wolf thought to himself with a slight smirk. Looking up into the sky, Gareeku could see that the sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon.
"Sorry guys, but I think we'd better get moving if we want to reach the temple by sunset." the wolf said with an apologetic smile, before turning to Arc's sister and bowing politely. "It was a pleasure to meet you ma'am, though you are quite welcome to join us if you wish."
Aisha kept still to the side, observing the conversation that went on closely to see what would become of the tension felt. It almost came to her as a surprise when nothing happened, though it was no more a surprise than seeing that Arc's sister was a Creature...a 'Cubi. When she looked towards Aisha, her hand slid away from her belt, and she nodded back politely. This looked to be Jakob's moment to see to. But her eyebrow did quirk, watching Arc walk off with his statement. Foreshadowing, have we?
But finally, hearing Gareeku say that they should keep moving, Aisha was as inclined to agree. She nodded to Anya as well, with a polite smile. "You might as well, there may be nowhere else to go unless you could say otherwise." Looking ahead to the path, the panther kept her eyes on the horizon, just waiting for something to come into view. I wonder just how ambiguous these oracles are. She had a thoughtful look in her eyes, hidden by the neutral expression on her face. None of the others have been helpful in seeking Ayan.
Over the horizon where Aisha had her gaze, a figure began to draw near. A fat brown rat with oily black hair. He wore ugly plaid pants and a blue dress shirt stained with sweat. He seemed to have great interest in the group of adventurers and lumbered over towards them.
"Gareeku Manoko!" bellowed the rat in the distance. "It's been awhile hasn't it? Looks like you picked up some new friends. I bet I can still whoop your butt though!"
Gareeku was about to set off down the path, when he looked ahead with a raised eyebrow. Making his way towards them was a rat with oily black hair, complete with rather unattractive clothes. ...who the...?
Hearing the stranger call to him, the wolf raised both of his eyebrows in surprise...he recognised that voice...
"Greetings!" He called back, beginning to walk towards the stranger with curiosity on his face. "I'm afraid I cannot recall your name however. You seem unfamiliar to me." ...aside from that voice...where have I heard that voice before...?
"What!?!" gasped the rat. "How could you forget me? Have I changed that much in the two or so years since you met me?" The rat threw his fists up in the air. "I can't believe... err... wait..." he looked at his outstretched arms for a moment. "Oh yeah... hehehe... whoops!" The rat reached for his head and took it off! The head of James StarRunner appeared underneath.
"Hehehe... Sorry, I forgot I was wearing my rat suit..." said the once disguised James. "I wondered why I felt so heavy when I ran to ya. Jakob, Aisha, Gabi! Good to see ya again!" He looked at Blaze. Why does he look so familiar? I swore I never saw him before...
Listening to the rat's reaction, Gareeku could only blink confusedly as the stranger seems quite upset. He was about to apologise when suddenly, to the wolf's great surprise, the rat removed his own head!
However, a warm smile soon appeared on Gareeku's face as he found the stranger to be none other than his good friend James Starrunner.
"I should have known!" the wolf said with a laughed, walking up to the squirrel and shaking his hand warmly. "It's good to see you again, my friend."
Ephrael apeared from behind James, thumbing through his wallet. "James StarRunner...Hello I'm Ephrael!" She said as she held is wallet back out to him, grining impishly.
Gabi recognized James's smell, but chose not to ruin the moment and instead watched quietly to see what happened. She couldn't supress a giggle when she realized the confusion was not intentional.
"James!," she cheered once she found room to get near him. "It's great to see you again! How have you been, and what brings you here?"
As soon as she finished the sentence she thought she might have sounded over-cheerful, but with everything that had happened that day and the day before, no one should blame her for her emotions being a bit high, she reckoned.
Anya shakes her head. "Unfortunately, I can't stay long. Who knows, you might run into me again at some point, but I need to get back soon. Aaaaanyway, seeing as you folks are all busy, I'll be making my departure right about...."
She hums and taps her foot. ~Comeonyoustupidpieceofrecallingjunkworkdammit...~ Suddenly, the air around her crackles. "Now. Stay in touch with my brother!" Anya waves, grinning as she disappears with a sharp, electrical cracking sound and a small flash of light.
Blaze raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. Another one of those 'you seem familiar' looks... Seems Sis hasn't exactly told me enough about her adventures.
He gave a slight jump as Anya suddenly disappeared off with a crackling sound and flash of light. Blaze sighed.
Some people are way too impulsive for me... he thought. Geez, I sounded like an old grandfather then...
He shrugged it off and approached to where the others were talking to James, a smile on his face.
"Well met, James," said Jakob. "Still doing the bounty-hunter gig?
It looks like you missed the 'fun' by the way," he added.
"Thaaaanks..." grumbled James as he snatched his wallet back. Dang this suit, I couldn't feel her snag it through all this padding.
"I'm doing great guys, but one at a time please!" James chuckled. "I'm still doing my bounty hunter work and was actually undercover up till now. By luck, I was dispatched into this area because of a bandit problem. I was actually just about to sneak into their ranks and see if they knew anything about the weird kidnappings going on and then end their banditry after. It was great to run into you guys! It's too bad I'm on duty right now though... I'll have to catch up to you soon after I finish my little job." James put on the rat head again and started to speak in a deep airy voice. "I just hope you don't have too much 'fun' without me!"
Aisha's eyebrow quirked the second that a figure on the horizon had caught her eye. She was cautious about the rat for a second, thinking it another bandit, until he yelled out for Gareeku in a familiar voice. She was as nonplussed as he was until he had removed the head from his costume, a familiar squirrel's face taking the place of it.
The panthress released a laugh, bowing and adding her greetings with the others. "Well, by the gods...James, good to see you again."
She listened to the others ask their questions, and to him give his explanation on why he was there. Right into the bandits' ranks...not even I could do that. Bounty hunter reputation is gonna go through the roof. Aisha smirked. "Well, good luck with it. We had to dispatch a few ourselves. They may be on alert."
"Aww nuts!" said James in his normal voice. "Don't tell me that was the 'fun' you guys were up to! Disguised or not, I guess it wouldn't be safe to sneak in for a couple of weeks. Say... I never did ask... What are you guys up to? I haven't heard from anyone in awhile. All I knew is that 'Cross' was still out there. I'm always tearing down those blasted bounty notices."
Smiling as the others greeted James, Gareeku listened to what the squirrel said with great interest.
So...I take it word of the kidnappings has got around... the wolf thought to himself as James spoke. Heh...news sure does travel fast...though knowing James, I'm not surprised...
"We ran into a rather large group earlier...it was quite the bloodbath. I think the group we ran into was probably the main stronghold of the gang, though there's probably a few stragglers around..." the wolf replied, his smile having been replaced by a more serious expression as he spoke. "And these kidnappings you speak of...that is why we're on our way to the phoenix temple. The ones kidnapped are people close to a lot of us."
"Really? Well shoot... I may as well come with ya now! I've been working on this mysterious kidnapping case for awhile now, the bandits were only a secondary objective. Shall we talk on the way then? I'm eager to crack this case open further." James looked at himself and snickered. "Maybe I should go on a weight loss plan first. Yoink!" James pulled and tugged on a few places on the rat suit. The heavily padded suit fell away to show the much slender James. There was no change in his appearance over the last two years. His regular clothes were a bit wrinkled from being underneath the heavy rat suit, but he quickly worked the wrinkles out. He threw his disguise into his backpack (which for some would find odd since the suit had more volume than the backpack should hold) and hoisted his pack back on his shoulders as if it weighed nothing at all. He tightened up the backpack's straps to fit his new form and looked back at his companions.
"Well, I'm ready! Perhaps you can introduce me to your new crew on the way!"
Gabi watched as James put his suit back in his backpack.
"And me with just a bag of infinite cookies," she said with a smile. "This is Ephrael, she joined us yesterday. The squirrel is Blaze Joybringer, he's Raine's twin brother. And that's Anzimani... and I think you've already met everyone else, right? By the way, does anyone want a cookie?"
"Oh! Oh! I'll take one!" said James gleefully. "Blaze Joybringer though, eh? That's why you looked familiar! I knew your sister! Cool girl! Err... you don't have her cooking ability by any chance, do you?"
Blaze nodded his acknowledgement at James before giving a laugh at his question. "Oh, heck no. If I did, I wouldn't be a baker. Raine inherited most of the power, and I got stuck with being the book-worm of the family."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm glad that I've been able to meet so many of her friends really. We're always so busy- she's always being run around at SAIA and I've been on the road travelling. The only times I get a chance to see her is when I go there to help out new 'cubi with fire magic."
The squirrel eyed Gabi for a second.
"I know I don't really eat, but you know, I wouldn't mind one at this moment if you've got enough, Gabi."
"Can I have one Gabi?" Eph asked after Blaze.
Gabi handed everyone the cookies, and laughed at Blaze's comment.
"Enough? Take as many as you wish! I found this bag in one of my first journeys when I was travelling with my brother. It doesn't do much, but it never runs out of cookies."
"Well, had we known that you were around, maybe we would have saved you some bandits to take care of," the panther laughed and shook her head at James' remark upon getting out of his suit, hopefully having not gone too far with the slight joke. In reality, she was glad that nobody else was there to witness such a bloodbath...it was in the past, nevertheless.
But, at least the others were good to keep the mood up. She laughed again upon hearing Gabi's offer of a cookie. "I'll have one, please and thank you," she smiled to the vixen, keeping up a steady pace with everyone as they walked. Listening to the conversation, all of the familiar voices that came with it, the felid felt as if their previous adventure had never ended.
"Do you have any that are a bit more meatlike?" asked Jakob, passing his uneaten chocolate cookie back to Gabi. "A blood cookie would do."
Jakob had a tendency towards the carnivorous streak of his feral ancestors, and he was in the mood for something rather more savoury. Of course, he was also keen to see what would happen if Gabi tried to put a cookie back into[/I the bag.
Staying silent as the others talked, Gareeku smiled as he offered a cookie but declined. Hearing Jakob's asking of a blood cookie however, made him raise an eyebrow.
"I know you're a wolf Jakob, but a blood cookie?" the wolf asked with a somewhat funny look.
"That's a new one," Gabi commented after a brief grimace. "I would have thought we'd seen enough of that already. I don't know, you could try taking it out yourself. It usually comes up with ones I like... even the ones I'm thinking of sometimes, but never a cookie I haven't seen or at least imagined. And I'm afraid that's not a kind of cookie I'd like to visualize. That, and I'm not even sure it will recognize it as a cookie. I tried to get crackers once and it didn't work."
"I must be showing my age," said Jakob as the others stared at him. "I don't mean they're coated in raw blood. You just add some to the dough mix. Back when I was a kid there was a baker in town who had a shop just down the way from the slaughterhouse, and he made these really nice savoury pastries from the leftover blood. Mother used to buy us some as a treat if we did well at the marketplace." He smiled at the memory.
"Most communities have some traditional recipe that uses blood, although I suppose if you're used to modern supermarket food it might come as a shock."
Jakob tried the bag himself and drew out another chocolate cookie.
"Sorry," Gabi said. "I've seen some foods which contain blood... meat normally does in any case. But never cookies. Then again, I'm very young compared to you. We don't live nearly as long as Cubi do."
"Heh, I prefer the term "local groceries" to supermarkets, thanks." Gareeku replied with a chuckle. "I remember my mother talking about recipes with blood in them when I was younger, though I didn't realise they put them in cookies as well."
"Oh thanks guys..." said James sarcastically. "Now I have a huge urge to sink my teeth into something meaty... and juicy... with nice helpings of BBQ sauce..." The rest of James' mutterings were unintelligible as he started to drool and smack his lips.
Aisha quirked an eyebrow, listening to Jakob suddenly talk about blood cookies. Despite the strangeness of the concept, she was able to eat her own while listening to the others. She had only heard of such things on her travels...never had anything really come up back when she was a child. But the panthress couldn't remember much of back then anyway.
Coming out of that thought, she laughed when James started going on about it. "Now you're making me hungry...but I do prefer my cookies without entrails, thank you," she smirked.
"So do I," Gabi agreed with Aisha. "Maybe we should make a short stop and have something more substantial to eat? The bag can be handy, but I can't live on cookies either."
"I've never really eaten meat," commented Blaze. "Though, the last time I really ate any vegetables was probably over 400 years ago. The elders made us stop eating when we gained our headwings and could survive without it. I've always had a bit of sweet tooth though."
He pulled out another cookie and chuckled.
"This bag reminds me of Raine's hat... though gods know what you might pull out of there. Last time I had the courage to, I somehow ended up with some rabid-penguin creature that wanted to feast on my hand."
"Pen...cue? Pen...guy? Pengooey?" mumbled James. He remembered those odd creatures from before, but couldn't remember the name. "Anyways, I have some sandwiches if anyone's hungry. Don't worry, I have more than just peanut butter ones. I think I've got some roast beef sandwiches, PB and jelly, cold cuts, and some other random ones I was experimenting with. We could eat those on the way too. Just remember, even though I can stuff about anything in my bag, it's not infinite."
James fished some sandwiches out of his bag and offered them to the party. Suddenly he stopped and snapped his fingers. "PENQUI!"
Blaze gave a shudder- an unusual thing for him to do. "Yes, that's it... I swear Raine has the strangest taste in pets."
"Oh, I once had to give a lecture on penguins at school," Gabi commented and she searched her backpack for her next meal. "I learned some curious things about them which... would probably sound really boring if I started ranting," she reasoned. "I'm afraid I've never heard of penqui before, though. What are they like?"
Jakob watched the others eat. While a snack would have been refreshing, he wasn't sure an entire meal was called for. Besides, there was the strong possibility he might lose it if anything graphically violent occurred.
Aisha rolled her eyes with a light smirk, listening to the conversation taking place. Not that she had anything to add to it, really, but instead perking a little when James told them about the types of sandwiches he had. The panthress paused for a second, about to say something, when she was interrupted by her stomach growling. Her ears flattened. Treacherous gut...
Smiling, she raised a hand. "Well, if we're having a quick picnic, then I call the roast beef."
Upon the mention of a picnic, a loud growling noise was audible. Holding his hand to his stomach, Gareeku smiled slightly.
"Eheh...maybe a stop for a meal would be a good idea." the wolf commented, before stopping by the side of the path and sitting down on the grass. A realisation then occured to him.
"Hmmm...seems I forgot to pack food." Gareeku muttered. "Ah well. If the residents of the temple are nice enough, maybe I can grab a bite to eat there."
"Dude! Sandwich!" said James as he tossed Gareeku a cold cut sub. "I bet they only have bird seed there. Anyways, let's get going, I'm getting anxious."
"Hmm?" Gareeku uttered in reply to hearing James' voice, turning around just in time to see his friend throw a sandwich at it. Catching it in one of his hands, Gareeku laughed as James spoke again. "Haha, you're probably right. Yeah, let's go. I want to get there before sunset if possible."
A while later, the group turned a corner in the path. Looking on round the corner, Gareeku let a small smile appear on his face. "We're here."
Before them, rising high into the sky, was the phoenix temple, situated on the side of the mountain they had arrived at the bottom of. The setting sun's light reflected off of the temple's walls, giving it a warm golden glow that made it shine like a warm beacon on the mountainside. At the bottom of the mountain, a winding stairway could be seen going from the mountain's base to the temple itself, and at the bottom of these stairs was a set of large gates.
"Halt! State your name and business! A voice suddenly called out, echoing around the surroundings as the wolf looked upwards towards the temple.
"My name is Gareeku Manoko, and me and my companions wish to see the aid of the oracles!" Gareeku called back in a loud and clear voice. A few moments of silence passed, before the gates in front of them suddenly began to open.
"Very well. You may enter." the voice called back as the gates opened, saying no more as the wolf walked through the now-open gates and began to ascend the stairway to the temple.
As the group traveled along, Aisha was relieved when they had finally turned out of the ominous bandit woods and were traversing a friendlier trail, and also without any more trouble from them. The panther had a slight smirk on her face, thinking of that. And more think twice about whom they are attacking. Still, now the foothills of the mountainous surroundings became more pleasant to look at. Even more so when their destination came into sight.
The temple was as impressive as all had been. Well-situated, a source of a benevolent feel about the place when first sighted. No matter how many times one seemed to see a Phoenix Oracle temple, it was still beautiful and even somewhat intimidating. Watching as the gates opened by Gareeku's request, the panther's eyes traced the long stairway carved deep in stone. She started to follow alongside everyone else, thinking of things to ask the Oracles herself.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered beneath her breath. "Maybe."
"I see they had to be told who we are," Jakob said quietly to Blaze and Gabi, "and that rarely bodes well in my experience. I just hope that what we learn is worth the bloody price we have paid to learn it."
Blaze nodded slightly. "Let's just hope that it was just some miscommunication that they didn't tell the guy at the front we were coming." He shrugged. "Oracles can get a little caught up in their own world sometimes."
Gabi sighed. "Whatever the reason is, I hope this isn't a total waste of time. With so many fakes around and all of them being cryptic either way, it's hard to tell which oracles are real. We must try, though. We just might be lucky."
When they came around the nearly last turn of the stairs, there was the clatter of flat soles on stone from above, and then a figure bustled into view before them. A crow dressed in a saffron yellow and orange robe with a simple golden pendant the shape of an eye and wearing some sort of sandals hastily made his way down the stairs toward them.
"Oop... sorry... Gareeku Manoko?" he asked in a low, just slightly rasping voice, looking somewhat out of balance with suddenness. His face was just a bit confused as his gaze wandered between Gareeku himself and Jakob, then settled on the white wolf as he stopped. "Mr. Manoko and company? I'm sorry for my lateness. The Oracles have been expecting you."
"That's not a phoenix," Gabi thought. "Nor a penguin."
That thought almost made her chuckle, but she managed to stop herself and settled for a smile. She looked around at the rest of the group, and waited for Gareeku's reaction to follow.
Where is Arc? thought Jakob. Some say that truth comes from the barrel of a gun, and much as I dislike the idea, he could be on the right track there. Sometimes a death threat can be the only way to get sense from an Oracle.
The somewhat disheveled crow fluffled his wings a bit, before taking on a more suitable, tidy posture and turning to the side, motioning with a hand.
"Follow me please," he said, looking at them with a pair of glinting black eyes for just a moment, before leading on and moving up the stairs to the low slaps of his flat sandals. "Your business with the lost has concerned the Oracles," he said in a bit of a practiced tone, making very sure to emphasize the capitalization of the 'o', "and they would speak with you directly about this."
Jakob breathed a sigh of relief. Back in Ha'Khun, he would have had to resort to trickery, threats or spies in order to get sense from the Oracles. They might still have to do that, but the fact that the Oracles knew why they were there in advance was a good sign. Perhaps the lives they had taken would not have been in vain.
Upon being addressed, Gareeku Manoko nodded his head.
"Yes. I am Gareeku Manoko." he stated flatly, before following the crow into the temple. The first room the group came too was a large hall, much like the type one one expect in ancient Greek temples, aside from the absence of a god statue, of course.
Walking as he listening to what the crow said, the wolf rolled his eyes somewhat.
"Yes, I'm sure they're deeply concerned." Gareeku replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He had had experience with phoenix oracles before; they weren't exactly the type to get involved in or be concerned about the affairs of others if they could help it.
Aisha blinked curiously as they were greeted by a stranger upon ascending the stairs to the illustrious-looking temple, one who looked nothing like a Phoenix...but then again, anything was possible. He was an avian.
She was as quiet as most of the group, bar for some whispering between a few, until they made it to the front doors and strode inside. Her eyes rose quickly to the ceiling high above their heads, and came down again with a bit of stilled awe at the architecture, though the expression she had was one holding the fact that she too has seen so many of these temples before.
Hearing Gareeku's sarcastic voice, she turned and glanced back at the crow who had led them inside. Her attitude wasn't too unlike that either. "What special interest could the Oracles take in us, I wonder?"
Either, the crow didn't really pick up on Gareeku's sarcasm, or he didn't care, since he just led on and through the magnificently built temple.
"The Oracles know a great many things. They see the possibilities, the truths and the uncertainties. Even the smallest thing can change much," he said to them in that same reverent tone. "The wings of a butterfly..."
The crow led on a bit further, and then stopped, standing to the side and bowing slightly forward while directing them ahead with an outstretched hand.
"The Oracles," he simply said, holding like that a bit before straightening and folding his hands into the large sleeves of his robe and looking at them. "I shall be waiting for you."
Saying nothing, Gareeku followed the crow to the set of oak double doors, nodding his head in acknowledgment of what the crow said, before pushing the doors open and walking through into the smaller room; a dimly lit one, thanks to the setting sun viewable in the small window that the room featured.
"Ah yes. Gareeku Manoko and company. Welcome." A soft voice said. Sitting behind a small table was a orange-feathered phoenix; her red, flame-like hair glowing softly in the dim light of the room as she gazed at the group who had entered with her calm pupiless eyes. "The one who has not much time left is beginning to experience discomfort."
As if on cue, Gareeku winced from the dull ache that had appeared in his heart, his discomfort visible on his face for a few seconds, before shrugging it off and looking at the phoenix with a grim expression.
"Thank you for that." he stated flatly. "You know why we are here, of course. With that said, just tell us what we need to know."
Anzimani followed Gareeku through the doors and into the room. At the phoenix's words, she looked worriedly at the wolf, and her worry increased as she saw his discomfort. She knew that it would do no good to say anything about it now, though. Anzimani fixed her attention once more on the phoenix.
They might get lucky, and the phoenix would actually be helpful. She hoped that they would reveal something that could help her companions find their loved ones. (And she also hoped that she'd be there to help beat up whoever had kidnapped them. But she'd burn that bridge when she came to it.)
As Aisha followed through the hallways, keeping with the group and looking around the various expressions on their faces, she was already getting the gist of the determination of getting here that they have had long before the panthress even joined. That was certainly like them, she thought, so focused. She wasn't much more so herself, by the time their guide had taken them in front of the large doors. She stood straight and assumed a reverent look, stepping into the room while nodding politely to the crow.
The Phoenix looked like so many others from the temples, looking at the adventurers as if looking down on them, seemingly. But at her comment to Gareeku, and his wincing, Aisha cast a look towards the wolf that held nothing short of shock, wondering if what she had heard was right. ...Not much time left?
But it was seen that she was pretty much the only one who had that look...the others she noticed seemed somewhat solemn. Her eyes narrowed briefly after a few moments. So they were hiding something. Shaking her head, she turned back to the Phoenix, awaiting its answer to Gareeku's demand, still holding a serious gaze. Answers are much appreciated.
"Now you know as much as we do," Jakob said to Aisha in a soft, almost whispered voice. "It is not my place to reveal such personal secrets. It was for Gareeku to tell you in his own way."
As the Oracle must have known, he added mentally.
Because the party was in a place that called for quiet and respect, Aisha's response to Jakob was to cast a glance his way for a moment...were they not in the temple, the panthress would have shown her annoyance outright that nobody had just told her. But the more she had time to think about it, the more questions that went through her mind, and the more that they were either cast aside or would be saved for later.
There was a stolen glance at Gareeku. What came as a surprise was, after their escapades in their last adventure, he seemed to be one of those whom one would imagine couldn't die...and it was hard to think that nothing could be done to help, as one coming from the discipline of healers.
"I guess," she whispered back, sullen but understandably, before putting her gaze forward to the Phoenix again. This wasn't the time for thinking that much.
Just then a tea cart came squeaking up the hallway. The feline pushing the cart was so nondescript it was as if the cart was traveling by itself. To describe her as plain would raised her to a level of distinction she didn't possess, she was that unremarkable. The most outstanding thing about her was the starched and pristine whiteness of the apron she wore over her grey servant's uniform that was almost exactly the same dull color as her fur. With downcast eyes and barely audible whispers of "Excuse me," she threaded the cart between the adventurers and to a stop beside the Oracle. She then retreated to a corner to await further orders.
Hearing Jakob's whispers to Aisha, Gareeku glanced around to the pantheress, a somewhat apologetic look on his face as he did so, before turning back to the phoenix. "You didn't have to say that."
"I disgree, Gareeku Manoko." the phoenix replied calmly, gazing into his eyes with a calm yet serious expression. "If I had not said anything, would you have told her?"
Hearing this, the wolf looked away slightly. She knew the answer as he did; he most likely would not have told Aisha about it for at least a while.
"Now then. Moving on..." the phoenix continued in that same calm voice. "You wish for assistance to your search for the lost."
"Yes." Gareeku replied. "We would indeed like your assistance, and without the vague metaphors, if you please."
"But before that...anyone for tea?" the phoenix replied. Moments later, a stanger entered the room pushing a tea cart. "I already know your answers, but it is polite to ask anyway. Thank you, miss...?"
Watching this, Gareeku would have a rather large sweatdrop running down the back of his head were this an anime.
She's an oracle...and she forgot her name...?! The wolf wondered mentally with some astonishment. However, the original feelings of anger and frustration quickly came back, his hands balling tightly into fists.
"For the love of...we do not have time for your fucking tea!!" Gareeku exclaimed angrily, banging his fist on the table that the oracle was sat at.
"The sun is setting, and you cannot hope to travel well in the dark of night, especially for those of you who require sleep." the phoenix replied in her calm voice. "And I will thank you not to swear or shout."
Gareeku was livid, simply put. His eye twitched slightly at the sheer nerve of this "high and mighty" phoenix. Deep down however, he knew she was right. It was then, however, that his hand clutched slightly over his heart once more as another dull ache shot through the region. "...fine."
Gabi grew more worried each time Gareeku and the oracle spoke. She heard Aisha whisper something, but it was over before she could pay attention. However it served to remind her that Aisha hadn't known about Gareeku's condition. Gabi wished she didn't have to keep any secrets from her, but it was not her call to tell her, just like it wasn't the Oracle's. Why had she done that? Her thoughts drifted back to Gareeku. He hadn't told her exactly what the problem was, only that she couldn't help her. Things had happened that had prevented her from inquiring any further, but was it true? She should at least try, what was there to lose?
They kept talking. The Oracle explained herself without a hint of remorse while a feline waitress brought tea. The whole scene looked surreal. Gabi's discomfort was already growing when Gareeku snapped at the feeling.
"Please stop," Gabi warned him. "We haven't been through so much to get here only to have another fight. Please let me have a look at you. Let me see if I can do something to help."
As Gareeku calmed himself down, he heard Gabi speak.
"Forgive me..." he muttered apolgetically in reply. "...and I told you before...healing magic cannot do away with what I bear..."
Turning round, the wolf then walked back to the entrance to the room, before stopping for a few seconds.
"My condition is voluntary..." he said in a calm, almost hard voice, before opening the doors and disappearing from view. Watching him go, the phoenix sighed.
"Don't worry about him, he's just going to get some air." she explained, before looking at the group with an apologetic expression on her face. "I am sorry you had to find out this way, for those of you who did not know beforehand. However, I forsaw that he would not let anymore people know of his..."condition", so to speak, so I felt something had to be said."
Aisha's expression was still kept neutral and serious, even when it was mentioned by the Oracle that Gareeku wouldn't have said anything to her...and he confirmed it. So he would have rather let it happen and come as a surprise instead? The panther had seen enough sudden deaths...but another one?
She tried to keep her attention on the Phoenix, as they were there for another reason anyway. Though the panther was slightly surprised at how the avian just immediately skipped the interrogation entirely, perhaps conveniently so when the tea was brought in by the feline, whom Aisha had given just a quick nod of greeting upon entrance. Gareeku's harsh reaction was understandable at best, but they were allowed to stay it seemed, so there would be time.
She watched as Gabi tried to talk to him, while standing to the side...Aisha was as curious as anything as well, what kind of affliction couldn't be helped. But upon the "voluntary" statement, she just stared, waiting until after he left the room to say something. "So...he's just going to let it come? Giving up?" She said while throwing her hands in the air. Though it was his decision...and thinking about it, an understandable one...it was still unimaginable as to how anyone would do that.
After a moment, the panthress turned and bowed her head slightly to the Oracle. "Well, thank you at least for your hospitality, and...for letting us know," she added beneath her breath. Aisha then thought of her own question and started to open her mouth, but then just shut it again, thinking better of it and saving it for later, after remembering how adamant she was on avoiding the last one. What would it matter anyway? For all I know my brother is dead.
Observing Aisha's display of frustration, the oracle looked at the pantheress with the same calm expression.
"It is not simply a case of giving up, my dear. I think it would be best, prehaps, if you talked to Gareeku about it. I have already said more than I should by telling you of his condition."
Sipping the cup of tea that had been freshly poured for her, the phoenix said her thanks to the feline who had brought the cart in, before turning back to Aisha.
"It is something that I feel is required, Aisha. If you wish to find those who are lost you, your search would be better after rest." the oracle replied to the pantheress' words. What the phoenix had said so far could be suggested as something unusual for a phoenix oracle; phoenix oracles were vague at the best of times, but this one seemed less so than usual. It was almost as if she had taken an interest, prehaps even a liking, to the group currently before her.
Noticing Aisha's mannerisms, the phoenix frowned slightly.
"You wish to know about your brother, correct?" she asked, taking another sip of her tea before continuing. "I am afraid I cannot assist you in this matter, my dear. Finding out the truth about your brother is a voyage of discovery you must embark upon yourself."
Finishing her tea, the phoenix rose from her seat and looked at the group.
"I am afraid I must now take my leave. I have more people to see before this night is through. I will discuss things with you all in greater depth tomorrow. My attendant here is serve tea to any who wish for some. Farewell for now." the phoenix said, before bowing and leaving the room.
Outside the temple, leant against one of the balconies and looking over at the valley below was Gareeku, a solemn expression on his face as the gentle breeze blew through the black hair on his head.
Gareeku's words caused Gabi to worry even more, but she knew when not to keep pushing. A lot about him was a mystery to her. She'd heard more about him from rumors than from his own mouth, and didn't know how much she could believe, but it was clear he didn't want her to know more... nor anyone else, apparently. She felt sorry for him, but there was nothing she could do as long as he didn't want to be helped, or even understood. She knew some medicine as well as magical healing, but she didn't know how to heal souls.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to herself.
She held up a cup of tea and stared at it. She heard the Oracle's words to Aisha in the background of her own thoughts. She thought of her brother. If he wrote to her now, his letter would probably never reach her. Maybe he didn't write because she didn't know if she was still there... or maybe just because he didn't like writing. He'd never read or written more than was necessary. "That must be it," she told herself. But she couldn't help but worry. And why had she received a letter without any individual names on it? Everyone else seemed to know who they were looking for. Why didn't she? Why had he been left to worry about everyone... because it might be anyone? Was it a way of torturing her? "Maybe it was the opposite," she tried to console herself. "Maybe they couldn't get anyone close enough and that's why they put no names in the letter. It's just to make me worry. Because there are too many people I care about." Could she get a chance to ask the phoenix? Would she get an answer if she did?
The tea was smelling really good. Gabi took a little sip and waited to see what happened.
Jakob wasn't sure about the tea. He didn't really need any, and - perhaps because of all the charlatans he had had to deal with in his long life - he still had something of a distrust of Oracles in general.
After all, there were the bandits. Who in their right mind would allow their only trade route to become closed by a band of ne'er-do-wells? Even so, suspecting the tea of being poisoned or drugged was perhaps a little bit much.
He began to order his questions in his head. Is Petter still alive? The Oracles will probably cover him as part of the main lost group. What else, what else...? How can I regain the trust of my Alpha? Can I be free of my past? Should I be free of my past, or simple accept it? Oh, and ask them about the bandits...
Anzimani carried her small cup of peach-flavored tea over to where Aisha stood. She spoke softly. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. We would have told you, but it's not really our secret to tell. And Gareeku... well, now he's told a few other people, and... I don't know, you just don't want to keep repeating that kind of thing. It's not very easy to find the right time." She sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... don't be too mad at him. And I'm sorry the rest of us couldn't tell you."
With all the pain and trouble the other members of the group were going through, Anzimani felt, in a strange way, guilty for having her health and family intact. She thought again of the others who had relatives missing, and felt guiltily glad that hers were safely away. She still wanted, if she got the chance, to ask the phoenix if they were alright. She needed the peace of mind.
"I'm sorry too," Gabi joined Anzimani's apology. "Keeping secrets is not something I enjoy, especially from my friends. But sometimes there's no choice... I'd trust you with any secrets of my own, though... if I had any new ones."
Aisha had been calming down a little, listening to the Oracle speak and saying nothing else in reply, only nodding in farewell as she watched her leave. There was a sad smirk on her face at the mention of her brother, as it was the exact answer she expected from the Phoenix...she spoke along the lines as others had done, though this one didn't seem as inclined to draw away from the subject with riddles...there was a bit of appreciation on that point, but her own part of the voyage seemed to be one to cast aside for the time being. I'll still keep looking, Ayan...
Standing up straight, the panther then cast a quick look around the others of the group, who seemed as forlorn or just pensive. With a hum, she headed towards the tea tray and gratefully took a cup with a smile of thanks to the attendant who had brought it in. Funny, you don't see too many out-of-species servants among the Oracles... she thought for a moment before moving back to lean on the desk and quietly sip at the tea. She looked pensive herself, the whole situation with Gareeku still fresh in her mind.
Then she heard someone approach and looked past her cup to see Anzimani, and listened to her speak, a small smile appearing on her face as well when Gabi added her piece. In the presence of her comrades, old and new, the panthress couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. "It's okay," she admonished, holding a hand up. "Understandable that your reasons might have been for the best," she smiled, and shrugged. "Maybe I'd have done the same thing. And I thank you for your own trust in me, Gabi."
While sipping the rest of the tea, Aisha still couldn't get the question out of her mind at what the wolf meant by "voluntary". Searching for a likely answer, it only flashed back to the Oracle's advice. "I think it would be best, perhaps, if you talked to Gareeku about it." She looked up briefly, hesitant on confronting him, before just setting the empty cup on the desk and starting to walk out. Maybe I will.
When she entered the hallway again, Aisha noticed the crow walking up beside her and giving her one of those tilted-headed, black-eyed looks that only a creature like that can make, his hands folded behind his back.
"Is everything allright, miss?" he said, sounding concerned. "It is not uncommon that someone may get agitated at the Oracles' response, but if you will excuse me for speaking directly... not that agitated." He seemed to be speaking about Gareeku. Carefully, he stepped around her and bowed his head humbly when speaking to her. "Forgive me if this is an intrusion, but is everything quite allright? Perhaps you would want me to show you where he went?"
Gabi smiled at Aisha's words. Then, as she saw her head towards the door, she asked her where she was going, but Aisha didn't seem to hear her.
Gabi hesitated for a moment. She was curious, but didn't want to appear to be spying on her friends, especially after the recent commotion. Still, what was left for anyone to do in that room? What were they all waiting for?
"Maybe we should all go," Gabi suggested, and walked slowly towards the door, allowing time for others to follow or reply.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Jakob said. "If he went out for air, it was because he needs some space. It might be better to let him calm down first."
"Oh, I wasn't talking about going after Gareeku," Gabi explained. "Just leaving this room. What else is left for us to do here?"
"That, and I wonder where Aisha's going," she added in her thoughts. "Unless you know already?"
Aisha hadn't been a few steps out the door when she heard Jakob speaking, after Gabi had called after...she paused for a moment then, as if to go back and answer them, but somehow she thought they'd figure out where she was going anyway...even though she considered Jakob's words...if she knew Gareeku, he always did like to think alone. But the others would be coming out too soon enough, for they couldn't stay in that room all night...and the panther wanted one answer at least. She started to walk again, until the crow had come up to her.
"I'm fine," she replied to the ebon-colored avian as if in passing, but stopped in her tracks when he came in front of her and offered to show where Gareeku went. Her gaze briefly wandered over the interior of the temple, which was quite large, though probably not large enough to get lost in. Still, sometimes when one doesn't think too clearly, too wrapped in concern for a friend, they can get lost in a box.
She glanced around the empty corridor, then back to the crow, and nodded. "Actually, if you wouldn't mind, please do show me," she said in a low tone, but one of finality.
Since James set foot in the temple one question came to the forefront of his mind and he could not push it aside. Wordlessly, he had followed everyone in and back outside the temple. James bit his lip as all his companions spoke. He had a sneaky feeling that Gareeku had been holding something back and now that realization was brought to light. He wanted to talk to Gareeku about it, but James knew better than to pry at this point.
The talking around him became a buzz. The question that haunted James his entire life burned within him and now it was all he could think about. James was no longer aware of what was being said. Could he handle the truth about his past? James broke out in a cold sweat. He was biting his lip so hard it started to bleed.
"I-I'll be right back..." said James as he walked back to see the oracle.
After a few moments a loud voice rang from the temple. "Where are my mom and dad!?" James' voice echoed all around.
A short while later, a shaken James walked out of the temple. He dropped down to all fours. Sweat covered his face. He could hardly hold himself up, he was trembling so bad. Hot tears ran down his blue face.
At Aisha's words, the crow made a small nod and downed his eyes, stepping to the side.
"Right this way then, miss," he said, and began walking just in front of the panthress. For the most part he was silent, but when they had walked for a minute, he glanced back at her for a second.
"So you're searching for some lost people?" he said. "I am sorry, but I couldn't help but find out." He averted his eyes, looking forward again. "Is it going well? I mean, how long have you been traveling?"
It was almost startling when the bland attendant spoke, as if a houseplant had suddenly began dancing. "If the honorable sirs and ladies are finished with your refreshments I will show you to your rooms. You will wish to rest until dinner." She bowed and waited for a response as if she had forever to wait for their answer.
Aisha's eyebrow quirked at the crow's question for a moment as they walked, thinking that even out of curiosity it was something a little forward to ask, coming from someone who seemed to work in the Phoenix Oracle temple. Nevertheless, the panther saw no other reason in keeping it to herself, if there was one who didn't know what they knew.
"I couldn't say exactly how long my friends have been traveling," she answered calmly, turning her gaze back ahead and listening to their quiet footfalls echoing across and to all sides of them. "I joined them while they were passing through your friendly trade route through bandit country," she smirked. "But from what I gathered, everyone is looking for someone close to them who has been kidnapped...they have all recieved letters." Her ears folded back to her skull. "I joined mostly to come with them to the temple, but having nowhere to go and no-one to...immediately find, I might as well come of aid. I owe them as much."
About time to let the leader of our little band know that too, she added silently, thinking back to Gareeku, still perplexed about what sort of condition he had...and still wishing to find out.
"Searching..." the crow said, and hummed. "I am still somewhat confused as to why... Not that saving friends is not a noble goal. But you must know who kidnapped them first, the way I see it... You don't have an idea, do you?" he continued, and rubbed his chin. Then, he noticed the feline's expression, and made a bit of an apologizing face.
"I am sorry, miss. I know very little of adventuring. I wanted to become a traveler when I was younger, but... It seems my lot was different." He smiled shortly, and then looked forward again, straightening his face. Then, they rounded a final corner into a corridor leading outside.
"Ah, here we are..." the crow said, and walked on, leading her out onto the balcony.
{OOC: Pal asked me to take over Eph for a little while.}
Blaze had stayed rather quiet for the time they had entered the temple.
Oracles... he thought to himself. Not always the most reliable source of information, but even amongst the riddles and cryptics the answer becomes apparent.
He stared at the ground, wondering if there was a question the phoenix could answer for him. He shook his head after a second.
Sometimes it's not best to know the truth. I'd rather live feeling free than feeling paranoid and always wondering if there's someone behind my back waiting to kill me.
Blaze felt waves of sorrow suddenly as a finger tapped him on the back. He looked down, seeing Eph pointing over at James.
"Um, could you come help me?" she asked.
Blaze nodded. "Sure." The two walked over to where James was on the ground.
Eph leant down and put a hand on the blue squirrel's shoulder. "James?" she asked. "Are you okay?"
"Sorrow," said Jakob sadly as he joined Blaze and Ephrael by James. "Not an emotion I'm good with. I would guess he learned something unfortunate from the Oracle." he knelt down and tried to comfort the squirrel.
"Come on, come on, it'll be okay..."
He turned to face the feline, who stood strangely impassive amidst James' breakdown.
"We should take James to his room," he said. "Can you show us there?"
From the front pocket of her neatly starched apron the feline attendant pulled a selection of equally neatly ironed and starched handkerchiefs. The size of the pile told that the feline either had a severe allergy problem or that this was a regular part of her duties. Her face remained blandly servile but her eyes seemed to hold a touch of resignation, perhaps even disgust towards the Oracle for leaving her to deal with things. She handed James one of the large white squares. "If sir would like to come with me I will show you to where you can rest and wash up." She paused before adding, "May I be so bold as to remind the party that the Oracle speaks in riddles and it is folly to take her responses at face value."
The feline's words caused Gabi to suddenly pay attention to her. Her presence alone proved that the rumors she had heard were true. There were non-phoenixes working at the temples, and by the look of things she had been there for a long time. Gabi wondered if talking to her would be of any help.
"That's a well-known fact," Gabi agreed. "We were prepared for riddles and obscure metaphors when we set foot on the road to come here, but there are always things it hurts to hear, metaphors or not. But you must have realized that by now, right? I see you're well prepared," she said, gesturing at the pile of handkerchiefs.
[Edited in response to llearch's and Tapewolf's comments.]
"M-mom... dad..." James muttered as his tears stained the ground. The comfort from Blaze and Eph helped, but the words the oracle said cut him more deeply then any blade had. James shrugged away from the square that was offered. He couldn't eat now if he wanted to. He was already starting to feel nauseous.
There seemed little riddle about what the oracle said though. "My parents d-don't want... to see me." James sniffed. "The oracle said, 'They don't want to be found'..." Had the oracle said his parents were dead the news would have been easier to take. The possibility of not having his parents love though disturbed him greatly. Doubts filled his mind. Maybe they're evil and are ashamed of me... Maybe they didn't want me from the beginning... Maybe that's why they abandoned me and left me to live in an orphanage. Why...?
The offer of a room from the feline attendant sounded good though. He found his strength gone however and couldn't get up. "A little help p-please... I think I need to lay down awhile..."
"S'alright," Aisha answered the crow. Her voice sounded a little distracted then, but as there was nothing more than the path to concentrate on it was quite easy to listen. "Though I believe that's why we took the trouble coming to the Phoenix Oracles, to find the ones responsible...I can think of only few enemies we could have." She shrugged, head dipping slightly while thinking of the previous meeting and the results that had been given. "I guess I can't say yet that the visit was for nothing."
She remembered that the Oracle had told them she would go over it better in detail when the next day came. How better? She thought with a quiet hum, before having stopped in her tracks as the guide directed her to the balcony. Outside it was peaceful, the view over the whole of the land impressive and somewhat ethereal from the temple view, despite the dark look that the trail seemed to have as it wound back away into the horizon.
Aisha was looking from the shadows of the entryway, spotting Gareeku with a heavily solemn and pensive look about him. The panthress paused, and then briefly nodded her thanks to the ebon bird, sighing lightly.
"Hey, you mind if I bother you for a moment?" Aisha said with a light chuckle, walking up to the wolf. Though there was a quiet humorous tone, she suspected that the statement was more than halfway right.
"Just think about it, James," Gabi turned to the squirrel, unable to ignore his suffering. "Phoenix Oracles are known for not saying anything directly, so that can't be exactly what it sounded like. Maybe she meant that they're hiding from someone else, or something along those lines."
Gareeku was lost in his thoughts to the point that he didn't notice Aisha's presence until he heard her voice. Glancing towards her, the wolf smiled slightly, before looking back out at the scenery before them.
"Not at all." Gareeku replied. In a way he was grateful that someone had come to see him. "I...I'm sorry for my little outburst earlier..."
The attendant looked at the pile of handkerchiefs in her hand at Gabi's comment. "People don't make this journey for unimportant questions. And some phoenix are less clever in wording their prophecies than others." She put the cloths back in her pocket and started out the door, gesturing for the group to follow. "The best advice I can offer after doing this for a while is that you did not receive a straight answer."
She led them down a few corridors and around a few corners to a short hallway. "The rooms in this hall are for your use. There is a small meditation garden at the end. Someone will be back at dinner time." She turned to leave them alone.
With a smile at his reply, Aisha came to stand next to him, leaning on the railing of the balcony and looking outward to the land. "Oh, it was understandable," she smirked, "the Oracle must have gotten her fair share of worse, however long she's lived. I think a few of us felt the same."
There was a moment's pause as the panther's head tilted downward so that she viewed the drop, feeling a little vertigo from being reminded of just how high up on the mountain they were. The breeze was comforting though, and the quiet almost encompassing...she didn't wonder why this was a good spot to think. Aisha was doing just that, wondering exactly how one was expected to start a conversation about death in such serenity.
Here goes nothing...She took a deep breath, the mountain air bringing a good scent, before turning her head toward the wolf. "Also...I can understand why you might not want one to know about your sickness, even a friend," she said in a calm voice that searched for understanding. "...But, if you can tell me...why can't it be helped...or that you don't want it to be?" Her head tilted, still disbelieving of that aspect.
Still looking out over the landscape before them, Gareeku sighed quietly as Aisha asked of his condition. It was wasn't a sigh of annoyance, that much was clear; it was one that signified he knew the question would arise sooner or later.
"My...'condition' is, as I said earlier, voluntary." the wolf replied quietly in explanation. "It's to do with my little transformation..."
Pausing for a second, Gareeku glanced at Aisha, before turning to resume his gaze over the landscape below.
"After our last little adventure had ended, I began searching; searching for something, or someone, who could help me deal with my uncontrollable transformation." the wolf continued, a somber expression on his face. "Eventually I found such a person...we tried to find if there was any way I could gain some control of myself while in the transformation but, simply put, we failed. Finally we agreed on sealing a part of my soul away, which would stop the transformation for occuring...the only downside was that my lifespan would be shortened, to make an understatement."
Pausing again for a few moments, Gareeku let his words sink in before continuing.
"I probably only have a few weeks left; the reason why I am determined to find those who have been taken, including my mother and uncle. I want to ensure that they are safe before my time runs out." the wolf explained, a somewhat sad expression on his face as he spoke.
The crow had stayed still throughout all of Aisha's and Gareeku's exchange, but in the corner of their eyes they could both just notice as he silently placed himself against the balcony railing just a bit off, and looked intensively at them with dark eyes, a frown on his face. He had moved much more carefully than before, so silently that it hadn't been possible to hear him at all, despite his shoes.
Aisha was solemn and quiet as she listened to Gareeku's explanation, though with each word it filled her with a little more sadness for him. She indeed remembered his transformation...the ferocity and power...and the way it troubled him so. Though, the panther once thought that he wasn't one to accept giving up a part of his soul and his life...his hope and everything he had...just to fend off the chance that anyone would get hurt.
In a way, the idea sort of angered her...she wondered if her vowing aloud on the bandit's path that no friends would fall dead on her watch had any impact. She tried not to let the anger show while averting her gaze as Gareeku finished speaking. But then she had to think of how truly selfless the gesture was...whatever she didn't expect of the wolf, that trait was something that she did expect. She barely noticed that the crow had been watching them. Aisha was too preoccupied thinking of a reply to all of this to give the avian any notice.
After a long pause, letting the words and the fact of it sink in, Aisha drew a deep breath and let a hand fall on his shoulder. "Too many friends of mine have been lost for me to really agree with what you did." She opened her eyes and gave him a solemn look, though slightly shaken, as if she was comparing this to a memory best forgotten. "A part of your soul...honestly, you're too noble...so much for so little."
She shook her head briefly, before giving him a serious look. "I guess it would be hard to talk you out of it, Gareeku. So I won't try, if in the long run that's what you have truly decided...tempting as it is for me to argue," she chuckled briefly, a dark attempt at humor, before becoming serious and standing straight. "I will be as much help as I can with this quest then, I swear now, as a friend. As I wanted to say...I owe everyone a great deal, and moreover, you."
There was a pause as Aisha let her own words sink in, before removing her hand from his shoulder, turning to glance curiously at the crow, and then back to the wolf, while leaning on the balcony again. "...I don't suppose you want to let the others know of those details yet..."
"Wait!," Gabi called out to the attendant as she turned to leave. "Can I ask you something else before you leave?"
It was a long shot, but she had to try. It was, after all, what she had come for.
The attendant turned back towards Gabi. "Is there something else you require, madame?"
"I would like to know," Gabi began. "Have you heard anything about the kidnappings? Anything that could help us? Or... maybe something about William Starshine? He's a fox, with green hair, darker than mine. He loves travelling and... may be doing just about any job, but isn't likely to stay in one place for a long time."
Feeling Aisha's hand rest upon his shoulder, Gareeku turned to the pantheress next to him and smiled slightly. Listening to her words, the wolf chuckled somewhat.
"So little, you think? When I transform I become a creature whose only instinct is to cause harm and devour souls. I don't want that creature free in this world. It's too much of a risk."
Continuing to listen as he looked back out at the landscape, Gareeku couldn't help but smile warmly at Aisha.
"Thank you Aisha. You're a true friend." he replied softly. Hearing the pantheress talk of letting the others know about the true nature of his 'condition', the wolf nodded slightly.
"I guess I'll have to let them know. It would be unfair to keep them in the dark. I've done that enough to people already." he replied.
It was then that Gareeku happened to notice the crow's presence as he glanced over in his direction.
"Did our little discussion interest you?" he commented as he knew the crow had been listening in, a tone of slight annoyance as he spoke.
The wolf looked aside, only to find the crow gone, without so much as a footprint or a scrape for a trace. Where he had stood was now only thin air, the moving of the gentle breeze that played over the monastery walls. Which of course meant that something was very wrong. Both Aisha and Gareeku were adventurers of experience, with well-honed and trained senses. And the nearest doorway out onto the balcony was about twenty feet off. Getting caught up in a conversation was excusable, but...
Inside the monastery, past a corner down the hallway that led to the Oracle's rooms, walked the crow. He stopped just before the hallway, listening to the exchange between Gabi and the attendant and casting them both a quick look. Then, he paced off, into emptier, darker halls. It would seem he never left those halls, for someone else, who had stayed there for some time and for entirely different reasons, was the only one who did...
Looking over at where the crow once stood, Gareeku's eyes narrowed. The crow had been standing there, he was certain of it.
"That crow...there's something about him..." the wolf muttered to Aisha, turning to look at her with a concerned expression on his face. "I think we should keep an eye on him...I've got a feeling there's more to that guy than meets the eye..."
Looking back out at the landscape before them, another thought occured to Gareeku.
"That feline who brought the tea when we were talking to the oracle..." he continued. "I find it strange for someone who isn't some form of phoenix to be working at a phoenix temple. Maybe it's just me, but personally I've never seen it before. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I think the phoenixes here know something we don't."
"Oh, they know something allright," said a voice from behind Gareeku and Aisha. It was calm and melodious, a somewhat deep male voice with a low, very slight and smooth accent to it. "But they withhold everything that's precise. After all, if you mention the exact future, it's supposed to become true. Or that's what the experts say, at least."
The figure behind them had just walked in, stepping up and placing himself leaning against the stone wall, with his hands folded over his chest. He was a feline, as black as Aisha but with pale grey eyes, just slightly bluish, and white markings on his body, and dressed in a dark grey, black and white vest-like robe over a black short-sleeved shirt and pants. And most prominently, on his back were a pair of black-feathered, white-tipped wings. His clear eyes watched them over a playful smile, his head just slightly tilted.
"And it's worst when it's some tragic story to it all. Then they usually lock their beaks entirely about most things. I hope that's not the case with you..."
"You do understand that I do not have the power of prediction. I only know things from more mundane resources," warned the grey feline. "And those resources have been few and far between since the bandits took over the valley. You are the first foreign visitors in several months. I know nothing about kidnappings." She paused then added, "Before the path closed I visited the local town for supplies. There was a green haired fox in the market. If he was the one you seek I can not say."
Aisha had to smile lightly at Gareeku's reply, dipping her head as she watched and listened to him before turning her head back at the landscape and the night-cloaked serenity of it. Still she would be sad for the wolf, but at least his situation was better understood, and the panther indeed was determined to help him fulfill what the mortal world had left.
She nodded her head agreeingly upon his telling the others. "It would be best. Sometimes...it hurts to be left in the dark." Her soft voice had a bit of reverence and knowledge behind it, from experience.
Her ears quirked though as the conversation seemed to still be overheard by her guide, and she turned to look in that direction only for her eyes to widen a little bit. He was gone...and what was perplexing, it all was gone, any kind of trace. They would have heard him leave while speaking at least. "Oh wonderful, more mysteries..." she muttered. She was about to reply to Gareeku's comment about the Oracles and the strange servants they keep, only to swerve around at a stranger's voice.
She eyed the dark, winged feline with more surprise than anything first, followed by a hint of annoyance. Aisha's eyes narrowed, and her right hand rested on her hip...a casual gesture were it not for the fact that it was the perfect position to quickly draw a weapon from her belt if she had to. "Maybe it isn't..." she started. "And who may I ask, are you?"
The feline made a friendly smile, just slightly showing teeth, and stepped forward, stretching out a hand toward them.
"Ignatz Donovan, miss. Most pleased to meet you," he said, with a small nod of his head. "I am currently residing here for a short time as part of an assignment. And you people? I heard something about a kidnapping." He gave Gareeku's hand a firm shake, and Aisha's a kiss, his manners and his smile sly and almost a bit mischievous, but still very friendly. There was a sharpness to those clear eyes that hinted at a keen mind too, and perhaps greater age than his young appearance gave away.
Hearing the voice from behind him, Gareeku whirled round to find a winged feline, similar in fur colouration to Aisha, standing near them. Hearing his remark about the tragic story, the wolf folded his arms.
"And you are...?" he questioned as Aisha did. Taking the feline's hand in his, Gareeku returned the handshake with equal firmness as the stranger introduced himself, revealing his name to be Ignatz.
"I am Gareeku Manoko. Nice to meet you." the wolf replied as he introduced himself in return, bowing his head slightly in greeting as he spoke.
As Ignatz kissed Aisha's hand, Gareeku raised an eyebrow.
Quite the gentleman, I see... he thought to himself as he watched the feline's mannerisms. Thinking back to Ignatz's comment about the kidnappings, the wolf nodded his head in acknowledgment.
"Yes, there have been kidnappings. A couple of people close to me were taken, along with others who have connections to some of the other people in our group. I imagine the others are probably being shown theirs rooms at the moment." Gareeku explained, while at the same time observing the feline's almost mischevious mannerisms. "Pardon me for asking, but what is it you do that has lead your assignment to a phoenix temple? Just curious."
Leaning against the wall just beside the oak doors, Anzimani sipped her tea and went over the day's events in her mind. After some time, she was startled to find herself drifting off. She blinked herself awake, fumbled her now empty teacup, and just managed to catch it on the tips of her fingers. The phoenix looked around furtively to see if anyone had been watching. Satisfied that she had not been observed, she slipped out of one of the oak doors and left the temple.
Having almost fallen asleep, it would have made sense to simply ask for a room and go to bed, but Anzimani felt like taking a walk. The little adrenaline rush of lunging for the dropped teacup had left her quite awake. She half hoped that she might run into a phoenix oracle that she could ask her question, but she didn't have a real purpose other than getting some fresh air. As she walked, she realized that she was still holding her empty teacup. What to do? It really had quite a nice pattern on it... She looked around furtively for a second time. Seeing no one, she tucked the cup into the pack on her back with a swift arm movement, and kept on walking.
As she strolled, she heard voices that she recognized up ahead. Brightening, she quickened her step, until an unknown voice met her ears. She slowed again, intrigued. As the phoenix peeked around a column, a balcony came into view, just in time for her to see Gareeku shake hands with a feline she had never seen before. She assessed her options: she could come forth and introduce herself, or keep hiding behind a column, spying on the conversation. She padded forward, feeling a little awkward.
"Er, hello there. I'm Anzimani Havkova. I'm also helping to search for the ones who have been kidnapped." She held out her hand for a shake (there would be no hand kissing for her).
The feline looked to the side as he noticed Anzimani, tilting his head a bit at her apparition, making that handsome smile again, and taking her hand.
"As I said, Ignatz. Charmed," he said, and made another one of those small nods. He scanned the phoenix top to toe, and then leaned a bit to the side, folding his arms again. "I was asked to deliver a message from the creature council here. I usually do not work for people like them, but it was a harmless mission and not one I could have easily passed up on." He shrugged and rolled his eyes, then smiled again. "It seems they were concerned with some 'cubi or demon business, perhaps both. Not that it matters to me," he said, and fluffed his wings a bit. Then, he cocked his head to the side again, looking curiously at them. "So. Kidnappings. There was more than one?"
After helping James to his room, Jakob had returned to the room in which they had met with the Oracle. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it had seemed important to have done something contrary to the Oracle's request.
It may just have been his paranoia talking, combined with his general distrust of Oracles, but there was something amiss here that he couldn't quite put his finger upon.
They tried to separate us, he thought, pacing softly up and down. Tried to get us to rest, leaving us defenceless. Of course if the Oracles mean me ill and they truly have the Gift, they will be able to pick me off no matter where I am.
But what if they're involved with the kidnappings themselves? And even if it's not them, there's Arc to be reckoned with. No. If something bad is going to happen, it would be better to face it alongside the others. Let's see where they are.
He crept softly out of the room and down the corridor.
The suspicious look on the panther's face had turned into a polite smile as the felid introduced himself, her head nodding a brief greeting. "Aisha deCabre," she spoke her name after he had kissed her hand, though nothing more was said from her as Gareeku briefed him about the kidnappings in their group. She spotted Anzimani afterward, giving her a smile and a small wave before turning back to Ignatz.
Tilting her head, she too was a little curious as to what kind of business would bring him to the temple to hear about it, only to pin her ears back to her skull at the mention of demons. "More than one in our group, yes," she answered for the kidnappings. "However many more there are outside, one can't be sure. Even before I met up with Gareeku and the others, rumors could be heard."
And we might as well be at the forefront, she added silently with an inward laugh. Typical.
"Thank you," Gabi replied with a smile, before heading to the rooms with the others.
She wasn't sure why, but hearing that little bit of news, however vague and old, gave her some comfort. It might have been someone else, but it could have been him, and that made the chance of him being alright a tiny bit higher. It was better than no news at all, and definitely better than bad news. And she could always check the town to learn more once the current mission was over... if they succeeded.
The feline hummed and stroked his chin with a perturbed look at Aisha's response. He looked down on the ground for a brief second.
"It is quite likely that the events would be tied to each other somehow. Or possibly just two sides of a single one," he hummed with a neutral, deductive tone. He then looked back up at the panthress and the wolf in turn. "I'm sorry to hear, really. I only hope that I will get a somewhat deductible answer to the Council's call for advice. It's not often that they wish to admit they might actually need advice at all, so..." he said, and trailed off a bit. He paced around them, and set his hands on the balcony's stone railing, peering out over the high castle walls and the beautiful landscape, the evening beginning to take hold of it.
"I... wish that I could say I have anything to give you but tidbits and scraps. The Creature Council is aware of the kidnappings, that much I know. They don't seem to know much specific about who has been kidnapped... But I would guess they are withholding most of their knowledge, as usual..." He sighed and looked back at them. "Really. I'm just a messenger. Me and my sister usually work as traveling scholars."
Gabi took a look around the room. It looked quite comfortable, especially after having spent the last few nights in the open. But, even though she did feel rather tired, she wasn't ready to sleep yet. Not without knowing where Gareeku and Aisha were, nor what they were doing. She sat down for a moment, gave her backpack a routine check to make sure everything was in order, and then left the room to search for the others. If they'd wanted time alone, they'd already had it by then.
Listening to the conversation unfold, Gareeku raised an eyebrow as he heard that the Creature Council knew about the kidnappings.
The Creature Council...I wonder why they've taken an interest... the wolf thought to himself as he let the words sink in.
By now, the sun had fully set into the horizon. The sky had now taken on a shade of dark blue, the first signs of stars beginning to twinkle in the evening sky as the land gradually darkened.
"I wonder where the others are..." he thought aloud as his mind thought back to the rest of the group. "Heh, they're probably getting aquainted with their rooms, I imagine. Say, do you know if there's anywhere around here that we can grab some food?"
As if on cue, a gurgling sound emitted from the wolf's stomach, causing him to rub the back of his head awkwardly as his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink.
Anzimani frowned. If the creature council knows, why aren't they sending anyone to help? It seems like if anything could strain relationships between creatures and beings, this could, she thought. Beings who hear about the kidnappings are likely to pin them on creatures before they have any of the facts. I thought this was exactly the sort of thing the Council is supposed to deal with.
Anzimani did not have much to do with the council, nor much knowledge about it. As the Phoenix was the only race to reject admission, representatives had no reason to visit her hometown, and the phoenixes there saw no reason why they should keep contact with the Council. Anzimani had never agreed with their self-imposed isolation; it seemed to her that it was better to know what everyone else was up to.
She smiled as Gareeku's stomach growled, noting that she was hungry herself. She hadn't eaten anything in a while, if you didn't count the tea. Come to think of it, hunger was probably the reason for her growing headache. She rubbed a temple absentmindedly, brightening as she realized that the phoenix oracles would probably have more varied vegetarian cuisine than was common elsewhere.
The feline looked at the wolf and made a little smirk.
"I think there's supposed to be supper at seven. They have a pretty good kitchen and dining hall here, but if you want more than water, seed bread and soup, you're going to have to order and pay for it," he said, and turned around, fluffing and then neatly folding his wings. He walked smoothly, his boot-like shoes only making soft tramps, away toward the doorway into the monastery. "I'll see if I can get my sister to join us. She's pretty shy, but I think you'll like her. You go ahead and go to the hall. It should be close by the entrance. You can ask someone there to direct you." He stepped in through the doorway with a last wave and a smile for them. "I'll catch up with you there!"
All the guests having been shown to their rooms the attendant bowed to those still milling about and walked away. She didn't seem to be in a rush but she had the purposeful stride of someone going somewhere. She walked through the large, shadowed, and quiet public corridors then into the smaller, brighter, and busier servants passages. The avians she passed seemed to pay little attention to the feline in their midst. Finally she came out in a small garden. Or what had once probably been a very nice garden before some idiot had decided to extend one of the towers and block all it's sun. Now it was a forgotten spot where only the hardiest plants ran wild around forgotten fountains and benches. She chose an only slightly cracked bench near a fountain that still trickled in a tired and fitful stream to sit and wait.
The girl did not have to wait long, as she had expected. She could not sense his approach, like she had before he had begun to mask the dark traces he trailed about a month ago, something that could have frustrated anyone. But she had done well for quite some time in a business where cleverness was a prerequisite, and after dealing with him for long enough she could almost precisely anticipate when he would show up.
His entry though was, as usual, quite random. She heard his smooth voice from perhaps half a dozen paces behind her, before he let his steps become casual and audible, murring a bit as he sang in a somewhat slow, jazzy tone.
"Mel, Mel, my cara-Mel,
have you found something of use, pray tell?
We're not in a hurry, but they might start to worry,
and that can't be fixed with a simple spell..."
He stepped into view around her, moving gracefully and slipping down onto the side of the fountain, looking over at her with a suave smile; the sly one, not the one she recognized as the ingratiating one he sometimes used. His grey, feline eyes glimmered slightly in that dark, adroit face, reflecting the evening lighting in hues of red and blue that usually were not there.
It was probably a disguise, of course, like her own. But it still fit him, somehow.
"I just spoke to the wolf and the panthress. They seem to know about more kidnappings than the ones concerning themselves, but no more, so nothing to gain there. The wolf seems to have a dark magic problem, a life-threatening one. And they smelled... sorrowful." He said that all in the same neutral tone, though his lips quirked just a bit at the mentioning of Gareeku's condition.
The Creature Council...wonderful, Aisha thought to herself, crossing her arms as she heard about it. She wasn't one to pay much attention to what kind of business they got into, but if it involved the kidnappings, already things were starting to get a little more complicated. There was a light sigh as she glanced up at the sky for a moment, barely able to count the stars that had already shown themselves. Let's hope that the Oracle could be able to tell us more, as she said.
She hid a light smirk, also having wondered where the others were...Anzimani so far was the only other one that had found them. "Hm, they might not even stay in their rooms if we're all still separated, if I know them," she lightly muttered before quirking an ear at the thought of getting something to eat. She laughed lightly, hearing the wolf's stomach complain before hers followed suit, which just made her laugh louder. "I'll join you on the thought of food. A journey taken on an empty stomach is torture."
With a quirked eyebrow, Aisha watched as Ignatz walked back into the temple. An interesting stranger. Then she gave a simple shrug, turning back to her comrades. "Maybe we should head in, then? We might run into the others on the way." With that, she turned to the balcony's entryway and started towards it, a smile on her face, but pensiveness in her eyes after her conversation with Gareeku. Light-heartedness...perhaps we need that on this journey as much as we do food.
Jakob heard footsteps as he padded softly down the corridor. He couldn't get a hold on the owner's mind as it came into range - perhaps due to a spell of their own, but more likely an Oracle countermeasure throughout the temple to prevent 'cubi and other mindreaders getting hold of complete prophecies.
Jakob crouched around a corner and tensed himself for a moment, but then decided that it might look suspicious and relaxed until the other became visible.
"Ah, Gabi," he said in a tone of slight relief. "Do you know where the others are, by any chance?"
"I was just looking for them," Gabi replied. "I think James is still in the room where we left him, but I haven't found anyone else yet. Except for you, obviously. This place is more confusing than it looked at first sight. So many corridors! They haven't been here, that much I know."
Despite all the strange goings on, there was one person in the Oracle Temple who was completely ignorant of any mystery or intrigue. In fact, all Nyfe cared about at the moment was the fact that he had been sitting in a completely deserted corridor for over an hour, waiting to see an oracle about his dreams. He sighed for a moment, untwisted his head tentacles from behind his hair, wiggled them in an action akin to twiddling one's thumbs, then re-wrapped them back into their original position.
It's rude of them... he thought irritably. They told me to wait here for the next oracle, but I'm still waiting! Every second I waste in this boring hallway wiggling my head-tails is another second I'm not helping my village.
Tick... Tock... Ho... Hum...
Minutes flew by and still nobody came to get the young Mythos for his meeting with the oracles.
"This is like watching paint dry in hell." He said with a disgusted sigh.
He was about to twiddle his tentacles again when suddenly two quite interesting people met in the god-forsaken corridor that he had been banished to. One was a Wolf, the other a Vixen. Apparently they were looking for others. Maybe they knew when he could go see the oracles, at the very least they might be able to direct him to somebody who knew something. "Pardon me," Nyfe said as he stood. "I've been waiting here for over an hour for somebody to take me to the oracles. Er, you wouldn't be able to show me where the place was by any chance would ya?" He gave a too wide grin that most beings found unnerving since it showed off all his gnashing ripping teeth.
As she spoke, Gabi soon became aware of an unusual smell. It wasn't one of her companions, but it was probably someone. Another member of the temple staff, perhaps? But the smell was rather strange, and with no hint of fur or feathers.
She was about to mention it to Jakob, when the Creature approached them from one of the many corridors. His sight gave Gabi quite a start. She had seen very few mythos before, only from a distance, and none quite like this one. When he spoke, however, she calmed down. He seemed to be another guest looking for answers, just like them.
"I know where the hall is," she replied. "I think I can find the way back there. But I don't know if any of the oracles are available right now."
Something felt amiss. If he had come to see the oracles, why had no one given him any directions in over an hour? But then, what else could he be doing there? Gabi decided to wait and see what happened before drawing any conclussions. That had always worked for her so far, and the opposite never had as far as she could remember.
Anzimani watched as the feline left them. I look forward to meeting Ignatz's sister, if she is half as intriguing as her brother.
Ignatz's current form reminded the phoenix that she had not been keeping up with her change-practice. In order to keep her transformation from phoenix to feline from wiping her out when she needed to use her other form, she usually practiced the change nightly. She'd been slack the past few nights.
Hearing Aisha's words, she followed. "Sounds like a plan." As she walked Anzimani conducted a brief search of her pockets for money. She was running a little short, but she should have more than enough for a meal.
Keeping her hands in her pockets, she experimentally concentrated on the sharp, dark claws of her feline form. She was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't as hard as she had expected; she must be in better shape than she had thought. She let the claws melt back into her skin, pleased.
Mel shrugged in answer to the question. "I couldn't get much. Blue squirrel got a response that drove him to a breakdown. The vixen is looking for a fox that must be a relative from the description. I got the impression that neither are related to kidnap victims. The wolf cubi is so jumpy that he'll probably accidentally hurt someone before long. The others were too quiet to get much from." Her eyes went distant and she chewed absently on her lip, "Letters. There was something about letters." She growled softly, "Damn the anti-mindreading charms in all the main rooms."
The feline's smile upped a bit, and he leaned forward, placing his head in a big hand.
"Well, at least it works well together with the anti-scrying to keep us covered from the seedpeckers," he murred, and tapped his cheek with a finger. He pondered for a second. "What do you suppose we do after this? We could pull a swap, if they decide to go alone. That panthress seemed your type, and if I can't take either of the wolves... Well, I haven't faked tears and sorrow in some time, but I don't think I've lost the touch. The squirrel seems to be less of a hard part to play, anyway, with being a bit aside." He looked up a bit at nothing in particular, and muttered. "Hopefully it will not come to that. But..."
The feline stretched out his hand, and for a brief second it became ashen and coal-like, its claws growing longer and blackness hinting between cracks in the skin. He eyed it absentmindedly, before returning it to its previous state.
"I told them that I would bring my sister to dinner with them," he then said quite humorously, eyeing Mel with obvious intent.
"Greetings," said Jakob to the Mythos. He was watchful, but not that alarmed - meeting Gabi had shorted most of the suspense away and his paranoia had shifted gears into suspicion. But he didn't want it to show - if the Mythos was a threat, he wasn't going to put him on his guard.
Although it was the temple staff Jakob was most distrustful of, he was keeping his options open. After all, he was a shapeshifter and skilled illusionist himself, so the notion that things might not be what they seemed came as second nature.
If the Oracles were crooked, they could probably disguise themselves as others, perhaps even their creepy assistants like the crow and the maid. He'd have to keep watch, and see if there were any two people who never emerged at the same time.
It was also possible that the Oracles were dead and some agency allied with the bandits they had slain had taken over the temple and was impersonating them. Bet they wouldn't see that coming, he thought and turned his mind back to the present.
"How did you get past the bandits, if I may ask?" he said curiously.
Even without empathy, he could tell that Gabi was also unnerved by the fact that the Oracles had apparently lost one of their guests. He was starting to feel that his paranoia might be justified.
Listening to the feline speak, Gareeku nodded and waved farewell as Ignatz left the scene. However, there was something about the stranger. Something quite troubling. Listening to Aisha, the wolf nodded his head in agreement.
"Good idea." he replied, walking with the pantheress and Anzimani as they re-entered the temple. Glancing at a rather ornate clock, whos face was carved out of the same stone as the structure of the temple was, Gareeku saw that they had about 20 minutes until the dinnertime according to Ignatz.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think I might check out the rooms." the wolf said to the others, before making his way down a set of corridors. It was then, however, that Gareeku turned a corner, only to come across Gabi and Jakob.
"I take it you guys have seen the rooms." he commented as he walked up to them. Before he could say anything more, however, the wolf saw the stranger with them, who appeared to be some sort of mythos.
"And you are...?" he asked curiously.
Gabi turned to look at Gareeku, somewhat relieved to see him, but unsure of how to react after all that had happened... and in front of the stranger to boot. Lots of thoughts struggled to come out and, as usual, she had to set priorities.
She nodded in response to Gareeku's first question, and then asked: "Are you feeling better now?," at about the same time as he asked the second one.
"Sister?" The drab grey servant looked over the feline in front of her and subtle shifting came over her, getting quicker as it went. The dull grey fur became brighter and silkier, becoming a silvery shade against which white stripes were a soft contrast. A little taller, much sleeker, eyes larger and a brighter blue. The features of the face made just tiny shifts but enough to turn from dull and ordinary to a pretty sweetness. As maid uniform turned itself into a dress and robe a pair of wings seemed to shake themselves into existence. Dove grey with tiny black speckles on each feather they seemed to change from light to dark and back as the feathers moved.
"Well then, Shadow, I think you should remind me of what name you go by at dinner time. Sisters should know such things." Half joke half request for information it was presented in a voice that changed more dramatically than anything. The village girl accent had become the perfectly accentless voice that marked someone as having spent a very long time in very expensive schools and was very difficult to fake.
As soon a he asked the question to the stranger, Gareeku turned to Gabi and smiled slightly, having heard her question.
"I'm fine, thanks." replied, with a headnod of affirmation as he spoke.
As Aisha wandered into the halls with Anzimani and Gareeku, her ears swiveled to catch any sounds that were coming through the corridors, and she almost thought that the familiar voices of the party members could be heard. Also glancing at the clock, the panthress figured that finding a room was a good idea before going to dinner. The place was large enough that one might have been wandering for a little while if they didn't. She nodded in agreement with the wolf and followed along until the voices were confirmed, and shook her head almost humorously. Yeah, I knew they wouldn't be asleep yet.
She spared a wave to Gabi and Jakob upon coming across them, only for the panther to tilt her head at the stranger that they were with. "A mythos...?" she hummed thoughtfully. Another mystery had come up. She wondered briefly if he had come alone, or was with Ignatz...and just how any of them did make it past the bandits. Aisha's look was one of slight suspicion, perhaps as much as the others.
"I'm Ignatz Donovan, if you remember?" the feline said, winking at Mel a bit and smiling. He had used that name when he first met her. "And you're... Amelaine. Yes. That sounds like you." He smiled, and offered his hand to the other feline, now looking somewhat similar to himself. "Shall we?"
They walked out of the forgotten garden and into the monastery yet again, almost drifting through the corridors, and with his sense of scent and hearing 'Ignatz' began searching for the adventurers. He found their trace after a short while, heading in their direction with his 'sister' at his side.
Anzimani agreed that seeing their accommodations before dinner would be convenient. She would like to leave her pack in her room if the security seemed adequate, keeping, of course, her weapons on her person. Despite the fact that the oracles seemed to genuinely want to help them, Anzimani didn't trust that they would be able to keep the group safe. Because of this, the phoenix kept alert as she wound her way through the maze of passages.
Anzimani tried not to stare as the mythos came into view, barely registering the additional presence of Gabi and Jakob. She had never seen a mythos before, though she had read about them, and her boundless curiosity was pushing her to ask the babble of questions that popped into her head. However, she knew that most of them would appear rude and she kept her mouth closed, veiling her intense interest. She nodded greetings to Jakob and Gabi politely, while inwardly taking notes about the stranger and wondering at his purpose here.
The pair of felines rounded a corner and Mel saw a familiar group in front of them, along with a mythos she hadn't spotted before. Interesting that a mythos was now involved. She put on a politely curious smile and waited for Ignatz to introduce her.
Smoothly walking up to the group, Ignatz mentally prepared, and then smiled at them. He stepped up just a few feet off and smiled.
"Ah. Right. You were the others in the party that just arrived, correct?" he asked with a friendly tone, looking over Jakob and Gabi curiously. Thoughts, speculations and predicitons swirled in his head before he pushed them away, focused on the situation and proffered them a hand.
"I'm Ignatz, and this is my sister, Amelaine. Pleased to meet you." He smiled and patted Mel's shoulder. "We were heading off to see the others about dinner. You coming?"
While the others awaited a reply from the mythos, Aisha had started to step into the background a little more, leaning on the wall of the corridor as she watched them. The panther had the mind to walk past and look for a room for herself, only to quirk an ear at someone else walking down the hall. She glanced over curiously, only to view Ignatz and another felid that certainly had to be his sister.
As they came up to the group and introduced themselves, Aisha made a polite bow of her head to Amelaine in greeting, before her stomach started to growl again at the mention of dinner. She put a hand over it. Patience. "Dinner sounds good," she replied, glancing at the others for what they had to say.
Wordlessly, James walked past the group in the hallway. He was in no mood to talk at the moment. With his gaze pointed at the ground, James let his nose find the way to the dining area.
About to say something to the mythos, Gareeku then heard a voice. Turning to look, he found it to belong to Ignatz, who had another feline with him.
"Pleased to meet you, Amelaine." the wolf said politely, bowing slightly as he spoke. Hearing Aisha's comment, Gareeku smirked.
"Seconded." he added, before turning towards the approaching James. Gareeku was just about to say something, until he noticed the look on his friend's face.
It was a look of sadness, one of grieving, even. It was then that the wolf remembered how he had heard James' voice shout out in the temple, asking the question of where his parents were. Knowing that the squirrel would be in no mood to talk, the look on his face being evident enough, Gareeku let him pass as he turned to the others. "Let's go."
Anzimani smiled at the feline newcomers. She was about to introduce herself to Amelaine but was distracted as James walked by. The phoenix didn't know what was wrong, but it wasn't her nature to disturb someone when they were in such a mood; she wanted to help, but she never knew what to say. Just knowing that one of the group was downcast affected her own mood. Unable to say anything, she could only watch James walk by, feeling a little sadder than before.
She tried to put it out of her mind; she needed to have her wits about her. She had a strange feeling in her stomach that she couldn't place. It might be tension, undercurrents of fear, or simply the effect of not eating for a while; she couldn't tell. But she could tell that something wasn't quite right. It was like trying to remember a dream-- she knew she wouldn't be able to grasp it, so she let it go and prepared to follow Gareeku.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Gareeku turned and made his way to the dining room, situated just down the tall-ceilinged hallway from where they were standing. Upon entering, it could be seen that the room was rather formal-looking, in that the cutlery was all laid out on the various circular tables dotted around the room. There was also a long table situated as the back of the room slightly elevated up from the others. This would be where the high priestess of the temple, as well as the other priestesses, would sit, being able to see everyone in the room from the elevated position. Next to the entrance of the room was a small desk, where a canine servant sat. Looking up at the group, the brown-furred alsatian smiled.
"Ah, you must be our guests." he commented. "When you're done choosing what you want, come back to see me to tell me and I'll pass it on for you."
Each table sat up to 10 people, and on each of these tables were menus. If anything, it seemed more like a restaurant than a dining room in a temple. Gareeku wasn't surprised though; it was typical of a phoenix temple to be so formal, even when dining. Thanking the canine before sitting down on a table in the far corner of the room, the wolf grabbed one of the menus from the middle of the table and began to read it. Rather than a list of set meals, however, there was merely an option between the phoenix food and drink, which was also certainly some form of birdseed and tea, and other food and drink, which the group would have to pay for if they wanted it.
Sitting at the table, Jakob took water. Since he was able to subsist entirely off emotions, he generally avoided consuming anything with nutritive content in order to keep his base form lean. Watching the others eat was a bit of a drag, but he was used to that by now, and besides it gave him more opportunity to covertly study the new faces.
I never did find out how the Mythos got past the bandits, he thought.
The feline stepped over to the table where the wolf had seated himself, taking time to pull out the chairs for the ladies next to him and see everyone seated.
"I'm hoping they have veal on for the evening. Couldn't well ask for poultry, now could I?" he said with a smile. "Let me get your orders for you. Sister, you can take care of them meanwhile. I know you're better than me on the etiquette." He stood to the side, eyeing the group interestedly.
Mel blushed a bit but smiled at those at the table. "I don't think we've finished introductions yet. As my brother said a moment ago, we are Ignatz and Amelaine Donovan. You can call me Mel. And you are?"
As Aisha followed the others into the dining hall, she couldn't help but grin slightly at the beauty of the architecture. Whatever one could say about the Oracles, they certainly knew how to prepare for guests, or at least expect them. They weren't without courtesy, at least, though she was slightly intimidated by the formal look and feel about it.
She followed the others to the table after nodding to the canine servant, but then cast a concerned look at James, who had only silently went past before with a sulking demeanor. The panther's ears went back to her skull briefly. More bad news from the Phoenix I take it. I don't suppose there will be too much light-heartedness tonight then. With a hum, she sat down and looked over one of the menus, before snickering after Ignatz's comment. "Dammit, chicken sounds really good about now, too." The panther shrugged. "I'm not picky. Veal or perhaps beef. Whatever's filling." Or cheap, she added silently, trying to remember how much she had on her without taking out a money pouch around strangers.
Then, she briefly smiled as Amelaine introduced herself, the huntress giving a polite nod back. "I've met your brother briefly. But nice to meet you too, Mel."
"Bandits aren't hard to beat on a one to one, or even a two to one. I took a..." Nyfe looked for a proper word to describe the meandering path he took over several crags, rocky outcroppings, and pitfalls in order to reach the temple with minimal bandit interferance. "I took a roundabout way through Devil's Path. Just enough to get through the weak points in their defense. Really, if you're alone it isn't that difficult. Well, as long as you can climb."
Upon being asked his name, the Mythos looked around at the small group which had congregated. "My name is Nyfe Bikirivar Raxolith. You can call me Nyfe. I'm from the Armory Plains in the south." He looked around and then frowned. Somebody should have come for him by now. "Er... if it's not too much trouble could I stick with you guys for a while? I just got a seriously wierd vibe all of a sudden. Isn't this a temple? You would think there would be a little more hustle and bustle in the corridor's yeah?" It was strange. It seemed that the temple was deserted, though Nyfe imagined it should have been far more busy. They were after all fortune tellers. Fortune tellers tended to get a lot of business.
Seated at the table, James looked through the menu. He pointed at one of the dishes to one of the servers and said a few barely audible words. Lot long after, he was served a small mountain of hamburgers. Throwing manners aside, James unceremoniously tore into his first burger, taking huge bites out of it.
After deciding what he wanted to eat, Gareeku glanced at the female feline sitting with them and listened to her introduction, smiling warmly.
"It's nice to meet you, Mel. My name is Gareeku Manoko." the wolf replied in an introduction of his own, bowing his head slightly in a polite manner as he spoke.
Getting up to order his food, Gareeku returned a minute later, only to find his food, a plate of hamburgers, arriving barely a minute after he had returned to the table. Eating his food, the wolf glanced to the squirrel seated next to him with a look of concern in his eyes, before looking back to his food. Deciding in his head that he would confront his friend about what seemed to be getting him down after they had finished dinner, Gareeku continued to eat his meal as he listened as the others speak.
As the others helped themselves, Ignatz simply shrugged, made a bit of a smile and a roll with his eyes, and then went and took an order. He returned with a nearly uncooked piece of meat and some vegetables and marinated garlic, together with plain water and a glass of wine, and sat down, skillfully and orderly slicing up his meat and eating in a manner that much made James' munching seem doglike.
"So, as I was saying..." he spoke, seemingly not minding anything much at all, "I am here on behalf of the Creature Council. Mel followed to look at some records. The phoenixes are also quite the historians, it seems, though I should not say that I know much of the matter."
"Hmm? Did you say the Creature Council, or the Being-Creature Council?" said Jakob. "What are they after? Have the kidnappings upset them too?" Perhaps one of the Council has been kidnapped, he thought. That would certain set the cat among the pigeons.
Jakob hadn't had much to do with the shadowy Creature Council itself, but he didn't like the Being-Creature council very much. Some years ago he had been arrested over the Johan Cross affair and although he had been acquitted of genocide and most of the murders, he did have to pay some rather large fines. Their poor track record in dealing with actual serial Being killers did not help matters either.
Upon hearing the words "Creature Council", Gabi's ears perked up. She lifted her eyes from her plate and began to pay more attention to the conversation in progress. She didn't really know much about the Creature Council, except that they were very picky when choosing their members and dealt with obscure things for motives that were even more obscure. She wondered what Mel's connection to them was, and why they had sent her there. She didn't say anything, though, judging that listening would prove more fruitful.
As the conversations started, Aisha had gone up to get her own order: a steak, not too heavy on the sauce. Despite the fact that the avians had little to offer the adventurers much in the line of choices, the meat still looked succulent. When the panthress returned to the table, she tilted her head and gave James a brief funny look. I've heard of drowning one's sorrow, but bloating it? She shook her head and sat down, hoping that everyone would have time to recover from their respective troubles in due time. She wouldn't interrupt the squirrel if he didn't want it.
As she dug in, her ears were tuned to the conversations, especially the ones that Ignatz had started about the Creature Council and how they played a part in all of this trouble. With so much concern, and suspicion from some of the group, Aisha wondered if those who needed sleep would actually get it.
Listening to the conversation unfold, Gareeku raised an eyebrow as he finished one of his hamburgers.
"So the Creature Council is involved in this...huh...it's not like them to get involved in such matters, unless one of them has been taken, too?" the wolf queried, before starting on another hamburger as he waited for a reply.
The feline sliced off a bit of dripping red veal, and cocked his head to the side, his eyes gleaming distantly and with a bit of a glow to them as he chewed down his last bit and licked his lips, thinking quietly for a while, holding the readied piece on his fok in the air as if to signify that he was about to make a point or the like.
"I think I heard something about relations being tense, or whatnot, because of these events. I suppose that means that someone on the Council could possibly have been kidnapped. But I wouldn't bet on it. It would more probably be someone they hired or who is connected to them somehow," he said, almost leisurly, and placed the sweet slice in his mouth, murring a bit at the taste. "Oh yes, and it was the Creature Council, not the Creature-Being Council, though I suspect they are in more of an uproar about it. I normally do not work with the likes, but assignments have been scarce since Al'Meddan about fifty years ago, and with adventurers like the Cabres and... what'shisnameagain, that western one... Ti'Fiona around, many interesting things have been cut short lately." The big cat chuckled and swallowed a piece of garlic. "Not that I'm complaining of course; peace and prosperity is very much enjoyable. But there tends to be so much more for a scholar to do and study, once the villains start to dig up the old libraries and tombs. You know how it is."
He seemed to settle with that comment, and focused on his quickly finishing dinner, taking another glass of the spicy wine and leaning back contently.
As the conversation went on, Aisha was moreover concentrated on her food with little interest in the topic of the Creature council, though her ear flickered and turned in the direction on the curious matter of the choice that one of them would have been taken too. Peh, no doubt they wouldn't have taken that sitting down. The other possibility is more plausible. Otherwise we might have run into more chaos. Or will, anyway. By this point, it was hard to imagine that the group would be able to see much more peace for a while.
Then, at his mention of disturbance from adventurers, there was an audible gulp in her throat while swallowing as the Cabres were mentioned...the only indicative concern for it. She continued to eat her food with a sort of blank look to her plate. It wasn't too odd for her family name to have come up in the past...but not in any recent affairs. She was most likely the only survivor. "Ti'fiona I could imagine," she commented to that with a slight chuckle, sitting up briefly. "And a few others." She glanced back at Gareeku, for his name should have certainly been one, before her teeth sank back into a piece of steak.
Listening to Ignatz explain his relationship with the Creature Council as he finished off his meal, Gareeku smirked. In a way he was glad he hadn't mentioned the Manokos. Although a reputation was good for business, sometimes it annoyed him, especially when it meant he could be hunted by people. He knew he had a price on his head, and so sometimes he thought it was best to try to discourage a reputation.
"Heh, I'm sure." he commented with a slight grin, before taking a gulp of his glass of water. "I've heard about Ti'Fiona. I think he's retired though, though I could be wrong."
Looking around, the wolf saw that others had entered the dining room and were enjoying their meals. Most of them were phoenixes, obviously including the ones sat at the head temple. There were also a few beings and creatures, too; no doubt they were people who worked as attendants in the temple.
"So how did you get to this temple, if you don't mind me asking?" Gareeku asked, before taking another gulp of his water as he awaited an answer.
Mel smiled pleasantly at the acolyte who delivered her meal, which she picked delicately at. As she ate she looked from tablemate to tablemate as if she wanted nothing more than to hear them add their voice to the conversation. She also cast glances at the squirrel who was eating like a starved dog, although it was unclear if she wondering if they would need to apply anti-choking measures at any moment or simply appalled at his table manners.
When Gareeku asked their path to the temple she finally spoke up, "We came from the mountainous side. We both enjoy rock climbing and it wasn't the most difficult assault we've every made." Then her polite smile changed to one of real amusement, "Of course I understand climbing isn't as entertaining to those who worry about a missed step or jump." She fluttered her wings behind her to clarify her point.
"Not Daniel Ti'Fiona?" said a voice. The voice sounded like that of Dan himself, but came from the direction of James. Continuing to imitate Dan's voice James continued, "He was the only one who could beat me in DDR. Fun times..." James stared off in the distance for a moment, lost in thought, then shook it off and continued to eat.
Ignatz looked up and glanced over at the squirrel as he did his impersonation, cocking an eyebrow. For a second he wondered what went on in the head of that one, but deciding that it might be best not to know, he turned away. He instead directed his gaze toward the wolf across the table.
"You are all adventurers, are you not?" he said. The question was not a question. "Of course you are. You all have that feeling to you. I must say that it is a much more pleasant one than what I usually get from the villains." But never as exhilarating, he added in his head with a tone of dark humor. "You are not going to stay here either, are you?"
That was a rhetorical one too. Though the feline did not answer himself this time, just murred and drank with a plain look straight down into the table. He idly fished out a pair of slim spectacles from his pocket, and breathed on them, polishing the glasses on his impeccable clothes.
"Sister has only a few more notes to collect, and I shall be done with my work this evening. The council will trust a sealed message from me as much as a visit, I am sure. So I do believe that we have time to discuss." He held the glasses up and peered through them, then placing the black and gold frames on the bridge of his muzzle. "It would be very pleasant to take notes from the opposite perspective, even though the adventurers are mostly the ones kept in the dark. Also, I don't think I caught a few names." He looked over Jakob and James. "This is all of you?"
"Jakob," said Jakob. "Of clan Daryil."
The feline's reaction to that would be interesting to observe. 'Cubi only usually have a single name, barring those brought up as Beings, of course.
If the other already knew who he was, then revealing his identity didn't mean much.
If he didn't, then Jakob would prefer to avoid association with his Pettersohn identity until he knew whether he could trust them. And of course 'Cross' was a last resort.
But revealing that he was a Daryil clan member had the potential to be particularly interesting if the other knew much about 'Cubi clans. Indeed, it would mark him as a harmless lunatic, and that suited Jakob just fine.
Ignatz seemed to ponder for a while, putting a hand to his cheek and tapping his temple with his finger.
"I did a documentary sixteen years ago. 'The contemporary role of SAIA'. I included sections on significant personae, and I reviewed a few movies. I think I remember someth..." he began. Then, his eyes narrowed, and then widened. He fixed them on Jakob, peering over his glasses. He smacked with his tongue.
"Daryil? Now that is a clan I have not read very much about. Rumours about them aren't frequent." He swirled the bottom shot of his glass. "I happen to recall the name Ha-Khun though. There was a killing there, of an angel I believe I met once or twice, something that a certain Jakob made a bit of business about. Was a bit of a stir, really. Big enough to draw attention, even in a place like that." His gaze shifted back from razor-like sharpness to almost mellow. "I'm sure it can't be the same Jakob. You work in the technical department at SAIA, do you not?"
It was clear that the feline was either very well-informed, or he possessed a remarkable memory. Quite probably, it was both.
Interesting, thought Jakob, from behind his mental shield. I wonder which Angel he's referring to? Probably Azrael, but it could be Zarach. Jakob had a mental twinge of guilt at Zarach's death, but it didn't show. Well, I guess the bastard got what he deserved.
Jakob kept his face steady, allowing himself only a mildly quizzical expression while Ignatz spoke of Ha'Khun, until he mentioned the SAIA technical department.
"It seems you do know of me," Jakob smiled. It wasn't worth concealing that since the feline had probably seen footage of him anyway, and if he made the connection to Ha'Khun he had several answers prepared.
"Yes, I helped set up the tech department. But if you know that much, you must surely know that I am not an adventurer by trade."
He looked around.
"Curious... I don't think I've seen that crow fellow for a while. Or that weird maid either, come to that. I wonder if they have some kind of assignation?" he smirked to himself for a moment.
Ignatz didn't seem to think that Jakob's last statement concerned him, judging from his expression. He had his glass filled again, for the last time, and drank, leaning his head back a bit.
Under the table, moving his hand alone, he drew an invisible circle with his claw over the wood. Then another. Then he added symbols, patterns, lines, calculations...
Shadow, deceit, an intonation on the secrecy to keep the magic concealed... Compensate for the extra force required by Lening's Relieving Circuit... Place the emphasis of the behaviour... Time delay and intelligent responsive effect...
He drew a claw over his palm, opening a wound that bled shallowly.
Blood for physical manifestation lock, and commence! he thought, and placed his palm on the wood. The invisible lines turned into a glowing, fiery sign, not unlike an alchemist's circle, as the magic took hold. Then, it vanished, as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a slight burned imprint and the tiniest smear from the blood.
The feline put down his glass, sighed, and then switched hands holding it, using his other one to straighten his glasses. The wound was no longer there.
Aisha started finishing her meal, looking about at the others while taking slower bites for her nearly full stomach. She spared an amused glance at James for his impression; at least he seemed to have lightened a bit, though he was still going through his hamburgers.
She needn't have added anything to Ignatz's questions about whether or not they were adventurers, and neither did the others who were. She did however comment on discussing things with him for notes. "I doubt you could get too much out of us than what we've said already. All most of us really want to do is go after those who were kidnapped, family and friends. Those that we can," she added after a slight pause, before just listening in to the conversation between Ignatz and Jakob, and idly gulping the drink that she had ordered.
Her eyes were narrowed however. Darned if we don't see more trouble from the Creature Council. Just how concerned should we be?
That was when the crow walked into the dining hall from the main entry, guiding behind him a young woman of some kind, a canine by the looks of it. They walked past, and their figures became clearer, the demure manners of the crow contrasting quite sharply against the woman's fiery impression. She was a jackal, with black markings over parts of her tanned yellow fur and unkempt but beautiful, dirty blonde hair. She looked good, in sort of tomboyish fashion, but there was an intensity to her that would probably have put off any guy pretty quickly, or at least made them think twice before dealing with her.
The crow led her into the hall, making a bow, and then left with that same somber look to his face.
Outside, he dissapeared, dissolving into the ashes he had been before.
Jakob beamed inwardly as the crow walked past. Given the pause for him to have walked from the entrance to the dining hall, he had appeared as if on cue. It was almost as if he had been created for the express purpose of reassuring him.
While it was possible for it to have been a coincidence, too many strange things had happened already for Jakob's paranoid streak to believe it.
If the crow was being mind-controlled, or was an accomplice in disguise, their 'controller' was either the Oracles or someone else. And if it was someone else, they would have to be very nearby to have heard him talking.
Gabi was thinking about how to respond to the question when the subject drifted. She was rather relieved. There hadn't been any adventurers in her family before her and William, so she doubted they knew anything about them, but there was something in the way Ignatz spoke that didn't make her feel comfortable about providing any information. And the others seemed just as uneasy, if not more. Then the jackal came in. Her entrance didn't make Gabi feel any calmer. She looked at Jakob, wanting to ask what he and everyone else made of the whole situation, but no one would hear her thoughts and she didn't think voicing them then and there would be a good idea. She would have to wait until the group was left alone, if it was even possible to be alone in that temple. And what was worse, she wasn't even sure of what was making her so nervous. Could it be because she was sitting next to Jakob and he looked like he could break down at any time? Or was it because the mission seemed to be getting even more complicated? Or maybe it was the temple... so big and labyrinthical. Or seeing so many new faces who gave away so little. It was probably the sum of it all.
Upon seeing the others drift into the dining room, Nyfe shuffled uncomfortably. Perhaps the place wasn't so abandoned as he thought. After all, they were being served. Which was mildly strange considering the fact that nobody had seemed to have gone to the oracles as of yet. At the very least, Nyfe hadn't seen them. Sighing he pulled up a chair, grabbed a menu, and began browsing. After a few moments he looked bemusedly at the menu. Stood up and waved at the waiter. "Excuse me! Sir! Do you have anything along the lines of a lot of meat? I'm not really into seeds..."
He barely listened to the conversation about the creature council. He had certainly heard about it. But he had lived in the middle of nowhere until last year. In the armory plains the closest thing they had to government was a village leader who organized economical affairs for the town.
Deciding that he should at least attempt to enter the conversation, Nyfe tried his hand at small talk, which was something he was awful at. "So, people have been getting kidnapped? By kidnappers?" Among battle tails, small talk wasn't very popular. Instead they filled time by inviting each other to quick sparring matches. Nyfe generally won at these... he lost at small talk.
"Yes, and they are lost," Ignatz laughed, looking at the strange mythos with mild interest. "I think they have some more veal in the kitchen, friend. You'll have to tell them if you want it raw though..."
The feline set down his now empty wine glass, sighed loudly and pleasedly, and then cast a glance over the rims of his spectacles against the woman who had just entered, a bit more interested than the one he had given Nyfe, but also a bit more distant. She seemed as out of place as the adventurers, with that expression and seeming quite lost, a reason why he had made his apparition guide her along. Was she one of them? And why were the siblings from before not there?
Mel looked at the small watch pinned to the front of her robe. "Look at the time. If I want to get my research finished tonight I have to get going." She stood and smiled at the rest of the table. "I hope everyone will excuse me, but the Archivist is quite literally an early bird and won't let you in the archives past a certain point in the evening. If any of you wish to see the archives tonight I'd suggest planning it for sooner rather than later." She grinned at her brother. "See if you can use your charm to convince Cook to save me a dessert for later."
With a polite bow to the party she left the table and without seeming in any real rush left the dining hall. She hadn't gone far when she came across two lost-looking adventurer types. "Hi. If you're the missing members of the Manoko party everyone else is having dinner. Go down this hall until you get to a mural of the founder picking the spot for the temple then go right. You can't miss the dining hall." With that piece of advice she resumed her own trek in the opposite direction.
'Now what kind of mess have I gotten myself into this time?'
Standing morosely beside the crow that had led her into the dining hall, the black-backed jackal stared uncomfortably at the numerous adventurers assembled at the table, examining the entire room with a sweep of her mismatched brown eyes. A hodgepodge of species was collected there, entrenching her even more deeply in discomfort.
She had gone to great lengths to conceal her Cubi heritage, even hiding her beloved military scars via metamorphosis along with her wings. In her current state, she would definitely pass as a Being, provided that nobody noticed the clan marking on her hip, which was layered beneath her sable, unusually-designed clothing.
Considering the unscrupulous reputation her clan had rightfully garnered, protecting her clan marking from any scrutinizing eyes was pivotal.
Long ago had the jackal learned to mingle with Beings and other races that her clan had dismissed as inferior, but then again, stealth--and deceit--was a valuable ability that all Cubi needed to possess, and she utilized every one of those abilities without so much as a dent in her conscience.
She couldn't help but curse her circumstances. For Christ's sake, she never wanted this! All she wanted was some form of knowledge as to the location of her missing mother and only remaining sister, information she was so desperate to find that she would rely on the Phoenix oracles, who had a long-preserved history of ambiguity. Lacking the patience for such long-winded metaphors and flowery advice, it was no surprise that the jackal ended up snapping after interrogating the Phoenix oracle who had the misfortune of being saddled with the task of addressing her problems--and boy did she have a hell of a lot of problems.
It wasn't pretty.
It had resulted in a very one-sided, brutal shouting match, one that would've disturbed the entire temple if that crow hadn't intervened, escorting her into the dining room, where she wouldn't create any further damage.
Now she had to face up to the consequences of her actions. Dropping her head in her hands and roughly massaging her temples, Keaton sighed and searched for a seat to take her place in. It was best that she do something to pass the time, even if it meant that she isolate herself and twiddle her thumbs until something interesting happened.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
As the conversation seemed to die out, Gabi became aware of something else in the list of things to be nervous about. Not everyone had made it to the table. She scolded herself for not noticing earlier. After all, she had intended to keep an eye on Ephrael to make sure she had healed well, but too many things had happened on that day that had got her distracted.
"Has anyone seen Ephrael?," she asked the rest of the group.
Heedless of much more of the conversation, Aisha finished the steak on her plate with one last swallow, though it was a bit of an effort as she had gotten stomach only a few bites ago. She leaned back on the chair and sighed, more than anything a quiet and dark-looking individual at the table where the group sat and shared their information. Though it had been a while and there were concerned looks. A few of their group members seemed to have gotten themselves lost.
Looking back at the ones who were there, she rolled her eyes slightly at the way Jakob seemed to be composing himself, someone of very little comfort while staying at the temple, and the strange mythos whom she guessed had a bit of interest in those staying for him to have decided to sit at their table. But watching the crow come back in the room, Aisha tilted her head just a little curiously at the newcomer, a jackal who looked very much out of place...yet was perhaps an adventurer as they were. Could it be another kidnapping case? Those seem to be popping up. I'd like to know if she got a letter too, as the others claimed to have. Hrm.
With a dismissive shake of her head, she looked up at Gabi as she heard her inquiry. "Nope...they might be lost I guess...maybe Mel will have redirected them. In any case," the panther said with a polite bow of her head as she stood up, "I'm stuffed. And I've yet to find a room."
She turned her head towards the doors, the exit to the grand dining hall, and into the corridors. Aisha wouldn't be getting lost again...but she didn't like the thought of wandering in the large temple alone also, what with suspicions from a few others starting to get to her. She turned back and smiled to the group. "I'll just be out there. Gonna find a sense of direction again." The panthress laughed and started off. Ugh. I forgot what walking on a full stomach was like.
Taking his eyes from the crow, Jakob glanced at the newcomer he was leading, a jackal. She was not in a good mood, and Jakob found this reassuring. So far, nearly everyone who had come to the Oracles for advice had left in a foul mood, and while he was smart enough not to rely entirely on Aristotelian logic, it was a fairly safe bet that she was a visitor like them rather than one of their stooges.
Gabi's question about Ephrael suddenly punched through his reverie and he looked around in alarm.
"Wasn't she with Blaze?" he replied.
"So there were more of you?" Ignatz said, looking up a bit and sitting straighter. He looked over them quickly and noticed their looks of concern. "I thought I saw more people enter, but I was busy at the time. You think they've gotten lost? I really wouldn't do that here," the feline continued, looking a bit bothered too. "The oracles are not unfriendly, but I think the place can get unsettling some times. Perhaps it's just because it's too big..." He made a half-smile, with a bit of a look that said more of what he really meant.
Slowly, the feline put his plate aside and got up, then looked towards Gabi and Jakob.
"Should we go look for them? We could ask around, I think. But these phoenixes might all be too busy with the future to mind the present. And I've noticed the servants don't mind much of what the guests do, quite untraditionally. If we can't find them now, we might be able to catch them at breakfast in the morning. How do they look?"
"Blaze is a very colorful squirrel," Gabi began the description, more worried about Eph and Blaze than about providing superficial information. "Orange with purple hair, hard to miss. Ephrael's a young Tasmanian devil. She's black with a white patch around one of her eyes and has reddish brown hair."
Where did everybody go? They've got to be around here somewhere..." Blaze muttered partly to himself as he explored the various halls and corridors of the temple, followed closely by Ephrael. As if on cue, however, they came across Mel, who showed them how to get to the dining hall.
"Um...thanks..." Blaze said as he watched Mel leave, before turning to Ephrael. "We better go meet the others."
Waving Mel and Aisha goodbye, Gareeku then turned to those still at the table and listened to the conversation, raising an eyebrow at Ignatz's facial expression.
"I'll go look for them." Gareeku said, getting onto his feet, before turning towards the entrance to the dining hall as a slight smirk appeared on his face. "Speak of the devil. And the Squirrel too."
"Hey guys, sorry we're late, we got kinda lost." Blaze said apologetically as he and Ephrael walked over, the Tasmanian Devil having ordered some food beforehand. Noticing Ignatz, Blaze raised an eyebrow. "And you are...?"
"Blaze, Ephrael, this is Ignatz. He works at the temple." Gareeku said as he smiled at them. Gareeku then turned to the others. "Well I better be getting myself a room if I want somewhere to sleep tonight." the wolf said to the others, bidding them a farewell. "See you guys later."
Gabi sighed. "I guess I was worried over nothing," she thought. "Still, it's better this way than the opposite."
"Goodnight," she turned to Gareeku. "Take care."
And then, back to Blaze and Ephrael.
"I'll stay with you until you finish your dinner. I eat too fast," she said as if needing to apologize for having finished. "So, is everything alright?," she tried to make sure.
Ephrael nodded to Gabi as she shoveled in food as if she'd not eaten in a week. "Sorry," she said between mouthfuls, "I got kinda lost." She waved to Gareeku as he left. "Not the best thing for a hunter to do huh?"
When those who had been lost entered, Ignatz smiled again and stepped lightly to the side. He walked around against the end of the table, smoothly as ever.
"Ah. Good. No need for concern then," he said in a relieved tone. Upon the wolf introducing him he made a smooth, low nod to the entered. "My pleasure." He paced off slightly, then turned against the group again, looking them over.
"I shall be on my way as well. My sister and the wolf made a good example, and I too shall return to my quarters. I hope I shall see you all in the morning," he spoke softly, made an equally smooth but not too flourishing bow, and walked away.
Well outside in the half-lit corridor, the feline dissappeared, almost in between steps. Only a clerk caught a glance of his vanishing, and not seeing clearly thought he had just seen a shadow. No one, not even the oracles themselves, could have told more than that.
Aisha mulled around just on the outside of the doors to the dining hall for a little bit, eyes gazing about the corridors in front of her. She could see not one long hallway, but how it divided into several other ones, just a reminder of how maze-like the place was. The huntress's sense of direction however was accurate in estimating where they had come from. It would only take a little work to find the rooms, and that's where she started off too, with a light yawn.
Catching a sudden sight of Blaze and Ephrael, however, she just gave them a quick nod of greeting, albeit with a tired gaze, before they walked through the dining room doors left behind her. The panther shook her head and kept walking, hoping that the fates had no intent of having her get lost either.
But after what seemed like a little while, with a sigh of tired relief she found a hall of doors in a dead-end corridor, one of which she chose and opened. The room was dark and empty, but not to her surprise certainly clean and comfortable-looking, with a window showing nightfall gently bearing down into the shadows. She went in and placed her weapons belt beside the bed (weapons in close reach between the side table and the edge, however) and her cape on a hook by the door. After a while she heard others wandering around where she was too, whomever was needing it looking for a place to sleep...Gareeku most likely among them.
Thinking of the conversation she had with the wolf before, the panthress thought quietly as she stood next to the open door. I wonder how he sleeps with what he faces...Aisha sighed, gaze cast downward. I just hope he tells everyone, and soon. With a good night bade to anyone who passed, Aisha closed the door and started tiredly towards the bed, eyes already closed.
"Has anyone noticed anything unusual in the temple so far?" Jakob asked in a covert whisper. Since the temple staff were seated away from the guests' table, he wanted to be reasonably sure that they didn't hear. Of course it was possible that they would know anyway, but there wasn't much he could do about that.
"The temple is full of half crazed oracles," whispered James. "the place is going to be unusual."
James stretched, his large meal finally over. He tossed a handful of coins on the table. "Well, I think I'm going to follow Aisha's example and head to my room. If anyone needs me, just knock. I'm going to be making some smoke bombs before I go to bed."
"Are you quite sure you're going to be okay?" Jakob asked the squirrel. He was not going to ask what the Oracles had told him, but it had obviously been a tremendous psychic shock so he was not unconcerned.
"I'm fine!" James snapped as he slammed his fist on the table. Instantly he regretted having opened his mouth. He couldn't believe he just lost his temper to a friend.
"I... uh, I..." James backed away, not knowing how to respond. Instead, he turned and ran out of the cafeteria.
Gabi sighed.
"Everyone's acting weird. I've never been in a Phoenix temple before, but I must admit this place feels stranger than I expected. And much more crowded."
"I may have to go after him," said Jakob, standing up. "Look sharp, don't take any risks and try not to separate if you can avoid it. It might just be me, but I don't think we're entirely safe here. Remember - only the paranoid survive!"
So saying, he crawled under the table. When they looked under it, he was gone.
Making his way to one of the rooms that had no yet been taken by any of the others after a least a couple of hours standing on one of the many balconies dotted around the temple as he lost himself in his thoughts, Gareeku sighed as his hand gripped the door handle. It seemed that tiredness had finally caught up with the wolf, as he was quickly beginning to feel that sleep could not come quick enough. Out of the corner of his eye he could see James also making his way to a room, but decided that it would be best not to say anything for now.
Closed the door gently behind him, Gareeku then removed his hooded cloak and top, exposing the white furred torso he possessed, though he knew that he would need to shower sometime. taking the sandals on his feet off, the wolf then removed the katana from the side of his waist, setting it down on the bedside table, close to where he would lie. Falling back onto the bed, Gareeku closed his eyes, and in a matter of minutes was immersed in a deep slumber.
Night fell, quite quickly, and apart from mirrored candles and braziers the monastery was slowly beginning to plunge into a deep, warm darkness, the only servants remaining awake being the personal ones and the phoenixes themselves retreating to their rooms. Quite as one might expect in such a place. But probably still unnerving, seeing the general mindset of the company. It didn't seem that anything dramatic happened though, or would happen.
As with so many other things that seem a particular way, this was dead wrong.
Near where Gareeku had entered his bedroom, in fact so close as in the room adjacent to it, its occupant a blond canine man who was seemingly sleeping in his bed, whimpering and thrashing but unable to wake up, something had been waiting for him. It was not visible, not in the ordinary sense. It was there, and one could see it, but rather than something that was visible because it reflected the light, this was currently detectable because it didn't. It swallowed it up instead.
When the wolf got to his room and settled down, setting his things in order and getting to bed, the thing, which had been holding in a corner of the room, sensed this and waited. It moved a part of itself to the shadows under the bed in the wolf's room, listening to his breathing and his heartbeat, taking in what it could of his scent and biding its time. Hours passed while it waited, just to be sure that darkness had settled.
Once it was ready, the thing slid out of the shadows, releasing its hold on the canine in the room, and slipping into Gareeku's, where it finally took shape.
Soundly asleep, 'sister'. This will not take long... it thought, communicating through an already established link to someone, and moved.
The wolf slept, still deeply. But as an adventurer, he was practiced and cautious, his senses used to picking up the minute little things that others did not. Still, it was impossible to hear the dark figure that slowly, smoothly strode up to the side of his bed, right next to the table where he had set his sword, and looked down at him with gleaming eyes. Had the wolf been more conscious, and had the floor been wooden, he might have felt a creak or a shifting of weight on it. But now, the only thing to alert him was the sudden presence of a faint, foreign smell, like ash and blood, cold and chemical, and with a slight touch of tobacco to it as well.
Gareeku did not have time to respond to it though, before something else stirred him rather rudely. One second, the wolf was laying peacefully in bed, breathing slowly. The next, he found his airway blocked and his neck aching as something gripped it like iron, forcefully pulling him up with it.
The room was nearly pitch black, the only source of illumination the ambient light from outside the window. The figure stood in the shadow almost completely, so it was hard to see. But as Gareeku was hoisted into the air, by a strength decidedly demonic in nature, he could make out its humanoid outline, as tall as he, perhaps a bit taller, slender but powerful and shaped. And behind and around it, things seemed to be moving, snaking through the darkness...
Still, it was neither of those things that really drew the eye. Instead, it was the creature's eyes. Black corneas, nearly no pupils, and irises that glowed dimly like fire. It made a wordless growl, a low, rumbling sound that sounded much deeper and stronger than should have fit its size. It was demon allright.
Before the wolf had a chance to move in its grip, he felt something whip out through the darkness, and then snake around his wrists and up a bit, bending his arms back uncomfortably with that same strength. Then, something like a hand pressed over his muzzle, closing his mouth forcefully and together with the large hand around his throat only allowing him to breathe through his nose.
It had all happened so fast. In his sleep, he had sensed something slight, though had paid no heed to it until it was too late. Feeling the powerful grip around his throat, Gareeku's eyes snapped open and before he could do anything was hoisted up into the air, before finding that his hands were binded and his mouth shut tight, though still being able to breath through his nose. From the sheer strength he could tell the attacker was demonic. Looking at the assailant, the wolf saw the creeping darkness, glaring into the dark eyes with a look not of shock or fear, but with one of rage. In his current situation, however, the warrior was powerless, completely at the attacker's mercy.
The window in the room was small and high and faced nothing but a sheer drop into the valley below the temple, but it was only a moment later that it swung open and a surprisingly wingless Mel wiggled herself inside. Her wings reformed once she had her feet on the floor. She quirked one brow at the creature of darkness. "While I understand your urgency, how do you intend to get the wolf out of here? That cubi didn't go back to his room and who knows where or who he might be."
Keaton had entered her room without any commentation, blending into the group of adventurers like a chameleon would blend into its environment. She had no interest in interacting with anyone, preferring to remain distant throughout the entirety of dinner. Her plans were simple: she would leave the temple in the morning, abandoning any and all efforts to glean information from the accursed Phoenix Oracles and resuming her neverending hunt for her remaining family members.
Now safely reclining on her bed, Keaton toyed with the marble she constantly carried in her pocket, tossing it in the air and watching as it returned into her hands. Being one of the few Cubi who still enjoyed sleeping, she probably would've either went to bed without any suspicions or worries, or would've continued playing with the marble well until morning if it weren't for the sudden surge of emotion she felt a few rooms away from her own. Blinking, Keaton caught the marble in her hand and pocketed it, climbing to her feet.
She assumed it was nothing outrageous at first, but she had always surmised that the Oracle temples were usually placid areas because of the entranced state of the Oracles themselves. When the rush of emotions did not cease, she decided to investigate, slightly perturbed by this raging whirlwind of panic, surprise, and most of all anger. Unusual things to feel in a normally peaceful atmosphere... very unusual.
It seemed to grow stronger as she exited her room, walking towards where the pulse originated. Her hand rested on the doorknob, she turned it...
~Keaton the Black Jackal
It hadn't taken Aisha too long for her to drift into sleep as the night started to wear on. She heard little in the way of noises after she had collapsed, other than any weary and lagging adventurers from their group or perhaps other visitors and servants giving the temple a last inspection. Whatever it was, the sounds only served to help her move further into her dreams.
However, like any trained adventurer, her sleep only served its convenience to bring enough energy back, and not to have given her away to the subconscious completely. Her sleep was light, ears often flickering at any slight sounds, mostly that of the mountain breeze from the window. However, she would not have even noticed that there was anything going on, had it not been for a most trusted factor.
Some long moments into her sleep, the darkness of her eyelids was shattered by a faint emerald glow and an almost electrical, humming pulse. She opened one dark crimson eye to glimpse at the artifact she set close to her on the bedside table. Her enchanted tail ring, where it could easily be seen, was picking up something dark...and was bathing the dim room in a glow of green.
The huntress wasn't one to ignore her sensor. Narrowing her eyes, her arm reached down to grab the nearest weapon available from her belt in the niche, which turned out to be the hilt of her dragonblade, while her other grabbed the ring and placed it back on her tail as she sat up.
The panthress hopped up and quickly moved to glimpse down the corridor, where the jackal newcomer had stopped in front of a room...precisely the one where, she assumed, the sensor was coming from. Placing her blade down to her side in a peaceful manner, Aisha nodded to the jackal, but her eyes were fixed on the door, suspiciously. "What's going on?"
The thing holding Gareeku snorted, standing still as its gaze moved to Mel upon her entry. It didn't seem to scowl or get angry with her for either her entry, nor her words, just regarding her casually and easily. Still, when it answered her its speech could have been taken for disdainful or scathing. But that was just the feeling one got from it. Its voice sounded dual, and like it crawled or rasped out, as if its vocal chords were burning or crumbling at the same time as the words formed from it.
"Same way that you entered, Shivers. The wolf and the others are no concern. We shall be long gone before they have a chance to catch up. And even if they knew..." it growled, slowly moving into the light as it held the wolf steadily a bit over the floor, "what chance do they have of helping him?"
The creature's words didn't really get to Gareeku before he saw it.
It looked like some sort of fur, but it was hard to tell its distinctive features, other than grayened and scorched, almost parched and ashen-colored fur, lined and cracked with black that seethed and crawled in some horrid manner. The hand that held Gareeku's throat was large, long-fingered and wickedly clawed, the creature's arm almost completely black save for a few specks of ash around it that grew tighter until they re-knitted into its charred-looking skin and fur about halfway up its upper arm. The same cracks and lines spread over most of its form, which seemed draped in lengths of some sort of jet black torn cloth, covering part of it. Its torso seemed reasonably intact, as did much of its thighs, and also its head, from which fell shoulderlength, grayened hair, but its face had one great gash into its right side just at the jaw, so deeply black that one could not see its shape, spreading cracks over that side. And its back was completely ripped open, tentacles and tendrils of concentrated blackness, two of which were what held Gareeku's arms spilling out of it and snaking and seething about it, some detatching from it and flowing a bit before slipping back into the creature's shape. The glow of its eyes seemed to amplify in the moon, two dots seething inside eyes that looked like bottomless wells of darkness. It was no sort of demon that Gareeku had seen before.
The thing stood there, looking up at the wolf for a moment, holding him steady. Then it grinned. Sharp ebon teeth and glossy black mouthflesh showed, as it slid out a long, pointed black tongue and licked over them a bit, making for a horrid sight. And then, it began to change. Its somewhat pointed muzzle flattened, its pointed ears smoothened out a bit and became furrier as its fur and skin moved and changed color, its hair shortened just a bit and...
"Really sorry about this, wolf, but it's the one option we have right now," Ignatz said, grinning up at Gareeku, his blackened out, speck-irised eyes the only thing remaining of his former physiology. There was shock in the wolf's face for just a brief second, before he was knocked out and everything blurred to black.
"Now, let's leave..." the feline said, and moved toward the window.
That was when the door opened, and all of a sudden the Jackal from before and Aisha, her emerald tailring illuminating the whole room with its intensity now, saw into the room. There was a moment's silence, as Ignatz, still holding Gareeku as if he weighed no more than a small child, turned and looked at the two intruders. Then he made a raw curse, glaring at them.
"Well, as if we could have hoped for secrecy from the start..." he said irritatedly. Then, in a sweeping move, he moved past Mel and without any further fuss leapt out the window with the wolf in his arms.
Jakob was half-invisible. Full invisibility was something he could do, and had done in the dining hall - but it made it very difficult for him to see as well. Bright lights would have given the game away, but fortunately the corridor he was in was fairly dim, so as long as he kept to the shadows he was safe.
As he approached the dormitories he could still feel James' waking mind, so he lurked outside his door waiting for him to sleep.
Gabi couldn't get herself to sleep. It was a hard task at the best of times, and now that she was nervous it seemed impossible. She tried to think of something else, make up a story or anything that would keep her mind distracted, but her thoughts kept going back to all the questions she had.
Then she realized the sounds she was hearing did not come from within her mind. Something was going on in the corridor. She got out of her bed, but didn't find it wise to get out on her own and face whatever was outside without even knowing what it was, especially at a place like this. So he pressed her ear against the door and listened carefully, trying to figure out what was happening.
Dining Room
Stretching and yawning, Ephrael stood up and looked around seeng most had gone to their rooms she padded softly to the room she had been given. As it was at the end of the hall from Gareeku's she heard not a thing and quickly fell asleep.
"Something weird's up," Keaton said in response to Aisha's inquiring, her digits wrapping around the ornate brass knob before her. "Something ain't right here..."
Much to her confusion, the rage radiating behind the door had intensified briefly, palpitating angrily in her head for that one, fleeting headache of a moment before it died as abruptly as it came. Panicked, Keaton jerked open the door with no warning whatsoever--normally when someone's pulsating emotions ended so quickly it never was a good thing.
Darkness rushed over her like an atramentous tidal wave as she entered the room, not bothering to look where she was going, urgency propelling her movements. She skidded to a halt somewhere in the middle of the room, finally stopping to comprehend what was going on in front of her. The feline from the feast who was once casually holding conversation with everyone was looming over Gareeku, having knocked him unconscious. Moonlight and florescent emerald energy oscillated through the room, illuminating the entirety of the chamber with ethereal, silver-shamrock light.
"Alrighty kitty," Keaton said nastily, wishing ardently that she hadn't forgotten her mace in the other room, "I think now is the time you back the hell off."
Unfortunately, the feline happened to do more than what she ordered, leaping out of the window with Gareeku in tow. Cursing loudly, Keaton rushed over to the window, ignoring the pearlescent feline seated nearby as she peered down at the abyss below, swearing fitfully under her breath. "...%^&*."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Outside the window there was nothing but a sheer drop, at least three hundred feet down onto hard, steep and jagged rockface, down which one foolish enough to jump out would most probably roll hard for a long while, crushing their bones. But Keaton could see no trace of the feline nor of Gareeku, neither down the side of the cliff, nor on the wall of the monastery. The feline might have flown off with the wolf, but if that had been the case she should still have been able to see them, and there was not a hint of either of them in sight. It was as if they had been swallowed up by the night itself.
Just how correct this was, none in the group could suspect, except possibly Gareeku himself, had he been awake. But right then he was in no state to make any speculations at all, bumping along unconscious over the feline's shoulder as he emerged running from the shadows further down and around the cliff, making a rounding turn to avoid detection before he could hit the forest further up and really start moving. When the wolf awoke, he was going to find himself far from his room...
Get moving, Mel! 'Ignatz' thought, before he would slip away from the spell.
Mel suppressed a frustrated growl as the cubi rushed after Ignatz and got between her and the window. The feline stayed closer to the door. She heard Ignatz demanding that she follow. "I'm trying she thought impatiently. She cast a quick illusion, hopefully the pantheress was close enough to be caught as well. It only took a moment for the spell to take effect, a hungry look coming into the jackal's eyes. The spell was an illusion that tapped the subject's own memory so they saw something intensely desired. Mel gently prodded the girl out of the way and jumped onto the windowsill and out.
Listening to the jackal's answer, Aisha followed her with the same intense urgency as she yanked the knob and rushed into the darkness of the room, her tail ring causing an immense flash to the eyes in the mist of the flowing and malicious energy within, and her sword taking on the gleam as she raised it against whatever was inside.
What she saw made her freeze, and made her grip on the hilt loosen to the point of almost dropping the blade. No.
Gareeku, bound and helpless in the grasp of a horrid presence...she would have instantly thought "demon" with the levels of darkness that her ring had been picking up.
And it took a moment to recognize the face in the mixed glow of the light that she was casting. Ignatz...the stranger...her eyes shot wide open in surprise before returning to something resembling seething anger for the deception. The thing had before radiated such darkness that it sent a shudder through the warrior's spine. Despite that, her eyes narrowed with such dangerous intensity, and she almost leaped immediately after them, were it not for the fact that the jackal had rushed forth with her own assault.
Aisha only quirked an eyebrow to the note of fact that she was a 'Cubi...but her grip on the sword tightened, and she too rushed forth, too preoccupied. "Put him down!" She roared, swiping and missing at the feline-beast as he dove out of the window, carrying the wolf with him. "HALT!" She leaned out of the window, frantically scanning the night...but to no avail. They had vanished, and all that was left was her voice echoing off the mountain, a steep drop to which there was no hope of leaping out of. "Gareeku!"
She stood listening to the jackal's cursing, and inwardly, she cursed herself too, closing her eyes while her claws futiley tried to gouge into the windowsill. No way is this happening. No way. Should have sensed it earlier. Too preoccupied with her inner frustration she was, in fact, to have noticed the other feline's illusion...but her eyes only opened to an empty room, bar for herself and Keaton.
They had a determined gleam to them. Not...going...to happen. I swore on it. I swore I would help. I won't sit here. With that, she moved away from the open window, only pausing to give the jackal's shoulder a gentle shove. There would have to be time for introductions a little later. She rushed with loud footfalls out of the door and back to her room to get her weapons belt.
Along the way, the scuffle and shouting might have awakened a few...but Aisha would make sure that they were awakened indeed, shouting down the corridor. "They took him! They took Gareeku!"
Keaton withdrew herself from the window frame after realizing that there was no way to pursue Gareeku's abductor, releasing one, final profanity before whirling around to face the afore-ignored feline standing nearby. "You!" she snapped, her chocolaty eyes narrowed, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing--"
Before she could finish her interrogations, the spell smacked her right in the face, mist hazing over the cocoa surface of her eyes from behind the mismatched, bizarrely-shaped lenses of her glasses. Keaton backed away from both feline and window, dizziness sending her mind spinning like a whirlwinding top. Gripping her forehead, the jackal groaned as the illusionary enchantment started to cloud her mind, warping reality and shaping it to fit what her innermost desires quested for...
At first dismissing this spell as a mere distraction, Keaton started to glare triumphantly at the feline with a nasty, snide comment on her lips, but stopped abruptly once the room and everything in it--save the ebony panther standing across from her--vanished. Standing before her, making no movement nor saying anything, were two figures: both jackals, both decorated with spiraling markings identical to hers, albeit different in coloration--one was hued in shades of black; the other a lurid yellow, her hair and part of her fur having been dyed a vibrant shade of florescent pink and black--both females, and both sporting leathery pairs of wings.
Almost instantly their names came to Keaton's lips, unconsciously forming the words but not speaking them aloud. She didn't need to. She knew them perfectly well, had loved them, and had known them for almost all her life.
Mom? Lian--
A gentle push startled Keaton out of her delusional status, the jackal grunting in surprise as the hallucination around her faded away instantly. There was no trace of any spell having taken place in the room, no sign of her family...
Instinctual rage seized Keaton's mind. Snarling in fury at the one who would DARE manipulate her memories and desires, Keaton bared her pearlescent teeth like enamel daggers as her head snapped back and forth, eyes scanning the room fervently for the feline who had cast the mirage. No sign of her. The deceitful feline's absence only infuriated Keaton even more, the jackal Cubi clenching her fists. Growling rolled like echoing thunder in the back of her throat, fire leaping like dancing sparks in Keaton's eyes. It took every conscious shred of effort in her body to restrain her from whipping out her wings and shredding the room to pieces, but instead of giving into her anger, Keaton choked out one last, unintelligible, incoherent--and ultimately indecipherable in emotion or gesture--sound, the only exposure of her weakness.
Then after Aisha had stormed out of the room, she grabbed the nearest thing she could find--an unfortunate pillow from off of Gareeku's bed--and flung it with all her might out the window, stifling an enraged roar.
Standing resolutely, her breaths coming in short gasps, Keaton watched in cruel satisfaction as the overstuffed cushion flew out of sight, swallowed up by darkness in the pit of the abyss.
And with that out of the way, Keaton whirled around on her heels, schooled her face into an expression of shock and horror, and stormed out the door in search of her weapon.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Jakob was so intent on the problem of James that he totally failed to hear or sense the kerfuffle going on at the further end of the dormitory. Aisha's distraught cry quickly brought him to his senses though, and becoming fully visible, he tore down the corridor to meet her.
Shit! he thought, I knew there would be trouble. I hate it when my paranoia is justified.
"What happened?" he asked her urgently.
Ephrael's Room
Very much asleep, Eph barely heard Aisha's yell. Rolling over she murmured, "just 5 more minutes Jade." and dozed off again.
It was quite some time left until dawn, and even though Gareeku had set himself to resting earlier, being knocked out and then manhandled for a couple of hours was not exactly the best way to stay asleep. Feeling heat on his face and his back against a rather rough support, and being propped up in a more or less uncomfortable position 'helped' him to consciousness too. Blurry-eyed and feeling dizzy, the wolf found himself sitting slumped sideways against something, probably a rock, in front of a small, crackling fire, out in the open woods. Looking down, he could see that his feet were shackled, a heavy but loose chain between them. A quick feel to his wrists revealed that they were similarly restrained, though probably with a solid metal rod between them to keep him from moving his hands too much.
The wolf did not have time to assay the situation more carefully before he heard faint steps, and a dark shape walked around the rock, even more silently than its determined and smooth movements should have accounted for.
"You're awake, I see. I had expected you to sleep until morning, but it seems you're tougher than that." The wolf recognized the smooth voice, and he could see Ignatz clearly as the feline sat down into the light from the fire. He was dressed differently from before, with some sort of black wrappings over his arms under an open, loose shirt of some sort, pants in some heavy cloth, tough shoes that were much like boots, some wraps and a huge knife stuck to his belt. A pair of holsters were strapped to his thighs on the pants, holding a pair of huge guns. Had the man just had a black coat and duster hat, he would have been the very image of some uppity bounty hunter. Then again, there was the book he was holding thumbed in his right hand and the glasses that he shifted back on the bridge of his muzzle as he leaned back against a felled tree and relaxed, smiling at the wolf.
"Don't bother struggling. We're forty miles from your friends, and that's a long way to run in chains," the big cat murred lowly.
As she gathered herself, there were angered throughts racing through Aisha's mind that had no hope yet of stopping. Not until the problem was solved. A part of her wondered quite a few things about the strangers...among the questions, just why were they after Gareeku? And how it was possible that the creatures responsible leaped from a window and disappeared entirely without breaking their necks on the mountainside?
Or Gareeku's, for that matter...the thought made her shudder. We're getting you back, amigo. Just to figure out how...
As she stormed from her room, she almost ran into Jakob, and she had a slight look of relief, for at least he would have been awake. The huntress's crimson eyes seemed to flash as she answered, only accentuating the severe truth of the events.
"That stranger, Ignatz, and his 'sister'. Damn those beasts, they tricked us. Captured Gareeku and leaped out of the window before we could stop them." She growled with frustration, then set to wake everybody. "We're going after them."
With a slight groan, Gareeku slowly came to. His head throbbed slightly from the blow he had received. At first the wolf didn't remember what had happened, but it soon came flooding back to him, causing his eyes to snap open as he sat up quickly. Looking around his surroundings, Gareeku found himself to be in a dark forest, still in the cover of night.
Seemed like he definitely wasn't in the temple anymore.
Suddenly hearing the familiar smooth voice, Gareeku quickly looked up and found himself looking at a familiar face; Ignatz, dressed ina different attire than before.
"You..." the wolf growled. Although the feline was smiling at him, Gareeku had no intention upon returning the smile, displaying a slight grimace, his eyes narrowed as he glared into Ignatz's own pair. He didn't know whether Ignatz's so-called "sister" was, and right then he didn't care. Ignatz would do perfectly for a verbal punching bag.
However, Gareeku decided not to let his anger get the better of him, and so with a bit of effort, calmed himself down.
"Just what is it you want?" he asked, preferring to get straight to the point. It wasn't as if he was in the most ideal situation to be anything but, anyway.
"The map!" said Jakob desperately to Aisha. "Is it still there? Did they take his possessions too or just him? Because if it's the same group who kidnapped my father that map may be our only clue!"
The feline chuckled at Gareeku's question, setting down his book beside him and looking over at the wolf over the rim of those glasses, and then smiled as one might to a dog who executes a trick just as it should.
"Reasonable. Good. I can imagine how upset you are, but..." Ignatz said, still as smoothly. He wasn't about to say that he could smell it. "Well, it's basically you that I want. And what you know."
The feline settled a bit against the tree close behind him, and fingered his pocket. He pulled out an etui of slim cigars that looked handrolled and put one in his mouth, then snapped his fingers and lit a flame on his thumb. Lighting his cigar on it, he pulled on the length, leaned back, and then looked up and breathed out a long stream of bluish smoke.
"You have quite the bounty on you, Mr. Manoko. Enough to mark you as a target to anyone on this end of the whole continent. One wonders what a seemingly straight-cut guy like you might have done to deserve that," the cat said, beginning to small-talk to get to his point. "It would be unfortunate to miss out on such a thing, if there's only weeks left for you to go..." That was a good hint to get under the wolf's skin; he didn't know much about Gareeku's curse other than that he was doomed to die in short time, and that he seemed to have some darkness within him, though tightly locked up.
"That's mostly a bonus though," Ignatz continued, puffing slightly. For a second he looked over at the wolf. "You want one?" he said, indicating his cigar. "I've got shine too." When all he got was silence, he went back to leaning and looking up. "Ah, well. As I said, it's but a bonus. What's in your head is a lot more useful than the price that's on it." The feline made a smoke ring, and then grinned. "See, you're going to tell me about those kidnappings you've been involved with."
"...I don't know..."
Aisha froze in place as she heard Jakob's suggestion, before slightly grinding her teeth and calming herself down. Of course! She made a quick turn back into what had been Gareeku's room, eyes quickly scanning around in the darkness. Momentarily, they fell back to the window, and there was a silent plea going through her head. Please let it be here...
The panthress made a quick and thorough search, hoping that it hadn't been taken along with the wolf's other possessions. Or that it had at least fallen off of him. If it wasn't there, then all of their hope for finding their comrade would have been hinged only on the direction that they had gone...or a knowledge of the area that none of the others perhaps even had.
And then she spotted something in the dark shadows, a parchment beneath the bed. She pulled it out, dusted it off, and glanced over the markings. She had only ever glimpsed the map once when she had joined the party. But she remembered the riddle...and she was certain this was it. "Only the gods give this kind of luck," she muttered before turning around and back to Jakob.
The panthress paused to try reading the landmarks, before handing it to him. "This would be it? You all have had more chances to look at it than I have." She crossed her arms. At least now there was an idea of where to go...and soon.
Listening to Ignatz talk, Gareeku's eyes narrowed once more.
"I have my reasons..." the wolf stated flatly in response to the feline's comment on why he would have a bounty on his head. Now that Ignatz had spoke of the bounty, Gareeku immediately assumed that this was the reason he had been captured. In his time as an adventurer he had most likely pissed off a creature or two, that was only natural in a world such as Furrae. If you're going to undertake a profession such as adventuring or bounty hunting, you were almost certain to get on the wrong side of a few people. Though the fact that he was still alive at this point was at that moment somewhat surprising to him, but the wolf assumed that it was probably only a matter of time before his captor did something about that. From Gareeku's experience, people who had put a bounty on your head tended to want the head the bounty had been put on. Literally.
What the feline commented on next, however, immediately struck a chord with the wolf, causing him to growl softly with anger.
"How did you know?!" he snapped in response, his temper getting the better of him for a second. True, he had shared his dilemma with his allies and friends, albeit somewhat unwillingly, but he had not expected what he regarded as a total stranger to know of it. Pushing this thought aside for the time being, Gareeku listened as Ignatz continued speaking. "No thanks. I don't smoke."
What Ignatz would say next, however, would cause Gareeku to raise his eyebrow somewhat from the mix of confusion and curiosity. Why would this guy want to know what he knew about the kidnappings? Had someone he had known been kidnapped by the same person too? Had he too gotten a letter similar to the others? Hadn't they already got all the letters they needed to complete the map? The answers to these questions were, at that point at least, unknown to him, but the wolf had a funny feeling he would find out sooner or later, and he preferred it to be sooner.
Still, the wolf's eyebrow soon lowered as he resumed the samer hard look he had been displaying throughout the time he had been listening to the feline talk. "Give me one good reason why I should tell you anything."
The shock received by his knowledge of the wolf's 'issue' was as expected, though perhaps a bit more composed and less sorrow-inducing than Ignatz had hoped. It was the comment about refusing to tell though, that brought a smile to his face again. The feline chuckled a bit, showing sharp teeth, and there came an air about him that turned his handsome, smooth composure to nearing cruelty for a second. The guy had a practiced aura of evil to him at least.
"You're sounding as if you won't cooperate. I wonder how easy that could be..." the feline purred, and studied his claws as if he'd never seen them before, as they blackened and lengthened out of his fingers slightly. He shot Gareeku a sharp, gleaming-eyed look, which made the fire in front of him reflect more than it should have in his eyes. "Of course with me you have a choice, if I am still to claim the full bounty on you. But even if I'm good at... extracting information, I don't have a snowball's chance against a certain close friend of mine. Mel, if you please?"
The feline grinned, and looked up at the other cat, approaching from out of the forest on the opposite side of the fire.
The grey feline made her way around the fire, skirting to the edges of the pool of light it formed. It was visible that she had changed from the impractical flowing gown she had dined in to a long slim, calf-length jacket of grey suede and high boots of the same color. When she had to step into the light to approach Gareeku it became apparent that her outfit was of the same high quality as the gown she had worn earlier. If Ignatz looked to be the perfect bounty hunter, his "sister" looked like a rich kid playing at being an adventurer.
Mel knelt beside Gareeku, neatly tucking the tails of her coat behind her to show black trousers tucked into her boots. She pulled a glove off and picked a wayward strand of hair out of the wolf's face. "Don't worry, Mr. Manoko. It's a painless and entirely non-damaging procedure. In fact most people never realize anything has occurred." Her blue eyes seemed to become brighter and her voice very soft and reassuring, like a mother soothing her child through a medical procedure. She even continued to neaten his hair as a mother would. "All you need to do is sit there and listen to me talk about kidnappings... relatives... friends... letters... a map... bounty hunters..." She paused quite a while between each word, her eyes going a bit distant as if she was thinking hard or concentrating on hearing a sound far away. Eventually her hand dropped away and she stared into the darkness for a long moment before turning to the other feline. "He adds little."
Ignatz snorted lowly and looked almost irritatedly up at Mel.
"He was the main target. There has to be something there," he said, and made a short pause to fix his 'sister's' gaze. "Show me."
Mel didn't seem to fluster, but simply looked back. For a second, both of their pairs of eyes glowed as if lit slightly from the inside, before they broke the connection and Ignatz simply looked back at her, daring her to keep it up. When she averted her gaze, so did he, looking into the fire instead and seeming to ponder for a moment. Then his face turned just a bit into a scowl, and his gaze fixed solidly on Gareeku.
"You're not hiding anything from us, are you, mister?" he murred, getting up and walking over to sit down on his haunches right next to the wolf. "Chances are that you don't know the slightest about how to trick Mel here, but I don't gamble much..." His voice was even smoother and lower than before, but the edge behind it was apparrent, like silk pulled over a blade. "It would be better for you to tell."
Ignatz's face wasn't lit anymore, yet his eyes kept their glow. And this close, Gareeku could see as something moved inside his neck, as if a snake or something had crawled up under his skin and over his neck and shoulder. It passed only for a second, then grew still. But the feline's point was made.
Gareeku said nothing as the others, spoke, choosing to let Mel search his mind for information, though not before giving her a look that, if looks could kill, would have seen a fair few people at least. He didn't resist because he had nothing to hide, and Mel's statement to her "brother" after she had searched his mind only served to prove this.
At Ignatz sat next to him, Gareeku glared at the feline, looking into his eyes eyes without a single flinch, even when his face wasn't lit anymore and when the wolf notice what looked like something crawling underneath the feline's skin out of the corner of his eye.
"I have nothing to hide." the wolf replied in a dangerous sounding growl. "I am trying to find my family. If I don't get to them before my time runs out then they will probably die too."
Ignat'z scowl did not let up, but his lips quirked at least a bit as he held Gareeku's gaze.
"A pity then. My condolences." He grinned after that statement, showing just what he thought of that, and then got up, walking over and propping himself against that tree again. "Your choice to hide it away. Might just have been a bad move, puppy. Not that I care," he said smugly, and then closed his eyes, staying silent for a bit. Mel had already begun distancing herself from the fire, and he called back after her after a while.
"We'll go back to town after we rest out. Then I think there's still places to look around in Garin's Bay and Zinvth," he called, just loud enough that she should hear him clearly. Then he spoke again with a smirk, not opening his eyes but clearly directing his words toward Gareeku. "Too bad you're not worth anything more than money, wolf. I guess you'll just end up dead now. But it's not as if you had expected anything else, now did you?"
Mel circled back towards the fire. "Before you finalize those plans you might want to see if you can drag any clues out of this." She set a small square of jasper on the large boulder and a moment later a topographical map hovered above the rough stone. With a gesture a ghost of a piece of paper fluttered above it then slowly sank, merging into the map. "Everything he remembers about the map he was sent is now represented in red on my map. Shall we see where his mysterious letter writer was sending him?"
Gareeku's attempt at trying to reason with his captors would seem to prove futile, his eyes widened somewhat as the feline seemed to mock the fact that he would not be able to save his family.
"Bastard!!" the wolf roared, his temper finally flaring up as Ignatz's words had clearly got to him. "You can't do this! I need to save my family!"
At this point, whenever Gareeku was speaking he was growling with rage, glaring up at Ignatz with a mix of anger, despair, and hate. He had no idea whether the others knew he had been taken, but at this point he was presuming they hadn't. It was bad enough he was dying. But being denied the opportunity to save his family, the only family he had left, was something he could not accept.
"Fuck you." the wolf growled in reply to Ignatz's last comment. Now, more than ever, he was determined to find a way out, though that would be easier said than done, to say the least.
"That's it," Jakob said to Aisha, studying the map in relief before folding it carefully and placing it in one of the many pockets of his trenchcoat. Then he slapped himself.
"What am I thinking...? We should ask the Oracles what they know."
The big cat grinned as Gareeku lost his temper. Now, that had ticked him off allright. Seemed this one had more of a soft spot for others than he did for his own safety or displeasure. He would keep that in mind.
Ignatz's eyes then turned toward the map in front of him, scanning the outline of it. His eyes narrowed in sequence with his grin fading slowly, and after a while he made a disdainful face at the whole business.
"It doesn't tell us anything specifically, I see. He's got Pathrim marked out on it, but it's only one of the towns... Well, the less business for us and the shorter trip, I guess. Congratulations, Mr. Manoko. You'll probably be dead by the dawn after this." That comment he delivered not with any sort of mockery, but simply with calm and factual resignation.
[[Retcon'd]]
Aisha's frustration was slowly growing. The longer they waited, the more likely that Gareeku would have been taken further away. Or worse, killed. The panthress had a hand to her forehead, but at least she was relieved to have found the map.
She quirked an eyebrow however to Jakob's suggestion. "The Oracles?" She scoffed. "Pardon me for being harsh, but those birds haven't been helpful so far and I doubt they'd be helpful now. We're on our own." She glanced up, and down the corridors again. Aisha had started to say something else, but then just closed her mouth. She wasn't about to start an argument.
She met the 'Cubi's gaze, then sighed with finality and walked between the hall of doors. "We need to wake everyone up." And with that, she began to harshly slam her fist on the doors, each twice or three times in sequence to make sure that nobody would be left behind.
"Aisha, they knew Gareeku was dying," said Jakob, starting to lose patience himself. "Now, you could be entirely right. It could all be have been done by an accomplished mind-reader. But I would like to think that visiting this temple would be worth all the lives we sacrificed to reach it!"
He sighed, trying to contain his rising frustration and then went to help her wake the others.
"Anger only clouds your mind. Calmness allows for thinking a situation through with more effectiveness." A voice suddenly said from the side. Approaching them from down the hallway was the Phoenix Oracle they had seen earlier that evening, the ever-present calm expression on her face as she walked up to the pantheres and wolf incubus. "An ally approaches with something to aid your search. As for the location on Mr. Manoko...you will find him in the hands of those in pursuit of answers and wealth. They will not stay in the location they are at for long, so when your ally arrives, you must act quickly."
Turning to walk away, the Oracle then paused, looking over her shoulder with her calm expression.
"The wolf warrior will be taken to a town not far from here, nor is it far from his current location. He is currently near to where the land meets the water of the world. You will know where to look." The Oracle stated, before walking off. It was strange indeed; she was not being that vague like Oracles normally were. It was almost as if she felt concerned for them, for Gareeku, and for their goals, though it was quite well hidden behind that calm expression of hers.
Keaton joined up with the group the moment Aisha started banging on the doors to alert everyone, having regained her composure and muzzled her anger the best she could. Upon hearing the plan about interrogating the Oracles, she was skeptical--after all, she had attempted the same thing before she was led into the dining hall, and had caused quite an uproar while she was at it.
As though spiting her animosity for the obscurity of the Phoenix Oracle, one of the aforementioned prophets appeared from the side. The fiery avian approached them with a serene, entranced look of practiced calmness on her be-beaked face, speaking in a nearly ethereal voice of utmost tranquility. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to uphold the notorious secretive dialogue of the other Oracles--in fact, she was rather helpful, much to Keaton's obvious shock.
Feeling somewhat guilty, the Succubus tried to look as distant as possible, inclining her head away until the Oracle departed.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Ignatz may have delivered the news that Gareeku would be dead by sunrise in a tone that had no mockery present, but this didn't make the wolf any less angry.
"No!" he exclaimed, struggling with his cuffs in vain. "You can't do this!"
Time passed, and as it did so, Gareeku's protests had gradually ceased. It had now been just under three hours, and the wolf was now sat silent, staring into the fire which was still burning. His expression, however, was not of someone who had given up hope, but of someone whose resolve refused to be crushed. It was then that the wolf slowly, but surely and quietly, got to his feet, before trying to sneak off as quietly as he could, hoping his captors would not notice until it was too late.
The panther soon finished knocking on the doors, perhaps a few of them twice as it was hard to keep track of her progress under pretense of frustration. She had barely listened to Jakob's point about the Oracles, but she was keeping still to the notion that they would have preferred to stay out of such dangerous business.
She would have kept thinking that, had it not been for the fact that the same Oracle as before appeared before them. Aisha listened to and watched her calm explanation with her arms crossed. At first she had been skeptical of the Phoenix's approach with words of high wisdom. Hrmph, she sounds just like Mistress Rynkura. Then her expression softened, until she was reduced to a state of slight amazement at the straight-forwardness that the Oracle had shown, at least as much as it could.
"An ally, huh?" Aisha hummed after a moment, curiosity overcoming her more negative emotions. Another push in the right direction, given from one of the slightly less reliable of sources. But whomever it was, the party would have to take the help.
The huntress glanced to Jakob, somewhat apologetically. "I guess you might've been right about the Oracles. Now just to find where to go..." she trailed off, pondering the information. Could it be on the map?
"Apology accepted," grinned Jakob. "Although to be honest I'm almost suspicious of how straightforward that was." his smile faded as he turned his mind to the task at hand.
"If and when I have a spare day or so, I'm going to have to warp back here and have a good, long chat with these Oracles..." he muttered to himself as he removed the map.
"The words on it keep changing," he explained. "It said 'You must first journey to a land where many a winged creature dwell. Not a town, nor a village.' We took that to mean a Phoenix Temple. Perhaps now we're here, it will change its message again."
He stared intently at the paper.
The wolf was surprisingly skilled at sneaking, or it was something he had practiced before. By looping the chain between his feet around his ankle and keeping it tense he could sacrifice some mobility for silence and make off without disturbing his captors. A quick glance at the feline over by his tree revealed that he seemed to be sleeping soundly, having shifted off to the side a bit and breathing slowly, somehow able to make do with these rugged surroundings and only a coat for extra support and cushioning.
When the wolf turned and headed away, Ignatz stayed in place. Although, though it was not easily visible once Gareeku had gotten out of range, his ear twitched a bit and then swiveled slightly in the fleeing man's direction.
Then, just to be sure, once he was out of normal earshot, Gareeku turned and peered between the trees in the direction of the fire. And stopped. The feline was gone.
"Bad dog!"
The voice came from right behind him, and Gareeku turned, only to see Ignatz's face grinning at him, his eyes gleaming specks of irises inside black corneas. Then, as surprisingly as his appearance had been, the big cat landed a strike with the palm of his hand into the middle of Gareeku's torso, too slowly to make more than a bruise but strongly enough to throw him over back and down on the ground.
"I think you might need a collar..." the black and white feline said seriously, and flipped out something he had placed in his belt. It was indeed a collar, though with a somewhat odd design, with a sort of lock on the front. "You know what these are?" he asked bemusedly.
Once he got a good look, Gareeku knew what they were allright. He'd seen them in his business, with revulsion at the first demonstration of them that he had witnessed. They were called "Mindleashes", a sort of mental restraining device that forcefully pushed their wearers down into their subconscious and rendered them still and docile. Essentially, they took away most of the intelligence and thought from their wearers, allowing one to issue simple enough commands to them, and were sold once to slavers to make their business easier. The things were banned since long, long ago, but one could still find one or two that had not been destroyed in the right market, though the only ones still existing should have been made museum pieces.
Ignatz watched Gareeku's realization, and smirked. Then, he went over to the wolf and roughly lifted him up with that same strength of before, and turned him against the fire.
"I won't hesitate to use it. I already would have, if I didn't find it so repulsive. Now, march!"
The order didn't leave much question. And Gareeku soon found that they would be marching quite some time. After a quick rest and then packing, they were on their way to Pathrim, a coastal city nearby. They started walking by sunrise, and it took them nearly to midday with a steady tempo to get there. Ignatz, having proven his point about escape already, rid Gareeku of the shackles around his legs to let him walk less hidered, but kept a wary eye on the wolf still. It would, quite oddly, be harder for him to keep check on and restrain the man in sunlight.
Seeing Ignatz like that was certainly a shock to the system, before Gareeku was knocked over, landing on the ground with a grunt. Looking up at the feline, the wolf looked on in disgust as Ignatz brought out the Mindleash. They knew very well what the Mindleashes were, and was replused at the mere thought of using one on somebody.
Having been dragged onto his feet, the wolf said nothing, though it was clear that he wasn't exactly fond of being someone's bounty. Doing as he was told, Gareeku walked on. Now that Ignatz had revealed he had, amazingly, had a Mindleash in his possession, the wolf was slightly more cautious about trying anything. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't.
"Did you know your 'brother' has a Mindleash?" Gareeku asked the other feline, his eyebrow raised as he spoke. "It makes one wonder where he got one, what with them being banned and all, unless he robbed a museum or something."
Walking on some more, the wolf silently wondered what time it was. It was surprising that, despite the lack of sleep, Gareeku felt quite awake, the wolf putting it down to the fact that the ordeal he was going through must have caused the adrenaline in his body to take effect.
"So what's your story, anyway? Just in it for the cash? I'm also curious as to what you wanted from me anyway. Besides the price on my head that is." Gareeku said rather flatly, before a smirk formed on his face. "It's not like I'll be living long enough to spill the beans, anyway."
"This is the best you could do, Art?"
"You asked for military-grade wheeled transportation at short notice. I'm not a mage."
"Alright, alright. Guess it'll have to do."
Arc cast a glance back to the Wolfhound that had been acquired. It was not armed, as he had hoped, but nevertheless it would perform as an ample mode of transportation through the forest and surrounding terrain, and seated plenty of people.
"The tank's full and she's in top condition apart from the mud on the wheels. You know what strings I had to pull to get you this?"
"Far more than you'd like?"
"Quite!"
"Jeez, no need to shout."
"Look, just get going already, you don't have a lot of time."
"What do you mean?"
"Just go already, and trust me for once will you?"
"Fine, I'm going."
He grumbled as he hopped into the vehicle's driver seat and slammed the door, starting it up, the headlights throwing light ahead of the vehicle. Subtle like a Vogon's poetry is lyrical, but then it wasn't exactly the most quiet method of transportation either.
Art shook his head and hurried into one of the buildings as the weather started to worsen, a light rain filling the air, and set back to work. He wondered how long it would take to get what he wanted... but that was a story for another time. There were more important things to worry about. He sighed to himself as he heard the vehicle departing into the night, and thumbed the gate controls to the flood-lit compound to lock out the outside world, wandering over to one of the many computers in the building and checking on it.
~~
The road was long, unpleasant and most of all worsened by the rain. Fortunately, the Wolfhound was built to tackle these situations and even worse ones, for that matter. Arc grumbled to himself as he peered through the windscreen, following the path as best he could, the only sound being that of the engine and the repetitive thumping and squeaking of the windscreen wipers.
((OOC: The Wolfhound is an HMMWV in all but name, and is configured as discussed, capable of carrying several people.))
Mel was getting more and more sullen and short-tempered as their walk went on. It was getting warmer and warmer as they traveled, more than she would have believed even on a sunny day, and she was feeling increasingly miserable. When the wolf addressed her she snapped at him. "What of it? It's only been about four hundred years. I'm sure lots of creatures still have one or two stuffed in the back of the closet."
Mel didn't listen to what the wolf might have for a response because something off the side of the road caught her attention. There was a small pool, which was fairly normal except that it was steaming. Steaming as in very hot, as in volcanic activity, as in too hot for her comfort. "Ignatz, what sort of place are we going?"
"Pathrim," Mel's 'brother' replied, walking steadily on, one hand thumbing the large revolver at his side. "It's a coast town, as I'm sure you could tell from the map. Never been there, but I hear they have really nice hot springs. And restaurants." He trudged a short distance longer, before sighing and resuming his description.
"It's a big town. Not as big as they come, but I'd guess it's not far off a hundred and fifty thousand people. They live off trade and fishing, and off the tourism and mining they get from the volcano. That's where the name comes from. I think it was from the founder, who named the volcano itself, and then a city grew from the place once they found out they could use it..."
As they walked, the surroundings began to change noticeably in tems of vegetation and topography, the soil favoring other types of plants and the landscape becoming more uneven and rough. Away, somewhere off, one could spot the clouds rounding, and as they began to see the first outlying buildings, heading down a bit, they caught sight of a huge shape through the trees, its tip just a bit white.
"Judging by the local terrain, I can stop wishing that it's one of those nice dead volcanoes covered in snow." Mel trudged along a while longer in sullen silence. Although the temperature wasn't really that high she looked miserable, with a drooped tail and chin sunk halfway to her chest. "Stupid wolf," she grumbled, mostly under her breath. "I could have been in a nice normal city like Zinvith that doesn't have a stupid flaming volcano in the middle." She kicked at the rocks in the road, muttering to herself and gathering odd stares from the increasing traffic, probably as many as the manacled wolf. Then she remembered something that lightened some of her foul mood. "You said mining. Gem or metals? Will we have a few minutes to shop after we turn him in or are you planning to head straight to Garin's Bay?" She now looked torn, as if she didn't know which idea pleased her more.
Ephrael's Room
Startled by thumping on her door, Eph sat upright in her bed. Now hearing the comotion in the hallways she quickly put her clothes and weapons back on. Sitcking her head out she spoted Aisha. "Whats going on?"
Hearing the female snap at him, Gareeku growled angrily.
"Well if I didn't know better, I'd say you condoned the use of those disgusting collars!" the wolf snapped back at Mel, though he did not turn to her. If people were going to snap at him, then considering the situation he was now in, Gareeku was perfectly willing to snap right back. "I swear...the sooner you drop me off, the better..."
As they walked on, Gareeku could see the landscape beginning to change as Ignatz talked of the town of Pathrim. It was clear to see that the lush vegetation they were walking through was beginning to become more sparse, gradually being replaced with a more rocky and barren terrain; the sort of terrain the area around a volcano sported. Gareeku knew of Pathrim very well, though he had never actually been there himself. Glancing at Mel, Gareeku raised an eyebrow for a second at her miserable expression.
I guess she isn't one for volcanic environments... the wolf thought to himself.
Aisha stared with more curiosity than intensity at the map Jakob held. "The words change...?" she had started to say, but trailed off when she noticed that they appeared to have little hope of changing at that moment. The party seemed to have been at their destination, and yet...perhaps it was because not everyone in their group was there.
Hearing Ephrael's voice, Aisha quirked an ear in her direction, followed by a glance, the same that held calm frustration. "Gareeku's been kidnapped, that's what. We need the others up too."
Where land meets water... she thought, glancing back to the map. Aisha glimpsed the whole of the landscape on the parchment until it fell on a little point to the sea. "There's a coastal city," she said, almost as if it were a statement of ephiphany. There was slow relief, but not much. The Oracle's information was coming into light.
Her head snapped up. "That just leaves our 'ally', whoever that is."
When pathrim came into view, it was easy to see just how large and established a city it was. Stone and clay and armored buildings terraced and crowded around a large bay where sea vessels of all kinds floated lazily, just a few moving in or out of it. Most of the buildings were no more than three or perhaps five stories tall, but in places one could spot taller mansions and estates, large houses privately owned by nobles or firms, or leased out to foreign delegations. And elsewhere were much taller buildings, like some cylindrical cisterns, like huge, egg-white stone paperweights on the outskirts of the town, or the towering church at the heart of it. One hundred and fifty thousand might have been a stable population, but the place looked like it could hold many times that number in times of activity. Everywhere was white and cream-colored stone or paint. The aqueducts coming in from the north and the large clusters of windmill-like buildings on the greening slopes down against the city only added to the impression of some modern mediterranean city.
And then there was Pathrim itself, the volcano, a giant standing on an offshoot of land that perfected the semicircle of the bay, right to the northwest of the town. Its tip, hidden just slightly between thin clouds, smoked lightly in the midday sun. On its slopes, if one looked closely, one could see a few buildings too, and rougher, bigger and more purposefully built structures went out from the north of the town against it, thinning a bit as they went.
It was just the sort of town that seemed to prosper, and where one imagined one could get hold of anything.
The two felines and the wolf walked along, now entering a well-paved path leading to one of the city's nearer gates. They passed the windmills standing around and a few houses and taverns, heading for the heart of the town.
"I would imagine you can find most things here," Ignatz responded to Mel. He nodded toward the buildings closing in on the volcano that shot from the sea. "And at least I will be staying for a while. Have to find a good way to spend some of my earnings. I hear they have pretty good bathhouses..." he said, and chuckled, stepping along the near-white road.
Grabing her pack Ephrael rushed out the door and up to Aisha. Looking at the city they pointed out Eph cried out. "Pathrim? I live there!"
"You come from Pathrim? Well that makes our search easier." a voice said from behind Ephrael. Standing there was Blaze, having come out of his room after Aisha had banged on his door. Behind him, Gabi was walking up to the group, both of them having heard that Gareeku had been kidnapped, though to them the culprits were currently unknown.
__________________________
As they entered the town, Gareeku looked around, observing the architecture of the buildings they passed. Listening to Ignatz's talk of how he would spend the money he got from the bounty, the wolf grimaced, though he did not look at the feline.
Even with his great desire to escape, Gareeku knew his situation was bad. He no longer had his sword, which was back in his room in the phoenix temple. He could use his magic and other abilities, but then there was always the issue of the Mindleash, and the wolf knew with great disgust that Ignatz would hold true to his word and not hesitate to use it. Not only that, but he had a feeling none of his allies and friends knew where he was, though deep down he hoped he was wrong, and along with now being in a city he had never visited before and therefore knew no one in it, the situation certainly looked grim.
Staying silent, Gareeku continued to walk, continually observing the surroundings, the streets, the alleyways, everything, hoping that a miracle in the form of an opportunity to escape would arise. The wolf knew, however, that the chances that miracle would come along were slim at best.
Walking to the heart of the town took its time, as distances are always greater than they seem, especially when dealing with uneven terrain. But soon enough they arrived in front of a large mansion, seemingly some leased out merchant's building, white columns holding up the roof over an old but neatly planned and maintained front entrance.
Ignatz ascended the low stairs leading up to the entrance. The two guards on duty, one canine and one raccoon, standing ready in matching reddish outfits at the top of the steps eyed him critically, with the common look of disapproval that such guards all seem to be able to make, the same way they eyed Gareeku and his restrained hands. One might have wondered what they thought they could do against either of them. Guards were commonly those too serious and unimaginative or just not good enough to become adventurers. Adventurers and bounty hunters were in a bit of a class of their own. That is to say, those who managed to get by in their business.
"I've come to collect my bounty. Inform your master," Ignatz muttered to them, with a disapproval of their scrutiny that matched their stares.
Aisha blinked with surprise upon hearing Ephrael's declaration. "Pathrim, huh?" Her gaze returned to the map, settling on the little dot at the border of land and water that represented the city there. A smile spread on her face, the first time it had done so that night. "Wondrous. It looks like a trip, but not a horribly long one." The panthress sighed, wondering just how they were going to get there quickly, and figured that as long as they got there, they would have their advantage.
When she heard Blaze's voice, as well as Gabi's footsteps, Aisha turned to them with a greeting. That was the party mostly accounted for, but she waited until everyone awoke before saying that perhaps it was time for them to gather their supplies. She only paused to retrieve Gareeku's sword from where the wolf had left it.
Coming back though, Aisha's ears perked. There was a noise, faint, but approaching the temple fast with a very machine-like roar to it. "...The heck?" she muttered and motioned for the others to move, starting a navigation through the temple to the front doors.
Hearing the rumbling sounds as well, Gabi's ears perked.
"What is that noise?" the vixen asked curiously, before she and Blaze followed Aisha through the temple, making their way with the pantheress to the main entrance.
_________________________________________
Continuing to observe the streets as he was escorted through them, Gareeku looked up at the mansion as they ascended the stairs when they arrived with a raised eyebrow.
"Well now...someone isn't too bad off..." the wolf commented in a mutter, before turning to the rather grumpy-looking guards as Ignatz spoke to them.
For a second, the guards stayed silent when the feline before them spoke, their disapproving look still on their faces as they eyed the feline in front of them. It seems they weren't too fond of being ordered by a bounty hunter, though if they were going to be honest with themselves, it was probably out of a slight jealousy of the more flexible lifestyles that bounty hunters and adventurers enjoyed.
"...fine." the canine guard finally said in a gruff voice that sounded as equally as grumpy and disapproving as his facial expression, before turning to inform his master. "...wait here."
A few minutes passed, before the canine finally returned to where Gareeku and his captors were, as well as the raccoon guard, who had been staring at the three of them with the same disapproving expression while his comrade had been absent. This in turn had cause Gareeku to gruffly ask what he was looking at, only to be refused an answer as the raccoon stayed silent.
"The master will see you now." the canine guard said to the two felines as well as Gareeku, his voice still the same grumpy one from before. Turning around again, the canine walked back into the mansion. "Follow me."
Without much but a grumpy sigh, Ignatz grabbed Gareeku by the arm and forced him along, eliciting a mean look from the captured canine. But there was little to do but go along and hope for the best. Not that the best looked very good at all at the moment.
The rooms and hallways of the mansion were as well-structured and crafted as its fasade, with columnades and tapestries, ironwork and glass that matched and complimented its layout well. Most of the pictures hanging on the walls, by their motives of the sea or of mining, or picturesque images of squares and trading parties and docked ships, had to have come along with the mansion itself, being normal to these sorts of cities and in a familiar style. But whoever it was that hired the place at the time had also hung up their own pictures, most of them darker and in heavier frames as was customary to the north. And whoever they were, they also seemed to have a sense of style that favored ironwork and shades of red and black, the same colors that the guards wore. There were a good few more of those inside, as well as a few people who could not have been servants but still wore suits, carrying around books or walking along speaking silently to each other. If it were a company that hired the place, both Ignatz and Gareeku would probably have been surprised.
Finally, after having walked up a broad, rounded stairway in the main receiving hall, Ignatz, Mel and Gareeku arrived before a pair of large, solid doors of dark wood, its handles heavy brass rings. The guard didn't knock, but simply tapped the right door and then swung it open.
"Enter," he gruffed, and Ignatz did without hesitation, pulling Gareeku along and trailing Mel who seemed, as always, more careful and concerned about things.
Mel took a step to the side, into a shady spot on the portico to gain a little relief from the heat. Despite her heat induced misery she was amused at the guards and the looks they were given the shirtless, shoeless wolf. Evidently they didn't like the idea of letting the disheveled creature into their mansion. Eventually the message returned that they were to be admitted and she was relieved to reach the relative coolness of the inside. The house was tastefully decorated, although a little darker than her taste. The renter had money and knew how to spend it effectively.
The black-painted, unmarked Wolfhound pulled up outside of the Temple gates, it's thick all-terrain wheels crunching on the gravel as it slowed and stopped with a slight squeak. Fortunately, the rain had stopped since departure from the compound, which made things a lot nicer, even if it was dark and late. Arc hopped out, taking the keys with him and slamming the door, locking it. Looking up at the temple, he pondered driving the vehicle up the steps, but then realised that probably wouldn't be the best of ideas, even the Wolfhound could handle it without breaking a sweat.
As he leant back against the vehicle and chewed idly on what passed for 'rations', looking at the entrance to the Temple itself, he pondered what had happened that night in the Temple.
"That's odd," said Jakob as he heard the sound of an internal combustion engine. "That sounds like military technology to me. It's an Earth import." his voice trailed away as he remembered something from his brief stopover at SAIA and suddenly realised who the culprit would be.
"Oh gods. Arcalane...?" he looked around, but the Oracle was long gone.
"You said 'ally'!" he yelled furiously. "A-L-L-Y! Someone who is out to collect a bounty on my head does not spell 'ally' to me!"
He stormed out of the room, but the Oracles had done a fine job of making themselves scarce so with a supreme effort of will he forced himself to calm down and joined the others.
"I suppose we need all the help we can get," he muttered darkly. "but I don't trust him."
Disguise, he thought. He'll know anyway but if we're going to a city I'll attract less attention as a Being.
His headwings and backwings vanished, but he kept the trenchcoat. Zipping up the hole it had for his backwings, he cast a charm on it and the zip disappeared from view. Fishing in the pocket he drew out a pair of rose-tinted spectacles and lengthened his hair.
Now he looked exactly like he had in the happy days before Azrael's murder, and the warmth of the memory brought a smile to his face.
On the way to the door, the rumbling sounds grew louder, and Aisha grew more curious. Her ears flattened to her skull upon hearing Jakob's outbursts and glanced back at him with incredulity. "Arcalane?" She had remembered the name of the one who was after Jakob...and who wasn't exactly on good terms with the rest of the group either. The panthress was just as skeptical as he was. It'll take a while to get used to the idea. A bounty hunter on the opposing side. Why would he help us?
Still, if the Oracle insisted that he was their ally, Aisha was not one to be irrational. She shook her head slightly. "It's a chance worth taking," she muttered.
Lengthening her stride through the corridors, soon they came upon sight of the front door once again, looming and drenched in nightly shadows. Making sure that everyone was there, she helped to push them open into the sight of the barren and mountainous path down. Aisha could see the gates further across, as well as the figure and car perched outside of them, even just barely.
Hrm. Right in the open, anyway. She glanced back to the others, and with slight amusement at the appearance change of the wolf incubus. "Volunteers on a greeting, then? Or am I to do the talking?" It didn't matter to Aisha...all that mattered was finding their comrade again.
As the guard spoke, the set of doors opened, revealing a large room, much like one would imagine a throne room to be in a way. At the other end of the room was a figure, standing with their back facing the entering party, looking out through the large set of windows in the wall.
"So you managed to capture him. Congratulations." the voice of a young man stated in a calm manner. Turning around and approaching Gareeku and the two felines, it became apparent that the figure was a male gray-furred ram demon, his arm folded behind his back under the pair of large black bat-like wings protruding from his shoulder blades.
"I guess payment is in order, then." the demon continued in the same calm voice, nodding at the guard at the doors, who in turn disappeared from view.
"I trust you did not too much difficultly in capturing the wolf?" the demon asked. "I would expect nothing less from someone as...dark...as yourself..."
As the demon finished talking, the guard returned with a briefcase full of cash, handing it to Ignatz before returning to stand by the doors.
"There. You have your reward, now I kindly ask you to leave. I have business to attend to." the demon stated. "It was nice doing business with you."
As he finished talking, the guard approached the two felines and escorted them out of the room, the large set of doors closing behind them.
Turning to the shackled wolf, the ram could not help but smirk.
"Who would have thought...the great adventurer Gareeku Manoko...chained up like the dog he is..." the demon sneered, causing Gareeku to growl angrily. If he was to do anything, however, two guards had now entered from another door in the door, fasting a crude sort of leash around the wolf's neck and fully prepared to restrain him if he tried anything.
"Take him away." the demon ordered, and with that, the guards swiftly escorted Gareeku out of the room.
Turning to look out of the windows once again, the demon did not move for a few minutes, before snapping his fingers. As he did so, a group of 4 figures, each draped in black clothing and hoods, seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"The bounty hunters..." the demon murmured. "Kill them, and bring the money back while you're at it."
That one was a rather uncomfortable one, Ignatz thought. But then, that was the disadvantage of doing lowly work like this for a change; no one cared for a bounty hunter, so long as he got the job done, and it worked both ways. A better day that bloody ram would have thought twice and again about sending him off. Still, he was loaded now. A pity that he hadn't gotten what he really wanted.
The feline eyed his 'sister'. She seemed none too happy about leaving this way either. As they walked back to the entrance, he looked to the ground and remained silent for a while, the briefcase heavy in his hand.
"Well, we'll have to exchange these later. For now..." he said, opening the case just a bit and taking out a pair of thick bundles of bills. One he handed to Mel, and the other he pocketed in his coat. "I vote for taking a bath and thinking a bit. Then I'll see if I can get a room and take off somewhere. You mentioned Zinvth earlier, but I'm not so sure..."
The two of them were finally escorted out the front entrance and out on the stairs. Ignatz lazily strolled down them, then looked back at Mel. Despite himself, he was a little worried about her mood. She smelt both unsettled and worried.
"Well, ehm..." he said, looking at her. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Since we couldn't get any more information, I'm going to start looking around. So I guess this is where we split up..." he said, feeling a bit bad about just leaving her there. He might have been a callous bastard when it came to the wolf, but he was a target and she was a person. To him, there was a clear difference. "Wish I could give you my number," he joked.
Mel looked back at the mansion behind her. The wolf may have been just another creature killer but she didn't think he could have done anything to deserve the bad feelings she got from that demon. Then her ears caught up with her brain and she realized what Ignatz was saying. "Yeah, time for me to get back home and see what they've been up to back there. But first I think I'll check out the gem district, they're supposed to have a good one here." She laughed at his comment about exchanging numbers. "A little difficult." She looked at him for a long moment, debating, then fished something from a pocket. It seemed only fair, she had seen his true nature back when he had captured the wolf. "It's been entertaining. Maybe we'll cross paths again some time." She handed him the small item, a coin-like piece of crystal with the Icewing crest frosted onto it, then disappeared down the street before he'd have time to register what it meant.
Ignatz studied the coin, or whatever it was. It certainly was a nice piece, but he wasn't the one interested in shiny things. He was just about to ask Mel just what it was, when he looked up and noticed her being gone already. Not even her scent lingered, and there were just enough people in the street to make a crowd. He could have tried going after her, of course, but he probably wouldn't find her before nightfall. And what was the point?
"Heh. Just my luck..." he said jadedly, then flipped the coin in the air and caught it, pocketing it. He would find out more later...
Walking off in the opposite direction, Ignatz then spent his money preparing for travel. New clothes, some boat tickets, a bit of ammunition and gear, a few miscellaneous things, getting some money exchanged... That bundle of cash was shaved a bit, but not too much. The rest he would save, along with what he didn't send to Mel, once he got ahold of her again.
It took some time, and after a while it was beginning to get late. He found a nice inn on the outskirts of the town, right next to a public hot spring bathhouse. They seemed to have a lot of those around. With so little to carry, he stashed the briefcase in a locker after putting a small spell on it, and then walked into the changing room. He slipped off his clothes, throwing the shirt and pants in a bag he had picked up and getting out his new set. Once he was done there, he'd put on a new face, new clothes, get out of there, and then resume the search...
The bath was a pretty large place, and empty. A wooden walkway surrounded the hotspring that ran up from the rock, looking the traditional japanese onsen. Nice, reddish brown hardwood, grey rock, some hanging plants and trees and steam thrown on it all. The place breathed calm, and so did Ignatz as he walked down and slipped into the warm water, murring a bit.
He settled and sat there for a while, thinking back at all the things that had been going on. The wolf and his companions, working alone again, that irritating demon and the coin. It was settled now, he thought. Yet somehow he couldn't make himself feel as if it was all finished. He got that feeling quite often, and he didn't like it. Still, there was little to do. Maybe he'd mess with that demon some more in the future, just to make him pay for being a jerk. And he was going to find out what that coin meant.
He slid deeper into the water, and closed his eyes, pondering.
Silently they crept, climbing along the walls and floor much like insects would, the claws on the shadowed figures' hands and feet digging into the stone to provide grip. Dressed in tight-fitting black clothing from head to toe, save for the cloth draped around their head like hoods, shadowing their faces as they silently followed Ignatz and Mel; three following the male feline while the fourth went after the female feline.
As Ignatz relaxed in the baths, the figures crept in, silent and agile as they scaled the walls, watching the feline submerge himself in the water. As Ignatz slid deeper into the water, the figures took the opportunity, ice magic quickly forming in their hands before two fired bolts at the water, the third firing a bolt at Ignatz himself. If the bolts of ice magic were to hit the water, then the whole of the liquid would freeze up...
As Mel walked down the streets, the shadowy figure continued to follow here, using it's agility to effect as it crept along the roofs of the buildings, watching the feline's every move before landing in an alleyway, waiting for Mel to walk past...
Mel checked to make sure her belt pouch was securely fastened as she exited the storefront and made her way down the street. The gem merchants here were almost good enough to make her forgive the city it's horrid hot steamy temperatures. She had picked up several items she needed for some unfinished projects, a few more that would inspire new items, and even some junk gems for a snack. One more merchant to check out then she'd find herself dinner and a room for the night. Tomorrow she'd make her way home. Mel pondered the events of the last three months as she walked.
Still silent, the hooded figure hid in the shadows of the alleyway when the female feline passed. Just as they had assumed, Mel had not noticed their presence. Taking the opportunity, the figure quickly summoned dark magic, manipulating it so that it took the form of tendril-like whisps of energy. Sending them out, the figure manipulated the magic to quickly wrap around the feline, holding her arms to her sides tight as another tendril quickly wrapped around Mel's mouth to prevent her from crying out as the hooded figure used the magic to pull her into the alleyway they were in. The attack was extremely swift, so much so that no one in the street would notice until they were purposefully looking out for it. The figure assumed in their mind that this would be a quick and easy job. After all, the feline was only a mere bounty hunter...wasn't she?
Ignatz barely had any warning to the attack whatsoever, save his gut feeling and sense of magic. But he was trained, and generally not a man easily surprised.
That's odd, he thought, looking up a bit from his steamy bath. Someone sure does know what they're doing. Are the...
He didn't have time to think further than that before ice magic snapped out, its familiar tingling, burning cold clear in his head and its workings laid bare as soon as he managed to perceive it. Ice bolts. Three of them. Narrus method. Specific energy transmission is...
Water was not the best element to be caught in. And certainly not to be frozen in. He didn't have time for fancy counterspells, so he simply stretched out and tore the magic asunder, quickly and abruptly. Bolts and surges of magic reduced to its rawest forms tore through the air as the ice spells were shredded.
Once the magic was taken care of, it was a matter of getting out of the water and up as fast as he could. Fortunately, Ignatz was quite a few times stronger than he looked, and so that was less of a broblem than it might have been. Once he managed to get to the side and brace, he somersaulted out with a splash and a toss of wet fur, and landed hard on the walkway. He tossed his towel and dashed for his belongings. He hadn't heard or felt them move around them, which was fortunate...
"I'll go," said Jakob, removing the spectacles and heading off. "If he's going to try anything funny, I want to meet it head-on. But hopefully we can come to some kind of agreement, at least until we have Gareeku back."
So saying, he made his way to the front entrance, following the sound of the engine. Projectile shield at the ready, he walked casually down to where the armoured car stood waiting. As he strolled, he found he was whistling an old song by Iron Butterfly. He gave a small grunt of amusement when he remembered it was called "Termination".
"I think we'd better follow him." Blaze muttered to the others as Jakob made his way down to the vechile, a slight smirk on his face. "I wouldn't like to leave those two alone for too long."
After he finished speaking, the squirrel incubus made his way to the car, followed by Gabi and James.
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As soon as Ignatz moved, so did the hooded assassins, following his every move as they scaled the walls with as much speed and agility as spiders would possess. They moved around continually, all of them oving in different directions to make them harder targets to strike, launching bolts of ice and lightning magic as their exposed claws sharpened, becoming razor-like in sharpness as they did so.
Mel struggled against the bonds and started freezing the humid air. For once the thick heavy air was a bonus, quickly glazing everything in the alley. Not that she was really worried yet, but wiggling and a magic attack distracted her assailant against her primary counter-attack on his mind. His mental shields were good ones, but she had been doing this for a very long time and knew where all the weak points were. She began systematically testing them.
It was either demons or angels to move with that speed, Ignatz thought. A cubi would be very lucky to attain that kind of mobility, even with training, and they mostly stuck to their fancy magical abilities instead. All things considered, demons were the safest bet. Not that it mattered much. They seemed to have a favorism for ice magic though, something that he might perhaps use. If, indeed, he needed to. However it did not seem much like that, as while his assailants kept showering him with icy bolts, they seemed to strike some sort of invisible sphere around him now that flared up in small bursts of dark flames and consumed the magic as it hit. Now, he did not need to rip up their magic piece by piece.
As soon as he reached his bag and pulled out his holsters, he knew the fight was won. The foolish spiderlings or whatever they were had not bothered robbing him of his arms. That would prove a poor decision on their part. He snapped out the first nine-inch barrelled revolver while spinning and slapping in the cylinder of the other and expertly trained it with time- and talent-honed precision at one of his attackers. And then fired.
A normal bullet out of a regular handgun leaves the barrel at just a bit above the speed of sound. That translates to around 380 metres per second, and not a tremendous amount of force delivered; it is, essentially, the bullet burying itself in a body that is dangerous with such a hit. And it can easily be stopped with some protective medium, like an armored vest. However, the bullet out of Ignatz's gun was no handgun bullet. It was rifle ammunition, in a long and rimmed barrel-sling action mechanism, and it screamed past the roaring braked muzzle of the gun at a good three times the speed of a normal bullet, much too fast for even an angel to react. And caliber and the bullet being a hollowpoint considered, that was enough to rip through a body like nobody's business, cavitating and ripping up a whole lot of tissue as it did. And once he had fired, Ignatz aimed and fired again. And again. And then, when he had loosened his first seven shots, he went with his left instead, with a gun whose bullets were now prepared against anti-projectile magic.
The feline dashed against his assailants, still snapping off bullets at a good pace and preparing to get close and personal, should it be needed. They weren't the only ones with claws, and he doubted they were as strong as he.
Finishing off the last of his hasty meal, Arc pondered for a minute, watching as Jakob came down the stairs towards the vehicle, idly toying with his sword and making sure it was still sharp.
"So... we meet again, eh?" he chuckled "You look worried, almost. What's the matter? Stress getting to you?" an almost cheerful if somewhat overly sharp-teeth-filled grin spread across his face "If I was making an effort you'd be dead already, so don't worry."
As the shots were fired out, one of the assassins was hit in the shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as a patch of blood appeared over the wound. Another was hit in the leg, causing the hooded figure to fall to the floor. Rather that nurse their wounds, however, the hooded assassins continued their attacks, the one who hadn't been shot diving in towards Ignatz, its claws bared for a strike as the other two fired off another round of ice and lightning magic.
__________________
As the air began to freeze, the hooded figure looked around. It seemed the distraction was however. It was then, however, that the assassin could feel an intrusion within their mind. Assuming it to be the feline, the assassin raised it's razor sharp claws, ready to bring them down in a powerful stroke...
Ignatz almost spun his right gun as if to sling it back into his belt before he remembered he was naked. Instead, he threw it to the walkway, and whipped out a hand. The assassin flew at him, but was stopped and slung around by the neck, his own movement turned against him as he was gripped hard by the big cat's hand and arm and held fast. While his claws dug into Ignatz's hardening skin, the feline wasted no time in putting his gun to the back of the assassin's head, and pulling the trigger, painting the walkway bright red. The black-hooded figure dropped listlessly to the wood deck as the cat moved on.
Following were a series of leaping moves. Almost out, Ignatz went for the kill, feinting and dodging to the sides around the lightning coming at him. He took a few steps up the wall of the house, claws digging into laquered wood and splintering it, before he landed between the assassins. By the time he planted his padded feet on the red wood his free right hand was already around and in the first one's throat, warm wetness trickling over his fingers, and his left one was holding his gun against the head of the last assassin.
A quick moment's consideration, while everything was still. Would he need one alive? Were there any doubts to where they came from? What should he do?
Fuck them, he thought.
The shadowy figure could see the last bullet gleaming in the seven-chambered cylinder. It spun up as the feline's clawed thumb cocked the hammer.
"Not your lucky seven," Ignatz grinned. And then, click.
When the hooded trio was dealt with, Ignatz didn't even bother throwing a towel back on. He just collected his things, tossed his prepared clothes back in the bag, and then nabbed the first other thing he could before changing and heading out. Soon, a giraffe female, a foot taller than the cat had been, dressed in a businesslike outfit and carrying a black bag was heading down the road, seemingly looking a bit distraught. She slipped a sort of gleaming coin-like thing into her pocket, and turned, starting to head in one direction with a purposeful determination that belied her expression.
If they are going after me, they're going for her too. That demon's going to pay...
Jakob replied to Arc with his infamous twisted smile. "At least I won't have to hide anymore. And do you really think that death would stop me?" There were rumours that the spells used to raise the undead were available in amulet form to prevent the wearer dying.
"If I were that scared, I'd have your soul out by now. I know how to do that from a distance. Anyway, threats aren't going to help either of us," he added, dropping the smile and looking rather tired. He spoke frankly. "I don't know what you're here for, or whether you care but Gareeku has been kidnapped and we could do with some help rescuing him."
He gave a faint grin. "The Oracles prophesied that you would."
He chuckles. "Did they now? Well then, I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Arc wiped the grin off his face as he jumped up on top of the vehicle and sat on the roof, looking down at Jakob. "Back at that inn, I agreed to help. Whilst I'm sure none of you trust me, I'm going to stick by that as best I can." He smirks. "I may not have given my full word, but that won't stop me from playing the game a little longer."
He ponders, flipping idly through his memory (any attempts at mindreading would be presented with a large, locked filing cabinet and little else) and trying to think where the kidnappers might have taken Gareeku. "Kidnapped, you say? Well, that's an interesting turn of events I must say. Any idea where he's been taken?"
"Some nearby town called 'Pathrim', I think." Jakob replied. "I believe Ephrael said she comes from there, so she's probably the best person to talk to in terms of route-planning. Hold on a moment... I'll see where she is."
Jakob was too paranoid to turn his back on Arc, but he would have to do this to fetch Eph. As a compromise, a single wing-tentacle head reared up out of his collar like some impossible lupine serpent. It blinked and grinned foolishly at the feline.
As it happened, the others had almost reached the car anyway, but in any case, Jakob had left his backpack by the door of the temple so he went to fetch it, speaking to the Tasmanian devil as he passed her.
"Arc doesn't seem to be hostile, at least not at the moment. You seem to know Pathrim more than the rest of us - could you give him directions? I'll be back in a moment".
"Sure I guess....Is that Arc down there with the....Jeep?" Ephrael was a bit nervous, as she had not met the large feline but hard heard bit and pieces from the others.
Mel knew the claws were coming down at her, but the assassin reacted too late, she was in. She grabbed hold of the motor control section of his mind and he simply stopped, his body no longer under his control. Next she gained control of the parts having to do with magic and freed herself. She carefully smoothed her jacket back down as she turned to face her assailant, dropping the illusion that she was feline as did. It was a white dragon who looked upon the black-dressed demon. "Now that wasn't very nice." She looked him up and down. "You don't exactly look like a street thief. Let's take a rummage around your mind and see what you thought you were up to."
Mel didn't bother checking the demon's thoughts, she could tell by the look in his eyes pretty much what he was thinking. She went straight to memory, scanning the last few hours until she found the ram giving the assassination orders. "Foolish behavior, but quite typical of you demons really." She checked the time. "I've really spent too much time playing with you. Ignatz should be done with your friends by now and on his way to your boss's mansion. Unfortunately that means your time is up."
A moment later a street urchin slinked out of the alley. A little chipmunk, the grubby sort one would expect to see slinking around alleys, who headed in a winding route back towards a rented mansion in the older part of the city. And in the alley was a man who had somehow managed to freeze to death in hot, steamy Pathrim.
The sky was beginning to color amber over a few clouds, and the guards at the mansion stood still on their posts, watching out. The alley behind the place had only a kitchen and cellar entry, and both were locked from the inside and watched by a pair of guards as well. The rest of the foundation was windowless and solid stone.
It was not going to be a problem getting in though, the giraffe thought as she walked past the place, looking casual. The right time, the right approach... She needed only dispose of that damnable demon, really, but for this offense she thought he needed to suffer just a little bit too. And, of course, have his work ruined for him.
Now, it was just about finding where to get in. Mel might not be the vengeful type, so she might or might not head back to the place. It didn't really matter. The giraffe just hoped that she hadn't had to deal with more trouble than 'herself'. Not that it would be logical that she did, but still.
She rounded the corner, and walked into the alleyway. And immediately the guards took notice.
"Hey! This place is off limits. You're not allowed here!" one barked at her as she came closer. He was a lion, big and roughly muscled, and despite her long neck he didn't have to look far up at her as he turned on her. Judging from looks, he could have picked up her and another person like her and put them both under his arm. But still she walked against him with a self-assured smile.
"Sorry," she called back to him, pacing steadily. "I'm looking for it." She smirked as she stepped up right in front of him, and he gave her a suspicious look.
"What? Miss, you're going to have to leave. I can't help you find..." he said, putting on a hard face. Her smirk just deepened into a grin.
"...what you fell for," she said. He blinked. And then she grabbed him by the neck with unexpected strength and kissed him. The other guard, a wolf, dropped his jaw and stepped up around them. And then his face froze as he watched the lion's reaction. The cat's eyes were wide open and panicked, and his whole body seemed to be cramping. The giraffe just let him go, leaving him standing stiff and trembling, and then she was over the wolf before he had even drawn his sword halfway, her hand around his throat and her other one forming claws. She chuckled.
A minute or so later, the cellar door closed with a muffled sound, and then the lock clacked into place. The two guards were back to their posts, seemingly standing on attention. From a distance they looked normal, yet closer up one could see that they were too still to be normal. One of them, the wolf, had his head slightly turned so one couldn't see the left part of his face. And the other, the lion, was staring glazedly right forward, his mouth just a bit open and a small trickle of blood running from the corner of it.
The grimy little chipmunk child sat on the alley wall, watching. These back guards weren't right. They should have shouted at her when she noisily climbed the tree, sending her on her way, as the guards in the front had when she had tested them. Her climbing down onto the wall hadn't so much as made them look. Either the ram had hired the blind, deaf, and stupid for guards or someone in a bad mood had arrived ahead of her. Cautiously she made her way down the wall and across the narrow alley, expecting a trap at any moment. But when she got up to the guards she confirmed that someone in a bad mood had indeed been here already. She took the key off the lion's belt and unlocked the door. As she slid inside she hoped Ignatz wasn't in such a foul mood that she wouldn't have time to identify herself.
The chipmunk only had time to go through one storeroom before she came upon another one leading to the main corridor of the basement section, where another guard was posted. That wasn't strange though. Strange was that the guard was slung over the shoulders of a giraffe who was walking against a vaulted doorway. She stopped and looked up at the little squirrel as she entered, and then made a grimace. Instantly, though strangely she almost didn't feel it, Mel perceived some sort of dark magic beginning to form, the room darkening for a second.
Then, before anything could happen, the darkness receded and the giraffe's face eased.
"Oh. It's you," she said, sniffing the air just a bit, and then grinned. "Right on time, as usual. Let me just get rid of this meat and we can get going," she almost murmured and walked through the door, throwing the raccoon like a sack of potatoes into a bunch of sacks that probably did hold potatoes in the food cellar beyond, and threw a cover of rough cloth laying there over him.
"No problems getting here?" she asked her as she walked back in and looked her over. The giraffe was changing back into Ignatz as she spoke.
"Yeah," said Jakob to Ephrael in a soft voice. "That's him. He shot Gareeku and would like to claim a bounty on my head, but I believe we have some kind of truce, at least for the time being. Besides, I don't believe he'd be foolish enough to try anything silly when we outnumber him so greatly. Anyway, see if you can't work out the best route between you. I'll back in a sec." So saying, Jakob moved off to retrieve his pack.
Aisha nodded as Jakob volunteered to confront Arcalane, following alongside the group with her arms crossed. Her only thoughts now that things were moving along was just to hope that the Oracle was right. She had spoken of finding Gareeku.
But while listening to the conversation going on, a few possibilities had shown themselves. She said that they would find him. She said nothing about finding him alive... but then, would the phoenix have bothered if that was the case? And what about after the wolf was recovered? What would happen then, between the bounty hunter and especially those he targeted?
The panthress figured after the commotion that bridge would be crossed when it would be crossed. The night sky had started faintly brightening in the east...and the upcoming day could only get a lot more hectic. For now she would keep an eye on the situation. Aisha would keep true to her word. No matter what.
Deciding to climb inside the car, the group waited for Jakob to return with his things, the wolf incubus joining them inside the vechile a minute later. Seeing that everyone was in, Arc fired up the engines and put the car into the gear. A minute later they were off, headed towards Pathrim, which was a good 40 miles away. For the first part of the journey, the trip was through the dense forest that surrounded the area that the phoenix temple was located. While the forest was quite dense, the group had surprisingly little difficulty in making their way through it.
After a while of travelling, it could be seen that the landscape was changing. Gradually the forestry was beginning to disappear, instead being replaced by a more barren, volcanic landscape; from this, the group knew they were headed in the right direction, as the city of Pathrim was located right beside a volcano on the coast.
A little while later, the city of Pathrim came into view as the car the group was in came over another hill. From where they were on the hill the group in the car could see for a fair distance around, and it was quite the scenic view to boot. However, they knew that this was no time to be sight seeing, and though the vechile moved on towards the city.
As they drove through the streets, the group got many an odd look, largely thanks to the size of the car they were in; a vechile like the one taking the group through the streets was virtually unheard of, so to see a vechile such as Arc's was a sight indeed. Deciding that looking around on foot was a better idea than driving around in a large car and attracting possibly more unwanted attention than normal, the members of the group climbed out and began their search, making their way through the many streets of the city, asking members of the public if they had seen anyone resembling Gareeku. Most didn't know what they were talking about, but there were a few who had seen a wolf matching Gareeku's description, giving the group hope knowning that he was somewhere in the city.
For a while they searched, and gradually that hope was starting to falter. By now the sun was low in the sky; a telling sign that night was on its way. However, whether it was a stroke of luck or not remained to be seen, but they happened to stop outside one particularly large mansion. Feeling that he should ask the guards standing at the mansion's doors about Gareeku, Blaze walked up to them.
"Hi there. Um, have you seen a white wolf with spiky-ish hair arou-" the squirrel incubus began to ask, only to be ushered away. Raising his eyebrow in thought at how odd the guards reacted, Blaze was about to go back to talk to the others when he thought of something. "I think we should check this place out. There's something funny going on, I think."
Making it look like they were walking away, the group then sneaked down an alleyway, making their way around to the alleyway that ran down the side of the house, only to find there was another set of guards standing there. However, he then noticed that the guards he was looking at were not only not taking any notice of the group that had just appeared before them; they were dead. "Guys, I think we better take a look inside..."
"Murder," said Jakob, staring at the corpses in disgust, the bitterness in his voice contrasting sharply with his peacenik appearance.
"I would say that some amateur has been attempting ingress to the manor. A pro would either avoid detection altogether or erase the event from their memories. Killing is for incompetents and actually leaving your victims for all to see is asking for trouble."
Either that, or they were sick enough to -want- people to see the bodies... he added mentally.
"May your journeys end in light," he said softly, making the sign of Christ the Human.
As the group made it down towards the car, Keaton randomly located a comfortable-looking seat within its foundations and pushed herself against it, looking, partially fascinated, partially unnerved, around the interior of the vehicle. While Keaton was no stranger to technology, she hadn't expected for a vessel like this to arrive--although the Oracle had clearly mentioned something about an ally joining them. Then again, Keaton rarely heard of an instance when an Oracle's predictions were accurate, since so many of their visitors became exasperated with their ambiguous messages.
Keaton spent a great deal of the car ride in silence, watching the scenery fly by as she played a mental game of I Spy with herself (most of it was hardly entertaining, however, since she definitely wasn't going to humiliate herself by asking someone), and walking out of the car with a languid stretch. As they walked around the town, Blaze conversed with the residents, probing them about the location of their missing lupine companion. Keaton merely contributed by toying with the marble in her pocket, keeping an eagle's eye out from over her self-amusement.
Then Blaze urgently had the group pretend to move away, guiding them around an alley where another set of guards were protecting the area. Blinking, Keaton narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right here. She wasn't sure what it was, but she could definitely smell something that she had clearly sensed before, and had even created countless times in the past.
She realized it around the same time everyone else did: the guards were dead.
Keaton frowned, watching Jakob's almost pious reaction somewhere beside her. She muffled a derisive snort and continued to inspect the bodies from where she stood, perhaps to determine the cause of death, a desensitized, almost frighteningly numb look on her face. Could it be that whoever kidnapped Gareeku had been here before and were behind such an atrocity?
Well that just made things ten times more interesting.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Gabi was surprised by Jakob's gesture. She hadn't been able to see what he did when they buried corpses before, and she hadn't expected him to be religious. Even if it was not her religion, the thought of him having faith in something bigger than himself seemed to bring him a bit closer. But that thought lasted only for a moment. There was something much more important and worthy of concern.
Gabi didn't know any better than the others whether the guards' deaths were connected to Gareeku's kidnapping, or even the other kidnappings they were investigating. She feared the group might have got into something too big for them to handle. She examined the bodies, but couldn't find any signs of who the murderer had been. There was a smell, but it didn't match anyone she could remember.
She turned to the group, hoping to find reassurance and, if possible, some ideas.
"What do we do now?"
Once assured that she had found Ignatz, and not just anyone the ram demon might have offended, Mel reverted to her normal disguise of a wingless snow leopard. "No trouble. But the young man who gave me the invitation to this party was a bit abrupt. I had to give him a lesson in manners. How was your afternoon?"
Aisha had been silent on the ride to Pathrim as well, not even engaging in what little conversation there was, and instead peering through the window at the changing scenery. She watched the daylight start, and the sun rise well into the sky by the time they made it to the port city.
Walking through it, the panthress was kept in slight awe by the appearance and size of the place, though she ignored the looks that the group was given for the vehicle they had arrived in and the overall tension following them. Frustration rose and fell at intervals during the day; rising when no person could match Gareeku's description, and falling when they were led down to the right path.
Coming to the large mansion however, Aisha wasn't too surprised when Blaze's efforts to ask the guards about the wolf were shoved away. Her ears were pinned to her head, and she said nothing until the group crossed into the back alley. The panthress had pulled the cowl over her head, just in case they might have been seen.
Observing the guards there, however, the look on the the hunter's face was one of only slight disgust, for she was used to death...just not in such a way that it was presented here. "Descansan en paz..." she muttered. Watching the others give their condolences or observation at least, their determination hadn't been halted much from this turn of events, but perhaps only strengthened.
Aisha was one to see it that way. Glancing at Gabi, she replied, "I'd go with Blaze's idea." She had a hunter's smirk. "We ended up here, and so we might as well take the back door."
"Eventful, at the very least," Ignatz chuckled back. "But the people he sent to attend on me were hardly schooled well. Sure, they danced smoothly and silently as anyone. But they could have used a few more hours with a good hexmaster." The cat grinned and opened the door into the main corridor, making a bit of a bow and admitting Mel through.
"After you, my lady. Even if you don't quite look the occasion," he smiled.
Once they moved out into the main corridor it was a quite simple task of 'incapacitating' some of the wandering guards of the place and stealing their clothes and faces, and then beginning to search. However, to Mel's confusion, Ignatz did not head for the entrance to the main part of the mansion first.
"There's a lot to win here. And a lot for him to lose. Just trust me," he commented, as he slid off further down the corridor, flexing his fingers a bit.
It didn't take much time to find the main basement, nor the provisoric cells that had been made from storage rooms there, locked and chained shut. Two guards were already posted there, but Mel's mind-invasive powers proved very convenient there in keeping those away as well, without the risk of killing anyone or drawing much attention. The only problem proved to be a more than competent mythos guard officer who had wisely warded himself against such intrusions, and who had to be dispatched by means of a swift breaking of the neck by Ignatz. Then, the feline propped up the blue-furred man in his chair, and slowly walked off to watch through the cells.
"He's here," Ignatz finally said, placing his palm on an iron-armored and heavy wooden door, reinforced with some steel bars. "I can feel it." Then, he turned to Mel. "Get over here, please. I'll need you to act a bit," he said, starting to shapeshift...
Mel couldn't figure out what might be kept in the storage levels of the mansion until she started seeing the guards and realized that the wolf hadn't been dispatched immediately. Well, fair was fair. The demon didn't want to pay for his prisoner he didn't deserve to keep one. She found he also economized on guards. Except for the guard captain they hardly had any mental resources. She snorted, probably the ram erased their minds every payday. Ignatz quickly separated out which door the wolf was behind and evidently had a plan to get him out.
From Ignatz's senses, the feline could most likely sense there were a number of guards on the other side of the door; two standing just behind it, and two more were patrolling the space beyond. Were they to open the door, they would see that the large room beyond was like a jail house; 5 cells on each side of the corridor in the middle with brick walls separating them, and the wolf was being held in the cell on the right at the other end of the corridor.
However, they would soon find themselves with other company. The group that Gareeku had been with was fast approaching their location; in fact, they were now practically at the other end of the corridor that Ignatz and Mel had just walked down. It was safe to say that they would shortly find themselves face to face with the wolf's allies and friends.
There was a quick opening and slam of the door into the jailhouse, and a man's scream that was quickly silenced, followed by a hard crunch and the clatter of armor. The two guards on patrol turned and shouted out, and then ran over against that side of the big room, hefting their weapons. More than that, Gareeku couldn't see as he was chained up against a wall with his hands over his head against the back wall of the cell, and had a very sparse view of the place.
"Get her!" one shouted as he sprinted. No weapons clatter or rummaging around was heard though, just a quick, sharp stabbing sound, and then the cry of one of the guards; "Oh g... Nnnggh!" followed by a hard thud.
Then, the place fell silent, before running steps approached Gareeku's cell. And then, dashing into the place while sheathing her sword and quickly getting out some clinking keys on a chain, Aisha came into view.
"Gracias Dios...! Just wait a second, amigo..." she said, looking at him worriedly before unlocking his cell and then turning the bars open, practically throwing herself at him and looking him in the eyes. "Are you hurt? Did they do something to you?" Her dark red eyes scanned him over, taking in the horrendous injuries to the wolf's form. His skin was covered in bruises, his nose reddened as if it had been broken, his ribs and stomach looked mangled, as did his legs, and one of his arms was positively broken. Carefully she took the keys and pressed against him, reaching up and unlocking the chains that held his wrists. Once the wolf was free of his fetters, she grabbed and hugged him tightly but cautiously, pulling him up and laying her head on his shoulder.
"I thought I'd never see you again..." she said, almost tearing at the eyes. It was no lie.
Padding around the corner in a crouch, and into the room Eph spotted Mel. Bringing her bow up she called out to her. "Don't move! I don't want to hurt you but I will!"
Although her voice was of a nervous tone her hands were rocksteady. She waited for either Mel to make a move or the others to catch up.
The ewe in the plain rust-colored maid's uniform had been coming out of an open cell when Eph's voice stopped her. "Who... who are you? Where are the guards? What did you do to the guards?" The sheep's ears waggled nervously, "If you don't leave right now I'll scream for the guards. There are guards everywhere."
Mel knew there weren't any guards left in shouting distance from the guard's minds she had tampered with, but she just wanted to distract the archer long enough for the man behind her to collect himself. A prisoner she had just set free, a turtle who had already been maddened enough that it hadn't even taken a mental suggestion to convince him to go on a destructive rampage through the mansion. The distraction she intended for the demon-ram's guards would be handy for the wolf's rescuers. At least she assumed they were here for the wolf. She recognized this girl as one that she'd given directions to at the temple, although the girl would only remember a winged grey feline. When she heard the sound of lumbering footsteps behind her Mel made a quick move towards the next cell, leaving the turtle to charge at Eph.
"Eph, wait..." Jakob trailed off as she took the corner. Damn it, she's too impulsive... he thought to himself.
During the course of their enquiries as to Gareeku's whereabouts they had heard of someone found frozen to death, and given the local climate and weather that could only have meant a magical death. And now that they had found several guards killed by some unconventional means, Jakob's didn't believe it was a coincidence. To his mind there was a strong chance they were done by the same person or persons.
Long ago he'd seen someone killed by an ice mage, and the memory of it still made him squirm. Their foes may have appeared to be inept housebreakers but they certainly knew how to kill people and they didn't seem to have much in the way of a conscience. He suddenly felt very afraid for Ephrael.
He snapped back to the present as a demented cry and a rush of footsteps sounded from where the Tasmanian Devil had just gone.
[Thanks to Llearch for proof-reading :P]
As the turtle ran at her Eph cringed. "STOP!" please stop she cried out to no avail. Switching targets she aimed at the turtle.
As soon as he saw the bow aimed at him the turtle had pulled his head in and charged at Ephrael. Seeing that that her shot wouldn't do any damage to him she placed her shot carefully.
Bowstring humming the arrow flew true, the head and shaft piercing the turtle's knee and casing him to trip.
Too close now, Eph realised that she had no chance to dodge. "EEEEEP!" Sounded back down the corridor as Eph draped over the shell of the turtle slid back around the corner.
There came a yelp, and for a moment Aisha tensed with Gareeku in her grip. Then, she gingerly lifted him up and steadied him.
"That would be the others. We have to get out of here soon..." she murmured, and then said in a reassuring tone. "Don't worry. Everyone came." For a second she seemed a bit distraught. Then, she looked him in the eyes intensely.
"Listen, Gareeku... Why did they take you? We have to know. Who was it that wanted you here? Why?" she asked, holding him up and stroking his neck a bit while keeping his head steady and focusing hard on him. "Before we leave we have to know."
It might have seemed strange, but if that commotion meant that someone was coming then they had no time.
Ephrael and the turtle slid around the corner to where the others were approaching. Jakob stared for a moment before a pair of wings burst out of the back of his trenchcoat, complete with tentacles.
"Quick, help me restrain the tortoise," he called and moved to wrap his tentacles around the demented reptile's struggling legs.
She had entered the mansion alongside the others, following a not-so silent path down into its depths, having easily found the jailhouse. Her boomerang had been drawn, and she was eager to sink the blade deep into the skin of anyone who would try to stop them. Normally she would have abided by patience and stealth. But this could have been a matter of life or death for their comrade.
If I ever see those beasts again, then it will be their heads, Aisha--the true Aisha--thought with a determined snarl, leaping down into the dark of the prison. But it seemed already that some of the guards had either been taken care of, or there was a lapse in the watch. The party was barely hindered, and she was thankful.
She shook her head in a sigh upon noticing Ephrael dashing ahead of the party, probably all the more eager to find a fight as well as to find the wolf. But she came back around the corner soon enough, in a tangle with a crazed turtle. By the look of the reptilian's demeanor, he looked to also be a prisoner. The hell...? she wondered, coming up behind him as he was restrained before using the back of her fist to put a significant blow to his head, whence it reappeared. Hopefully, she thought that it would slow him down some.
"I'm going ahead," she announced then, looking down the corner and hallway to where Eph and her attacker had just come from, only just noticing a blur of someone running. At least she could tell the species from just that glance; a ewe.
She held the boomerang tight in her grip and stepped around, following after the figure with quick steps. Anyone walking through the dungeon without a guard's uniform was certainly another kind of suspicious. "You! Halt!"
Slowly looking up as he heard the door to his cell being opened, Gareeku looked up with an almost drunken expression as he saw the form of what appeared to be Aisha enter the room. Grunting in pain as she lifted him up, the injured warrior listened as the pantheress asked him what had happened.
"Two of them...looking for the bounty on my head..." the wolf replied, his voice weak and quiet as he spoke. The beatings he had received at the hands of the guards earlier had certainly taken their toll. He hadn't been able to defend himself due to be chained up, and so had been forced to take the injuries fully. Using his good arm to rest slightly against the wall of the cell, the wolf looked back at isha with the same weak expression. "I think they wanted something from me...besides the money...but I have no idea what..."
It was then however, that the wolf heard another voice nearby, coming from down the corridor. The voice almost sounded like...Aisha's.
"What the hell..." Gareeku growled weakly, before turning to the Aisha next to him. "What is going on?"
The Aisha by Gareeku's side tightened her grip just a bit, but her voice was pleading, with the right blend of fear, desperation, determination and passion that should have overcome the wolf's caution. Time was running short.
"Listen, please... Gareeku... no tenemos el tiempo! We have to get out of here, but before we can, we have to know. What did they want from you?" she asked.
There was something wrong though. Gareeku wasn't as perceptive to lies as he was to faint sounds or smells, but he thought he could sense a sort of... frustration in the panthress' voice. And added with the other voice and sounds behind the door... She tensed, he could feel. And why had they stopped? She sounded and felt like the Aisha he knew, yet somehow she seemed much stronger, and her smell was oddly... muted.
Stopped just short of her goal Mel turned to face the feline while trying to calculate the odds that the weapon had a vorpal blade. She decided that her odds were better now than when the others managed to enter the cellblock. Mel dashed through the door and slammed it shut.
Inside the cell the bogus ewe looked at the counterfeit feline. "We have a bit of a traffic jam out there."
Not taking his eyes off of Aisha, who had now tightened her grip as she spoke, Gareeku's weary-looking eyes narrowed. He may have been severely injured, but he was no fool. Something was definitely wrong. The way Aisha's voice sounded so...frustrated...and the fact that he found her smell to be muted somewhat; he couldn't ignore it, and then there was the other he had heard. It was definitely Aisha's, that much was certain.
"I don't know what they wanted from me, but whatever they wanted, I don't have it. And now I am going to check out whatever the hell is going on." the wolf said with a tone of finality, releasing himself from the pantheress' grip as he limped towards the cell door. As mentioned before, Gareeku knew something was up, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Around their entry into the mansion's lower levels, Keaton had segregated herself from the rest of the group, prefering to slink back into the shadows. The moment her foot passed through the darkness, the yellow of her body faded away into pitch black, her fur shifting to match the texture of the walls layered beneath the darkness. Properly camoflagued, the jackal proceeded to travel soundlessly through the halls, hoping that she would locate wherever the villains were keeping Gareeku before her body automatically returned to its former state and was ejected from its concealment.
Sure enough, following the enraged Aisha was the key. She led her right to the door, where a suspicious-looking ewe was stationed outside of it. Only the slightest bit of antagonizing sent the sheep scurrying into the cell, and with the door shut behind it. Making sure that Aisha wouldn't see her, Keaton steadily leapt from the shadows, her body returning to normal.
"Hey, wait a minute," Keaton said, tapping Aisha on the shoulder. "I'll take care of this."
With no permission, Keaton approached the door and examined it. It was securely slammed shut. A tap of the knuckles against its hide and a slight jostle of the door's handle confirmed it.
Well piss, that made things a little harder.
Or did it?
Surreptitiously glancing back and forth and disregarding Aisha for the moment, Keaton concentrated briefly, feeling her body twist and shape to fit her mind's whims. The flesh of her back extended through the hole provided in the back of her top, stretching and shaping until it resembled something akin to draconic, leathery wings; the same vivid yellow color as her fur, complete with identical spiraling, sable markings. Tentacles began to elongate from the tips of her wings' membrane, shaping into large, groping claws, similar to the ones which adorned her wings' joints. It took only a minimal effort for their razor-sharp nails to sink into the door's surface, perforating it like knife through butter.
It took a greater deal of effort to pull back, the hinges of the doors squealing and screaming in agony as they started to unravel from the wall. With a loud grunt, Keaton yanked the door right out of the frame in a flurry of splintered wood and mutilated metal, screws and bolts popping out of their holes and clattering noisly along the floor. In order not to garner any more attention than she already had, Keaton started to gingerly lower the thoroughly crushed door to the ground.
Halfway through it, she noticed who was in the cell: the sheep, a very bruised and battered Gareeku, and another Aisha.
"...what the hell?" Keaton asked, a look of utter befuddlement on her face as her gaze passed between the Aisha beside her and the Aisha within the cell.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
"Dammit, I said halt!" Aisha snarled after the fleeing sheep, running at full tilt to catch up with her. Boomerang in her grip, she only tried to corner the ewe...not to hurt her, and so therefore she couldn't throw the boomerang...and who knew how many of the others weren't far behind, having heard her shouting. But her efforts seemed to be for naught, the instant that her quarry slammed the heavy metal door to another cell.
Aisha kicked it hard in frustration, ignoring the pain that shot through her foot upon doing so. Is there anything ELSE that can go wrong today? She wondered, staring to the indent of the door. Hearing the faint voices from within, she knew that it had to be Gareeku's cell. She just knew.
The panthress jumped however upon hearing Keaton's voice, turning to the jackal with the same angered, frustrated expression that she had carried ever since the wolf was kidnapped. There was going to be a stand, here and now, if there was anything that she or the others were to say about it. Aisha nodded to the succubus and stepped out of her way, letting her to the reinforced door curiously. "Be my guest."
Settling her temper down somewhat, Aisha watched as she observed the door, and then transformed her wings. Focused as the panthress was, and no matter how many good friends of hers were 'Cubi, she still wouldn't get used to that. She even backed up slightly as Keaton reduced the door to nothing, all too easily. Nice that she's on our side, Aisha cringed, but held tightly to her goal. No sooner than Keaton had stepped in, she did as well, pushing a little past to confront whomever was inside.
The huntress didn't expect this.
The ewe she had been chasing was standing within the cell, the other two individuals standing in front. Her eyes fell first upon the doppelganger, expression more shocked and confused than anything. A perfect mirror version of herself...shapeshifter, she immediately dictated.
Then her gaze quickly passed to Gareeku and the mess he had become, though he was trying hard to stand. Her gaze softened, with worry and fear for what had happened. Relief that they had found him, alive. And now...
The true Aisha held her blade menacingly in front of her, blood-tinged eyes turning into venom as they fell upon the failed carbon copy. She pointed the tip of her boomerang at it like a dagger, and her tail ring even glowed slightly. Her voice was a dangerous hiss.
"Get. Away. From. Him. NOW."
There was a moment's pause, an eyeblink of silence uninterrupted, and then suddenly Gareeku felt something grab him around the neck from behind. He was jerked back roughly, realizing from the texture and feeling that his head was locked in the elbow of the 'panthress' behind him, who swiftly proceeded to grab his left arm and bend it as she pressed him against her with a strength that was something wholly different from that of the real Aisha. She snarled over his shoulder, glaring at the cubi and the huntress and using the wolf for a shield.
"Just keep still, and I won't hurt him," she murred as she met their stares. "The others too, Mel?" the fake Aisha asked, harrumphing and narrowing her eyes in comprehension as the ewe nodded silently even though her eyes never left the other feline and the jackal. "Well... that is unfortunate. But it doesn't exclude a peaceful exit. Now..." Slowly, a sinister smirk spread across the imposter's face, and her eyes locked with the real Aisha's. "Back up nice and slowly, and don't try anything drastic. The wolf is badly hurt as it is..." She was practically purring as she felt Gareeku's fierce but futile struggles against her grip. But she didn't take her focus off the pair at the door.
"We don't want to have to kill you."
Not knowing what to think, Gareeku was about to hobble his way to the door to look out of the small hole in it, when the metal frame was suddenly wrenched free of it's hinges, and standing there was the jackal succubus he had met in the temple the night before, along with..."Aisha?"
Before he could say or do anything else, however, he was suddenly grabbed by the other Aisha. It was then that, hearing "her" talk, he finally knew; the Aisha who had first found him was not the real one; "she" was in fact a shapshifter. The situation then became even more apparent when the person now holding him hostage spoke to the ewe. Saying nothing, Gareeku growled angrily, wincing at the pain shooting up and down his injured arm as the imposter held it. Thinking of ways to try and remove himself from this predicament, the wolf focussed, before his arm that was being held was suddenly enveloped in a bright white flame; soul energy. Concentrating more, the wolf could feel the energy quickly building up within him arm, although it was taking more effort than normal due to his injured state. In a matter of seconds, the flame had increased in size dramatically...
Aisha was frozen, her jaw clenched and her lip drawn in a harsh snarl as she kept her weapon hard-trained on the false panther. However she was greatly tempted to lower it as the imposter grabbed Gareeku in a tight armlock. In his state, she wouldn't have thought that he could fight back.
But the huntress didn't take a step back. Instead she took one forward, the blade gleaming as hard as her eyes were in determination to free her comrade. "You dare order us to...?"
She stopped speaking again, noticing a change in Gareeku's demeanor. The imposter suddenly snarled and hissed as her arm seemed to start to burn black, and jerked, releasing Gareeku and spinning a bit in the process. The smell of burned flesh, fur, and clothing permeated.
Aisha smirked. She knew that the wolf wasn't completely helpless. In the second that it took for the imposter to let go of Gareeku, her arm snapped and the boomerang lanced through the air, most likely catching her in the side of the head, or neck. In the confined space, and with Aisha controlling its flight, it would have little chance at all of missing.
"Run!" she shouted, helping Gareeku back up as gently as she could while rushing, waiting for her weapon to return to her grip. She hoped that Keaton was still there for backup. It was hard to know as well what the "ewe" was capable of.
The imposter was quick, but against Aisha and that close, there really was nothing she could do. She stretched her right arm out again, but then the boomerang took her in the neck, slicing through it and wedging itself with a stabbing sound. She let out a wet gurgle, and then fell to the side, her legs tumbling under her and her torso following, still staring at the panthress as she did.
Another pause, as the ewe backed up and the doppelganger fell still. Her crimson eyes and her surprised face frozen, she lay like that, while blood so deep red that it was black flowed from the part-sealed wound. The sight was quite disturbing, especially with the real panthress in the room.
With the fake down and just the afraid sheep to go, who was being intensely watched by Keaton, there was no danger. Gareeku was obviously capable of moving well enough despite his injuries, and the situation was still again. Aisha tried recalling her boomerang, but with it stuck through the others' throat it didn't do much more than twitch. So she stepped over and grabbed it, placing a foot on the shapeshifter's chest and tugging. It didn't occur to her until the last second; don't shapeshifters return to their normal form when killed?
She was heaved through the air and hit the wall hard, as the shape under her rose up with a bestial roar and stood. The fake panthress' eyes had darkened, specks that glowed fiercely within blackness glaring at the wolf and the jackal. Hunched over, the figure's form began to writhe, its skin crawling as it changed shape. In a brutal motion, its growing hand darted to its neck, and with a spatter of acrid blood it ripped the boomerang from it, dropping it to the floor.
"I told you..." 'she' gurgled in an entirely different voice, the wound in 'her' neck beginning to seal itself up before their very eyes. The cloak around 'her' neck darkened, spreading down and out, and something moved under it. "...KEEP STILL!"
A tentacle, thick as two of Gareeku's arms and made of some writhing, crawling dark material shot out and against Keaton with phenomenal speed from under the creature's black cloak, which began looking more and more leathery. Its face, now a whole lot more male than female and not very feline anymore, twisted as it roared out, black fangs contrasting against paling fur.
Keaton continued to glance between both the real and imposter Aisha until the false pantheress seized Gareeku and took him hostage, only to be dispatched swiftly and efficiently by a swing of Aisha's boomerang and a surge of flame from Gareeku. The bladed weapon sung through the air, sweeping 'round toward the distracted foe, until it planted itself right in the side of the imposter's neck. She, unsurprisingly, collapsed, crumpling in a heap on the ground.
"Ew," Keaton muttered, eyeing the boomerang jutting out of the other Aisha's neck. Unconsciously, her eyes traced the path of the gouts of blood that dribbled down the black fur of her neck. As inured to the shock of death as Keaton was, whenever she wasn't in one of her manic-bloodthirsty moments, she found the sight of blood rather disgusting. "Well, that takes care of that, I guess..."
Muttering something inaudible (likely a curse) under her breath, Keaton briefly looked over to the crumpled door still clutched in the claws of her wing-tentacles while Aisha went to retrieve her boomerang. Her mace was safely grasped in an idly stationed one--an easy feat, as its weightlessness was bestowed upon it with a number of magical charms. After inspecting her load, she returned her gaze to the ewe.
That was when Aisha went flying. Keaton let out a slight yelp of surprise as the pantheress sailed toward the wall, colliding with it with a force which made her inadvertently wince. Dropping the door with a loud thud on the ground, Keaton drew the tentacle holding her mace closer to her, snatching the weapon up from its claw just as soon as the doppelganger rose to its feet, the wound in its neck already beginning to seal itself off once it extricated the boomerang from it. Suddenly, the other Aisha--which was gradually becoming less and less like the pantheress and more and more like something nightmarish--conjured up a thick tendril and lanced it in Keaton's direction with electrifying speed.
Releasing another yelp, Keaton flung herself to the side with as much force as she could muster, the tentacle sailing past her. The clawed tendril slashed against her hip, tearing open a sizeable wound through the fabric of her jeans and belt. Keaton cursed loudly as the pain lanced up her body, her hand reaching to cover up the wound and to stop the blood flow. Unfortunately, she didn't think she would have any opportunities to cope with the injury--the imposter Aisha would probably attack again. Gathering up her mace, she climbed to her feet, at first unsteadily, but braced herself, ignoring the damp feeling of blood trickling down her hip.
Once more, Keaton's wings started to sink into her back, soon disappearing from sight. Less obstacles to deal with. Less parts to be injured.
This was going to get messy.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
No sooner had Gareeku summoned the soul energy into his arm had his captor let go. Attempting to get away from the fake Aisha, however, the impact of the injuries the wolf had suffered earlier quickly came back to make themselves known. Crying out slightly as shots of pain surged through his body, Gareeku buckled from his injuries and landed on the floor, coughing up blood as he hit the ground. Quietly cursing the fact that his injurires were preventing him from being any use, Gareeku rolled over and looked on at the ensuing battle, attempting to get up, gritting his teeth and the shots of pain surged through his body as he tried to get up.
As expected, the creature lashed out again, two other tentacles and a number of other crawling things creeping out from under his cloak, now an ankle-length black coat. He moved to the side, turning his back against Gareeku and placing himself between him and Keaton on purpose, as the two barbed tentacles of darkness, each sporting a three-fingered hand-like appendage with horrendous claws, struck out against the cubi. As if he were motioning them forward, the creature, by the looks of his muzzle and his ears a male bat of some kind but a much larger one than one should have thought, clawed a large, long-fingered hand and swept it forward, and then under his coat. Metal glinted as he whipped out a huge revolver, his tentacles missing the dodging cubi but keeping her busy.
"Pesky little...!" he snarled between his fangs, his black tongue wriggling around the words. "Mel! Get out! Just get out and we'll kill him on the way!" he growled, raising his gun.
Mel glanced out the smashed doorway. There were more members of this rescue party, presumably about to rush in. Sending a spray of ice daggers ahead to keep their heads down she started the dash down the hallway, shedding the bulky sheep disguise as she went until she was in her normal disguise of a snow leopard.
Knowing that she was likely incapable of countering the frenzied attacks that the creature continued to send her way, Keaton opted to dodge and leap out of the way of every swipe, stab, or slash. At first her movements were clumsy, encumbered by the pain of the injury cleaving her side, but like many wounds she had endured in the past she grew to ignore them. While not particularly durable, Keaton could still tolerate a great deal of pain and work her way through it--sometimes not by her own choice.
Whirling her mace around, Keaton started to gather energy into it, wreathing veins of violent red electricity bending and twisting around the melanoid globe of the club. The glint of metal alerted Keaton to the gun the creature brandished in her direction, no doubt intending to fire it at her. Narrowing her eyes and neglecting the glasses which hung heavily off of the chains connected to her ears, she attempted to remain on the move so to make his aiming difficult, a single tentacle emerging from her back.
As the ewe escaped, Keaton lashed the tentacle toward the hand holding the gun, hoping to knock the weapon from the creature-turned-bat's grip.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Aisha had a satisfied look on her face as her weapon struck true, the imposter's eyes glazing over as blood poured forth from the wound upon an instant. The image indeed was a horrifying one, but the panthress in her days had seen things just as horrendous. She grinned darkly, hoping that the ewe too would be dealt with. She could hear Keaton entering the cell to make sure.
But in the next instant, things happened all too quickly. Before the panthress knew it, she was flung against the wall, the wind knocked completely out of her lungs as she collapsed before she could even try to pull the boomerang from the creature's windpipe. Her voice came out as a wheeze as she tried to get up, only to be kept frozen where she was...not by force, but by fear.
As the beast arose again, the form turning in species and in gender right before her eyes, Aisha winced and held her back firm against the wall. Her ring was glowing like mad, literally crackling with light magic and pulsating against her tail. She couldn't very well see what else was happening...it had gone after the jackal instead of herself. When in the panther's mind she already thought that she was going to die, for just the instant she was disarmed.
She had heard Gareeku's cries of pain, somewhere up ahead, and Keaton was wounded yet fighting with vigor. While the beast was distracted, she called her boomerang back to her from its position on the floor and started up, the expression on her features turning quickly from caution to outright frustrated rage. So this creature couldn't be killed by conventional means...
Aisha rushed around towards the exit of the cell as fast as she could, avoiding the battle that Keaton was fighting along with the bat-like creature, only hoping that the noise would bring the others into the fray to help. She did however find Gareeku, trying to get up despite his wounds. The panthress rushed to his side, hoping to help him up. "You shouldn't be moving, amigo," she said in a half-soft, half-agitated voice. If she couldn't fight, then by all and every means, she was going to keep him shielded.
It didn't really go as planned. Keaton's tentacle almost reached the gun, but the 'man', or whatever he was, was damn quick. And he'd already started pouring much of those... things... out from under his coat. Another tentacle snagged Keaton's, wrapping around it and holding it in a steady grip. Then came the rest of them, darting out in a swarm and lifting her up. He moved in on her, and she felt a hard punch right in her solar plexus, before she too was hurled against a wall. Fortunately, he'd let go of her.
As quickly as the horrid things had shot out, the tentacles, some of them sporting fanged heads with glowing eyes or clawed hands by then, drew back in under the bat's coat and seemingly seemed to dissolve at the same time, the thick darkness becoming mere shadow. Still, his eyes were specks of fire within darkness, and his teeth were deeply black against his blond fur in his snarl, some thin black lines spreading over a few visible parts of his fur, including his hands. His gun now steady on Keaton, he stood tall and calm as if nothing had just happened, and then cast a glance over his shoulder down on the wolf and the panthress. Closing his lips, he snorted, and then slowly walked sideways toward the door.
"Be glad. You're getting off lucky this time," he growled. "That damn demon's going to get it. And don't you dare attack us again!"
While pure mayhem took place in the cell holding Gareeku, Jakob and Gabi had succeeded in pacifying the turtle, who now lay asleep in the corridor. Although there was a strong prospect of seeing blood flow, it was becoming painfully clear to Jakob that the others were in need of help.
"Watch the corridor," he said and began to fade away until he was three-quarters invisible, barely noticeable if he moved slowly in the dim light.
He suddenly crouched as a ewe entered the corridor, throwing his head down as she sent a shower of razor-sharp ice shards in the direction of the party. When he looked up she had turned into a snow-leopard. I knew there were some shapeshifters involved in this, he thought, faintly amused that his own paranoia seemed to have paid off this time.
As he entered the room, he saw that Keaton had grown wings and headwings. So, she is a succubus, eh? he thought. I wonder which clan?
Keeping to the walls as the others were distracted by the fight, he crept swiftly yet stealthily to where Gareeku lay struggling to get up.
It seemed quite clear to Jakob that the other wolf was not going to be able to leave the cell under his own power, and that meant Jakob would have to help him. In any case, if Gareeku was gone, it would free the others up to concentrate solely on the battle without having to protect their ailing leader as well.
Concentrating hard upon the courtyard where they had found the dead guards, Jakob grasped his leader by the wrist and began to make the magical pass.
"I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort." a voice suddenly said in the bat's ear. It was a smooth voice, yet one could sense a tone of darkness behind the intially smooth sound. Before the bat knew what was happening, a powerful force slammed into the side of his head, sending him hurtling into the cell wall. Now standing where the bat had previously stood was a ram demon, dressed in a black outfit that was similar to what one would imagine a noble to wear.
Saying nothing more, the demon shot off a bolt of dark magic at where Gareeku was laying on the floor, causing those who were stood near him to be knocked away somewhat. After he had done this, the demon quickly raised a clawed hand in the air, before bright flash suddenly engulfed the whole of the prison room, Blaze, Ephrael, Arc and Gabi also being engulfed in the light as they too has entered the room where the cells were.
As the light died down, the group would now find themselves in different surroundings. They were in fact in the same room that Ignatz and Mel had encountered the ram demon before when they had brought Gareeku to the mansion. The familar vastness of the hall-like room came into view as the light disappeared and, standing a short distance away, was the ram demon with the injured Gareeku in his grasp. Fresh wounds had appeared on the wolf's body, crimson blood running down his form and staidning more of his white fur a dull red.
"Now then...what kind of a host would I be if I didn't make things more comfortable for my guests..."
Just as Keaton's tentacle was about to ensnare the creature's wrist, she found herself swiftly seized by another tendril apparently created by her target, followed by several others. Before Keaton could react properly, a harsh punch to the gut disorientated her. Gasping and heaving as the wind was knocked out of her, Keaton writhed temporarily in a futile effort to escape, only to be effortlessly flung like a rag doll against the wall.
She crashed against it with no more than a loud, exclaimed curse and a groan as she slumped to the ground, holding her head. Dizzily, she attempted to look up into the bat's eyes, although once she saw a glimpse of them she sincerely wished that she hadn't gazed into them in the first place. Without intending it, Keaton involuntarily winced, especially once she noticed the gun leveled at her.
Fortunately, he didn't seem interested in shooting her anymore. With one last comment he turned away from her and proceeded to stalk out the door, the jackal remaining where she was. After all, she wasn't too keen on the idea of earning a nice, gaping hole in her head for her troubles, not to mention she had dropped her mace near where she had been punched.
So all she could do was glare intensely at the bat as he edged his way out the door, a grimacing snarl on her face and a hand resting on the gash on her side.
"I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort."
This time it was the bat's turn to go sailing through the air. Keaton watched this in shock, too confused as to what had happened than to be satisfied. She glanced in the direction where the bat had once stood, realizing the presence of a smartly-dressed, imperious ram Demon. "Who the hell are y--" Keaton began to say, her previous indignance returning somewhat, only for she and the rest of the group to be knocked to the side by an immense bolt of dark magic.
Slamming into the wall again, this time with the misfortune of landing on her side, where her injury was located. "Ghck--" Keaton managed to restrain what would've been a yell of pain, looking up just in time to see the room become engulfed in blinding white light.
By the time the light had died down, Keaton realized she was no longer in the cell, but in an entirely different room altogether. Rubbing her side so to soothe the irritation somewhat, she glanced around for any sight of the ram Demon who had transported them there, only to find him standing arrogantly nearby, holding a bleeding Gareeku in his clutches.
Keaton couldn't help but wince in sympathy pain for the wolf--his injuries looked nearly intolerable, especially with the addition of the new ones. She wanted to get up and do something, as her weapon had managed to be teleported to the area with them, but it was far out of her reach and she didn't want to risk Gareeku's life.
Damn. This just became a whole lot more complicated.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
As the light faded Eph spotted the ram demon holding Gareeku. "Gareeku...." She whispered as she saw the hurt done to him.
That had been all too sudden. The bat got to his feet with a fluent, quick motion, cricked his neck loudly, and then snarled, partly hunched over, his horrid eyes fixated on the demon. He certainly did not like it when someone thought they could sneak better than he, and casting magic at him just like that was inexcusable. Not unfamiliar, yet still.
"Well, well," he hissed, his voice having returned to a normal tone just like his features for the time being. "He rears his ugly face. Mind if I mess it up a bit?"
Something was wrong though. While he was standing in the sunlight from the tall windows, the bat should have been able to call out his darkness, if only quickly. But instead he found himself incapable of doing so, his power struggling against some sort of blockage. Immediately, he focused on it, and found a barrier of sorts in his way. He recognized it as an advanced directed anti-magical field; the powerful, selective sort, usually attatched to an item of some kind. That was terribly bad, since it essentially meant that the demon could do his magic, but no one else whom he didn't let could. And with his power held back like that...
"How about I give you a beauty spot?" the bat growled, instead whipping his right long-barrelled revolver up and aiming it dead-steady at the demon. There were still three anti-magical bullets in it, but they were the last he had, and he doubted that the regular spares still on him would do any good. His left was fully loaded, but unless he could get really close...
Mel was just outside the cell door, far enough to avoid being thrown to the floor by the black magic blast, but still close enough to hear the ram and get caught up in the teleport to the demon's throne room. Her first thought was a blast of ice daggers to let ram know what she thought of his business practices. But she found herself blocked. With a growl she looked around to see if she could locate the item the anti-magic spell was attached to.
Scanning the room, the demon smiled calmly, seeing that everyone was in the room with him.
"Ah, good. The gang's all here." the demon commented, not taking his eyes off of the others who were now standing against him. In his grip was the injured wolf, his eyes shut tight as the pain in his body continued to spread through like wildfire. "What's the matter? Don't you want save your friend?"
Upon saying that, the demon raised a hand, his claws becoming razor sharp, before plunging it into Gareeku's broken arm, causing blood to spurt from the broken limb as the wolf yelled out in pain.
Turning to look at the bat and Mel, who were now stood closer together, the smile on the demon's face stayed the same; it wasn't a smirk of arrogance, but more like a smile that expressed calmness. This demon didn't seem to be overconfident, yet at the same time he knew he had the upper hand, what with the anti-magic field in place as a hostage in his grip.
"I am impressed that you saw off those assassins." the demon continued, looking at Mel and the bat, while keeping tabs on the others. "But then again, considering who you are, I would expect nothing less."
Hearing the bat speak, the ram demon chuckled. "You're a fool...go ahead..."
Jakob started as the newcomer arrived. Before he could finish the teleportation pass there was a blast which knocked him away. To his credit he managed to remain invisible until the blast subsided and the party found themselves elsewhere. With a start he realised he was visible again... there was evidently some kind of countermagic field in operation.
Oh shit, he thought. Is HE the kidnapper?
He quickly came to attention as the ram spoke, but in vain, for when the demon twisted Gareeku's arm, he saw a pulse of blood. He couldn't take his eyes of Gareeku's wound, staring at it in fascination as he desperately tried to steady himself but his mind was already beginning to shut down.
Aisha had given the bat a look of profound disbelief as he and the shapeshifted snow leopard went past, apparently now leaving the injured Gareeku in the hands of his comrades. It was something strange to consider, but the panthress had guessed that the two were the ones who had kidnapped the wolf before. She considered going after them...and then shook her head dismissively. They had only one concern at that moment, and that was to get him out.
Then once again, she was proven quite harshly wrong. The hunter had only time to wonder, demon...? And then the answer appeared, tossing the others aside in a blinding and furious bolt of magic. She had only moments to get a look at the ram before the whole group was transported.
Aisha opened her eyes next, somewhat dizzy after the experience, to find herself alongside the others--including the bat and leopard, to her surprise--in a lavishly decorated room. "What in the name of...?" she had started, only to fall silent as the others turned to see Gareeku held in the grasp of the aformentioned demon, freely-flowing blood further adding to the severity of his injuries.
"Let him go, filth," the panthress snarled loudly and reached for her sword, anger at the sight mixed with her ever-present hatred. The smugness of the ram's demeanor, the lack of emotion shown as he hurt Gareeku...it all sickened her. But like the others she most likely could do nothing...that only sickened her more. The more frustrating thing was that she might not be able to even sneak up on him. He must have been powerful.
It was then that the bat pulled a gun on him, and again it seemed to just be a foolish gesture, at the way the creature before them replied to it. She pulled her dragonblade out of its sheath, the weapon too a heavily anti-magic relic. Perhaps foolish was the way to go.
The panthress waited to see what would happen. At the first sign of opportunity, she would spring...questions would be saved for later.
Rather than fire, the bat pondered his options. He was not sure of the demon's capabilities, other than that he was strong and that right now he was the sole caster in the room. Thus, the problem; could he fend off the bullets from this distance, and could he survive a point-blank blast? 'Ignatz' himself never once considered inching closer to the demon and his captive - the sun shone almost straight through the tall arched windows. It would have been futile. And provocative and stupid. No, what they needed was a distraction.
"How about I shoot him then?" the bat asked, shifting his aim to Gareeku. "You wouldn't want that, now would you? Don't pretend otherwise. It all falls together, really. You order us to capture him, specifically alive, and he just happens to harbor a huge dark power." That was better. If he could make the demon spill his motive, or at least make him come closer... He might think he was clever to deny them magic or using tools. But the bat was not without tools of his own. Far from it. "You know, if it's really that simple, I'd rather say you are the fool."
While he talked, the bat slowly clenched his hanging left hand, curling his long fingers up and slowly preparing to use such a little tool of his own. Hidden in his sleeve, held by the black wrappings that were tied around his arms and hands, a slim vial holding some absolutely black liquid glinted darkly.
"Let him go!" A suddenly enraged tasmanian devil cried, as she ran full pelt at the ram, her daggers in both hands.
Removed his clawed hand from Gareeku's wounded arm, the demon smiled softly, licking the blood from his hand as he gazed at the bat.
"Oh I could kill him if I wanted to. It makes no difference to me. my superior would not care in the slightest. But what would be the fun in killing him now? I want to see the look on his pathetic face when i dispose of his friends." the ram replied in that calm voice, still smiling that calm, disturbing smile, his tongue licking Gareeku's ear before speaking softly into it. "Isn't that right, Mr. Manoko..."
It was then, however, that the demon saw Ephrael, would had now become enraged and was in the process of charging at him.
"Admirable, but foolish." the demon commented, the gentle smile not disappearing from his face as he waved his arm before him in a horizontal fashion. As he did so, a powerful wave a of dark magic surged forward with alarming speed, striking the tasmanian devil head on, sneding her flying back into Jakob.
Once he had done so, the demon turned to the others and smirked.
"You know what? I think it would be best if I just killed him now. Maybe seeing his death will stir up some more passionate anger within you lot." he commented, before raising a clawed hand above where Gareeku's heart was. As he did so, the clawed hand became enveloped in dark magic, ready to deliver the final blow...
Jakob's head struck the wall as Ephrael slammed into him, breaking the spell. Although preventing it would bring the danger of regressing to the amoral outlook of Johan Cross, fainting was not an option - it would threaten not only his own life, but endanger any others who might try to protect him while he lay prone. So once again, he repressed his own feelings of horror - at least for the moment - and that horrible smile briefly crossed his face once again, made all the more sinister by his peacenik appearance.
"Go ahead," he said coolly, as the ram poised to end Gareeku's life. "He's dying anyway. It would be a mercy killing. We can complete the mission without him."
And, he added mentally, when you've got your claws in Gareeku's chest, you won't be able to stop the rest of us from tearing you limb from limb.
Aisha watched as the others made their threats against the demon. She saw as Ephrael made a move against him, only to be sent flying back...the panthress had to admire the girl's courage, but it wasn't enough to matter. She was getting more agitated. The more time that passed, the more that Gareeku seemed to be in pain, and everyone else seemed kept in one spot by fear.
She had to glare slightly at the bat, threatening to shoot the wolf instead, but she knew it was a tactic. Upon hearing Jakob, however, her head swiveled and she had a look of complete and angered shock, despite how he was. You are NOT serious...!
The huntress couldn't take any more waiting, the instant that she saw the demon's claws come straight over Gareeku's heart, she snapped, eyes turning to determined, fiery pinpricks. The grip on her sword handle tightened, her other hand darting into her cape.
"You want anger, then I'll give you anger, basura!" Aisha roared. Her feet released from her standing place on the floor like coiled springs, her boomerang flashing through the air and aiming for the arm holding Gareeku, a speeding sawblade of light magic. Her sword she held up with both hands, ready and willing to slice into the ram if the distraction was enough, coupled with her own speed as she darted to the side instead of head-on.
The demon had shown his power, and it was evident through the glaring of her tail ring. If she too were to merely be tossed aside, then at least she could make an opening for the others.
Either way, there was no way in hell that the huntress was breaking her word. Gareeku was going to live to see the journey's end.
Standing wobbly, Eph clutched the bow her sister had made for her, as she did her emotions ran wild through pain and sorrow, to anger and absolute rage.
He limbs still slightly numb from the magic unleashed against her, she drew from the knowledge that if Gareeku died all hope of finding Jade would be lost.
Pulling an arrow from her quiver she drew the longbow's sting back.
"I hope this hurts YOU BASTARD!" She cried as she let go.
Talk about being drastic. Did they know nothing of planning? In the bat's world there was no such thing as simply charging in. He'd learned long ago the lesson of what happened if you threw yourself handlessly into combat thinking only of the next step, let alone the two after. Being single-minded and being focused were two things altogether.
"Bloody dim-witted...!" he cursed under his breath. That dark magic wasn't waiting for release. If he touched the wolf... But then again, that wasn't his concern. Or was it? He hated not knowing.
Haste got the better of him though. Two quick snaps, the roaring of the gun magnified in a way that hinted at its magical nature as the sound reflected back from the walls. It was a double-action gun, but despite the somewhat heavy trigger the bat was able to fire off both shots in just a split second. One went for the demon's elbow, and the other for his knee. Now, it was just the matter of stopping the others before he was unwisely killed too soon. And that was what the vial was for.
The thing slipped in a practiced fashion into the bat's hand, and he threw it into the floor quickly, shattering the glass easily. With a muted, low bursting sound, a rush of darkness bonded and concentrated through alchemy spilled out into the room, and within just a little more than a second, the entire place was obscured. Now, he had to hurry. It wouldn't stay like that for long.
Simply dropping his gun, the bat sprang. Now, he held the advantage instead. He doubted that the demon could see through such darkness, and within it, the bat could use his abilities almost to their full right. Unless the man turned out to be monstrously strong, he would soon find himself with broken limbs and his throat in a steady grip...
While everyone else centered their attentions on the demon and his prisoner Mel kept hers on scanning the room. She might not be able to cast magic, but she could still see it and when she found a hot spot it was probably the anchor for the suppression spell. She was still hunting when the light disappeared. Contrarily that helped her concentrate on the magic and she found the anchor.
Watching as the others closed in, the demon smiled with satisafaction upon seeing their angered faces, coupled with his sense of amusement at Jakob's reaction.
"Yes...that's it..." the demon said softly as Aisha closed in for the kill, swerving to the side as the boomerang missed him by less than an inch, followed by quickly shooting out a bolt of dark magic at the incoming arrow and vapourising it. No sooner had he done so had Aisha closed the gap between him and her, swerving to his side as she brought her sword in. She was indeed fast, but so was he, and after feeling the sting of her sword scratch again his skin, the ram demon growled, before firing off a bolt of dark magic and sending her flying off towards a wall.
As soon as he had done so, the demon jumped back slightly, the injured wolf still in his possession. Blaze and James were ready to make attacks of their own, but it would be the bat to make the next move, firing off bullets from his guns. The demon had barely managed to defend himself, as when the bat fired off his weapons, he used Gareeku as a shield. One of the bullets buried itself deep within the wolf's gut, causing the wolf to yell out before coughing up blood as the other scraped his shoulder, but the speed of the bullet was enough to scratch the demon's shoulder as well.
"Very good." the demon commented. His smile had changed from a calm expression to a deep smirk, nursing his shoulder where the bullet had scraped. It was then, however, that the room was suddenly enveloped in darkness.
"Very clever." the demon's voice could be heard said, followed by a slight chuckle, before a loud roar was heard as a wave of lightning magic was unleashed, shielding both the demon and Gareeku before burst out across the room in the dark.
As Mel searched for the object responsible for the magic barrier, she would soon find out that it was in fact imbedded in the ceilding; in the far corner of the room past where the demon himself was situated.
Dear gods, thought Jakob as he heard Gareeku cry out in agony from within the gloom. I hope the demon does kill him - at least it will be quick. He isn't going to survive the night even if he gets out of this in one piece. And then I'll be left as leader, assuming we don't join him in death.
He felt a curious sense of relief at the darkness, because the ruthlessness was fast slipping away and he wouldn't be able to sustain his Cross act for very long. But what could he do? His tentacles would still work and he was well enough trained to slice through rocks and metal with them, but only a sneak attack in the darkness would work and that same darkness would cloud what he was doing. The risk of decapitating Gareeku instead of the demon was very real.
Think, think, think! he snapped at himself. Then the lightning came.
As Aisha closed in on the demon, she was moving purely on adrenaline. Her blood rushed as she brought the sword up, and she roared when the blade was brought down in a swipe that most certainly cracked into his skin. However she had no time to feel the slight victory, for no sooner had she struck, the panthress was sent flying across the room. "OOMF!" She snarled. The bolt had struck her hard in the gut, and her back in turn struck the wall, both forces nearly crushing her, it felt.
She dropped to the ground, catching herself on her feet and knees, sword clattering beside her as she closed her eyes, trying to regain her breath. She could hear a few of the others charging in, and the demon's voice, still living. Aisha growled beneath her breath in utter frustration. More noises...more attacks that seemed to do nothing...two shots, ringing through the air...
Gareeku's immediate cry of pain...no...NO...
Her eyes shot open, only to be blinded briefly by darkness encompassing the room. Confused, Aisha didn't know who could have caused it...but it was a perfect distraction. There was still energy in her body that wouldn't rest until the demon was dead, and their comrade safe.
For the moment, the only small bit of light near her was her tail ring, still emitting a soft and perpetual glow of emerald. The boomerang she heard whistling through the air, and she quickly called it back to her grip, the handle silently landing in her palm. Though even with her vision, she could see very little otherwise...where was the beast...and where was Gareeku...?
KRACK! The lightning spell came as a surprise. The panthress hunkered in the wall where she was, feigning helplessness while hearing as the crackling bolts rang through the dark against the party. For a time, the demon's position was illuminated in a shield...he still grasped a wounded, bleeding Gareeku...heavily bleeding...
The rage found her adrenaline again. This time, she had the thought of using the darkness, the element of surprise. She took the glowing ring from her tail and hid it within a pocket, to drape her black form. Taking her blade in one hand, she stood up and ran with footfalls that were barely heard on the floor through her bare feet, watching carefully for retaliation while keeping the ram's back in sight. The sword was magic-proof, surely it could help break the demon's shield...
The dry, buzzing snap of the lightning spell ripped through the air, followed by a bestial growl of pain. There was a hard thud as the bat was hurled through the air and hit the floor, tumbling over and back on all fours in a position to leap next. That sort of attack was hardly something one could defend against.
"Bloody coward..." he growled lowly. Then, he saw Aisha mask herself by taking off that ring of hers. Was she thinking of...? She was, he realized. But she couldn't well attack him like that. His senses dashed around the room, looking for anything useful. And he saw it, on the floor.
So you like fighting cheap, huh? We both know that game... the bat thought as he stretched out. He still had a few seconds of darkness to go. Ripping blackness tore itself out from him, blending with the surroundings, and tore up the large carpet laying to the side of the ram from the floor. It was a good insulant; it would do well to smother that lightning before it could burn through. He swept the thing and another carpet up, and then pressed them in around the ram. Hopefully that would shut the smug bastard up.
Now, it was just up to Aisha and her sword. But in the case that would prove not enough, he moved forward, tensing up and extending his claws. If the demon was old enough there might be enough of him left that they could interrogate him before he died.
As the lightening rolled across the room Mel moved. While her ancestry was mostly ice dragon she did have a bit of lightening dragon in her so she had partial immunity to the effects. Hopefully between the dark and the lightening the demon wouldn't be keeping track of where anyone was and not notice her sneaking past. She heard lots of running feet, which managed to cover her own sneaking past to the corner. Now for the noisy bit. Since the suppressor was keeping her locked in leopard form she couldn't fly up, she had to climb. A flash of lightening let her notice a tapestry that got her started but the last feet required claws embedded in plaster. Since no spells seemed to be flying her way she could only guess that the others were keeping the ram too busy to hear her. One violent twist pulled the magical ornament from it's mooring and she jumped lightly down. The suppression spell anchor was in her hand and waiting to be ripped apart by dragon claws.
Ephrael made ready to shoot again but had a hard time finding a target. She waited, growing more and more frustraited.
Jakob groaned in pain as the effects of the lightning subsided. As the dark mist began to clear, he saw a snow-leopard poised to shatter some kind of bauble she was holding.
The suppressor. It's got to be.
If that was taken out of the equation, Jakob would stand a chance of being a help rather than a liability.
As the the lightning subsided, the emeralds embedded in James' bracers bathed the room in a pale green light. Despite the attack, James stood unmoved. He kept his gaze on the floor where his precious glove lay, singed and damaged beyond repair. James meet the demon's gaze with a piercing glare.
James' eyes were a brilliant white. Now patchless, he unfurled his wings. He now showed his true heritage... An angel. A perfect opposite to demonkind.
"Your first mistake..." said James as his muscles flexed and skin hardened. "Was messing with Gareeku. And the last mistake you'll ever make..." James fur seemed to glisten. "Was underestimating us."
In the darkness, the demon smirked. Everything was going according to plan. These intruders wouldn't last long in the present circumstances, and the demon intended to keep it that way. It was then that, with his enchanced eyesight, he could just about see the attack that the bat had made. Reacting quickly, he he conjured up powerful bolts of fire and lightning magic, firing them off at the incoming attack and nullifying them as a result.
As Aisha attacked, she was indeed using the darkness to full effect, though as luck would have it, as she neared her foe, the darkness suddenly receeded, the bat being unable to hold it for any longer.
"Tsk tsk!" the demon laughed as he turned to the attacking pantheress. with his clawed hand suddenly enveloped in fire magic, he swiped at the pantheress. However, his judgement would be slightly off; he had not caused as much damage as he would have liked, but he did manage to scratch Aisha, causing a set of burning cuts to make themselves present on her while the force of the attack blew her backwards somewhat.
It was then, however, that out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure; a figure who was in the process of aquiring the enchanted ornament he had placed in the room. With slight panic evident on the demon's face for a split second, the demon quickly flapped the large set of wings on his back, and with intense speed was upon Mel in a flash.
"Boo." the ram demon uttered in a low voice, an evil smile on his face as he gripped Mel's arm firmly, so much so that it would hurt and cause her to drop the ornament in the process. The ornament itself was a jewel, roughly the size of a baseball and rhombus-like in shape. Putting the jewel inside his cloak, he then swatted Mel away.
Turning around, the ram demon then noticed that another one of the intruders, a squirrel, had shown his heritage; he was an angel.
"My, my. An angel." the demon scoffed, returning the stare to the squirrel with a look of his own. "But you are still no match without your magic..."
As this was going on, Gareeku was slipping in a out of consciousness. The pain surging through his body was incredible. All that was keeping him in consciousness was his determination not to pass out. As the demon was distracted by the others, the wolf mustered up all the energy his could. Then, before the demon knew what was happening, Gareeku lifted up a hand a fired a shot of coul energy into his chest.
Exclaiming a yell of pain, the demon stumbled back. The robes covered his torso was heavily damaged thanks to the surprise attack. Thanks to the force of the attack, Gareeku had also managed to propel himself away from the demon's clutches, having been let go of in the demon's surprise. Landing hard on the floor, the wolf groaned, and as he lay there he opened his hand as the magical jewel rolled from his palm onto the floor.
The demon's words of mockery seemed to hit no harder than a limp noodle as James pulled out a gleaming broadsword. Taking advantage of the blow the demon took, James wasted no time in making his move as he deliberately threw himself between Gareeku and the ram. His gaze still unmoved from the demon. No friend of mine will die tonight.
Distraught from hearing the oracles words, unsettled by seeing Gareeku's near dead body, infuriated from having his only keepsake of his caregiver destroyed, with his secret brought bare to the world, James' countenance was fierce and unforgiving.
.
Watching the jewel roll from the wolf's palm to Mel's feet, the demon clutched his now-bare chest. However, instead of a look of panic of anger, there was a smirk on the demon's face as he eyed the jewel on the floor.
"Hehe...very nice." the demon commented. Then, with a snap of his clawed fingers, the doors on either wall aside from the windows burst open, guards streaming in and armed to the teeth with weapons of various sorts. Not only that, but smashing through the windows was a squad of the same type of assassins that had attacked the bat and Mel earlier, their faces hidden in the darkness of their hoods as they scaled the walls and ceiling of the room.
With a smile on his face, the demon waved his arms, prompting the guards and assassins to advance. "Kill them."
.
The darkness had dissipated quickly...yet still there was enough time for her to just give the beast a good taste of her blade...or so it was thought. She hadn't time to swing however...she saw the flaming claws coming towards her, without the speed to dodge them.
"AH!" she roared as the ram's attack struck, dropping the sword in surprise as she flew back to the floor. She turned to land on her good side, the other side sporting burning gashes across her flank through a ripped shirt. She held back the temptation to hold the wound and instead lay there for a moment, letting the searing pain pass quickly. In her mind, she was cursing herself violently. Fool, you can't HIT the bastard! Why can't you hit...!
Then she opened an eye to hear the demon's familiar voice actually give out a cry of pain. Aisha looked past to see that Gareeku had finally been wrenched from his grasp, lying further away on the floor. She had a grin of relief on her face as she reached for her sword and used it as a crutch to get back on her feet. The pain of the wound had left her, though it would leave a nasty scar to fix. Knew that he had a bit of fight left in him, she thought with pride, watching the others as they took up various positions to combat the winded demon.
It was then however that the doors flew open and the windows shattered, admitting a host of guards and assassins. Looking at the way they started to surround the group, and hearing the demon's order, Aisha's eyes widened, more than surprised at the number.
Dammit...
Her feet bounding off the floor with the speed of a well-coiled spring, Aisha dodged the melee of weapons that had come for her and slashed at whatever guard she could find whom she caught in weakness, and was in her way, never pausing for a breath nor stopping to think as blades and other weapons shaved inches from her skin. Her own sword was an axe cleaving through trees of flesh...yet she wasn't worried so much for defending herself as defending anyone who couldn't fight, and at the moment that was still the wounded Gareeku. She risked attempt after attempt at her life to just simply reach the wolf.
The panther made sure to stay away from any of the assassins at least...from looking at them an individual may have had as much skill as herself, more so perhaps, of stealthy attacks. Just in case, she grabbed her boomerang and let loose the sawblade in the air to do its job...whether it hit anything or not, she just wanted to get through...
Mel wasted no time when the jewel slid to her feet. Actually the guards were more motivating than restraining since magic was her best defense and offense. One quick scoop and the suppressor was in her hand, and while the hand appeared to be that of a normal feline it had dragon claws and bones and muscles. There was a sound between a crack and a pop as claws dug in and the gem shattered into a handful of shards, a hint of dust with a magical sparkle lingering in the air as Mel dropped the fragments. At the same moment ice erupted upwards, coating the ceiling and the assassins trying to cling to it.
Hearing the shattering sound, the demon knew what it was.
"The jewel has been destroyed. Shit..." the demon quietly cursed to himself as his guards and assassins advanced. The restrictions on people's magic was no longer in place thanks to the destruction of the jewel.
On the ceilings and walls, the assassin could immediately feel the surfaces getting colder very quickly, and so instantly dropped to the floor, though some were not so lucky and so were trapped there. As soon as they had dropped to the floors, the assassins advanced with the others. The guards then broke out into a run as they charged the group, closely followed by the assassins.
Thunderous booms shook the earth as James tossed a generous handful of acorn grenades in the core of the assassins and guards, blanketing the area in hell fire.
Even as far as he was from the explosions, James still felt the heat rush past his face. Again, James' gaze returned to the demon. Such great a threat should not be left alone. James pulled out another acorn and threw it at the ground in front of him, disappearing in a haze of thick green smoke.
The last image the demon saw of James before he disappeared, was a sinister looking smile. When the smoke lifted, James was gone.
Gabi felt powerless under the anti-magic field. It was the best she could doto defend herself with her fighting knife and her body as her only weapons, wishing she could suddenly acquire better fighting skills. While she focused on staying clear of any attacks coming her way, it was hard to tell what else was going on, other than the shouting, the lightning and the ever-increasing smell of blood.
She heard something break and immediately felt a tingling sensation. She had the feeling it had to be something important, but what could she do? She then realized the temperature had decreased a little bit. She risked a brief glance around and saw that the nearest wall was coated in ice. That could only mean one thing: magic was back.
Gabi took the chance and cast a stunning spell, firing it as quickly as possible at the nearest guard. She used the opening to make a run in the direction where the smell of blood was the strongest, basic reasoning telling her that if she couldn't be of much use as a fighter she could at least help by healing those who could. But she was forced to stop by a rising cloud of green smoke.
Unable to see or smell her destination for the time being, she took a defensive stance and waited for the smoke to fade away, preparing a new stunning spell in case another guard came towards her. Of course it could be something far more dangerous, in which case the spell wouldn't be able to stop it, but it was the best defense she had right then. She was surprised when the smoke cleared away and she found nothing ahead.
"Oh, well," she thought. "Sometimes you're just lucky. I'll figure out what that was once the commotion is over, if we make it out of here in one piece."
She went back to running, releasing the spell at the first guard she encountered, but then it became evident that things would go uphill from there. She could now pick up Gareeku's smell clearly; it was his blood she had been following. And somewhere between him and Gabi was Aisha. But also between them were plenty more guards and assasins than Gabi could handle on her own. She had no choice but to ask for help.
"Aisha!," she called out.
As the guards charged the group from every side, Aisha's concentration was focused completely on just getting through them. They were a wall of armed and armored flesh, dead already to her eyes if they were in the service of a demon. Blood dripped from her sword, and thanks to magic skills in the room returning, the properties in her light-powered boomerang could more easily be controlled...a quick flick of her wrist and it was already swerving through the air against any assassins that were left above as the room plummeted in temperature.
Finally she reached where Gareeku lay, determined to hold her ground there. As the number of the enemy started to fall, and the demon kept preoccupied, the only thing that flowed through her mind was just focus and concentration. Defend. Kill. Defend...!
"Aisha!"
Hearing a familiar voice call her name, the panthress paused to see Gabi running towards them, with a host of guards hoping to hound her path. Aisha jumped up and swung her sword across a line of them, hoping to open the way for the vixen. "Glad you're alright, amiga," she managed to say in a heavily winded voice, coming out as something of a growl, while trying to parry and fend the attacks.
As his powers returned, Jakob darted back from the wall where the lightning had flung him to where Gareeku lay prone. A strange light had crept into his eyes and his expression hardened.
"I believe that all life is sacred," he said, "but it doesn't mean I can't hurt you."
Adopting the stance his instructors had taught him in SAIA, he stood guard over Gareeku, casting fireballs at the assassin throng.
All these bloody people were just in the way, as far as the bat was concerned. Looking up from the crouching position he had come down to from his strikes, his eyes fixed at the demon. That was his target, and nothing else for the moment, no matter what that squirrel thought he could do.
Spinning to the side, the bat snatched up his gun and emptied the cylinder, wasting no time in slipping in already prepared cartridges into the weapon and then bringing both his irons up to bear, firing fast and hard in the demon's general direction. Still, with guns like his, that was not very fast. Just powerful. He had to get a pair of better guns, he thought, even as he began advancing on the ram.
A parry against a guard's blade turned into a sweeping kick and then a handflip, before he fired off a shot through the eye of an unfortunate who happened to just be there. Next, a fool who thought that he could get the drop on the bat from behind found himself flying with a broken sternum from a kick. The bat kept his oppenents at a manageable distance, not too far but not too close, striking rapidly and almost dancing as he advanced upon the demon, his eyes not averting from the ram for more than a second or two, as they slowly started turning a gleaming black.
Then, in a fluid movement, he spun his right revolver into its holster, and then gripped an attacking guard, throwing him into the bunch before their master. A step and then a leap, and he flew through the air, the claws of his right hand blackening and extending as he brought it back for a strike, aiming for the demon's throat.
When the angel set off the bombs Mel rapidly cast an icy mist in her immediate area. Fires were instantly extinguished in her corner of the room. Setting the room ablaze really wasn't the most effective idea when the wolf would need to be dragged out. Then she just stood and waited for attackers to come to her.
As the group battled, the sounds of pain could be heard from the guards' throats as they were taken out one by one. The assassins, however, was far more skillful, weaving in and out of the various attacks with precise fluidity. Two assassins in particular were making their towards the form of Gareeku on the floor, their magic reserves building within them as they approached the downed wolf and the ones who were standing over him.
As the smoke bombs detonated, the demon saw the look on James' face; the sinister smile on the squirrel's facial features clearly visible to the demon before the warrior disappeared. Narrowing his eyes before turning away, the demon then saw the approaching form of the bat as his clawed reached for the demon's throat. The demon barely had enough time to react, barely stopping the bat's attack by quickly reaching up and grabbing his arm. The demon could feel the warmth of the trickling blood on his neck; his blood. It seemd that "Ignatz" had managed to puncture the skin on the demon's throat, though the full extent of the attack had not been reached thanks to the demon's reaction. As soon as the demon had grabbed the bat's arm, he quickly charged his hand with lightning magic; small bolts of electricity crackling around the demon's clawed hand before roaring out as he threw that bat away into the nearby wall.
Don't they know the meaning of "give up"? Aisha thought to herself as she wheeled around to slice another guard in the throat. Enough blood now coated her blade to make its natural color appear crimson, were it not for the fact that it dripped to the floor...and still they kept coming, no heed paid to their fellow dead. With the magic-proof sword she efficiently blocked any magic thrown towards her, or her comrades...or Gareeku.
While the panthress fought, she pondered...the attackers were relentless, and the wolf would have to be moved as soon as possible for the best chance to be healed. A glimpse was cast in the direction of the ram demon, who was locked in combat with "Ignatz". His back was once more turned, and she gripped the hilt tightly in frustration. If I could just drive this thing into his spine...
The assassins came with little warning, as was their training...but it proved quite hard to sneak up on this particular group. She could feel them begin a magic assault, and without hesitance, the panther dove to the wolf's defense and swung her blade to catch one of them.
"We need to move him!" she growled to the others. As long as the demon was distracted, the situation needed to be taken advantage of somehow...
"I'll do it," said Jakob, his voice filled with determination. It seemed clear to him that the only way to move the wolf without killing him was going to be through teleportation. But where could he take him? He had no idea where they were. Concentrating on the location they were in, he made a mental note of it, and then tried to recall the cell which Gareeku had been left in when he had tried to move him before. Not the safest place, but certainly safer.
Trying desperately to ignore the blood and the death that was all around, Jakob knelt by the fallen wolf and clutched him by the wrist as before. The pulse was weak, and he swallowed. Gritting his teeth, he started to make the magical pass again.
Blood. Yelling. Fighting. Wings. Angel. Demon. Things moved far too fast for Keaton's comfort. One moment the ram Demon they were searching for had Gareeku dangling limply from his sinewy grasp, the next moment he was stabbing him, sending Aisha into a furious rage, then everyone was assaulting him with everything they had... leaving Keaton to stare numbly as she struggled to balance herself again and orientate her mind. No matter what they did, it seemed as though the Demon was invulnerable to their combined assault, shrugging off their attacks and further infuriating the group.
Assassins and guards swarmed the adventurers. It was only then that Keaton felt her mind break free from the daze it had confounded itself into and her survival instincts kick in. Immediately leaping up as several guards rushed her way, Keaton dashed in the direction of her mace, which had rolled off to the side upon their abrupt teleportation into this chamber. Feet a lurid blur beneath her, Keaton moved like liquid mercury past the skirmishing warriors, darting around people and flying weaponry with ears flattened and eyes locked onto the club lying on the ground.
Finally she scooped it off of the floor, throwing it into her grip, and whirled around on the nearest guard, swinging Catastrophe right into his face. His head was gone. The body was left to collapse. Task completed, Keaton turned to the next group, stepping over the decapitated guard's body like it were just a menial obstacle. At some point, as the fight rolled on, Keaton heard explosions go off somewhere in the corner of the room. Noxious green smoke wafted toward Keaton's nostrils from the immense plume billowing near the demon, who engaged in combat with Ignatz, but she quickly forgot it after she obliterated another guard.
Losing herself in the carnage.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Mel heard Aisha's call for help. The wolf didn't need to go elsewhere, he needed to be healed. With an ice-dagger spell to remove the one assassin between her and them Mel slid herself into the midst of the group defending their downed leader. She addressed the vixen who was already working on the damage. "I have healing skills, would you like some help?" By way of demonstration she healed a small gash on one cheek. Then she waited to be accepted or rebuffed.
The bat's breath left him as he was promptly knocked into a wall, and more of that stinging sensation of electricity coursed through his body. But he had come close to hurting the demon nonetheless; he had seen it, and felt it. Now he knew. However powerful he was, he still had the edge over the bastard in terms of speed. Now only to let loose...
His train of thought was interrupted as Mel moved over to the wolf, and let up her offense against their assailants. With a curse, he spun out his guns again and began firing off the last of his bullets, quickly loping over and kicking a guard in the face, landing behind her back. Once he was out of ammunition, he slipped his guns back, and took up his regular Fānziquán stance, extending his claws and preparing to rip any additional assailants asunder. Turning his head slightly, he gave Mel a scowl over his shoulder.
"Are we going for this or what?!" he snarled. There was no question of leaving; that demon had to die. But stopping right in the middle instead of moving into a better position...
His eyes shot back to the demon, and he recalled the mental image of his claws glancing the ram's throat. Slowly, his eyes darkened over, and slivers of snaking blackness began drawing up from around his feet and hands, flowing around him.
"If you're going to do anything, do it fast!"
Jakob looked up, pausing in mid-incantation to stare at Mel. He was pretty sure that she was one of the ones who had got Gareeku into this mess in the first place, and allowing her the intimacy that surgery would require meant that there was no chance of protecting his leader if this was actually a ruse to slay him.
"He has internal injuries!" he pointed out above the clamour of battle. "If you think you can heal those in the middle of a battlefield with assassins closing in on every side, then by all means go ahead. But I think it would be wiser to teleport him somewhere less deadly. I can return to bring the healers to him afterwards."
With another swift slash, an assassin had joined their comrades laying on the floor all around them in death. The panther hissed as she made the blow however, feeling as they managed to cut her up pretty well up close...one in fact her where the demon scratched her skin...only briefly reopening the scars and further staining the fabric with her own blood.
She held her side and backed away briefly, hearing as Jakob volunteered to take Gareeku...but just then, Aisha out of the corner of her eye saw Mel approach the group. She held just as many reserves of caution, for the dragon indeed had been one of those that led the wolf into this trouble...but she froze in thought at hearing her claim of healing, and her troubled gaze passed from her to Gabi and back, and finally fell upon Jakob, hearing his statement of argument. There was only a moment of doubt...just a moment, then a quick and perhaps hasty decision was made.
"I don't think we even have time to challenge trust," Aisha started. "Gareeku is fast dying and needs it immediately. Anything that comes after us, we can surely handle. We've done so thus far."
And after all, Mel and Ignatz had been fighting against the demon...enemies of enemies. She nodded to her. "You've my trust to heal him." And by gods let it be quick... the panthress added silently as her wound healed and she turned her blood-tinged gaze to another would-be dead attacker...
Mel looked over her shoulder at Ignatz, "I want that demon to die knowing his last act was a failure because he had the bad sense to double-cross us." Ignoring the incubus Mel set to work with the power of an angry adult dragon at her disposal. Her hands glowed with cold blue-white light as she set them on the wolf, combining her efforts with that of the vixen. First priority was the damaged internal organs, then they would move on to the broken bones.
Jakob reluctantly aborted the transfer and allowed Mel to heal Gareeku in-place. He assumed a defensive posture again, and now he had three targets to protect, for if Mel or Gabi were hit or even interfered with during the operation it could quite likely kill their charge outright.
He gave a sidelong glance at Aisha. I hope you know what you've asked for.
Turning his attention to the now, he cast some Stun spells at the assassins who were creeping ever close to the prone wolf.
Some distance behind him, Keaton stood amongst some foes she'd beheaded. It was a good job that Jakob couldn't see that, for it would have done him a power of no good.
Still concealed, James crept closer to his target. Using the fight between the bat and the demon to his advantage, James waited for the perfect time to strike.
Ignatz served his purpose well. When the ram unleashed his lightning on the bat, the demon's guard was down. The opening couldn't have been more perfect. With speed that only an angel could muster, James attacked. Leaping out of the shadows, James appeared with broadsword in both hands. The sword was a blur at most when James swung, threatening to cleave the demon in two.
<late>Gabi thanked Aisha for the save before approaching Gareeku.</late>
She was surprised to hear Mel's offer while she was working on healing him, and to see her demonstration before she had a chance to react. She wished she had time to think things better, but now Gareeku was badly wounded and he'd need all the help he could get. "I'll notice if she does anything to hurt him," she thought, and nodded quietly, not taking her eyes off the job.
She heard the battle raging around her, but she couldn't allow herself any distractions, and hoped with all her strength that her friends were able to repel the attackers, or at least keep them at bay until she could join them.
As the demon threw Ignatz at the wall, he suddenly sensed a presence behind him; a hostile presence. Whirling round, the demon saw James advancing speedily, swinging his sword in for an attack. Reacting as quickly as he could, the demon brought his hand up in an instinctual attempt at stopping the sword. This would prove to be a costly mistake.
A pain-filled scream echoed out through the room a split second after a *thunk* sound was heard. Standing there was the demon, clutching the stump where his right hand used to be. Blood was gushing out of the wound and creating a crimson puddle on the floor as the demon stared at where his hand used to be. A couple of feet away was the hand itself, bloodied and lifeless.
Looking up, the demon saw the manic smile on the squirrel's face as he stood there, his blade now stained red with the demon's blood. That fucking angel...he would pay!!
"YOU!!" the demon roared, his face twisted into rage and loathing for the squirrel standing in front of him. Before James knew what was happening, the demon reached out and grabbed his head with his clawed hand, the claws punturing the skin as the demon squeezed. Lifting the angel up, the demon roared out as he slammed the warrior into the ground.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!" the demon screamed, slashing at the squirrel on the floor with his claws, the claws themselves enveloping in dark magic as he did so. Before long, James was covered in cuts and gashes, including a wound on his shoulder where the demon's clawed hand had gone right through and out the other side.
Leaving the squirrel laid out on the floor, the demon stood back up. Taking a few deep breaths, the demon then turned to face the others, who were staning over the fallen Gareeku while fending off the guards and assassins. The smile that was normally on the demon's face had vanished, replaced by a stern look or seriousness. They had taken his hand. Now he would make certain that he would take their lives.
It was with a mixed feeling of insult and pleasure that the bat saw James attack the demon. Cheap shots aside, they still had to get the bastard down. However, that feeling immediately turned purely to amusement, as the ram's hand came off. And being mostly untroubled by the attackers, his scowl slowly cracked into a grin as he watched the squirrel receive as well as he had given. He felt a warm sensation rushing through him, his nostrils flaring and his breath deepening as red spattered over the floor. Unconsciously, he arced his neck, and slipped his stance into something more upright, more offensive.
"Much better..." he muttered under his breath, and faced the demon's stare from up under his furrowed brow, fangs parting slightly. He clenched his fists once, twice, before extending his fingers and balancing out his stance. Around his feet, those shadows were snaking a bit thicker now. And his black eyes had begun to glow in an odd manner. If the ram pulled off another lightning bolt, he was not intending to stop again.
"Get him ready to move," 'Ignatz' said, and started walking toward the demon. His movements differed to just moments ago. They were smooth and controlled, but he was just waiting to go off, like a bullet in the chamber. And his tone...
"Nice," he said, still grinning as he advanced on the ram, nodding toward the bleeding stump where his hand had been. "Must be bad for the carpets with all this blood, but I don't think you're going to have to worry about dry-cleaning. Why don't you get on that desk over there and we can play doctor? I'll promise not to take pictures when I give you a vasectomy. Of course, I'll make sure to do it through yer trap, seeing as how that needs to be sealed up too...!" He chuckled, and flexed his claws.
Staring at the group with the unchanging expression of calm seriousness on his face, the demon did not seem to notice the fact that blood was still dripping from the stump where his arm used to be, creating a small puddle of the crimson liquid on the floor below. His breathing was slow and deep, and his red eyes seemed to glow slightly, evidence that the mana within him was flowing. In actual fact, he was using the flow of the mana to provide energy to the damaged body tissue at the end of his wounded arm. In doing so, the flow of energy was in fact providing strength to the damaged body tissue, enabling it to heal itself as the cells in his blood were able to seal the wounds, and thereby cutting off the blood flow that normally would have gone to his hand, had it still been there.
It was then, however, that the demon heard a voice. Looking at one member of the group in particular, he found it to be the bat, who was now advancing towards him. Listening to Ignatz's words, the demon scoffed, a small smirk slowly creeping across his facial features as he eyes remained locked on the approaching bat in front of him. At the same time, however, he was also keeping a proverbial eye on the squirrel now behind him. He had let his guard down before, and as a result that mistake that cost him his hand. He would not be making that mistake again.
"Thank you kindly for the offer." the demon replied with a chuckle of his own, his voice back to it's normal smooth and calm manner. "But I am afraid I will have to decline."
Flexing his hand slowly as the bat approached, the blood-covered claws glistened slightly as the flow of mana within the demon surged through his arm and hand, ready to react.
After dropping her third target from the mass, and giving herself some breathing room Ephrael suddnly saw her next chance at the demon.
Tanking steady aim she fired, the arrow flashing past James' right atm by milimeters.
James' wing gave a twitch. He tasted his own blood in his mouth and spit it out. The vest now torn open, he could see the mithral shirt that had been hidden within. The gashes and cuts to his torso may have been much worse if it wasn't for that clever investment. As much as the armor protected him though, James wasn't invulnerable (the hole in his shoulder proved that). He was glad though that the demon only had one hand to claw with. Trying to get back to his feet again, he found himself unable to move his left arm. Blood from his shoulder started to soak his clothes. Spots of his hair were also dyed blood red. James cursed himself for not knowing any healing spells. Adrenaline kept James moving for now. He made a quick promise to himself that he would finally learn some magic after this was over... if he survived.
James had staggered back onto his feet. He had shown the demon that they weren't anyone to be taken lightly. The fight should be much easier now that the demon only had a single hand to work with. James had to work fast though before he lost too much blood.
James moved back into the fight, flanking the creature. James gave a slight nod to the bat, signaling a willingness to cooperate. There was no way a one handed demon would stop the both of them.
Thwip!
James flinched as Eph's arrow breezed past him, flying toward the demon. Dang that was close! I don't want to go down by friendly fire!
It wasn't the neatest or most thorough healing Mel had ever performed, and it wasn't the most gentle, but it was the quickest. She just pushed healing energy into the wolf as fast as she could, making his body race to keep up. It wouldn't be a pleasant healing had but at least Gareeku would live to be able to compare it. She spared a glance at Gabi. The fox had to notice that she was using more power than a being could muster.
Keeping his eyes locked onto the bat in front of him, the ram had an ear swivelled to face behind him, hearing the squirrel stagger back onto his feet.
"You should learn when to give up. I dare say the amount of blood coming out of your shoulder isn't doing you any good" the ram commented with a snicker to the angel warrior, though he did not turn his head to face him. It was then, however, that a *thunk* sound could be heard. Looking down, the demon saw, with somewhat widened eyes, that an arrow had lodged itself in his shoulder. Grunting in pain, the demon decided not to remove it, however; he knew that if he did then he would lose more blood that way.
"Nice shooting girl..." the demon sneered, before suddenly turning around and firing off a powerful bolt of dark magic. "But not good enough!!"
As the others stood guard around Gabi, Mel and Gareeku, they could see the moving form of Blaze, immersed in the heat of battle as a group of guards had surrounded him, and were doing there best in trying to bring him down. This would prove futile, however, as the squirrel incubus' skillful use of his natural cubi abilities and fire magic tore his enemies apart. It had appeared that, as the numbers of guards had been heavily reduced thanks to their enemies, the guards had decided to let the assassins take on the group who had stood guard over the fallen wolf.
As Mel and Gabi summoned their healing abilities to help Gareeku, the wolf could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness. The way that Gabi and Mel were pouring their healing magic into him created an unpleasant sensation as his body struggled to keep up with the healing energy. Soft grunts of discomfort could be heard from the wolf as he gritted his teeth slightly, though his eyes remained shut. It was quickly becoming apparent, however, that the combined healing abilities of Mel and Gabi were bringing the wolf back to normal health, even from the horrific injuries that he had suffered. It wouldn't be long now.
As this was going on, however, the assassins were continuing their assault on Aisha and Jakob. However, it was apparent that they were far from invincible, as the corpses of some of the assassins proved.
That's when Ignatz leapt. And from beneath him and within his coat, a torrent of dark mass, formed to tentacles, claws and fangs ripped up, scarring the floor and shredding its way across it. A giant head, like a wolf's but different, made of darkness and with fiercely glowing eyes, snapped its jaws around the dark blast mid-air and swallowed it as if it had never been there.
"Eyes forward, shitface!" the bat roared, his foot sweeping around in a wide arc, level with the demon's head as it was stretched straight out. Following it was a barbed tear of shadow that would have torn his face asunder, had he not dodged under it, and already struck out against the bat with his intact hand. The man proved too quick though, as he had already gotten his footing back, and when the demon's claws struck, charged with dark magic still, the bat's own were there to counter them. Red sparks flew once, twice. Then, a rush of darkness came sweeping up, around and together with the bat's next strike, a straight blow that would have torn open a wall.
"Guess that head is only good to keep them horns on, ain't it?!" the bat roared, his coat flowing and looking more and more like a pair of wings behind him as it seemed to blur into the darkness. "It could have made a nice wall hanging if it weren't for the fucking ugly mug under them. So I guess I'll just skin it and make a basketball of you instead!" Another blast, the air ripping and rushing around it.
Gabi was somewhat surprised. From the start, she hadn't known what to think about Mel, nor about anyone she'd met since she arrived at the Phoenix temple for that matter. But Mel, whoever she was and whatever her motives were, was making her job a lot easier. She could already feel Gareeku's health improving much faster than she'd expected. At this rate Gabi would even have some energy left to help the others. She was worried about James: he was a skilled fighter and might even be able to heal himself if he got a break, but from the sound of things he didn't seem to be getting any.
Only now it occurred to Gabi that she might have been rude to Mel earlier, not having said a single word to her when she offered her help. She'd been suspicious, true, and there hadn't been much time for words anyway, but a simple "thank you" wouldn't hurt. And so she said it.
"Thank you." And thought: "whoever you are."
Blood and sweat flew from Aisha's brow as more of the assassins advanced and the guards backed down. Her face was darkenend, covered inch by inch in the remains of the dead...yet still her eyes glimmered with dangerous intensity and her veins pumped adrenaline as her sword raised against the attackers, who dared come closer in range of their attacks.
At one point, she saw the demon turn to face them, and she stared back with all of the hatred she could muster in her gaze, and then watched as James and the bat advanced on the ram. The huntress paid yet no heed, still staying close to Gareeku and those healing him. An ear quickly craned as she heard the wolf stirring, and she nodded to Gabi and Mel. "Keep it up. None will pass to stop you." Her voice was low and kept to the intensity of a snarl as her boomerang whizzed back to her grip.
The assassins, quicker and more fleet of foot, surrounded those standing over the wolf in a semi-circle each. She could not see how many were coming upon Jakob, but she knew that he could handle himself...the panther's focus was set upon the four advancing on herself. Menacingly she held the sword in a horizontal position across her chest, and the boomerang over her head. Its dripping surface glowed intensely with the enchantment of light in which it was embued. She could feel the attackers building up magic attacks in turn.
...Better ideas? None? Brilliant... Aisha thought to herself in the split second she had to dodge the first's ice blast, leaving a large spot frozen where once she stood, and leapt away to draw their fire from the scene. A fireball from the second came at her from the air, which she cleaved with her sword and sent it back at the one who cast it. She landed right in front of the third, who hadn't time to even move to grab the panther before her sword jammed itself into his midsection. As he fell to the floor, she tugged the blade out and used the momentum to deflect a lightning attack aimed at her from the fourth.
She dodged and wove with speed equaling their own around their attacks despite getting scratched and burned, her sword flashing with intensity as the agile dance progressed. So engrossed in the fight, she couldn't tell if any had slipped past...
Time to end this... she growled and released her boomerang into the air as another ice attack came flying for her, almost in a nonstop stream. With a quick maneuver she sidestepped and placed herself between two of the attackers, then leaped away to narrowly avoid as two magic attacks, fire and ice, crossed and hit the assassins opposite.
"UGH!" she growled in frustration, having felt an ice blast catch her foot and cause her to trip to the ground, sword flying from her grip. The fourth assassin standing came over her in that opportune moment, raising a dagger to finish her off...only to swiftly pause and fall to the ground with a heavy groan, her boomerang having come back to stick itself in his neck.
With a snarl, she grabbed her sword and used it to stand up again, at the same time retrieving the flying weapon. For a moment, she was free of pursuers...so she took the moment to chip the ice from her foot. Finally, standing over one of them who had fallen injured, she hissed and raised the point of her blade over his chest.
"Pray for mercy," she growled...yet before anything could be said or done, the point drove itself straight through. "Too late," she admonished in an almost mocking tone, then turned to see how many more needed to be fended off, only to see more of them converging on Jakob.
"You still good?" she asked the 'Cubi in passing, keeping her stance near the healers and Gareeku until he could awaken...
Jakob was struggling somewhat. Ultimately it was his own ethics which were causing the most difficulty, his refusal to take other lives in particular. The assassins were good, but not invulnerable as Aisha proved by slaying some of hers. He grimaced and tried to focus on the group attacking him. They had a much better grasp of magic than the guards now unconscious on the floor, with effective mind-shields and offensive spells.
Even back at SAIA, before the Johan Cross affair, Jakob had disliked violence. But he was still good at it, having studied defensive arts and magics. As they lunged at him with blades, he blocked with his tentacles, hardened like demon skin. As his attackers cast fireballs and other magics, he cast shields to deflect them.
They're damn good spellcasters for Beings, Jakob thought. What are they... Weres? But he didn't have time to pursue this train of thought in detail. They had been able to counter his stun and fireball spells so he had given up on that approach for now. Everything he was doing was purely defensive, simply keeping them back from Gareeku. And he would not be able to keep it up forever.
Her being refexes were to slow to save Eph from the bolt of magic, but she atleast saw she had done some damage.
As she was hurled against the wall she blacked out near Gareeku and the others.
Mel gave Gabi half a smile, any answer she might have made interrupted by the unconscious Eph coming to a halt nearby. Mel kept up with the intense healing on the wolf but spared a glance for the girl. Looked to be just knocked out, probably nothing more serious. The angel was going to be in serious trouble though, if he didn't see to his shoulder soon.
A strange gleam entered Jakob's eye. The closest assassin was fast, agile and good at blocking his attacks. He also had a solid mind-shield. But there was one thing he didn't have.
Jakob held up a hand and a directed a brilliant flash of light at his eyes. Blinded, the assassin panicked and Jakob struck at him with one of his tentacles, squeezing his assailant's neck until they lost consciousness. He finished off with a stun spell of sufficient strength to keep him out for several hours.
But that still left two more.
Amidst the bloodshed and the pandemonium, Keaton slashed and swiped, punched and kicked, bit and ripped, and generally tore her way through the throngs of assassins, paying no heed to the bodies that hit the ground like dead bricks and the weapons that clattered to the floor. Blood journeyed along Keaton's body in slimy, snaking trails of sanguine, dripping off of muscle and flying in beads with efficient swing of her blood-soaked mace. Purposely Keaton kept aiming at the heads of those who dared to attack her so to ensure a quick and destructive death.
The scent of ozone sizzling in the air attracted her attention over to where the familiar snow leopard was healing Gareeku. At first Keaton was just about ready to storm over and administer the same treatment she had with many other assassins and guards, but when she realized that she was healing Gareeku--the spell was where the atmospheric scent had originated--she managed to halt herself. At least for now. She wasn't stupid--she would wait until Mel was finished healing Gareeku, then she would attack.
The sound of a corpse twitching in a pool of blood. Keaton turned around, distracted from her sour musings. Someone was sneaking up on her, and had accidentally disrupted the corpse before them. With a loud roar Keaton whirled around, swinging her mace into his chest--
--and sent the poor assassin flying into a wall, where he collided with it, slumped to the ground, and made no further movements.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Jakob's trick of dazzling one of his attackers had had an unexpected benefit regarding the other two. He knew that an exact repeat was out of the question owing to the surprise factor now being lost, but he quickly discovered that the slightest movement of his right hand cause the other two to shield their eyes. Feinting a few times, the assassins slowly became less twitchy.
Jakob thrust out his hand and sent a bolt of light to one of them, who covered their face to avoid the glare only to have his feet pulled out from under him by Jakob's tentacles. Sending a bolt of light into the one still standing, he bashed the fallen assassin's head against the ground again and again. Stripping away the mind-shield from his concussed foe, he turned out their lights with another stun spell.
"That's it...keep it up...they can't be...infinite..." Aisha breathed, mostly to herself as she kept her position around the ailing Gareeku and casting glances at the others. Ephrael was down, James was down...the others fought with minimal effort, at least those who could effectively combat magic on their own. As for the panthress, she was very nearly winded; the only magic resistance she had was her dragonblade...but at least the bracer kept her injuries at bay long enough to finish the fight.
Two more assassins leaped down to her position, both casting ice spells. She leaped away quickly, angling her blade so that the blast was deflected and cast at each of them, encasing them in a shell of ice. She backed away with a deep breath taken, having been slowed down by the intense cold. She looked around at the sea of bodies...the area around her was clear of the living. The assassins themselves were thinned out. The last ones descended upon the others, one or two for each...easily taken out but just for the demon left.
"How's that healing coming?" Aisha asked Mel and Gabi in a very short breath as she put her blades away for a moment and knelt next to Gareeku, looking the wolf over with a concerned gaze. It was then she remembered that she still carried the katana he left behind. Bringing it up from her belt, she placed it next to the wolf. Knowing him, he would want to fight upon waking up...
For the third assassin, Jakob used both the attack strategies that he had used before. Naturally his foe was ready for both, but by feinting Jakob was able to make him do what amounted to a dance that distracted him and kept him away from the prone form of Gareeku. He could tell from the warrior's body language that he was becoming extremely frustrated.
Jakob smiled and made an extremely insulting gesture at the assassin who promptly lost control and lunged at him. Destania had taught Jakob well and he was able to deflect the attack. His assailant staggered as the blow went astray, and as Jakob lunged for his feet he quickly stepped backwards to avoid the attack and tripped over the body of his fallen comrade.
Jakob put him to sleep as well, and glanced around to check for reinforcements.
By now, the amount of guards and assassins who were still alive or conscious was reduced to a mere fraction of their original numbers. Everywhere one could look, the bodies of the dead littered the floor, the vacant eyes of the guards lifeless as they stared into space.
As he battled the others, the ram demon was becoming increasingly frustrated. These people, these vermin, who had dared to square up against him...they just wouldn't die!
"None of you shall leave here alive!" the demon roared as he fought. "The last name you will ever hear will be Azrul!"
It was then however, that he noticed something, or someone, out of the corner of his eye. It was the unconscious form of Ephrael, slumped up against the wall. Smiling evilly, Azrul quickly summoned mana to his hand, before unleashing a powerful wave of dark magic, powerful enough to kill someone who could not defend themselves like Ephrael was, at the unmoving tasmanian devil. "Say goodbye to your friend!"
Suddenly, it happened. One minute Ephrael had been just lying there up against the wall, unmoving. The next, she had disappeared. Where had she gone? It was impossible for someone in that situation, for someone who was unconscious, to even move, let alone move out of the way of that attack. "How did she...?"
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to attack the defenseless?"
It was a voice that Azrul had heard before, and it was a voice that made him visibly grit his teeth in rage. whirling around, the ram demon glared at the figure standing only a few metres away, holding the still-unconscious Ephrael in his arms.
"YOU!! How did you-" Azrul began to say with a mixture of disbelief and rage.
"If you had been paying attention, you would have seen that there are two who possess healing powers in this room, and it is those two that I thank very much." Gareeku replied in a stern voice, glancing at Mel and Gabi when he referred to them and subtley motioning towards where James was, before fixing his eyes back onto the demon, a look of grim seriousness on his face.
When Gareeku had been fully healed, His eyes had immediately snapped open. Sitting upright, the wolf had almost forgotten where he was for a few moments. However, it had then all come back to him. Thanking those around him in helping him when he needed them the most, Gareeku had then spied the demon preparing to finish off Ephrael, and so had immediately made his move.
Setting Ephrael down in a safer location nearby, the wolf turned back to the demon, unsheathing the shimmering blade of his katana.
"You will not hurt anyone anymore. I will make sure of it." Gareeku stated with a tone finality. Growling with anger, Azrul flexed his clawed hand, glaring at the wolf stood near him. So infuriated by the fact that the wolf had been healed back to near normality, the demon had virtually forgotten about the others who were fighting against him; a action may cost him...
Jakob was awestruck. Gareeku had been at death's door last he had seen. Maybe they had a chance.
Much as he detested acts of violence and murder, much of Jakob's sympathy lay with Beings. They always seemed to get the short straw, after all, and so could not find it in his heart to beg for the demon's life. Certainly not after what he had done, all the lives he had forced them to end.
As the demon focused upon Gareeku, Jakob, standing behind him, reached into his coat pocket and drew out a revolver. Aiming at the demon's head, he pulled the trigger.
Growling furiously, Azrul was about to leap at Gareeku, moving forward, when suddenly he felt an intense pain in his shoulder. Wincing as he looked, the demon saw that he was now bleeding from where Jakob's bullet had hit, although it had not been the desired target.
"Shit!" Azrul cursed audibly, gritting his teeth as he glanced from Jakob to Gareeku.
Holding his blade at his side, the wolf watched as the demon was struck by the bullet. He could not help but smirk at the demon's shock at being shot. He would have made his own attack, were i not for the fact that he knew that others were about to make their own assaults...
Hah! thought Jakob. "Come on Gareeku... do something!" he muttered under his breath. In a few seconds the demon was likely to realise it was a paintball.
James' blood stained broad sword had long since clattered to the floor. Instead, he palmed a shuriken in his good hand and fed light energy into it. He had used energy like this before to stop Gareeku in his cubi berserker mode. But this time, James didn't restrain the amount of energy he fed into the small weapon, filling it with potential lethal force.
The demon was making mistakes now... Many of them. The paintball being an obvious one. The ram was keeping an eye out on Gareeku and Jacob, but not James. Perhaps he thought James too weakened to do anything... Another costly mistake.
Using the stun from Jakob's gunshot to his advantage, James launched the now glowing shuriken at the demon's back.
Another eruption of blood marked the end of another assassin. Aisha came out of her sword swing covered in the entrails, taking deep breaths as she looked around at the sea of bodies throughout the room...and listened to the sounds of the others taking the demon on. It seemed everyone would need quite the rest after this event...if they lived.
And it was then that she swerved, listening to the demon as he called out against them. The panthress had her teeth bared...she, like many of the others, certainly had enough of the creature...she was poised to charge when he raised his hand against the unconscious Ephrael...but the panthress paused as the next development made itself known...for she had not realized through the chaos that Gareeku had awakened, her back having been to the wolf. She stood first with brief shock, and then, relief. He was healed and ready to fight again, and that was just what they needed.
It was none too soon...the creature had his focus on the wolf...and thus the group was starting to move in with attacks of their own. She heard the ring of a gunshot courtesy, surprisingly, of Jakob...and a blazing shuriken throw courtesy of James.
She waited for an opening...and then it would be the courtesy of her own blade that the demon would feel. Then, her bladed boomerang shimmering with the light magic it had been imbued with, the panthress let fly the spinning sawblade towards the creature, hopefully to weaken it by aiming to sever a limb...
Still growling with rage, Azrul was still watching for any attacks from Jakob or Gareeku. His rage and frustration was beginning to take it's toll on his judgement. He was practically ignoring his senses now. All that mattered to him was ending their lives in the most painful fashion possible. It was then, however, that Azrul noticed something. The pain in his shoulder, the place where he had been shot by Jakob...it didn't hurt as much as it was supposed to. Slightly confused about this, the demon ran his finger over the wound...only to find that there wasn't one. Sniffing the supposed "blood" on his hand, Azrul was surprised that it was in fact...
"...Paint?" He muttered to himself after sniffing the red liquid on his shoulder. It seemed that Jakob had not shot him with a real bullet after all, but rather with paint instead. Upon this discovery, Azrul could not help but laugh.
"Paint? You expect to harm me with paint?" the demon asked in a mocking tone.
However, this laughter would soon be replaced by a cry of pain, as James' light energy-filled shuriken lodged itself into his back. The burning sensation the light energy caused upon the demon was intense, as Azrul tried to reach round and pull the weapon out, but to no avail.
Things were about to get a whole lot worse for him as well. Another wet sound of steel slicing through flesh rang out into the air as the demon cried out in pain once again. Looking down, Azrul's eyes went wide as he saw that the arm that did not have a hand was no longer even there. Instead, it was lying in a pool of crimson blood on the floor. Blood was spurting out of the gaping wound, adding to the pool of crimson on the floor. The pain was incredible. As if losing a limb wasn't bad enough, the weapon that had caused the injury was none other than the pantheress' light magic-imbued bladed boomering, which meant that the light magic within the weapon was making the pain a hell of a lot worse than it normally would have been, and that was saying something.
It would not stop there, however. No sooner had Aisha's weapon returned to her had another member of the group decided to make his move. From out of nowhere, Blaze moved forward, his hands burning bright with fire magic as he advanced, before throwing a set of fireballs in the demon's direction. As they struck, the fireballs created large nasty-looking burns, burning through the fur and appearing on the demon's skin underneath. Staggering on the spot slightly as his eyes squinted through the searing pain running like wildfire through his body, Azrul looked around, panic evident on his face as his eyes glanced from one enemy to the next.
"Give it up, Azrul. You're finished." Gareeku stated with a tone of finality. "We may even let you live if you just give up now."
"Never!" Azrul spat back at the wolf, his eyes burning with rage and hatred towards his enemies. "You'll never take me alive!"
"I'm not sure we need you alive," Jakob pointed out. The blood was getting to him again and it was only through a gargantuan effort of will that he was able to hide the fact.
"Once you're dead, I can torture your soul until you tell me what you've done with my father. And then we'll do the same for Gareeku's uncle..."
A low moan came from the pile of black fur and green leather called Ephrael. "Did someone get the number of the bus that hit me?"
She looked rather particular as her fur and hair were all standing on their ends, leaving her looking like a black fluff ball. The result of the magic bolt's aftereffects.
Rolling to her knees, her groping hand touched her bow that Gareeku had been kind enough to bundle up with her. Gathering it to her she started to giggle. "Oooh I dun feel so good..." She said in a higher pitched tone than normal.
Seeing a dark shape lift itself from the floor behind Aisha and stagger towards the pantherss' back. "I dun think you should do that." She half giggled to herself as she picked up one of her scatted arrows. Still on her knees she aimed at the figure who had seemed to split into to four. "No fair there was only one of you!" She tilted her head to the side and the figure was one again. "Oh goody"
She let fly...And missed her target by a foot. Not that it matted to the assassin as he was rolling on the ground howling from the arrow that had pierced his groin.
The room seemed to be darker for some reason, but it wasn't because of the lighting. James involuntarily dropped to his knees. The adrenaline had got him this far, but he had worked himself too hard in his attack. The dark energies from the demons claws made him feel sick and loss of blood was making him feel lightheaded. His sight was blurred and hearing deafened. Finally, the darkness overwhelmed his vision and fell awkwardly to the ground, barely breathing... a tear in the corner of his eye.
Mom... Dad... I wish you were here...
After dispatching her fair share of assassins, guards, and other unscrupulous characters, Keaton looked sadistically satisfied with her recent conquests, not to mention a little exhilarated. Years ago, killing had been the sole freedom from the living hell Keaton was forced to endure day after torturous day, and this twisted ritual of stress-relief and entertainment continued to this day even after she had been liberated. Back then it had been her salvation, now it was just a game.
Mismatched, chocolatey gaze rested on the demon as he was abruptly pelted by the dollop of paint(?!) just after his arrogant declaration. Keaton hefted her mace as its surface slowly devoured the blood caking it, rippling and warbling as each drop was swallowed. By this point Gareeku was fully healed and everyone was launching whatever they could at Azrul, such as James's shuriken and Aisha's boomerang, all deadly projectiles which had virulent effects on the demon.
Light was probably the most useful element here, and unfortunately something Keaton had no experience in. She did, however, have some knowledge in Fire magic... nowhere near as adept as her control over darkness, but certainly a force to be acknowledged. Originally she had adopted the skill years ago in-between dark magic studies as both an antidote to her pyrophobia and a balancing act to her dark-oriented abilities, but now it was probably rusty. Now was as good a time as any to attempt revitalizing this strength. Keaton flexed the digits of her hand, gouts of flame building up in the center of her palm as she deeply concentrated. Tongues of fire were starting to climb up her fingers, subtle traces of dark magic fueling and fanning the center of the flame's core and permeating it, but mostly overwhelmed by the predominant element.
"Take you alive?" Keaton laughed. "Oh please. Be imaginative. Where's the fun in that?"
Keaton pulled back her hand and prepared to launch the spell upon the right provocation. Right now she had no compunctions about torching the demon alive in his moment of weakness, but these momentary traveling companions of hers might. Either way, she hoped the spell was strong enough to inflict some form of damage.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Aisha smirked, a look of dark satisfaction, as the boomerang returned to her hand, having been successful in taking the ram demon's limb. The blood gave the glow on the edge a shimmer of red when she clasped it again, the panthress watching his pain and apparent fear for those around him with what could only be felt as a surge of elation...as she always felt when a high-and-mighty demon was about to fall. Especially this one who called himself Azrul, for all the trouble he caused. He had better cooperate, she thought in agreement with the others. Or he may die where he stands.
Suddenly, behind her, was heard the twang of a bowstring and the sound of an arrow whizzing through the air. Aisha whirled to see what it was, only to see that it had struck another assassin that had been nearly behind her...the arrow courtesy of a now-awake Ephrael. "Good to see you alright," Aisha smiled in thanks, and then turned to see what was going to happen next...sword in one hand, boomerang in the other, she crouched defensively while watching and listening.
It didn't look like the ram was going to acquiesce to the adventurers, but it seemed he had little choice...but otherwise, she'd be bound to take off a leg as well.
The wolf jumped up, signaling the end of the healing session. Mel took half a second to look around. The squirrel was a bit too far away for her tend to. Perhaps the vixen could reach him. From her vantage point at floor level she slid an ice spell onto the floor around the demon's feet; slick almost invisible black ice. Content that she had added her own little piece to the chaos she set about encasing any nearby assassins in ice.
Jakob snuck a glance or two around the room to see how the others were doing. James was in a bad way, but it was not the sort of injury that Jakob could tend to. There were people encased in ice next to a Being, and this did not make Jakob very happy.
Not so many years before Gareeku was born he had met someone named Snell, who had used his 'Cubi talents to rob and burgle. But he was also good with ice-magic and he had used it to kill several demons, simply grasping their heads and killing them instantly. The thought of how they had died still made him feel sick.
I'll have to keep an eye on that one, he thought to himself but then returned to the problem of the Angel, who seemed to have just collapsed. Confident that the others could keep the demon occupied for a couple of seconds, he screwed up his eyes, searching once again for Gabi's mind.
"James..." he thought, directing his voice into her mind, "Tend to James!"
Once Gareeku had stood up Gabi sighed both from relief and tiredness. She wished she could sit down, but the fight was still raging all around her. She considered herself lucky that her friends seemed to be able to keep the enemies at bay. She acknowledged Gareeku's gratitude, but ished he hadn't drawn the demon's attention to her. Fortunately, he didn't seem to care about her presence. And he was fooled by a paintball too. Maybe he wasn't very smart after all. He was still bound to be too powerful for her, though. She'd be better off doing what she did best.
She looked for James, who she had meant to help before, and found that he was still fighting. Maybe he's not as hurt as he seemed, she thought. Or maybe he's straining himself to the limit. I can't tell with all these fights going on between us. Then she heard Ephrael speak, and both her words and the tone of her voice worried her. She needed help, but it would be hard to reach her. Gabi wondered which of the two she should try to help first. Then she received Jakob's answer. She wondered how he'd done that; no one else had ever projected thoughts into her mind, Cubi or not. But he could do many surprising things and now was not the time to contemplate them. He could read minds, so he probably knew who needed her the most. She decided to follow his advice.
She used a diversion spell to protect herself. It was a weak spell, but she'd need all the magic she could use for healing, and it might work now that everyone else had other things to focus on. Its purpose was to stop others from randomly noticing her. They'd still see her if they looked for her, but she wouldn't attract the attention of anyone who just happened to glance in her direction.
She did her best to avoid the fighters, but when she was just about to reach James someone's back bumped into hers. She ran, not turning to check whether it had been friend or foe. She feared an attack, but there wasn't enough time to even think of how to defend herself. No attack came, however, and she finally reached James. Luck seemed to be on her side. She hoped it would stay with her at least until James had recovered.
She held the Squirrel in her arms and checked his condition. She wondered how she'd managed to keep fighting that long. She gently poured some energy into him, and then checked his vitals again. He seemed a bit more stable, but still badly hurt. Things would be easier if she could get him to stay conscious.
"James, can you hear me?," she asked him.
(OOC: I randomized a few things on the 'running' paragraph.)
The bat diverted his attention from the demon to direct his aggravated fury at two assassins, whatever they were, that made what seemed like a last attempt at coming to their master's aid. The first one, leaping while holding a bomb-like ice spell in his fist just waiting to go off, was caught by the bat's outstretched arm and skewered on his black, knife-like claws. Spasming from the pain but not screaming somehow, he was wrenched around and thrown aside like a ragdoll. The second attempted to stab at the coated man with a curved blade of some sort, oozing mist. He had his hand stopped inches from its target by the bat's own iron grasp, and then twisted around until joints and tendons ripped and snapped, before a swift kick to the throat broke his neck and sent him flying. The man let his arms fall, exhaled, and then turned his eyes back to the demon.
When James fell, it only brought a derisive snort from the bat. His boots thumped heavily as he walked slowly closer to this Azrul. He still had to watch the others, but right now he had only one real wish in his head. 'Quite right,' he hissed before he stopped, referring to Keaton's and Jakob's comments. 'But if you're thinking of taking this asshole before me, I suggest you change your plans. I have my money, but for this...' He slowly flexed his fingers, sharp fangs gritted and bared.
"Like I said, we only need his soul," Jakob answered. "Not even that if he 'fesses up and tells us what we want to know before he dies. So if it's a bounty you're after, you can take the corpse by all means."
He was clearly in an unusually vicious mood.
The bat snarled in response, neck lowered and the mane of scruff that went down from under his long hair bristling. It looked almost as if something was moving just within his black coat.
'Piss off, scrawny boy,' the chiropteran retorted. 'You're walking out of here with your friend and alive. You should be glad for that.'
And the same to you, sir... Jakob thought. He was used to hate, but the idea that muscle mass counted for much in a shapeshifter made it difficult for him to keep a straight face.
The only thing that really saved him from enraging the other still further was the sobering notion that the bat's actions could threaten the kidnapped. Ignoring the slur, he kept his eyes upon the demon. Much as he despised violence, his efforts to keep the blood out of his mind and the thought that he was so close to finding an answer to the kidnappings had put him in a very, very strange mood. He knew he'd have one hell of a guilt trip in the morning, especially from the idea that had just occurred to him.
Tearing the soul from a living body was not something Jakob was too keen on doing, even in this heightened state, but it had a lot going for it. No mess, just a nice, clean kill and the demon's soul trapped in a crystal for him to interrogate. It was a strong temptation but he didn't quite have the nerve. Not yet... wait for the others first... do it if they falter...
"Shut up. Both of you." a suddenly cut in, a slightly growling tone to it. Looking from Jakob and the bat to the demon, and then to the rest of the group. "Anyone who's takes his soul without my saying so will feel the wrath of my blade."
The look in the wolf's eyes clearly showed that he meant every word that he said. To say that Gareeku was pissed off was an understatement. The thought of being slowly and methodically tortured by Azrul and his guards was still burning in the front of his mind, fueling his inner rage. He wanted the demon alive, at least for the time being anyway. Once he got what he wanted, he would quite happily kill his foe.
Azrul, meanwhile, continued to look from one foe to another, a look of panic, mixed with pain thanks to the injuries he suffered, on his face as his eyes glanced from one of his foes to the other. Hearing Gareeku's words, the demon looked at the wolf, before a slight smirk appeared on his face.
"My my, aren't we the compassionate one..." the demon sneered. "I know you hate me, you must do. Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"
"Because you may have information that I want." the wolf replied, his eyes locked onto the demon in a piercing look. Hearing these words, Azrul raised an eyebrow. Stepping forward, Gareeku tightened his grip on his blade. "You are going to tell me where my mother, my uncle, and the rest of the kidnapped are, otherwise I am going to make you wish that I killed you the moment I was back on my feet."
The words that the wolf spoke were pure venom, and to be honest, downright chilling, largely thanks to the fact that it was plain to see that Gareeku meant every word.
"Like I would tell you...you think you can just use threats on me like that?" Azrul spat in reply. In reply to this, Gareeku said nothing, merely looking at the demon with a look on his face that indicated that Azrul had just said the wrong thing.
Crack.
Azrul suddenly cried out in pain, holding his now broken hand close to his chest. Gareeku had just walked up to him, before suddenly, before Azrul knew what was happening in his injured state, grabbing his hand and smashing it over his knee, using such force that at least two bones in the demon's hand were broken.
"Now then...where were we...?" Gareeku growled, standing over the demon and looking down at him. "Don't make me ask you again..."
"Fucking filth..." Azrul spat, a look of hate in his eyes as he looked back up at the wolf. With that, Gareeku took his sword and with one clean swipe, sliced off the demon's right leg, causing Azrul to scream in pain as he fell onto his back. Blood now covered the floor where the wolf stood, staining the black sandal-like footwear that he wore crimson red...
Normally Jakob would be affronted by a death threat from his leader, but he let it go... they were after the same thing, after all, and Gareeku was clearly just as desperate as he was to get some answers. So he hung back, keeping tabs on the others... especially that creepy bat-guy.
Turning away from what Gareeku was doing, the wolf suddenly had a faint tinge of guilt... while he deserved it, the demon was going to be in a very, very bad position if he didn't know anything. Because neither Jakob nor the white wolf was likely to believe it.
Keaton watched the brief exchange between Jakob and the bat with both amusement and agitation, the latter quickly escalating to the point it became quite obviously dominant. Upper lip hiked back, exposing the sharpness of her ivory fangs. Wait, who did this asshole bat think he was? Acting like he was so fucking strong, that he could beat them all single-handedly, and talking like he could just waltz right out of the goddamn room when this was all over without any resistance. Keaton herself was certainly guilty of that perceived behavior, but she didn't tolerate it among others.
In response to the bat's bristling Keaton unconsciously brandished her fangs and her hackles stood on end, fire still flaring in her palm. "You, shu--" For a moment, she carelessly forgot the Demon until Gareeku intervened, speaking harshly to Azrul. Keaton's eyes flickered back over--the white wolf looked rather intimidatingly infuriated, as was evident from his expression and how increasingly virulent his speech became.
It eventually culminated in him cleaving off Azrul's leg, sending him toppling to the ground. Keaton watched with surprise as blood shot in spraying streams from the severed stump, her expression incredulous. Wow. This Gareeku guy had a lot in him. Looked like she didn't need to burn the Demon alive after all.
...Pity.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
The bat's look darted, first over to Keaton when she seemed about to snap at him, then over to Gareeku and the now mutilated demon bleeding his life out on the floor. Again, the bat snarled and took a step closer.
'What are you, an idiot?!' he fumed. 'You kill him prematurely, and you won't get a thing out of this.' He straightened his face and posture, letting his right hand slip onto the grip of his gun. 'And if you think I'll just let you walk out of here with him, or anything he has on him, you're fooling yourselves.' His eyes swept over the rest of the assembled.
"Shut up." Gareeku replied, not taking his eyes off of the demon now on the floor. "I have my ways. Stay out of my business."
Kneeling down, the wolf then suddely grabbed the bleeding stump that was Azrul's legs in a tight grip, before his hand was suddenly engulfed in a bright white flame. Screaming in pain, the demon struggled, his eyes shut tight as the light magic burned his demonic flesh. As it did so, it began to actually scab the wound somewhat, as the burning from the magic closed up the arteries and veins. It did not, however, burn the nerve endings, which meant that the pain surging through the demon's leg was as bad as it had been when Gareeku had first started pumping light magic through the stump.
"Don't make me cut off the other leg, demon..." the wolf growled, his eyes fixed on the writhing form of Azrul in a deadly glare. "Because I will be more than happy to..."
With that, Gareeku then resheathed his sword, before grabbing the stump of Azrul's arm and doing the same as he had been to the leg with his other hand. Azrul's screams became louder, you could almsot feel the pain he was going through as he body jerked more, trying in vain to escape the incredible pain now surging through his entire.
"Ok! ok! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Please stop!!"" the demon screamed, tears now beginning to run down his cheeks as he could barely take any more. Seeing this, Gareeku ceased the light magic, though he kept the grip on the stumps firm. If one looked carefully, they would be able to see the corner of the wolf's mouth turned up in a slight smirk of satisfaction. "Glad to hear you're willing to co-operate..."
Unknown to him, however, there were three assassins left. Silently they crept from different parts of the room, staying in the shadows, willing to try and save their master from his predicament. Then, they leaped, blades drawn and magic glowing...
As the event went on, what she'd probably call a "forced interrogation", Aisha still held her stance ready with the boomerang. However, she had to cast a glance between the bat who called himself Ignatz and Jakob, when they traded banter, and roll her eyes afterward. The bat especially seemed to understandably gather a few nasty looks for his statements...but, priorities. Things would probably be dealt with after this stubborn demon was taken down. In truth, the panthress wanted to hurt them all for taking hurting Gareeku and causing this giant mess.
For now though, her attention turned to the wolf as he demanded of the demon what needed to be known by the group that she was with. For having nobody kidnapped that she knew, still she was more than willing to stand with them. The hunter hadn't even cringed when the ram's leg was sliced from his body, or when he was sent reeling in pain with his light-magic cast...she was in full agreement. Taking a step forward, she raised her boomerang again, still despite the banter going on over the rights to the demon's soul, apparently.
But just as soon as the demon begged out for mercy, there was suddenly a glint somewhere in the corner of Aisha's sight. What in...?
Then, too quickly, the assassins leaped from the shadows...quick and forceful, magic at the ready. "Shit!" Aisha growled and swiftly released her boomerang against one...certainly looked too easy that Azrul wouldn't have some protection left...
To avoid seeing the torture too closely, Jakob was already scanning the room for danger when the assassins came. While startling it was the kind of thing he'd been afraid of so it was no great surprise, more a confirmation of his paranoia.
"Try to take some of them alive," he growled, casting Stun at the closest one to him. "If the demon dies before his confession we may need another body for him..."
'Oh, for the fucking love of...!' the bat started out, almost as if he were still snarling at Gareeku. Then he drew.
Hiding in the shadows might have been a viable option for any other situation, but against the bat that didn't matter a thing. If anything, it only made it easier for him to sense them. And with his reflexes and the size of the room, the attack was failed before it had even started.
The assassins were aiming for Gareeku, understandably. But the bat was in such close proximity to the wolf that he came right in one's path. Spinning around, he whipped his dark-hued gun right out at the incoming assailant and blasted off a sequence of shots. Not expecting the thing to go down so easily, he swept his other hand back, darkness gathering to it.
What little self-restraint Keaton was exhibiting dissolved rather effortlessly after the bat next spoke. The canine's canines fully exposed themselves as she directed a very sharp, very harsh glance towards the bat, eyes narrowed into thin, ocherous slits and a startlingly bloodthirsty expression of rage scrawling itself over her features in jagged angles and cleaving cuts, becoming particularly predominant on the black crescents and stripes bedecking her face.
"Oh, shut the fuck up!" she snarled. The fire coalescing in her hand, reacting bitterly to her capricious temper, billowed upright into a roaring plume. This time, she did forget the Demon, as subdued as he was by Gar's liberal application of torturous doses of light magic. "Like you have the fucking right to criticize us, yo--"
Keaton realized something. Nearby, Aisha had thrown her boomerang as the harbinger to this miniature catastrophe which had leapt from the shadows, the bladed projectile whistling rapidly through the air. Returning her rather vulgar comment wasn't a concern to the bat, who now had his firearm drawn and was shooting off a barrage of bullets at the triad of assassins, while off to the side Jakob had cast a Stun spell at one of the assailants. Keaton snarled out a loud unmentionable and grit her teeth, one fist clenching around the handle of Catastrophe while the other extinguished the blaze raging in her palm with one squeeze.
"FUCK!" she shouted, and with that she brought Catastrophe down.
The bladed end of its pommel slammed to the ground, the darkness surrounding Keaton's shadow rippling. Beneath the stunned assassin the shadows themselves seemed to writhe, bristling like tiny cactus barbs as they intermittently spiked and rose, then, in the blink of an eye, a sleek, razor-sharp pillar of what appeared to be solidified darkness leapt from the ground and impaled the assassin like a kebab. Keaton twisted the handle of Catastrophe, then the seemingly unbendable column swept around like a whip and flung the carcass off to the side before shrinking and shriveling back to its flat and shadowy state, leaving nothing but a slight ripple which, like a ghost, vanished.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
James groggily opened up his eyes, his vision still somewhat blurred. The vision was clearing, but all he could see so far was a female figure in front of him. "M-Mom? Is that you? Please tell the bad men to stop fighting..." said James before he rolled over to his side to fall asleep.
It almost looked like James did fall asleep before his eyes snapped wide open. "Hey... wait a second..." His eyes fell upon Gabi, the other team-mates, the demon, and then one of the three remaining assassins. "Holy hand grenades! Gabi! Look out!" James leaped, pulling his tonfas from mid-air and bringing them down at the nearest assassin's head.
Somehow during the commotion Mel had managed to move away from the fight. The snow leopard was seated at the demon's desk flipping through papers she had taken from a drawer that appeared slightly cracked and askew. "Why are you bothering with interrogation? He will like as not lie to you if he talks at all. Draw what you need straight from his memory then you can play with what is left." She swept the papers back into the drawer and moved on. The next drawer parted company with it's lock with a crack despite the fact that the delicately built feline didn't seem to put any effort into the tug on it's handle.
"That sort of mind-reading is very... difficult," Jakob pointed out in short gasps out as he ran to cover James and Gabi. "...especially in an unwilling subject... I certainly don't have enough... experience to do it, and... I'm not sure the other 'Cubi could either," he added, glancing at Keaton and Gareeku.
Gabi was worried when James was not responding. Her ears kept picking up what was going on around her, but she tried her best to focus on helping James. When he finally spoke, she was startled. She turned around to face whatever was behind her, and was glad that James had been ready to defend her. She took out her knife again and held it firmly as she stepped back, trying to think of what to do.
She then heard someone running towards her and turned round in preparation for another attack, but it turned out to be Jakob. She sighed in relief. With both him and James around things were bound to be alright. She allowed herself to think about Ephrael again. "How is she?," she wondered. "Should I try to help her now, or should I stay here and fight?"
The bat hissed again and stared narrow-eyed at the demon. Though now there seemed to be the slightest quirk of a smile to his lips. It seemed that some malicious idea had crept into his mind, something that was not hard to see considering his previous behavior.
'Give him to me,' the chiropteran said, coldly and calmly. 'I'll answer whatever questions you have for him afterwards.'
Hearing Mel from over near the Demon's long-forgotten desk, Keaton pried Catastrophe's bladed pommel from the ground and leveled the immense mace's great spiked head to the ground, her gaze snapping over to the feline as she leisurely rummaged through the belongings stashed within the desk. Feeling particularly belligerent at the moment, not to mention her temper was ignited by the actions of the bat named Ignatz and his shapeshifting companion, she hatefully cast an artificial grin at the feline. She hadn't forgotten the grudge she still sustained towards the feline, or the ewe, or the whatever-the-fuck-she-was. Nobody pissed around in her mind and fucked with her memories. Nobody.
"Riiight," Keaton laughed bitterly, a sound that was all spite and no mirth, "I'm sure you'd love doing that, seeing how you get your sick kicks off of mind-raping, you bitch. And you."
Keaton swept around and glared at the bat, eyes narrowed. No longer was the false smile on her face; it was replaced with a look of poisonous fury. Considering his previous expressions, she knew that he was up to something. "Hey, shithead. Piss off," she snarled, "His head is fucking ours."
Sure, she didn't know the entirety or the enormity of this Demon's transgressions, but like hell she was going to give the pair their satisfaction. Robbing them of their vengeance was just another petty victory in the mind of Keaton.
"Besides, you probably have bigger things to worry about in the future." A smirk tugged at the edge of her lips.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Mel paused in her explorations to look up at the snarling succubus. She shook her head and went back to her scrutiny of the papers. "No need to get your tentacles in a twist, kid. I am not trying to steal your lunch. Reading memories is just business. You can feast on his mind to your heart's content. I am sure you will get some tasty emotions off him while Ignatz plays. He is very creative."
The faint smile that Ignatz had been wearing faded at Keaton's outburst, and again the bat's eyes swept around against her. Or, at least his face did. His eyes were too dark for anyone to make out clearly just where they were aimed when the light wasn't glinting off his pupils.
'Do you think you have any say on that point, bitch?' he hissed toward the succubus. But then, when he saw her smile, his own slowly returned with a vengeance. 'Or do you think you have a chance? I wonder...'
The bat thumbed his gun idly, and for a moment his attention shifted to the windows. The sun was setting. Not that the room wasn't shadowy enough yet. And from what he had seen and felt, the girl was using dark magic even. All things considered, her chances were poor, if even existent.
'Don't get ahead of yourself, little girl,' the bat purred, smirking.
By now, Gareeku had chosen to ignore the battling and bickering around him. A few more assassins had followed the initial three out to attack, but he didn't care. All he cared about now was getting what he wanted, in his own way.
"That was a nice little trick you had going there, sending those remaining assassins out for an ambush like that. Too bad the plan fell at the first hurdle..." the wolf said. A smirk had appeared on his face; a malicious, dark smirk.
"N-no! I didn't know they were there!" Azrul pleaded, shaking his head rapidly as he spoke.
"I don't believe you."
Once again the demon's screams rang out through the room as Gareeku tortured him with light magic once more. Again the demon pleaded and begged for Gareeku to stop, but the wolf continued the punishment, eager to show that, quite simply, he wasn't to be fucked with. "Now then...let's try this again...where are the kidnapped?!"
"My master has them with him!" the demon cried out, causing the wolf to cease his torture.
"Go on. I'm listening." Gareeku said, a slightly raised eyebrow on his face as he spoke.
"M-my master has them. I w-was sent h-here to see i-if i could get a good idea of h-how far you had come. I-I almost thought a-at the time that i-it would b-be a good idea to g-get a b-bounty placed on your head..." the demon explained, stammering slightly thanks to the pain that was still burning like wildfire throughout his body. Talk of setting up the bounty did not impress the wolf, but he chose to cast that thought aside for now. "My m-master doesn't know a-about the bounty, but I w-wanted to please him."
"I don't give shit if you wanted to please your high-school sweetheart." Gareeku growled, looking into the demon's eyes with a burning stare. "Tell me where your master is. Now."
"T-to the north! He is residing to the north with the kidnapped!" Azrul explained, a more panicy tone to his voice as he saw Gareeku's anger. "You will know when you are near."
"And how will I know exactly?! If you're lying, I'll-!"
"No! Please! I'm not lying! I'm telling the truth! I-" Azrul began. From the panic on his face and in his voice, one could tell that he was telling the truth. It was then however, that a dark aura began to envelop the demon's body. Before Gareeku knew what was happening, he was suddenly thrown back by some unseen force as a flash of light lit up the room in an azure colour. Landing on his feet, Gareeku could hear Azrul screaming...begging for mercy...
When the light died down, nothing of the demon could be seen, aside from the pool of his blood in which he had been lying in.
He was gone.
"Well that's fantastic..." said James as he looked towards where the demon had layed. "And remind me not to use this arm before I club somebody, that freakin' HURT!" James touched his arm gingerly. It looked a lot better than it had, but the blood still drenched his fur, clothes, and wings...
"My... my wings! My glove! I'm... No!!" James buried his face in his hands. All those years hiding the fact he was an angel and now his secret was laid bare for all to see.
---
Eph on the other hand stumbled about, still dizzy. She bumped in Gabi, half singing pop tunes. "Did we win?"
"Depends how you define 'win'," Jakob replied. "We're still alive, and we've got further in our quest. So by that metric, I'd say we have."
"Come on," he began, kneeling by James and trying to comfort him. "It's not that bad... I remember far worse times for Creatures. I mean, it's not like you'll be attacked on sight, unless we wind up in some hick mountain town."
"It's been a while, but I think I can probably rig a basic patch for you if you need it," he added, and glanced around anxiously. The uncouth bat-Creature had been really desperate to get his teeth into the Demon, and now he'd been denied he was probably not going to be in a very good mood.
"I think I have more than just a chance, assface," Keaton countered ruthlessly, left, unnaturally pale eye twitching slightly at the prospect of being called a 'bitch,' but her anger nevertheless remaining curbed to firing off simple verbal attacks. On the contrary to Ignatz's confidence in her downfall due to the sinking of the sun, Keaton knew perfectly well that she was strongest at night. At that time she thrived, drawing her strength from the darkness and unleashing it in countless improvisational ways.
"You think you're so fuckin' high and mighty because you have that big, strong gun of yours," her smirk adopted a dangerous edge, granting her a demented countenance. Keaton was so highly engrossed with her resolution that she disregarded the threat that Ignatz presented, not to mention how he had defeated her before. "I'll fucking slap you down before you even get the chance to touch me, you flying sh--"
Then her attention was finally garnered away from brandishing every foul word in her vocabulary to the scene of Gareeku interrogating Azrul, the once-imperious and arrogant Demon having been reduced to a bloodied wreck. She didn't know much about Gareeku, but hey, he was getting the job done. Though what was this about the "kidnapped," anyway? That curiosity, and any speculation which would've followed vanished after that question materialized in her mind once she watched the Demon become unexpectedly enveloped in writhing darkness. Gareeku was flung to the side, forcing Keaton to watch with absolute surprise until the room was engulfed in azure light, light which faded to reveal that the Demon was nowhere to be found. Nothing but the slick spots of blood on the floor.
"...Bloody hell," Keaton muttered succinctly, ears flattening, then perking up at another unusual sound.
Off to the side the blue squirrel she had neglected during the battle was bemoaning the loss of--a glove, apparently. Probably a patch or enchanted item used for concealment, because he was now sporting a pair of feathery wings, the loathsome sight of those telltale wings quickly sparking something akin to spite in Keaton's heart. The squirrel didn't have any head-wings, so that made him only one thing. An Angel. She hadn't bothered herself with this fact before, having been caught in the heat of battle, but now that the danger had passed, she was struck with the long-delayed prejudice she had harbored for years.
"Oh, wonderful. An Angel..." she murmured subaudibly, pressing her fingers to her temple. "This day just keeps getting better and better..."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
"Y-you'd do that for me Jakob?" said James as he lifted his head up. "I was always hated for what I was back home... Where I was from in the far north, angels killed off entire cities... People viewed me as a monster."
Unfortunately for James he also heard Keaton's remark.
"I didn't choose to be like this! I hate what I am! I wish I had never been born as an angel! All it brought me was misery and a childhood I long to forget! I never had a refuge like SAIA! I was just left behind being persecuted and hated without any parents to look after or console me!"
To her relief, the few assassins left were easy to dispatch of. Her boomerang returned to her grip as slick and red with blood from the one she had targeted...the others either paralyzed or thrown to the side quite quickly. After a quick sigh, she turned to watch the others. Ephrael looked rather beat, though not as much as James, whom Gabi was tending to. The other healer, Mel, seemed to be busy elsewhere. Ignatz and Keaton were bantering, with Jakob listening in...and in the center of it all, Gareeku still had the demon in his mercy...and he showed none to the Creature in his interrogation.
Staying back from the scene, she watched as the demon took what seemed like horrendous pain from the light magic attacks, until he finally cracked under it and told the truth. The north, huh...wonder how far...
But then suddenly, she had to shield her eyes as a flash of light erupted from the ram's position and nearly blinded the room, causing the wolf to be thrown back as well. Then, looking up again...what the...?
Gone without a trace, save for blood drenching the floor in a small pool...just gone. His minions littered the place, and the party stood within the building, a ragged bunch, and for whom this had been a victory for the most part. Aisha sighed with relief and sagged tiredly onto the floor, polishing her blades clean with her cloak and replacing them in her belt.
But it didn't seem all was right with everything. The first thing she remembered was that there was the small business of Ignatz and Mel; the kidnappers...and secondly, James was now agonizing over his state of change, Angel wings easily seen on his back. Aisha tilted her head, and then shook it slightly. "Get a hold of yourself, amigo," she said softly. "There are only an average of two or three Beings in this group...you really think being an Angel will matter to anyone? Or, the mission?" She glanced at Keaton...the succubus was with them for the kidnapping, but who knew the reason she'd stay with them now.
"At any rate...well done, Gareeku," she cast a nod to him, an optimistic smile on her face. "Everyone. Now there seems to be hope yet..."
"Where I was from in the far north, angels killed off entire cities... People viewed me as a monster."
Why am I not surprised? Keaton didn't bother to resist the temptation to freely and contemptuously smirk from behind her hand, feeling coldly unsympathetic towards James's story.
While James probably didn't notice her offhanded efforts to hide her grin, he did, however, notice her lackadaisical and spiteful comment, and had vociferously responded in his defense. Despite the earnestness behind his declaration, Keaton nevertheless looked unmoved. Took more than what she deemed as a sob story to sway her long-cemented bigotry. Especially not after all that had been inflicted upon her and that she had seen.
"Really?" Keaton asked, not with compassion, but with icy neutrality. "That's quite fascinating. Brought a tear to my eye. I couldn't imagine why people viewed you as a monster." Then at the mention of SAIA being called a refuge she coughed, her eyes narrowing and all pretenses of saccharine-sympathy fading from her face. "As for SAIA... Bastards couldn't do a thing for me."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Staring at the spot where the demon was before he disappeared for a few moments, Gareeku then wiped the blade of his katana on the curtains of a window before sliding the blade back into it's sheath.
It was then that, walking part Keaton, he heard the succubus' remarks. Immediately stopping, the wolf glared at her, his eyes burning into hers with a stare that would have made even the hardiest of people gulp somewhat.
"I don't know the hell has happened to you that created these views..."Gareeku said, his voice a low growl, cold, hard and threatening. " But kindly keep your predujices to yourself. My father was killed by demons, but I'm not stupid enough to tar an entire race on the basis of one tragic event."
Heading over to where James was, Gareeku knelt down on one knee. He wasn't the best at this sort of thing, but he would try.
"James. Look at me." the wolf said, his voice now a softer, reassuring tone. "You are not a monster. I know you've had a hard life, but don't let what you are cause you to hate yourself."
And I should know...
"I don't think I could have put it better than that," Jakob said, looking at Gareeku with respect.
"One of the closest friends I ever had was an Angel, and he was one of the wisest, most charismatic people I've ever known. Now, let's see what we can do about a patch."
With a grimace he rolled one of the assassins over. He was wearing a pair of gloves, which the wolf quickly relieved him of. They might be a bit small, but it was worth a try.
He cast an enchantment upon it, muttering and gesturing for a few minutes, before giving one to James.
James turned away from Keaton, he would find no sympathy from her. What Aisha said though struck him. It was starting to dawn on him how stupid and childish he had been. She's right... It doesn't make any difference if I'm an angel, I am still me after all... Why the heck am I hiding what I am when others show their wings out in the open?
Then Gareeku... James had felt like they had much in common. Gareeku had also known James' secret long before, back in the days that James had hunted Gareeku down for a bounty. Why? Why am I complaining when Gareeku is so much like me? We both are something we don't want to be and we both suffer the consequences of what we are. It must be hard for him as well... So why am I the only one acting like such a whiny kid!?
Jakob too? He had an angel friend? That's right... Az... Azrael! It was thought that Jakob killed him to take over Ha'Khun and that's why Jakob or more appropriately, Johan Cross, had a bounty. Still never made sense to me why people thought that Jakob killed Azrael though... But Jakob's right. According to records, Azrael was a great and kind leader.
"You... you guys are right..." said James. "It doesn't matter if others call me a monster, I still choose my own destiny. I've used my heritage to fight monstrosity, not to become it. I suppose I should just embrace it and accept what I am. I could benefit from learning some magic that other angels use... like a good healing spell for one. Still... I envy you cubi for your shape-changing abilities. I'd love to learn how it's done. A guy in my profession could really benefit from it. Probably really hard for a non-cubi though..."
James accepted the glove from Jakob and put it on. "Ah! That feels so much... umm... weirder." James looked back to see only one of his wings having disappeared, the other one still flapping. "Err... Jakob?"
Jakob swore. "I told you I was out of practice," he said. Taking the glove back, he performed another incantation upon it.
"That should sort it," he said.
This time things worked out better. Both wings were hidden. He could resume his normal activities again without looking like a one-winged freak.
"Not quite like the gloves Grace made for me, but this should do. Thanks Jakob." James noticed something odd though... unlike his old gloves, these ones didn't suppress his angel abilities. Not that it matters anymore though. James grinned. He was finally starting to accept what he was.
"Good," said Jakob. "Don't rely on them exclusively. This is just a quick jury-rig to give you basic wing-hiding abilities. It should work until we can sort out something more permanent."
So saying, he turned his attention back to the others.
As intimidating as Gareeku's penetrating glare was, Keaton revealed no ostensible signs of trepidity, instead returning the gaze remorselessly and burying her hand in her pocket, the free hand gripping Catastrophe's handle. Gareeku's spoken words, as devoid of vulgarity yet as venomous as they were, were equally and disdainfully rejected, although wordlessly save for a quiet scoff. Again, she felt no sympathy towards the white wolf or the blue squirrel, regardless of how heartfelt or true as their testimonies were.
Lips quirking into something akin to a scowl, Keaton muttered something under her breath which sounded like a coldly uttered "says the guy who was giving us all a lesson in dissecting Demons a moment ago," but was too inaudible for anyone to hear. Not to mention chances were nobody was paying attention to her at that moment. Mostly out of suspicion, Keaton watched with a wary eye as James reached his conclusion, then accepted the proffered glove from Jakob, slipping it on. It was certainly effective--well, partially. Only one of his wings had been hidden. After this attempt, Jakob perfected the glove and returned it to James. This time the glove did work completely. In spite of the tension on her end, Keaton grit her teeth to suppress the laughter she desperately wanted to release, averting her head so that way nobody would see the rancorously amused expression on her face.
This did, however, direct her gaze back to Mel and Ignatz. Eyes narrowed darkly, all traces of entertainment vanishing instantaneously from her visage. She almost forgot about them.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
As Mel rummaged through the drawers of the desk, she would be able to sense than some sort of magical safeguard had suddenly been activated. Before she could realise what was happening, the papers inside the drawers on the desk itself suddenly burst into flame, and within seconds, they were nothing more than piles of ash.
___________________________________
Listening to James' realisation that he chose his own destiny, and that it was not judged by what he was, Gareeku smiled.
"Glad to hear it." The wolf replied.
Watching Jakob work his magic (literally) on the glove to make it enchanted, Gareeku had to admit that he was impressed. The wolf incubus was indeed a proverbial box of tricks when it came to spells and enchantments, not to mention other things like equipment. His eyebrows were raised somewhat, however, when the patch didn't work the first time. The wolf had to admit that he did find it a little amusing, so he kept this hidden out of worry that he might offend his friend.
Once he saw that everything was sorted out, Gareeku rose to his feet, helping James up while he was at it.
"I don't know about you guys, but I could do with a drink." the wolf commented. It was then however, that he spotted
Ignatz and Mel. Making his way to the door, the wolf stopped when he was by them. It was then that, without warning, Gareeku's fist slammed into Ignatz's jaw.
"Asshole." the wolf growled, before heading out the door and making a beeline for the nearest bar...
The bat's head snapped to the side at the impact of the wolf's fist, but his body remained still almost as if rooted to the ground. And even more strangely, as the wolf left he simply turned his head to look after him, hand idly rubbing his chin. He was smirking. And then, when he turned his gaze toward Jakob and James, his lips even cracked into a grin. He started chuckling, then laughing. It was not a pleasant sound.
It took a few seconds for the bat's laughter to die down, and then, still chuckling, he walked over and picked up his other gun from the floor, holstering it. He brushed off his coat with his long-clawed hands, and then noticed Keaton's glare.
'You want to fight, cubi?' he asked, his smile purely frightening. 'You think you do, but you don't. Either way I'm not going to give you the satisfaction. Really...' He glanced over at James again. 'Yes, it's terrible. It's awful and hideous. Sure it is. You have my utmost pity.' The sarcasm dripped from his words.
Aisha smiled as she stood up again, brushing herself off and trying to scrape the stain of red from her fur. Though dust was easy to get rid of, the blood wasn't...she was covered with it, as were the others who fought on the sidelines, and the smell was too strong to go unnoticed. As she gathered herself, she watched as James was comforted by Gareeku and a couple of the others, although Keaton still didn't look all that amused by the appearance of an Angel among the group.
She shook her head, tired of the conflicts lingering even after a victory, and glanced up with a chuckle when the white wolf spoke. "I could go for a drink and breakfast...or brunch or something. Huge breakfast. I'm hungry as all hell..."
An amused smirk then appeared on her face as Gareeku's fist connected with Ignatz's face. Though Aisha was still angered enough at his previous actions to have probably followed through with a good kick, she was too exhausted from the battle to make one more insignificant hit...she only left him with a glare, hoping that everyone's respective paths wouldn't cross with such malicious intent again.
"Let's get out of this hellhole, those who want to," she grumbled and followed the wolf out. The blood she guessed would bring suspicion...but, who knew if the residents of the town would appreciate that the demon had vanished, the adventurers having helped with it.
A short while later, Gareeku entered the tavern at the end of the same street where the battle against Azrul in the mansion had taken place. As he entered, a few of the people already in there had given him some raised eyebrows, largely thanks to his tattered clothes and blood-stained fur. However, upon noticing the katana at his side, they presumed that he was an adventurer who had just returned from a quest and turned back to their drinks. It seemed that they were used to visibly battle-weary people entering and having drinks.
"I'll have an ale. A large one." the wolf said to the otter barman as he sat down on one of the bar stools. Nodding his head in acknowledgment, the barman poured Gareeku's drink before the wolf gave him the money for it.
"Hard day at the office?" the barman asked with a raised eyebrow, referring to Gareeku's tattered state.
"Yeah...you could say that..." Gareeku replied, before gulping down his beer. Less than a minute later, the large glass was empty. "I'll have another."
Mel managed to not yelp in fear as the papers burned up. Luckily she had felt the spell activate and managed to drop them before her fingers were scorched. She scowled at the ashy mess. She had been so close to finding something interesting. The security spell told her that. She had seen enough to guess that the demon hadn't been lying in saying his superiors were somewhere to the north and that he hadn't been here very long.
She looked up in time to see the wolf throw his punch and the jackal cubi glaring at both of them. The cubi and Ignatz started bantering about a fight. She dusted ash off her hands and shook her head. "How about a drinking contest, if you two insist on fighting. It has been a wasted day and I will even buy you the starting round on the chance that I may find this entertaining."
"Whatever Ignatz... You've been sucking on your own guano for too long, no one can be as messed up as you are. I don't even know why I'm still talking to you. But know this, if you endanger my friends again, I'll use that thick skull of yours as a bowl." James looked at the others. "I think I've had enough drama for today, I'll meet up with you guys after I wash all this blood off..."
---
After a much needed bath and replacing his blood soaked top, James joined Gareeku and sat beside him. "Heh... I wonder what Grace would say if she saw me drinking in a bar?" he said idly. "Bartender, get me a whole pitcher of your finest root beer!" James saw Gareeku quirk an eyebrow. "What?"
Once Ephrael had been checked for internal injuries, Jakob helped her to the tavern. He wasn't entirely sure what they should do about the attackers who were still alive, but figured that disarming them and leaving them to awake with the place obviously ransacked and their boss MIA was probably enough to change their viewpoint or at least make them flee.
Wings and headwings concealed to avoid spooking the locals, he sat slightly away from the others and stared unhappily into his usual glass of water. He should have been triumphant - assuming the demon spoke the truth, they had a solid lead for perhaps the first time - but he was deeply worried about his own behaviour back at the demon's lair.
Any sadistic respect Keaton harbored for Gareeku after witnessing him interrogating the Demon spiked tenfold after she watched him belt Ignatz across the face, the glare on her face quickly becoming a demented, toothy rictus. Initially she had expected for the bat to crumple to the ground, but instead he remained perfectly upright, displaying no ostensible signs of pain or being affected strongly by the blow other than the jerk of his head. Ignatz had looked back after Gareeku departed, muttering something about going for a drink, and rather unexpectedly, laughed.
What kind of freak is this? Keaton thought with revulsion, the glare returning to her features. Couldn't this bat just take the punch and fall to the ground like she wanted him to? Unfortunately for Keaton, Stygian had turned to her, no longer laughing, but still sporting a wicked smile worthy of a madman. Now he was challenging her, practically inviting for her to attack, although he mentioned that her thoughts were probably divided.
Which they were. Where Keaton was once enthusiastic about the prospect of killing the person who had used her memories against her and the one who had defeated her, she couldn't bring herself to attack. Not out of mercy, but out of acknowledgement of the encroaching exhaustion which was starting to creep onto her. Understandable, after all the carnage which had occurred... she wasn't at her best condition to fight. Considering Ignatz had subdued her before, he could possibly take advantage of this subsiding in her stamina, and after all the smack-talking she did before, that was the
last thing she wanted to happen.
So instead, she concealed her thoughts with an unladylike snort and turned away from Ignatz. "I'll deal with you later," she muttered. "I need a fucking beer first."
And with that, she trudged after the rest of them, assuming that they would lead her to the nearest bar.
---
They did. Despite the bedraggled and wartorn appearance of the party, nobody intervened their entry or denied them service. Probably thought they were Adventurers, Keaton assumed with a smirk. Deliberately avoiding the party, she took her seat at the booth and ordered the heaviest drink the establishment had to offer. After the facade of cockiness and the aftermath of bloodlust had faded, Keaton desperately needed that drink, especially after she realized that, at the end of all of this turmoil, she still hadn't come an inch closer to finding her sister or mother.
Depression sunk into Keaton's features as she nursed her beer, gazing blankly at the nearest wall. She should probably have been used to this sort of failure, but after hundreds of years of fruitless and persistent searching, all of which had involved following complicated clues and being led to failure after failure, she was beginning to lose hope. Not even the apparently omniscient Phoenix Oracles could figure anything out--or they probably knew, and didn't tell her in favor of pelting her with metaphors and flowery purple prose.
So now the pressing question remained.
Now what?~Keaton the Black Jackal
Aisha ignored the looks that the patrons of the bar had given the party as they each slowly entered in after Gareeku. Thankfully, they had only correctly figured that most of them were adventurers or at least had come from a gruesome battle. Courteously, Aisha took a place at the bar where there were few other patrons...it was hard to see how any of them would tolerate the smell of entrails, however the warriors might be respected.
Already used to it, the panthress figured they'd have time to clean up later. She watched Gareeku, already taking the liberty of a few drinks, as well as Keaton a bit after the others. Celebrating well, if she knew her comrades, she thought with a smirk, and turned to the business of ordering something to eat...wondering if they'd still serve something breakfast-like...
...But to hell with eating light, everyone deserved to spoil themselves. She waved one of the waiters over. "Large stack of pancakes and a side of ham," she requested, after making sure she had a few coins on her person to pay for it. And while Aisha waited, she watched the party members. A motley group, no doubt, but a victorious one. For the time being.
The bat didn't even pay any heed to James' words, but Mel's suggestion wiped the smile off his face and made him quirk an eyebrow in disbelief. It wasn't entirely strange that she should want to approach these people further or even want to try and make amendments for whatever she thought she had done to them. But it wasn't entirely comforting either. He cast the woman a look that said '
are you serious?!', and then the decision was quickly taken out of his hands. The succubus had gone along with it, and was already leaving.
Letting his shoulders slump, the bat sighed. '
Fine, fine. If that's the story...' He took one last look around the room, and hardest of all at the spot where the demon had stood up until his moment of disappearance. Unfortunately there wasn't even enough left to tell what had really happened to him.
A safeguard spell to keep him from talking, I guess, he thought.
So most likely he's deader than last week's steak. Nothing to do about that. He crouched over by one of the assassins and removed its hood to get a better look, starting to make his last check before leaving.
When he left, the bat was putting a knife and a watch and some pilfered cash into his pocket, and idly spinning a fine reservoir pen between his fingers.
- -
The bat was the last to arrive at the bar and as expected the mood obviously dropped when he entered, heads turning to watch him. He shrugged his coat off like he shrugged the looks and hung it over his shoulder, walking over to the counter.
'
Vodka,' he said, putting a fat bill down on the top. '
Don't care much what else you put in it.' Then he noticed the one other person sitting away from the rest of the group. Smiling, he got his drink, and made his way over.
The small jump she made at his voice sent a twinge of pleasure up the bat's spine. He knew that he was undetectable to 'cubi natural abilities, but he had been worried about those ears of hers. Thankfully it seemed he had been silent enough.
'
I'm a bit disappointed, I must say,' he spoke, and then walked slowly around the table. Hanging his coat over the back of a chair, he sat down. '
But I think I can tell you'll give me reason soon enough.'
Keaton sincerely didn't sense or see the bat approaching her from behind, being too engrossed with repeatedly guzzling down portions of her drink and wondering when the alcohol would kick in, as well as preoccupied with her depressing revelations. The bat's abilities to sneak past Cubi natural detections was probably the primary contributing factor, but a drunk Cubi whose senses were hindered by alcohol was an easy target for being surprised.
And surprised Keaton was indeed when the bat unexpectedly appeared behind her. Stifling a yelp, Keaton jumped slightly in her seat, drink jostling in her grip as she stared back and forth in search of the one who had slipped past her notice. Much to her dismay, it was the bat from before--but then again, she found herself conflicted in terms of whether or not to find this unfortunate. After all, she was planning on challenging him again later. She hadn't expected for the bat to follow them into the bar, though.
Ah well. Right now she was more concerned with how cryptic his message sounded to her. Draping her arm over her head, Keaton redirected her gaze forward, looking sour. "Wonderful," she droned. "What are you doing here?"
~Keaton the Black Jackal
The bat tilted his head a bit, moving his blond bangs out of his black eyes and adding a bit of unexpected charm to the wickedness of his smile. Still, those fangs and eyes of his made it impossible to be at ease with his look.
'What does it look like I'm doing?' he said, and swigged. He glanced at her over the edge of the glass. 'I'm beating you at drinking first, before you try to kill me. Then I'll probably kill you for trying.' He chuckled. 'Should be more satisfying than giving "sensitive boy" over there a bit of hard perspective,' he said, while passing a glance toward James.
It was just needless shit-talk, of course. But fun.
Jakob had thought that keeping away from the others would have helped, but it had simply made things worse. To hell with this, he thought, I've got to talk to someone.
He cast his eyes over the group. Ephrael still seemed to be a bit punch-drunk. He could still feel Gareeku's distrust and anger, something which was likely to increase as the ale kicked in. Gabi was preoccupied and James... well, he was still getting over the feeling that he was a monster, so Jakob was reluctant to burden him with his own worries on the subject.
His depression was only deepened by the sight of the bat-Creature. What does he want with us now? The demon's gone... there's nothing more he can get from us. Why won't he just go away and leave us in peace?
Aisha... now she at least seemed to be happy. Jakob ordered another water and sat next to the panthress.
"What's it all for, Aisha?" He asked. "We've killed dozens of people. By the time we reach our goal we may have reached a hundred," he sighed.
"Do you think that what we're doing is right?"
Keaton had to admit that she was slightly taken aback, even in her agitation, when the bat had flashed her the unexpectedly, albeit wickedly, charming grin at her. Ostensibly, he displayed no signs of murderous intent, quite unlike her behavior prior to their meeting in this bar--in fact, cradled in his hand was an alcoholic beverage like her own, which he was occasionally swigging from.
The bat's further explanation continued to surprise her, something she tried to effectively mask by pressing the brim of her drink to her lips and taking a long sip from the glass. Unconsciously, when the bat brought up James, Keaton's gaze darted inexorably over to the Angel, before retreating back to the bat's black eyes.
Was there really a point to this? He probably could take advantage of drinking her under the table by seizing the moment and attacking her. Keaton would certainly be too intoxicated to resist, wouldn't she? On the contrary, she surmised that in such a crowded establishment, the bat wouldn't dare assault her, and in the unlikely event that he would be too hindered by his inebriation, she could even turn the tables on him. She wasn't concerned with being cornered. Wouldn't be the first time she made a slippery escape after doing something particularly unscrupulous in a public area. Against all common sense, after she reached this conclusion, Keaton pushed a chair out for the bat to take a seat in with her foot.
"Yeah, go ahead," she muttered. With that final, begrudging invitation, she tilted her head back and guzzled the final remnants of the beer, downing it and setting the mug back on the table.
Almost expertly, Keaton fished through her pockets for any extra money, then smirked with satisfaction. Ah. Still had some left. Good, that would probably hold her off for some time until she was forced to steal--pardon, legally obtain more money. She ordered another beer.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
As soon as Aisha's meal was delivered, it was easy to see that she didn't waste time digging into it. She thanked the waiter with a wave and munched on the ham first; ironic that after what she had seen and done, the meat would be the first to be eaten...but, it would have taken much more to have made the panther lose her appetite. She looked almost meditative while eating, just having her ears swivel around the bar to listen to others speak. But she paused when she could hear the bat coming in again, and her ears flattened. He better not try anything, or I swear...
But that was when she could hear Jakob's voice, which lightly snapped her both out of darker thoughts and also out of that trance. Swallowing, she glanced over as the gray wolf Incubus asked her what it all was for...their journey and the killings. The adventurer turned to him with a slightly incredulous look, but neutral and polite, while she processed the question herself.
Finally, she shook her head. "Truthfully, amigo, I don't think there is a right or a wrong. Look at the situation. Some of your closest people have been kidnapped, and those we have been fighting are those who have allied with those responsible...or have wanted us dead for various reasons."
Her crimson eyes narrowed. "I would rather avoid killing as well, but when there is a situation in that the life of you and yours are on the line, you have to defend it. If that means taking lives, so be it. Because if you don't, then yours will be taken. They will take your life, or your heart...by taking the lives of those close to you. A worse pain than anything, I should know."
She then smiled, and returned her eyes to the bar. "The best we can do for our conscience then is to at least know that we are not trying to kill just for the sake of it...but to reclaim lives. And like we did for the bandits, take the time to respect those you've killed, even if they aimed to harm you in the first place. Life is life, but in a world like this it would be quite hard to be a pacifist. That has to be accepted."
She then chuckled, surprisingly warm for talking about killing. "I think we all know this in some way. And that doesn't make any one of us cold-hearted. Not you, nor me, nor Gareeku, nor anyone."
Ephrael stumbled around the bar, clearly intoxicated, singing lyrics from different songs crammed together as one. At the end of her song, she swaggered over to Aisha and Jakob and gave the two of them a big hug.
"Hay there! -hic- You ish my friends! Buddies! ...Why do you look purple? You sad?"
Go ahead? the bat thought. Is that it? Sure, her rage had been a bit illogical to start with even, but that she didn't even react to him speaking like that? Even most women and sissies weren't that swingy in their moods. Was she excitable? Or was he trying too hard with the winning smile? Had she lost interest in him already?
The bat shifted his seat and sighed, getting another vodka drink, though he made sure that they didn't put too much else into it, and a glass of water which he downed in one gulp while looking away, pondering the cubi's reaction. There seemed nothing odd about her to his senses; no off heartbeat, no strange scent, nothing immediately curious. She seemed relaxed, mostly. A little distraught and a little satisfied, but nothing more.
The bat's ears flicked, and he smirked at Aisha's statement. 'Yeah. Or it could be that some people simply deserve it,' he said, and chuckled. And then he looked meaningfully at the jackal across the table.
'What's your name, girl?' he asked suddenly, plainly ignoring Ephrael's slurring nonsense.
"I have to wonder..." Jakob began, and hesitated as if he wasn't sure how to put it. "I have to wonder what my father is likely to say - assuming we rescue him - when he finds out how many lives that rescue cost. He chose to remain at the Academy, you know. For research. He doesn't have any practical experience with violence beyond what he needed to be a farmer. And he was the one who taught me life is sacred."
He paused again and spoke in a low voice.
"I'm worried, Aisha. You remember the fight at the inn? The sight of blood then was enough to make me faint. But now... I think I'm starting to overcome my squeamishness. And that's not a good thing. Power brings responsibility, and back in that chamber... I was... I was thinking of taking his soul, Aisha. Not to kill it, but to torment... or to put in a new body so that Gareeku could torture him to death again."
"I haven't had thoughts like that since I went mad," Jakob whispered. He looked scared.
"I guess I should take some comfort that it scares me now, but... it makes me wonder what I might be capable of in a moment of recklessness..."
He broke off as a drunken Ephrael approached them.
Aisha continued to listen calmly to Jakob's lamentation, while she started to dig into her pancakes. While doing so, she wondered if she could consider herself quite lucky to have made a friend of any 'Cubi at all, moreover those who weren't at all like the monsters they were rumored to be. She nodded calmly as he spoke. "Well, it is still a rescue operation; I don't really know your father, but it's safe to assume that he'd just be happy to see you, and that you're safe, at that."
But she blinked when he mentioned that it scared him about his squeamishness. She thought about it while she ordered a drink. "Well, it's not like this one experience will make you a monster, Jakob...you can quote me when I say your concern is proof that you aren't. But there may very well be more situations like the one we were in that will require you to make decisions that you won't be proud of. Until our goal is reached, I suggest that you try to bear with it. We all know you should have a will stronger than what you're making it out to be."
That was when she grimaced, having heard the bat add to their conversation. But she couldn't deny that he had a point, when it came to it. "Besides. The demon was evil. You saw how he and his minions had relentlessly beaten Gareeku. Threatened to kill him. Sent a miniature army against us all. There are some who will deserve it. Dark as it sounds, it is an inescapable truth. And I doubt he would have easily turned a new leaf, had he been spared."
She closed her eyes solemnly. "So if you were guilty about capturing his soul, don't be, for it's probably free now. In any case, the best we can do now is live for today and stand together for tomorrow...you can ask anyone, surely they'd agree with me."
That was when she paused and quirked an eyebrow at Ephrael, who had already gotten quite drunk and was staggering towards them with a slurred expression and voice. Aisha laughed when they were hugged. "...Ay...Well, you can ask them when they're sober."
Mel had slipped quietly into the tavern. The grey dressed grey feline took a seat in the shadows at the far end of the bar and just watched the multiple scenes playing themselves out while sipping her drink. Observing was both her business and her entertainment. She gave the bartender the cash to keep the drinks flowing to Ignatz and the amusing cubi. She had promised to buy the drinks for their insult contest.
The drinks Keaton had ordered and that Mel had unexpectedly paid for were, rather to the jackal's satisfaction, swiftly prepared and delivered to her and her drinking companion-slash-malcontent by the bartender. Upon filling them to the brim he had skillfully set each container before their respective recipients, then turned back to his further duties.
Keaton, gingerly avoiding touching the bat's designated glass, dragged her mug away and stirred the foam bobbing on the top of the rich amber liquid with the tip of her finger almost indecisively, listening to him speak over Ephrael's nearby drunken babbling. Apparently the Tasmanian Devil couldn't hold her liquor. Ah well, made for some good entertainment... and background music, although it was rather distracting.
The jackal meditatively paused, ears folding backwards. She supposed that she afforded the bat a name, there was no harm in that. After all, she was going to kill him at some point. Tipping the glass back, she took a small sip, gulping down the drink, then looked to him. "Keaton," she said. "The name's Keaton. And you're...?"
Ignatz had been what people had called him, yes, but deep down she was starting to suspect that that wasn't his true name. Not that she begrudged him of adopting a pseudonym, that was precisely the same thing she had done.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
The bat looked at Keaton for a moment, pensive.
'Ignatz Donovan. Nothing fancy about it. That's what most people call me anyway,' he said, just a bit cryptically. 'Of course I get even more of the kind of names and comments you so readily and sweetly delivered earlier.' He chuckled, and took another gulp of his drink, downing it slowly and pleasurably. 'And even other things. Though nothing I'd mention here, now.'
The bat paused, and for a while just sat there, sipping. When he ordered his next drink, a dark amber something mixed with something else that sounded German, he looked up again, this time toward Mel. 'Any particular reason you chose for us to come along here, Shivers?' he asked, and then cast a glance toward Keaton. 'And you. You weren't with them to start with.' He spoke more silently now. Knocking half his drink back, he put the glass down carefully, scratching the claw of his index finger around in the droplets of moisture on the tabletop. 'I'm not questioning you but it seems strange. Me, I'm not used to that kind of drifting.'
After quirking an eyebrow at James as he watched his friend order a pitcher of root beer, Gareeku could not help but shake his head and laugh softly.
"I see some things never change." The wolf commented, patting his friend on the back as he took another swig of his beer.
In the back of his mind, however, something was troubling him. The disappearence of Azrul was still on his mind. Gareeku didn't know whether Azrul was alive or dead, but something told him that they may find out sometime in the future.
Shaking these thoughts from his mind, Gareeku then caught the sound of Jakob's and Aisha's conversation, one of his ears swivelled to face the direction that they were in. Listening to what they were saying, the wolf knew that what Aisha said was true. Gar would be one of the first to admit that what he was, to put it one way, messy business. However, in a world like Furrae, as unpleasant as it may have sounded, it was an everyday occurance in many people's lives, whether they be being or creature, good or evil.
(OOC: you people are evil! 2 pages of posts while I'm busy correcting exams?!)
Gabi was glad that it had all mostly worked out, but she was still worried about what would come next, and especially about Keaton and Ignatz. She had a feeling that the two would bring nothing but trouble. And she wasn't quite sure about Mel, she'd appreciated her help healing Gareeku, but there was something about her that made Gabi uncomfortable and she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
She tried to show James her support, but everyone kept talking and she was unable to get a word in. Still, all her friends agreed with her.
When the suggestion of going to a bar was voiced, Gabi wondered whether she would look too awkward if she ordered tea. She couldn't help it, she was almost addicted to it and after going through so much tension she felt she really needed a cup. In the end she decided she didn't mind looking awkward. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.
She originally sat next to Ephrael, but when her conversation stopped making sense and the talk between Jakob and Aisha got interesting, she pulled her chair and moved closer to them.
"I wish we didn't have to do this," she commented as soon as she found a gap in the conversation. "But right now I don't see any other way, and I've been thinking about it a lot. They're hurting innocents, someone has to help them. I think the best we can do is try to make sure we don't lose our sense of direction. If any of us gets to kill easily without thinking twice, or decides to hurt someone who doesn't deserve it in order to get some benefit, that will be a definite sign that what we're doing is wrong. But other than that, all we can do is... do what we can, pardon the redundancy."
Mel swiveled on the barstool until she was looking directly at the bat. "What am I up to? I am conducting an experiment." She made a show of looking at her watch. "I am seeing how long it takes before one of these adventurers realizes that the demon telling them "north" only eliminated fifty percent of the continent from their search." She smiled a bit, "He gave up perfectly truthful information that tells them nothing."
She put more money down and bought the group another round. "After that I will test how long it takes for them to remember that someone actually looked for real information. Someone who can read the demonic language actually checked out the papers in the desk. She might have even found a clue." The feline shrugged, "Or maybe not. The ram might have only kept his comic book collection in the desk."
"I guess you're right," said Jakob, with a faint smile. Although it vanished quickly, his attitude became somewhat less tense. "It's just... it feels a lot like the start of a slippery slope."
He looked around. "I suppose we'd better plan our next move. We've been through the mincer so I guess it will take us a day or so to recover." He looked from Gareeku to James in particular... the ones who had been most severely injured in the battle.
"You think I don't know that?" Gareeku suddenly said, looking at Mel who was sat near him at the bar, clapping his hands slowly. "Well done. Well done. Your powers of stating the obvious have won me over. In case you hadn't noticed, the demon disappeared before I can interrogate him any further. What will you tell me next? That the demon we fought and the people we're searching for are connected in some way? Good lord, that really would blow me away."
Finishing his ale, Gareeku opted for something different, choosing to order a dark rum and coke. Taking a sip of it, the wolf then turned back to Mel.
"I know you know something. Spit it out." he said as he gave her a serious look that easily showed he meant business.
Gabi was about to speak when her attention was caught by Gareeku's outburst.
"I think we'd better start planning after that is over," she said in a low voice, pointing with her head to Gareeku and Mel.
"I wonder how far north we have to go... What a strange twist of fate it would be if this trail were to lead me home..." said James to himself, but aloud for all to hear.
It was then that Ephrael swaggered up to Gareeku and James. "Aww... yoush two look purple too. Why sos sad?" Ephrael slurred.
"Dang it!" yelled James. "Who gave HER beer?! She was dazed enough as it was!" James stood up and grabbed Ephrael by the hand. "I'll be right back. Someone here needs to sleep off the beer."
"Aww... -hic- You ish mean..." But Ephrael followed James and stumbled out of sight. She must have been put in a room since when James came back, he returned alone. Again, James took his seat by Gareeku and started drinking deeply from his root beer.
The bat barked a laugh at Mel's comment and took another swig of his drink, before getting another glass of water and then yet another drink. That was the mean girl he knew her to be at her best. The one who had made him enjoy simply traveling with her.
Alcohol was something the bat could absorb and metabolize frighteningly fast. However in the interest of contest he was letting himself go, starting to show the minute signs of drunkenness in his moves and speech. Of course, most of these were an act, while he actually continued to carefully monitor the jackal across the table and the conversation of the others. He tensed however, when Gareeku began spouting his sarcasm.
'In the interest of perspective,' Ignatz said, as if to no one in particular, raising one clawed index finger, 'I'd like to mention that we are not obligated to surrender any information, and that forcefully extracting any from us would be massively difficult.' He smirked. 'Which means that if we give anything up, it's as a favor. Recompense for trouble, rather.'
Gabi sighed, and then spoke out. "We've just been involved in a big battle. Can't we have some peace for a few hours?"
Mel returned a look that said she wasn't at all impressed by Gareeku's glare. "Are you going to interrogate me? I would advise against that." She took an unconcerned sip of her drink. "I am here, not disappeared into the night, so obviously I do not want to make things excessively difficult. But quite frankly you are not motivating me to make them excessively easy either."
Aisha nearly finished her breakfast as soon as Gabi had come to put in her two cents on the situation; and nodded with satisfaction thus when Jakob agreed to it. This was no time to be reflecting on the past, but rather just trying to keep their mentality about them for what was to come next. And she couldn't argue with having a time to rest...nor could anyone else it seemed.
But then her ears quirked and she swiveled in her barstool to where Gareeku and the one called Mel were having a verbal stand-off about what information she seemed to have carried. The panthress sighed...it seemed that the two who had brought the wolf into this mess wouldn't be out of their sight anytime soon. She felt like arguing too...but more favorably, out of exhaustion, she quite agreed with Gabi. "Indeed, can we not turn this into a war? All anyone will get out of it is a headache. It won't go well with the drinking." Aisha quirked an eyebrow, also glancing at the bat and Keaton.
"So, please, why not do what my friend asks."
Irritation flashed across Keaton's features as she narrowed her eyes at Ignatz and Mel, clearly displaying her displeasure as a growl rumbled in the back of her throat. Wonderful. So these people knew something that they didn't, and they weren't willing to divulge them of any potentially useful knowledge. Not that Keaton was supposed to give a damn--after all, she wasn't affiliated with these travelers. She was merely an innocent bystander (well, as "innocent" as her mind could stretch) who had been irreversibly dragged into their conflict. All she wanted was to find the solitary survivors of her family, and instead those damn Phoenix Oracles...
Gah. She was becoming angry again. Keaton tipped her head back and, in a fit of frustration, swallowed down great mouthfuls of beer to stifle her rage, feeling eerily comfortable as it was smothered. Aisha looked to her beseechingly, remarking that they didn't want any further arguments or fights, but Keaton didn't respond. All she did was continue to nurse her booze, looking increasingly pensive. The alcohol was kicking in.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Hearing Mel's response, Gareeku scoffed.
"Well excuse me, oh mighty and wise one." the wolf replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. As the others spoke up, Gareeku said nothing, choosing instead to drink some more of his dark rum and coke.
"What is it you want, exactly?" Gareeku asked Mel. "It doesn't take a genius to work out what you're doing. Blackmail is something I am not fond of. If you think I'm helping you out or anything after all the shit you put me through then you can forget it."
The bat snerked and looked down for a bit, clearly amused. 'Well, honestly, I at least am not much for blackmail, mate,' he said. 'If you had something we wanted, I wouldn't be going about things this way to get it.' He took another swig and then leaned his head a bit to the side, looking at the wolf from a skewed angle as he set down his glass. 'We got paid for delivering you, and I'm happy with that. There's not much between us more than that. I can't speak for Mel, but...'
The bat took a pause, and ordered in another drink. He looked a bit over at Keaton, tested the air with a twitching, flared nosetip, and exhaled heavily. 'Methinks you might be flattering yourself,' he said, and took another sip.
"What do you suppose happened to Arc and Blaze?" Jakob asked in a low voice, trying to ignore the ugliness between Gareeku and Ignatz. "Do you think they're okay? Or have they been kidnapped too?"
"I wish I knew," Gabi replied. "Arc seemed to have others looking after him, not to mention an agenda of his own. I doubt he's been kidnapped. But I'm worried about Blaze. Perhaps they know something," she gestured to Mel and Ignatz "but I'm not about to ask them. And I wouldn't be able to trust their answer even if they did tell us something."
Mel looked insulted. "Blackmail?" She stared coldly at him. "I would get more profit if I took the information I know about all of you north." She sipped her drink, weighing her words. "I am a... collector of stories. This is an interesting one. I wish to collect it, all of it."
"A story?!," Gabi couldn't hold herself any longer, and stood up. "Is that what this is to you? Real lives are at stake! Does no one mean anything to you?"
Suddenly and unceremoniously, Ignatz snorted into his drink and sputtered, laughing hard. He slapped the glass down on the table and looked over toward Gabi, wiping his mouth with his left hand.
'It's live and let die, sweets,' the bat said, still grinning. 'And that's the wrong way to talk to Mel. Trust me.'
"It's not like either of you has been talking to anyone the right way," Gabi sighed. "I'm going to sit alone for a while. If James, Jakob or Aisha want to come, they're welcome."
She left the table and looked for an empty seat by the bar. She didn't feel right about this, but everything seemed wrong. She needed some peace, and she knew she wasn't going to get it with them around.
By now, Aisha was just about as fed up as many of the others were at this sudden exchange of words. Mel just wouldn't relent the information at Gareeku's request (a pretty dangerous thing to do at this point, it seemed), and what was worse, harsh feelings were rising even from some of the more peaceable types, such as Gabi. As she watched the vixen walk off to be by herself, the panther couldn't rightly blame her friend. It was time to just start bringing this to a head...be it for better or for worse. Now Mel because of how she was acting wasn't proving herself trustworthy to the group, and Ignatz she never trusted at all. Her hackles raised slightly, still remembering the bat's whole tirade of impersonating her before...
"Alright, alright, cállense! (Shut up!)" Aisha growled, slamming her palm flat on the bar table a few times to gain attention, her face as dead serious as the others. "We all just came back from a very mind-warped battle, and noticeably that would put a few thorns in our paws. We also came to get a little peace, and damn it, we're going to have it. So how about instead of fighting, all of you settle this in some form or another?"
She sighed and shook her head. "'Cause I ain't about to be dragging bodies out of a friggin' bar fight."
What a happy bunch we are... The only one who isn't depressed, upset, or sadistic is Ephrael and she's too drunk to care.
"Hey guys... let's just take a breather before someone gets an ulcer. Sure, I don't like what Mel and Ignatz did to us, but what they did wasn't a personal attack and was only professional. Many of us hire ourselves out for our services as well. Heck, I attacked Gareeku before for money. Of course my employer lied to me but still... We don't need to pry anything from their lips. We'll run into blatant hints and gather more information the closer we get to our destination. We don't need their 'help' any longer. To me this is no more different from hunting down some of my other bounties. We WILL make our goal. And since you guys are after the same thing I am, I'll be there with you, helping you." James drained the rest of the pitcher of root beer, softly passed a long burp and politely excused himself.
James stood up and walked over to Gabi and (not so randomly) hugged the vixen. "Gabi, I never got to thank you yet for healing me back there. Thank you. And for those of you wanting peace, I took the liberty of ordering us rooms when I put Eph away to sleep. Except for Ig and Mel... I'm sure they'd want to buy their own room."
As Gabi sat down, a pair of shaded eyes looked at the vixen carefully, moving aside as she found a place to sit. The pair of eyes regarded her quietly, one eye narrowing beneath opaque lenses, and the turned their attention back to the glass of whiskey in front of them.
The wolf brushed a stray strand of hair out from in front of his face and took a drink, sipping down on the clear-brown liquid slowly, his other hand drumming it's fingers idly on the table in front of him. As he drank, his ear twitched, and he set the drink down with a low thunk. A blue squirrel had walked up to the vixen, hugging her, and with a quick thanks for some healing the fox had done walked away.
Cog raised an eyebrow. All of these newcomers into the bar smelled of smoke and sweat, and not a little bit of apprehension and blood. Heading off to the bar after a particularly difficult fight or a successful hunt was no strange occurrence to the wolf. Still, for a group celebrating a victory, they seemed to be rather on-edge. The wolf fingered a charm around his neck for a moment, the silver glowing, and the air seemed to curdle around him for just a moment before settling.
On-Edge was putting it mildly. Cog's hearing was sharp, but it wasn't as though it was difficult at all to hear the conversations buzzing about.
He turned to the fox, brushing a bit of imaginary dirt off his pants, and took a quick sip of his drink again before speaking.
"You and your group ran into some trouble, I take it?"
While the bat returned to his drinking, his ears swiveled back and he looked to the side at James' comments. Well, what do you know? he thought. Seems he can be quite helpful after all. Though I hate it when that help comes in such a 'cozy' way...
The next comment almost made Ignatz smile. What? Our own room? Does he think we're together together? A bit of a foreign scenario, and while somewhat interesting a most improbable one. The bat scratched his chin.
'Muchacha... Ustedes son los únicos que están molestos aquí. Yo sólo intento irritar a la "Miss-bee-have" que está ahí.' the bat said, and jerked a thumb in Keaton's direction. Then he buried his muzzle in his drink yet again.
"You could say that," Jakob said, as he took a seat near Gabi and gazed at Cog with a neutral expression, gently trying to hear the other's thoughts as he spoke.
"We fell afoul of a rather unpleasant demon chap. I think he's probably dead now... either that, or wishing he is. His boss didn't seem too pleased that we managed to defeat him. Even so, it was something of a miracle we survived and it hasn't really helped us towards our true goal all that much."
"What of you?" he added after a pause. "What's your story?"
Mel looked at Ignatz with a shrug. "I offer them the deal of the information in exchange for tagging along and get it thrown in my face. If they only knew my regular prices." Then her face took on a mischievous look. She turned back to Gareeku, "New offer. Out-drink my friend over there and you get the information for free. He puts you under the table and you accept my original offer plus you all have to lose the attitude."
By now Gareeku had turned away from the others, sitting by himself as he faced the bar. The bartender, meanwhile, was pretty nonplussed by the situation. Normally in this tavern the arguements would have broken out into a full-on fight, but he guessed that, considering they had just ended what seemed to be a rather grueling battle, they probably didn't have the energy.
The wolf had noticed that others had started to move away from him. At that moment, however, he didn't care. Normally he might have not been so angry at Stygian and Mel. After all, they were trying to make living etc, even if they methods were questionable. However, from the sheer amount of pain he had gone through, the hideous torture that he had been forced to endure, plus the fact that was on borrowed time, the wolf wasn't in the greatest of moods.
It was then, however, that Gareeku heard Mel speak up again, or more specifically, the wager. Looking at her, the wolf raised an eyebrow. Could he trust her? Well if he wanted the information, he'd have to. Besides, it was a drinking competition; something which Gareeku thoroughly enjoyed. Turning his head some more, the wolf then looked at Ignatz. He didn't know why, but something told him that this guy was a good drinker. Turning back to Mel, a few moments passed as he look at her with a grim expression. It was then, however, that the corner of his mouth turned upwards into a slight smirk.
"You're on."
Gabi smiled at James, and thanked him back. She then turned to look at the stranger who spoke to her, but Jakob replied to his question before she could think of what to say. She listened. She, too, was curious about his story. She wondered what his interest in their group was, and why there was something a bit familiar and at the same time something very unusual about his scent.
While she was keeping her distance from the argument ensuing, for once, Keaton bristled visibly when Ignatz jerked his thumb in her direction and uttered something in Spanish that she couldn't understand. What was it the bastard was saying about her? She wanted to know. When someone was insulting her she wanted to know what the hell they were saying so that way she could properly belt them. Such irritation was only exacerbated by Mel's haughty attitude regarding life and death--not something which particularly concerned her, being rather heartless towards such an issue herself, but it was her manner of speaking which infuriated the jackal, not to mention with how she seemed to be playing with them all. Growling around the brim of her now-empty beer mug, Keaton slammed it on the surface of the booth and directed a virulent glare at the group. Mean drunk, most likely. Keaton was even more volatile when she was intoxicated, a remarkable accomplishment.
Now Ignatz was challenging Gareeku to what she assumed was a drinking contest. Wonderful. Wasn't she the one who was supposed to out-drink him? Of course, she was already inflicting a great deal of inebriation on herself, but she sighed and resigned herself to her competitive streak despite her burgeoning drunkenness. "You know what? I'll join in too," she said. "'Think it'd be better off that way. More the merrier and all that..."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
James buried his face in his hand and sighed. "I think I'll go to my room and make some tonics for all the hangovers all of you are going to have... I hope you'll be sober enough to still hold a coherent conversation later tonight Gareeku. If any sober people want to talk to me while I work, I'll be slaving away in room 11..." James paid the barkeep for his beverage and left for his room.
"A drinking contest?" said Jakob. He looked slightly alarmed. "I hope they don't do anything foolish." Like drinking more than a Being would be able to and live, or getting so pissed they forget what they're doing and shapeshift. We don't know what the local reception to Creatures is going to be like.
"Anything they haven't done yet, you mean?," Gabi replied to Jakob's comment. "I'll go and check on James, he sounded like he could use some company. Will you please tell me if anything interesting happens?"
She then turned to the stranger who had been talking to her. "Excuse me, please," she said, and left for room 11.
Once there, she knocked on the door and announced her presence.
"I've had nothing but tea to drink. May I come in?"
Cog glanced aside, his head tilting slightly aside at the sudden interruption. A grey wolf sat down next to the vixen - the two were apparently familiar with each other. Cog leaned back in his chair as he listened, nodding his head. As the wolf began to speak, however, Cog's eye narrowed, and his ear flicked once in irritation.
As Jakob's probe brushed Cog's mind, he found that instead of trying to read the mind of a single entity, it was like trying to read the minds of two - one rational and thinking, and standard as far as most minds went, if only much more...strong, was the only word, as if mental struggles were no stranger to it. The other, however, seemed to be nothing but confusing, irrational sensory perceptions, a bundle of rage and anger and sensations stitched together into some vicious, confusing entity. It only resided in the corner of his mind, but it was almost painful to even brush over the thing.
Cog continued to listen, however, his shades falling down his nose as he regarded Jakob with yellow eyes. As the gray wolf finished, the other wolf nodded, and took another absent sip of his drink, crossing his legs and sitting sideways on his barstool as he spoke.
"Demons can be bastards, yes. Very tough. And I'm sorry to hear that it was for naught." Cog said, taking in a deep breath. He glanced at Gabi, one eye apprasing, and then back at Jakob.
The vixen excused herself. Cog nodded his head, making a minor bow as he sat. "By all means." he said, scooting back a little bit to give her room, and returned to speaking with the wolf.
"Who am I? I am Cogidubnus." the other wolf said, sipping on his whiskey. "And I am here for a drink. The ones they serve here are bigger than the ones down the street. The wise adventurer makes it his business to know these things."
Cog glanced to the side. "Of course, I find a group just about ready to kill each other during their victory party a bit more interesting than a large glass of whiskey. But then..." Cog stopped, the wolf suddenly meeting Jakob's eyes. Peering over his shades, the wolf's yellow eyes were narrow as they gazed at him.
"You probably already knew that."
The bat raised his brow and then made sure to keep his face perfectly neutral as he heard Mel's statement. You devious little... he thought, grinning on the inside. It was a very neat, mean and probably effective plan. Mentally he thanked her for her cleverness.
'Alright. But we need some rules,' Ignatz said, quickly putting his glass down on the table. He made sure to keep his posture and speech loose and relaxed, his gaze just the slightest bit dim. 'No water. We take the same drinks, take turns choosing them, and keep pace. And no retching in the bathroom.' He flicked his right ear and then gave both Keaton and Gareeku a seemingly empty smirk. And be prepared for the morning, kids. You're in for one hell of a ride...
Jakob considered the other wolf. There was clearly something odd going on in his mind, but he decided to let that slide for now.
"We aren't all friends," he said simply, ignoring the others' insinuation. "We might have died without their help I must admit, but to be honest it was more a united front against a common enemy.
"It would be so nice if they weren't here," he added with a sigh, and considered for a moment before deciding to throw the other wolf another bone.
"Anyway. We were led here by a series of kidnappings, but I believe you said you are an adventurer? Any particular field or specialization?" In other words, are you hunting Creatures?
Aisha sighed, rubbing her sore palm after having slammed it on the table before, and caught the incredulous look that the barkeeper had on his face. She shook her head and returned her gaze to the bar, finishing off the last of her breakfast and ordering another drink while everyone talked amongst themselves. James had spoken up after she did, and the squirrel seemed more irritated than any of them. And finally, after Ignatz's sudden retort in her native tongue (though it was hard to understand due to mistakes in intonation...she accredited that to drunkenness), she just scoffed and muttered something below hearing level. "Tonto."
And that was when a few people excused themselves, and the panthress suddenly noticed a stranger speaking to Gabi, to whom she just quirked an eyebrow to in regard. Jakob was already speaking with the group of canids, investigating him. With the party seemingly dissolving for the time being, that left Aisha with little else to do than just enjoy her own drink...if nobody else was going to enjoy what was supposed to be a victory party. It probably would have been if...
Then Mel spoke up, and the panther just had to lift her head again. A drinking contest, hm? Well. Not much better than chewing heads off, but at least it's sporting, if I know Gareeku. She rolled her eyes and carried a smirk on her own face and twisted herself on the barstool to watch...unable to stop anyone, but at least to be one of those there to help her friends on their feet afterwards.
The wolf blinked, apparently thrown off by the other Jakob's reaction, and shrugged. "Specialization? I've never heard that one before..."
Cog seemed to think about that for a moment, sipping down a bit of his drink, making just a slight face as the bitter taste went down, and set his glass down on the bar. He pushed his shades back up over his eyes.
"I suppose I don't really have a field of specialization. I study the sword, so I suppose that's where most of my ability lies." he said, putting his chin in his hands. "Unless you mean, what do I do, as an adventurer?" the wolf inquired. He shrugged again. "Mostly whatever needs doing."
He paused, looking at Jakob carefully, and continued. "I'd describe myself more as a wanderer, really. Adventuring is a side job. A lucrative way to wander about, and said wandering allows me to keep up with...other things." Cog said, a sudden gleam in his eye. "You'll find the strangest things adventuring, really. Sometimes things you were looking for, other times things you never expected to find. People can be in the strangest places." he said, smiling softly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of people, though, I don't think I caught your name. Mr...?"
"Peterson," said Jakob. "By specialization, I mean a given trade. James, our squirrel friend who has just gone upstairs is a bounty hunter. And I..." he paused.
"Well believe it or not, I usually make wildlife films for a living," he laughed.
"That said, one of my more interesting assignments was a series of films about adventurers. Specifically, Creatures who decided to make a living by the sword," He added, mentally 'listening' to the other wolf's reaction.
Good job I left my trenchcoat in the cloakroom, he thought.
"Wildlife films?" Cog said, giving Jakob and incredulous look, a grin sudden breaking across his face. He shook his head and took a drink, white fangs showing as he smiled at the filmmaker.
"You really do meet all sorts. I don't watch a lot of movies, but I'll have to look out for something by a Mr. Peterson, then." the wolf said, making another small, seated bow to the other wolf. "The most interesting profession I've ever heard of working with a band of apparent adventurers."
He nodded at the wolf, his demeanor relaxed. "By trade, I suppose the best description of myself would be a teacher. I've settled down a few times to teach others the way of the sword. Not for more than...oh, thirty years or so at most, though."
Cog nodded. "As for right now, I'm simply a swordsman-for-hire. Money isn't really the issue, you see - it's just that moving around comes with the job. Something I like. Although, I suppose I did a brief stint in real estate." He grinned. "Sold a wizard's tower and everything in it. Enough to live off of for a least a lifetime. I do what I do mostly for the sights, and the freedom to move about."
At Jakob's final comment, however, Cog merely shrugged. "It seems to be a popular choice. Can't really blame most of them, I don't suppose. You can make a lot of money, pretty quick. Or you can die. Retirement comes fast either way."
"I suppose I can't criticize. It's worked out alright for me, so far, I suppose."
From within room 11, James heard Gabi knock and announce herself. "Yes, you may come in."
James was setting up some alchemy equipment on the desk. His old shredded vest hung on a coat rack, evidence of the terrible physical pain he suffered not long ago. James' face however now hid all his emotional pains. James pulled out a soft padded chair for the vixen to sit in. "I'm not really a tea drinker myself..." said James. "But I'm not really against it. In fact I'm tempted to try a cup to sooth my nerves right now. I'm... sorry you had to see me in one of my worst moments. I usually don't act like that..."
"It's alright," Gabi replied, sitting next to him. "I didn't get the chance to tell you this earlier, but I've had some trouble with discrimination myself. Not that bad, but there have been some who I thought were my friends and started treating me like rubbish when they found out I was a Were. So I can't say I blame you at all."
"Really? A were?" James said with genuine interest. "One of the ladies who raised me was a were. Xylina, an old lynx, but she had a lot of spunk. Actually..." said James as he started digging in his backpack again. "I was named after a were..." James dug deeper into his bag. He went in head first and was now up to his waist. "At least they kind of think he was one. To my understanding, were's can't cast magic in human form..." James was now up to his ankles. The backpack was obviously magical. "Yet this guy was only able to cast magic when he WAS in human form. When he was a jaguar, he couldn't..." James was now completely inside his backpack. It now looked like the bag was talking to Gabi. James continued on. "Perhaps he had some curse on him or something... Xylina didn't think he was a were though since he never used his third form. In fact, she thought he was a real human. Silly, huh?"
There was some fumbling sounds from within the backpack. "Where are those ingredients?! I really need to organize things better in here... There's enough stuff in here to fill a warehouse! Oh! Here it is!" James crawled back out of the backpack with various bottles and jars in hand.
"Anyways, this James StarRunner I was named after certainly wasn't from around here. He said he was from a land called dirt or earth... Silly name for a place really. He must have gone back there though. No one has seen him in ages." James started to grind some of the ingredients with mortar and pestle. "But ya, I have great respect for the were race. You can expect me to keep your heritage a secret too. I was rather surprised that you told me that."
Many of the things James said and did while he ws speaking piqued Gabi's curiosity, but it was his last sentence she felt the need to reply to.
"It's only fair," she said with a smile. "I know I can trust you. Aisha knows too, and I'm sure Jakob does although we've never talked about it. I don't think he cares either way. But I'll appreciate it if you don't tell the others. I really don't trust our new companions."
Then her curiosity got the best of her, and she added: "err... May I ask what you're making?"
James poured and bubbled up some liquids in the apparatus. "Oh, just a little drink to make our friends a little more bearable to be around after they get themselves intoxicated like they're doing now. Hmm... maybe it could use some minty freshness..." James added a mint leaf to the other herbs and ground it with the mortar and pestle.
"You know... when you healed me back there, I first thought I was looking up at my mother..." said James as he added the ground up ingredients to a beaker and placed it at the end of the apparatus. "I swear I could almost see her face... Despite what the oracles said, I just can't imagine a mother and father trying to hide from their child... I want to find them. I have so many questions I want to have answered..." James poked at prodded at the glass instruments, watching as the tonic started to travel through the tubes. "Mostly everyone here seems to be looking for their kidnapped family. Aunts, uncles, parents, siblings... They care so much for their family that they risk their lives trying to get them back. I wish I had a family that would do the same for me if I needed them..." Even though he kept his face emotionless, a tear started to form in the corner of his eye. He turned his back to Gabi and pretended to do something else as he wiped it away.
Finally the tonic started to drip into the beaker. The solution fizzed and smoked slightly. The hangover tonic was practically ready.
"I'm sorry, I wish I could help you with that," Gabi replied. "All I do know is that Phoenix oracles never provide straight answers, so whatever that meant, it can't be what it sounded like. That's why I chose to ask the maiden instead, she had a lower chance of knowing, but a much higher chance of giving me a useful answer if she did know. What troubles me the most is that my letter didn't say who had been kidnapped, so I'm left worrying about everyone I know who's not here. I don't know why they did that."
Keaton remained perfectly stoic in expression as Ignatz laid out the rules and regulations for their unofficial drinking contest, fingers laced beneath her chin and pierced eyebrow arched. At the mention of not being able to use water to cleanse any nausea Keaton felt slightly nervous, not to mention because of the rule of no retching in the bathroom. Depending on how much she drank or how she felt when she began drinking, Keaton was a horrendous drunk, becoming even more emotionally volatile than she already was--quite an accomplishment. Aside from this latent nervousness she attempted to appear as unintimidated as possible, even forcing a grin.
"Fine by me," she said against all better instinct (specifically the little voice in her head which was shouting, What the hell do you think you're DOING, you crazy bitch?). Inclining her head to the side, she smirked over at Gareeku. "What do you think?"
~Keaton the Black Jackal
"Of course," Cog said, his ear suddenly twitching, "Any day where one does not have to draw a sword is a good day." The black-clad wolf tipped his hat, and took a long, deep pull off the last of his whiskey glass, setting the cup back down, empty.
Again, Jakob could feel the strange dichotomy of thoughts emanating from the wolf. On one side, there was a strange, feral silence, an almost null comprised of simple, unthinking emotion – on the other side, however, he could hear a few whispers of mental dialogue.
This one's curious. Makes me wonder, really...could he know him? Work with him? A lot of questions, just for politeness's sake...
Cog narrowed one eye, giving Jakob a neutral look. "Creature or being, we all do what we can. Whether that be filming, or anything else."
The conversation had paused, and looking somewhat pensive, the wolf waved the bartender over.
"Fruitless victory or not, good sir, I've never met an adventurer or filmmaker who didn't have a drink at the victory party. Could I get you something?"
Jakob's mind locked up for a moment as he tried to think of a way to refuse without revealing that he was a Creature, but he recovered quickly.
"I'm not sure it's worth drinking to," he said. "We got very little to show for all the lives we took. It seems a little callous to celebrate their deaths as though it was a good thing. But if you insist, I'll take some fruit juice. With ice."
"You wouldn't want to see me when I'm drunk," he added with a grin.
"The maiden?" James stirred the contents of the beaker around and continued, "Forgive my ignorance, I guess I don't seem to know about this maiden that you speak of. I do hope you find your family though, whomever it is..." James set the flask aside and began flushing out his instruments, cleaning them.
"Perhaps you can help me in a different way though..." said James. He motioned to the ruined vest. "I could use a lesson in healing. Not just for myself, but for others. I've lost too many friends... Even Gareeku seems to be slipping away now and he's the closest I have to a brother. I don't really have as great of a reason to find these kidnappers as you or the others, but I'll find the family member that was taken from you. I just hope you are both willing and able to teach me how to heal myself and others..."
From the way that Ignatz looked at him, he could sense that he underestimated him. With a smirk of his own, Gareeku nodded his head in acknowledgment. If his assumptions were correct, then unlike Ignatz Gareeku wasn't about to start underestimating his drinking "partners". After all, Gareeku was used to drinking heavy amouts, having done so through his years with fellow adventurers and strangers alike, both creature and being, and he knew that even in different races there were different levels of alcohol tolerance. For one, he didn't know them hardly at all. That meant that he had never had a drink with them before, thereby not being able to tell how alcohol tolerant they were. Besides, even if he lost, at least he would have had a good drinking session with some good competition.
Hearing Keaton talk to him, the wolf looked over at her, the smirk still on his face.
"Fine by me too." he replied. Unlike Keaton, Gareeku was not intimidated, that much was certain if one were to read his mind and emotions. "And would you like to place a wager on this as well?"
"A fruit juice with ice, then." Cog said, "And another whiskey for myself, if you please." Cog nodded to the bartender, reaching into his jacket and producing and setting two silver coins on the bar counter. With a nod from the barkeep, they disappeared as quickly as they came.
"But I fear you misunderstand me, sir. Never drink to death. That's a draught we'll all drink deep of, soon, too soon." He said, his voice soft. "Your foe is dead, so let him rest. He's not deserving of your animosity anymore - nothing to celebrate there. Drink to life instead."
"Drink, because you might not get the chance again. To life, and the lives of those not yet dead..." the wolf said, musing. He sat quietly for a moment, his face seemingly dark as he sat. His eyes gleamed out over his dark glasses.
Without warning, he brightened suddenly, sitting back up in his chair, and pushed his shades back up over his eyes. "Ah, but I fear I wax philosophical. My apologies." He adjusted his hat, brushing a hand over his glasses. "And look – there's your drink."
The barkeep set the two drinks down deftly, both glasses thunking softly on the table. Cog reached for his whiskey, raising his eyebrow at the red-hued liquid bobbing with ice cubes.
"As for seeing you drunk, it couldn't be any worse than some of my bad nights." He said.
Ignatz chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He knew that he was going to win this contest, unless the wolf had something up his sleeve. The jackal girl's scent had carried a twang of anxiety for just a second, one that she had hidden very quickly. It might have been just imagination, but the bat had a hunch and he knew when to trust his instincts.
As for the wolf he seemed to be just a being, though he was as magically loaded as any adventurer, and that meant he had a clear limit to his constitution. Which put him at a significant disadvantage to the bat.
Ignatz grinned. 'Alright. Barkeep!' he said loudly and tapped the table. 'Three lowballs of vodka, chilled, no ice.' He turned back to the other two contestants. 'I'll take first turn. You're up next, shorty.' He winked to Keaton. The vodka was for a clear purpose. If the succubus flinched at the strength and taste of the drink, he'd know whether if his assumption was correct or not.
"I can be bad enough when I'm sober," Jakob said, the grin flickering and dying as he took a sip of the juice. Ugh. I should have specified the type of fruit.
"And truth be told it's not so much our demon friend that disturbs me, but his minions... and the bandits who assailed us before them. Why didn't they have the sense to flee?" he asked morosely.
Cog looked sideways at Jakob, sipping his whiskey. He stared at him quietly for a moment behind his black shades, setting his glass down, and his expression almost distant.
"Perhaps you should ask yourself, why didn't you have the sense to run?" Cog said, his voice neither mocking nor combative. "You might...well. There are certain realities in the world, Mr. Peterson, that are brought to light in this lucrative, unpleasant business we call adventuring."
Cog paused, taking a deep breath, suddenly, and continued. "You strike me as someone who isn't exactly young, Mr. Peterson, but then, I wouldn't say that isn't a somewhat...naive statement." Cog took another sip of his drink, holding the glass in his hand. "When I taught the sword, I taught the principles that my teacher taught me. 'He who learns the way of the sword, to learn how to kill, will surely die by the sword.'" Cog said, leaning back in his chair. "I don't take every contract that comes my way, sir. Any day that I don't have to draw my blade is a good day. But there comes times when swords are drawn, and in those times, you must defend yourself. Or you will surely die." Cog said, his eyes meeting the other wolf's own. "Or, you must flee. If you can. But sometimes that isn't an option. If you disagree with killing people in all situations, Mr. Peterson, perhaps you've found yourself in the wrong business."
He paused. "Not to say reticence isn't good. Killing is a last resort, always. One should never draw a sword, unless that you have no other choice. But that decision is seldom your own to make. Once again..." he said, sipping his drink, "Once swords and weapons are bared...at that point, the decision has been made for you. It is, as Sensei said, 'Go Time.'"
He gave the other wolf a sideways look, his yellow eyes appraising. "Were the lives of those bandits worth more than your life, Mr. Peterson? Were they worth more than the lives of your friends over there?" Cog sipped, and shook his head. "It seems an unfair question, I know. But ultimately, if they didn't want to die, they shouldn't have done what they were doing. As bandits, and as bodyguards, they knew the risks. And if they didn't, well...forgive me, but I don't take you for the type to slaughter innocents."
Cog kept looking at the strange wolf, and smiled, raising his glass in a toast. "Ah, but come now. To tomorrow. May the Angel of Death sleep soundly through the red dawn." he said, still smiling. "And the weather be good for filming."
Jakob considered. It would be interesting to see how the other wolf responded to the notion that he was a Creature, although it seemed that he had half-guessed. In any case, while he didn't seem to be an incubus, he had far more experience in keeping his thoughts opaque than most Beings did.
"I am a bit older than I look," he admitted, "But you may perhaps be confusing naivety with idealism. Certainly I could have run, and perhaps I should have done. But that would have meant betraying my comrades, and worse than that it would have been a betrayal of the people we set out to rescue." He stared into the glass of fruit juice, which very slowly began to turn pale.
"Adventuring is not my business," he said. "As I said, usually I make films. But there are times when I have been drawn into it against my will, and this is one of those. I wish it were otherwise, but could you stand aside if your own father was kidnapped?"
Jakob sat brooding as the other spoke. His drink grew paler still.
"Were their lives worth more than mine?" the wolf repeated. "That's not a judgement I'd like to make. You see, in my time I have done things which I regret," he continued. "Not so long ago you would have little hesitation in calling me 'evil'. But I got over it. And it makes me wonder whether our foes might not also have 'got over it' had their lives not been... cut down... by our hand."
He took a long swig of his glass, which now contained water.
Gabi was startled by the request. She had given private lessons of just about everything to some of her friends at school, and to her own brother when they were little, but no one had asked her how to use healing magic before. They just didn't seem to be interested, or preferred to rely on her for that. She tried to remember when she first learnt. She had been taught some structured methods to enhance healing magic, but they only served to focus and intensify what was already there. How had she done it the first time? She remembered mixing water with soap and perfume when she was little and calling it a healing lotion. Now she knew that didn't heal a thing (although it might help clean a wound), but back then it seemed to reduce the pain when she applied it. Why had that been so?
"It's mostly about intention," she concluded. "You put your mind into healing and trust that it will work. Never think of the wound or the sickness, you have to picture the person getting better. It helps if you care about them, that will make it work better. It will also help a lot if you can feel the energy between you and your patient... or your own aura if it's yourself you're healing. There are countless forms of focusing and enhancing healing magic, but the base lies there. At least it does if you have potential for magic, but I've already seen that you have it. And today I've seen that you have a lot of willpower too. If you can manage to numb pain or make a light wound seal faster, I can start teaching you some of the advanced techniques."
Cog kept silent throughout Jakob's speech, his eyes occasionally glancing to the glass of rapidly paling tomato juice in his hand. His eyesbrows rose a miniscule amount, and a slight smile spread across his face, but other than that, he said nothing.
Jakob sipped from his glass of water, and still smiling Cog spoke again. "Is that so?" Cog sipped from his glass. "I truly wonder if you know the meaning of regret, Mr. Peterson. I have done, terrible things, in my time." Cog's said, smiling slightly, his voice distant. "Yet, even so. I'm glad you got yourself sorted out. But, did you know - the guard, while it is their duty to protect the people, sometimes kill them. Seems contradictory."
Cog raised one eyebrow. "It's true. You don't know what those bandits may have gone on to do, and what they may have made of themselves with more time or a better circumstance. But, then, did they really give you a choice? Sure, you could incapacitate or restrain them, but in most cases of this nature, these aren't the sort of folks you even want to know your face. I have spent nights sleeping with one eye open. It isn't pleasant."
"What's more, who is to say what Mr. Peterson might do, with his life?" he turned, giving him an appraising stare. "What if the bandits had killed you? What might be lost?" he said, shrugging somewhat. "We all have the potential for great good or great ill, as you know, Mr. Peterson. To risk your life is to risk your ability to do either, but then, risking your life is your own decision to make. Even the decision of those bandits." Cog paused, wetting his throat. "What will Mr. Peterson do, now that he has killed someone? You have kept your life. What potential lies in you? I daresay you have things yet to accomplish in this world - you may have killed, but what have you saved? Who might you save? No one can be sure."
Cog paused, finishing off his second glass of whiskey, and took a deep breath again, still grinning slightly. "I will say this. You have a surprising sensitivity towards the value of life, for a mage."
'Oh, for Hell's flaming sake!' the bat suddenly started, leaning back and looking over at the two wolves over by the bar. The barkeep arrived with the vodka and Ignatz immediately snatched his off the platter, swigging it down in one gulp, and then slapped the glass down on the table. 'The fellow's here to drink and relax, not act psychiatrist to some overconscientious incubus. Do you have to drag him down with you?!' Narrowing his eyes and grinning, the bat ran his tongue over a fang slightly. 'We all know you're miserable. But some don't have the same self-centered dilemmas and hesitations that you seem to.'
Chuckling, the bat turned back to the table, pleased at having interjected in what he perceived as a pointless and irritating debate. And, of course, at his jab at Jakob and his disguise.
With one ear pointed towards the stranger's and Jakob's conversation, Gareeku listened on as they debated. He was somewhat relieved when the drinks were finally brought over to their table. Listening to Ignatz's outburst, the wolf could not help be slightly amused by it all. Taking the vodka down with one gulp before placing the glass on the table, Gareeku licked his lips slightly.
"So then...Keaton. Your turn to choose a drink."
"Mostly just intention, eh?" said James growing more confident from Gabi's compliments. "Sounds simple enough. It's a good thing I've already figured out how to use my aura somewhat already."
James rolled up his sleeve to his shoulder. It was mostly healed but still looked a bit raw and sore. She did such a great job in removing a fist sized hole so quickly... James put a hand on his shoulder and grimaced slightly at the pain. Concentrate on healing... feel the aura... James stood there for a few moments, eyes closed, completely still...
James opened up his eyes again and removed his hand... Nothing noticeable had happened. "Man... This is harder than I thought." Maybe I focused too much on the injury... I'll try again. Again, James concentrated. It took a moment, but he could feel something. He focused on that feeling more, pouring healing energy into his wound. Finally, James looked at his shoulder again. Not much of a change. He moved his arm around to test it. "Well... At least it doesn't hurt as much. I guess this isn't something that can be mastered overnight."
All that careful probing and insinuation wasted, thought Jakob, wryly. What a dick.
"Well, there is one untroubled by the burdens of a conscience," he said, smiling at last, "...and apparently common sense as well. Still, we must forgive the demon... I suppose the drink must be getting to his head already. He is right, though," he admitted, "I am not a Being. I can only hope you and the other folks here aren't prejudiced.
"Perhaps I am over-sensitive to these things," he said. "But I've always liked Beings and I hate it when they die. Perhaps my problem is I'm trying to shoulder the guilt for the excesses of all my kind..."
"And you must forgive me if I'm getting to you," he added. "As a race we are somewhat prone to becoming overwrought."
"Few things are," Gabi smiled. "But it's not bad for a first try. You can try again whenever you feel like it, and of course you can ask me for help whenever you need it. Now, may I ask you something?"
When James said she could, she went ahead.
"What was the other James StarRuner like? I've always wondered what it would be like to meet someone from another world, but I never thought there could be weres outside Furrae."
"The other James StarRunner?" asked James. "He supposedly went home before I was born, so I never got to meet him... My caretaker, Grace, got to meet him though and told me about his deeds as bedtime stories growing up. He saved my country of Takona from civil war, barbaric tribes, and strengthened creature/being relations. Of course the latter fell apart when angels masterminded the fall of the three largest cities there... But he was a great hero! Filled with compassion, wisdom, courtesy, selflessness, and a clean sense of humor. I of course liked the parts where he kicked some serious butt!" Realizing how childish and excited he sounded just then, James blushed and quickly continued. "Err... Of course you have to understand I was just a young boy then! Hehehe... But the name of James StarRunner was known throughout the country before I was even born. He was a great mage and a fine paladin. He saved countless lives... Grace named me after him in hopes that I would emulate him. I didn't exactly follow the path of a mage or a paladin... but I try to follow his example, I really do... It's a hard name to live up to."
Mel moved a few seats down the bar, closer to where the black panther was sitting. "This should be entertaining. Your boyfriend any good at this sort of thing?"
As Cog looked at the rather strange-looking fellow interrupting them, a creamy-colored bat who seemed occupied drinking down some clear liquor, his ear twitched at the comments that Jakob made, and keeping a straight face he looked back at the lupine incubus.
"Prejudiced? Against...creatures?" Cog said, his voice deadpan and his face completely straight. He gave the wolf a look, his shades sliding down his nose, before a toothy, wicked grin spread across his features.
"No." he said, his tone again neutral. "Not as such."
He kept his eyes on the three gathered around a table, each one either holding or taking a shot of clear liquid. Playing a drinking game, Cog supposed, but judging by the bat's irritation, the two wolves had been a little louder than he'd thought. Apparently enough to attract attention, anyway.
Cog kept his eyes on the three, and started speaking again.
"You're not bothering me." Cog said, shifting his weight. "Still. An Incubus. I can't say I'm surprised, really. I think that was you earlier." Cog said, his ear twitching again. "Most 'Cubi I've meet haven't liked me, though. I make them uncomfortable, for some reason." Cog's voice was sardonic.
Cog glanced back at Jakob. "That was you earlier." He stated, his voice even. "And I understand that Cubi can't help that sort of thing, to a certain degree. But I felt you brush my mind – and I find it surprising that someone so sensitive to the dignity of life would have so little reticence about reading stranger's thoughts." He said, glancing back at the apparent drinking game.
"For your own safety, stay out of my mind."
At that, Cog simply smiled, a surprisingly genial gesture, and nodded at the three gathered around the table.
"Who are they?"
As she watched the drinking contest unfold, Aisha ordered another drink for herself to settle in her full stomach. Looking over the three competitors at the table, now probably centering on a bit of attention from some of the other bar patrons, it was hard to distinguish straight from sight who would have the upper hand in it. Gareeku was invited in slightly late, perhaps he would take it more easily...but, Aisha wasn't one to make generalizations quickly. We'll just see how this goes.
However, sometimes an ear would swivel over to the conversation that Jakob was having with the stranger, just out of curiosity. It seemed that a slightly avid interest was taken in the group. As she took another sip from her mug, she caught Mel sitting next to her out of the corner of her eye. The black jaguaress tensed slightly...but the girl had helped to heal Gareeku before, after all. She was--perhaps the best way to put it really--the lesser of the two evils.
At her inquiry, however, Aisha paused in mid-swallow, almost choking on the liquid. She coughed and turned to her, a sudden tinge of red in her face. "Boyfrie...?"
The panthress coughed again before she could finish, and just tried to regain her composure quickly, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She looked slightly indignant, but answered the question. "Well, if I know Gareeku, he never backs down from such a challenge. He puts his all into anything and is quite stubborn for it. S'what makes him good." She smirked. "I hope your guy doesn't underestimate him, muchacha."
"You don't reach 900 years by taking risks," Jakob said, with a smile. He seemed to have lightened up. "...not when you're born into a world where everyone wants to kill you, at any rate. I've had some particularly nasty experiences in taverns when people found out what I was, so please forgive my paranoia.
"As for reading your mind, not really. I was listening, I'll admit, but I don't go around poking people's minds for no good reason. What I heard didn't make much sense anyway - your shielding is very good. And no, I don't habitually eavesdrop on people, but I had to get a rough feeling for your disposition to know if I was safe. I hope you understand."
"The white wolf is one Gareeku," he added. "He is the leader of our expedition. The bat calls himself Ignatz, but I don't know much about him, except that he tried to claim a bounty on our leader, and he seems to be quite dangerous. The other is his companion, but I can't remember her name offhand. Oh! Unless you meant the jaguar? She would be Aisha, a trusted member of our party. Not fond of demons though," he added. "I don't know the jackal."
Keaton remained silent and stony even when Ignatz winked at her, fingers impatiently drumming out a curt and staccato tattoo against the table's surface and large ears flattened against her skull. Agitation and anxiety ebbed away quickly enough in favor of being mildly amused by Ignatz's outburst towards Jakob and the gray-furred newcomer who was observing them from afar, displayed in the form of a wry smirk tugging at the edge of her lips. Hiding this grin behind her hand, she diverted her attention to the vodka, which was set before her by the bartender, and pondered the drink.
Vodka. Right. Relatively odorless save for the flavor, but probably going to pack a punch. Grasping the glass, Keaton titled her head back and upended it in her mouth, downing the contents and slamming the empty drink glass back on the table. Sure enough, the intense "burn" nearly made her wince, having not fully anticipated it, but she recovered quickly and took a deep breath, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She shakily grinned, flashing row upon row of jagged canines.
"No problem," Keaton said almost spitefully, then listed her drink. Had to choose something outside of a simple beer to make this competition more challenging for the bat. Shake him up a bit. "Black sambuca, on the rocks. Go for it."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Ignatz grinned at Keaton's choice of drink and nodded to the bartender, standing at the ready. The drinks were coming up in short order.
'Well, ain't that sweet?' the bat punned as he took his glass of dark blue-hued liquid, matted a bit by the ice in it. He raised his glass and prepared to time his swig with Keaton's, giving just a slight sideways glance to Jakob and Cogidubnus. Jakob's excuses seemed pretty lame to him. And if they didn't think he could overhear them with his ears, they were pretty daft to begin with.
"Is that so?" Cog said, raising his eyebrows as the three of them really started to drink. The Jackal ordered up something, to which the bat sitting beside her seemed to chuckel at. "She seems to be aiming to win." Cog said.
They weren't kidding around - it was hard liquor, all the way. As the bat and the Jackal downed some blue-looking beverage, the wolf shook his head, and showed a toothy smile.
"This could be rather amusing, I think." he said, his eyes still on the bat.
He wasn't quite done speaking with the incubus beside him, however. "It's not sheilding." he said at first, giving Jakob a glace before looking over at the Panthress. The red-clad feline was sitting next to another cat, that one dressed in grey, and seemed to be watching the drinking contest with great intrest.
"But, let me understand you completely." Cog said, his voice genuine and reasonable. "Delving without permission into the minds of others, in order to save your life, is alright with you, but killing is not?" Cog let an eye wander over to the incubus, gauging his reaction. "Eavesdropping is something that Cubi cannot help, I understand that. But the excesses of the 'Cubi race do not lie in murder so much as violation. The mind of any person is precious, sir. No one has a right to invade that."
He turned and made a small bow. "Don't let that come across the wrong way, please. Speaking in such generalities is often a good way to offend and mislabel, and I could certainly go on about creatures of other races. And I'm certainly not saying that Cubi walk around and rape minds on a whim." he Cog said.
"But, well. To say it hasn't been abused would also be untrue." Cog paused, looking at the others, and suddenly wishing he had another drink. Two was generally his limit, unless it had been a particularly nasty day. "To me, that's worse than killing someone. My foes are their own, even unto their death." he said, shrugging.
"But then, I suppose you have your reasons." Cog said as he continued to watch the game.
Lots of wolves tonight, Cog noted, and watched the white wolf, the bat, and the jackal continue in their contest of intoxication.
"Creatures, and especially 'Cubi are hated and feared for their ability to slay souls," Jakob said with distaste, as though the words themselves were poisonous. "Next to the True Death, what is overhearing someone's inner voice for a few moments?" He sighed.
"Now it may be that my ethics are different to yours. One may go into the Academy thinking you are a Being, but believe me, you come out of it with some rather different ideas. But for all my... faults... I refuse to treat Beings - or other Creatures - as playthings."
"In any case, I feel you misunderstand. 'Cubi read surface thoughts. We can hear your internal monologue if we care to listen, although usually it's too boring to bother with. We can also see mental images, but all of these can be jammed with some fairly simple mental exercises. Mind-reading is different. Breaking open the mind itself is dangerous and invasive... a gruesome violation that can not be performed over a drink. Even one far more skilled that I would only consider it as a last resort. No, it was your mood I was watching, and since you object I have ceased to do that too."
"My money is on the bat," Jakob muttered, watching the drinking game himself. "You saw what I did with the juice... I bet he's doing that to the alcohol. I know I would," he smiled.
"You know, I'm not sure I caught your name," he added.
Gareeku continued to listen to the stranger's and Jakob's conversation as he waited for the next round of drinks to arrive, his ear facing their direction. Hearing what Jakob said, the wolf raised an eyebrow.
"You know Jakob, you're pretty willing to talk with disgust about the soul-stealing abilities of cubi when you have a chain of soul pendants yourself." Gareeku commented, looking at the wolf incubus with a disapproving expression on his face.
Noting that the next round of drinks, black samubuca to be exact, had arrived, Gareeku took his drink and downed it, leaving nothing but the clear ice cubes in the glass as the sweet aniseed taste of the sambuca filled his mouth. Licking his lips slightly, the wolf then turned back to Jakob and the stranger.
"And for someone who respects beings so much, I've noticed that you've been quite patronising before. That's not respect to me."
At first Keaton was uncertain about whether or not Ignatz was being condescending in regards to her selection in beverages, but she disregarded it when the drinks were delivered without question. "Bottom's up," Keaton muttered. Synchronized with the bat sitting across from her, she gulped down the drink's contents and roughly set the glass on its coaster. Again, she wiped her mouth dry with the back of her hand, sighing. Not a bad drink. She hadn't had sambuca in a while.
Ears pivoted upright at the mention of soul pendants. Souls, huh? That was something Keaton was intimately familiar with. Unconsciously, she grinned slightly as she glowered at Catastrophe, which was strapped to her back, from over her shoulder. Despite that, she allowed that train of thought to fade as she leisurely stirred her drink, the icecubes collected inside of the glass clinking and rolling together. "I'm just gonna avoid this current topic," Keaton said cheerfully, then pointed to Gareeku. "Righto. I believe it's your turn."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
"There's a difference between being a bit of a jerk and treating people like cattle to be harvested," Jakob pointed out, only just restraining himself from reminding Gareeku that he was the one who went 'round eating souls.
"Yes, these are soulgems," he said to Cog. "I brought them to try and rescue the people we slew, and I failed." He looked thoroughly miserable again, but there was a spark of defiance in his eyes.
"These two," he said, pointing to a pair of dimly glowing jewels, "I keep with me always, to remind me of my crimes. But I'll make it right again. I will find a way to bring them back," he said. "I swore it..."
'Yeah, sure. And when a 'cubi swears on something, you know he means it,' Ignatz said, still leering, studying his claws in wait for what Gareeku was going to order. 'It's not like things change or one reconsiders or they just decide to act out of emotion all of a sudden.'
As if to add to the accentuation to his words, the bat shot Jakob a cold look, and then put his palm on the tabletop with a low pat. He was considering Keaton's few and small, almost nonexistent reactions as much as he was thinking of her latest words. But he couldn't overthink things right then. He knew.
'I believe that you have to have a right to do things, an excuse. A reason. And whatever conflicts that rise afterwards are just obstacles you have to overcome,' the bat said a bit coarsely. 'It all amounts to something in the end. But do you know what never did anyone any good?' He looked over at Jakob once again. 'Being a hypocrite.'
"I did tell you." Cog said, leaning back against the bar on his stool and watching the drinking contest. "Cogidubnus Mithlome." he repeated, his voice calm as he spoke to the incubus.
"Although, I don't think I've got your first name." he said, scratching his chin as he watched.
As he was about to respond to the incubus's comments about soul-trapping and slaying, the white wolf snapped at the grey one and made some comments about the latter's apparent collection of souls on a chain. The incubus made an disparaging remark back, and started explaining his reasoning for having such items to Cog.
And then he showed Cog the two he did have filled.
Cog looked at the gems, and back up at the incubus, and for a few moments said nothing. Tilting his head for second, he looked at Jakob incredulously, and then slowly and softly began to laugh, a grin spreading across his face as he giggled.
"What's this? A necromancer who respects the sanctity of life?" Cog shook his head, still watching the contest. "They say if you love someone, you should set them free, incubus. Still, I understand that there are certain things that one must do. Good luck with cheating death." he said, wondering what beverage the white wolf would choose.
He was about to speak further when the bat spoke up - Ignatz, the incubus had called him. He seemed to have a bone to pick with the wolf - Cog stayed silent. Conflicts within a party were simply a reality, but it wasn't his place to interfere.
"I damaged them," said Jakob in a low voice, and his eyes took on a haunted look as he recalled the time of his madness and the morning after, when he snapped out of it. Ever since that day he had had a phobia about blood, recalling the night when he had decapitated the two demons and eaten half their souls.
"They murdered my closest friend, my mentor. I was insane with grief and a thirst for revenge. I didn't know what I was doing, but I damaged them that night. I daren't risk freeing them until I can be sure they will survive outside the jewels. I want freedom for them, not oblivion."
Jakob's brooding was interrupted by a comment from Ignatz. Hypocrisy? What on Furrae is he babbling about now...? Then his heart skipped a beat. Oh gods... he's talking about Gareeku! he thought guiltily, because he'd almost said the same thing himself.They'll trash the place... we'll be hunted down like the Creatures we are...
He closed his eyes and tensed himself, waiting for the storm.
Not one to meet Jakob's expectations, Ignatz returned his gaze forward and downward, and slumped a little lower in his chair to match his apparently slight-drunken state. He reached into his shirt and took out something, revealing itself to be a silvered bullet and cartridge on a silver chain, and thumbed it.
'Incubi and succubi are born with power. Power they haven't earned or gotten the right to. Power that can't just be taken away either,' the bat muttered. 'And by their very nature they intrude upon others' minds. You know, to some, information is more valuable than life.' He narrowed his eyes and passed a glance in Keaton's direction too, voice growing even more bitter. 'And without privacy, without security and hope, life may not be worth living.'
"Damaged, huh?" Cog said, keeping a wary eye on the incubus and the bounty hunter. "That can make things difficult, yes. I've...well." he said, looking away. He paused for a moment, quiet. "But I can empathize with revenge." he said softly.
He pauesed for a moment, waiting for the incubus to speak again. When Jakob stayed silent, Cog glanced over, and raised his eyebrows a bit. The incubus seemed to be almost rocking back and forth, his eyes closed. Cog didn't need to be able to read minds to see that the wolf was panicking about something. The scent of fear was almost overpowering.
"Hey, now. I don't really think you're a necromancer. That would require some pacts with some really unsavory..."
Cog paused, the bat interrupting him. He looked Ignatz, raising another eyebrow, and waited for the incubus to respond.
Jakob opened one eye and stared at Cog. "No violence? No fighting? Perhaps we're safe." He opened the other eye and after a furtive glance at Gareeku, began to relax again, ignoring the loud-mouthed bat. He was used to being hated after all. In any case, it was possible that Ignatz thought that his words had hit Jakob hard enough to make him cower, and if that was what the bat needed to make him feel satisfied, more power to him.
The spectre of a fight between Gareeku and Ignatz had shocked him out of his misery, but he still had a dour expression.
"I don't exactly go around sacrificing people, but being able to raise the newly-dead can be handy," he said. "I did that to an Angel once after someone else tore out their soul. He was not ungrateful. Mind you, that seems to be illegal nowadays," he added.
The bat barked a laugh. He seemed quite mercurial in his temper. Or perhaps it was the alcohol? One never could tell with certain people. Yet he seemed to find Jakob's comment amusing once again, in a condescending kind of way.
'Yes, of course,' Ignatz said, grinning fiendishly. 'An Angel would be worth saving. Just.' If Jakob had thought that he would get any relief from the bat because he backed up or went silent, it didn't seem he was right so far.
Leering at the wolf once again, the bat regarded Jakob with his thoroughly black eyes. 'That's commendable, of course, if not admirable. But how about trying to make sure that "poor" Angel didn't get his soul torn out in the first place, hm?' he said, and tilted his head.
"Well duh," said Jakob. "He was already like that when Malnemar tried to pin the murder on me. And if Mal hadn't tried to remove his heart, I wouldn't have had to make him into a zombie. You think he just left the soul lying around? We had to fight for it..." he smiled at the memory, although it hadn't seemed fun at the time. But the smile faltered slightly as he thought of the others.
"Pity Paladin had to leave the party. He could have given you his side of the story. The only other person who knows it all, apart from Mal himself, is my dad. And he isn't going to be telling any stories because he's one of the kidnapped."
"Wow," said Gabi after listening to James's story. "I would have liked to know him. I can imagine it must be a hard name to live up to. But still, you should try to live your own life in the best way you can. We all should, I think. Whether any of us turns into a legend or not, what matters is what we do whenever we have a choice. And... I think I'll stop before I begin to sound stupid. They liked my speeches back in school, but they don't sound so good in an adult's mouth."
Her cheeks became slightly warmer as she said this.
"....well." Cog said, shrugging. "Maybe you are a necromancer, then." His voice seemed calm, and largely unconcerned.
He watched the bat and the wolf begin exchanging words, the bat either belligerent or drunk or simply both. Cog raised an eyebrow. If the wolf wasn't reading him incorrectly, Ignatz seemed to have a bone to pick with Cubi.
Wasn't too uncommon. Some of the more destructive ones could do things that really hurt. He shrugged, and waited for the white wolf to call his drink.
"Well it really depends on your point of view," Jakob pointed out amicably. "Such things are rarely cut and dried. I've always associated
necromancy with raising undead armies and weird, creepy shit like that. When I dabble in resurrection, it's usually to try and undo a murder."
Jakob looked back at the table. The bat looked like he was about to open his mouth again, so he decided to call it a day.
"Well, thanks for the drink, and I'm sorry to have poured all my life story and troubles on you like that, but now - if you'll excuse me - I think I'd better see how the others are doing." He turned, and then sat back down again.
"Oh. I don't know if you're interested, but a few members of our party have disappeared," he added. "Probably kidnapped. The does mean we are a few people short. I don't know if you're interested? Either way, it's not my decision, but if you are curious, you might want to ask Gareeku about it after their drinking game is finished, " he gestured to the white wolf, and rose once more.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot..." he said, and placed a small piece of card on the bar. It read:
JAKOB PETTERSOHN
FILM AND VIDEO SERVICES
c/o SAIA, P.O. BOX 666
So saying, he gave a nod to the other wolf and collecting his black trenchcoat, headed towards room 11.
James thought for awhile on what Gabi said and gave a nod in acknowledgment. "That was certainly a profound saying, but I don't think it becomes any less intelligent when said from an older messenger. Kids seem to have a knack to see things simply whereas grownups tend to over complicate things and confuse the issues. I find that children can give us a lot of insight. And perhaps someday I'll find the other James and tell him you said... Huh?"
From down the hallway, James could hear someone approaching and deliberately stop in front of the door. I suppose that must be someone else from our happy party. Before the guest had a chance to knock, James opened the door and peered out at the guest.
"Jakob! Do come in." James grinned, motioning the wolf to step inside.
"Thanks," said Jakob. He had the Cross coat folded over one arm and he looked a bit put out.
"That creepy bat guy was being a right bastard again. I figured I'd best leave before he touched a nerve."
He sighed. "Thanks to him, the folks downstairs know I'm an incubus," he said, "although I made sure they knew he was a demon. Fortunately no-one seems to care about such things... I guess we're in an unusually open-minded realm.
"Still, enough about that... how are things with you people?"
Gabi sighed. It seemed luck was still with them after all.
"We're fine," she said. "Just talking, and James was making some hangover medicine. It's much quieter here than back there. With all the noise I was afraid they were about to start a bar brawl."
"They're deep in their drinking game," Jakob said. "I suspect the bat will cheat. Probably transmute the alcohol back into sugar or something. As for brawls, he made a comment which I could only interpret as a stab at Gareeku. I thought there was going to be a fight then, but it looks like it went over his head, fortunately.
"Shame I had to go, the wolf guy was interesting to talk to. Still, I suppose it was for the best..."
He glanced to James. "How about you?"
What with her belligerent attitude, Keaton could only stay ostracized from the fight for a precious few minutes before she snapped, especially upon hearing Ignatz's comment about mind-reading and his not-so-surreptitious glance in her direction. Scowling, Keaton flicked a finger at him, mumbling with an almost drunken air. The alcohol had gotten to her, somewhat. Not a good thing.
"Don't lump me in the same group as those assholes who steal others' memories and rape their heads. I'm not like that," she half-grumbled, half-stated. "Yeah, I'm not. Fancy that."
Then at the comment about Angels being worth saving, Keaton growled again--but such an unpleasant churning noise transformed into a slight laugh as she unsuccessfully tried to hide her mouth behind her hand. "I'm sorry," she said condescendingly, "Did you really say Angels are worth saving? Please. I've never heard anything more hilarious before in my five-hundred-year-long-life."
She watched with a chocolate-hued iris as Jakob scrawled something down on a message for the gray wolf he was conversing with, unable to make out the majority of his writing due to her diminished eyesight, but she noticed something regarding "SAIA" emblazoned on the paper. Shrugging, Keaton glared down at her empty drink glass, then allowed her features to convulse into another, unpleasant scowl which, despite its ugly origins, seemed strangely characteristic on her usually pretty, angular face. When was that wolf going to order a drink? She really needed it at some point, maybe some absinthe or something really strong...
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Staying quiet as he listened to the others, Gareeku ignored the comments that were being thrown back and forth, choosing instead to try and grab the barman's attention.
"Three Tsikoudias please." the wolf said. Shortly afterwards, the barman came to the table with three small glasses of the liquid in his hands, before placing them on the table.
"Cheers." Gareeku said as he grabbed one of the glasses before downing the tsikoudia is one gulp.
Ignatz was not so quick to grab the glass of unclear liquid served to him. He recognized neither the name nor the look of the strange drink, but as Gareeku kicked it back without a problem he understood it could not possibly be so bad. A quick smell did reveal a rotgut-like quality to the booze though, why the bat took it more gently than the wolf. As expected, the taste was not at all to his liking, but he downed it without a hitch, and then slapped the glass down quickly, looking at Keaton.
'Well, if you look at the records - no, not the official ones,' he stated, 'Angels have been much more like benefactors to the world than any 'Cubi, and certainly infinitely more than Demons.' He quenched a silent burp with his palm, and looked in the direction of the rooms. Then he chuckled and turned back to the company, shaking his head slightly.
'Don't fall for the paranoid jackass' insinuations. I'm not a Demon. You have my word on it,' he said to the both of them.
Tsikoudia? That was a new one. Unfamiliar with this new drink, Keaton made no comment about it once the ambiguous beverage was served, letting her body language do the speaking for her once she snatched up the drink and inspected it, inhaling its scent. Ignatz himself had no qualms about immediately devouring the drink, so she decided there wasn't any purpose to stalling anymore. Tipping her head back, she downed the drink, then scowled, uncertain about her predilection to the taste. Ah well... couldn't like all of them.
Then Ignatz said something which made her force out a bark of a laugh. Keaton was probably more antagonistic than usual now that she was almost drunk, her personality's volatile edge exacerbated. "Right," she said, holding up her glass. Arid light glimmered along the sleek surface, tantalizing to Keaton's drunken eye, which she observed with a strange fixation. "And you've proven to be such a trustworthy individual thus far."
~Keaton the Black Jackal
The bat grinned back at Keaton and chuckled along. He didn't seem fazed by that sort of comments.
'Well, maybe not. But I was just working. And I make it a habit never to lie unless in extreme situations,' he said, sounding most honest. He leaned over against the jackal a bit, closing his lips and putting his handsome features to the test with a bemused smile. 'And is this an extreme situation? I'd rather call it a silly one.' He chuckled. 'Though, as you can probably see I have no magic on me. And if you'd like, I'd let you strip-search me for any transformation inducers.'
The bat waited for just a few seconds, holding his warm and slightly drunken gaze on Keaton to see if he could manage to call out a blush. Then, very suddenly, he turned against the barkeep again. 'Next, something tasty!' he started. 'Bring us Jack!'
Cog took the card that the incubus had proffered, a raised eyebrow glancing over the text before slipping it in his jacket pocket. He kept quiet, instead watching the three continue their drinking contest.
SAIA. Two hundred odd years of adventuring had led him to the name before, but usually in ominously hushed tones and cryptic references. It was the place where the Cubi race went to learn...almost anything. The great university of the Cubi race, where they taught them the skills to be a good incubus. Whatever that might be.
He'd never seen it. Such would be suicide. Still, he'd apparently met someone who worked there, which was interesting enough.Cog sighed, enjoying cool air flowing in from the open windows. The contest was in full swing, and it appeared that it was the bat's turn to order something. The wolf leaned against the bar and waited.
Much to Keaton's infinite surprise, the bat didn't seem at all perturbed by her previous, malicious statement, as virulent as it was. In fact, he appeared to interpret it as humorous, something rather disarming to her. Blinking, Keaton twitched, then attempted to push her body backwards as Ignatz seemed to lean in toward her, only for her side to be thwarted by her chair, preventing any further escape. For a moment, she had the feeling of being slightly cornered, an animalistic sensation which distinctly confused her.
Even more confusing was when she felt her cheeks flare when she had met Ignatz's gaze. Something oddly warm tinted his expression, as devious as his words were, which was strangely accentuating to his overall appearance. Keaton wasn't quite sure what had been the cause of it (she attributed this momentary weakness to the alcohol), but she relented, although this conceding did nothing to quell her skepticism. No magic? Not a liar? She didn't believe it. She had seen him as a monster and had seen him revitalize himself even after being hit with Aisha's boomerang. Even worse was when he mentioned strip-searching--Keaton wasn't a prude, not at all, but for some reason, she found herself surprised. Not appalled, but simply surprised.
Ignatz, one way or another, had gotten what he wanted--a blush. Indignant, a little stunned, but a blush nonetheless. Even though she had a thousand different replies built up in that foul brain of hers, Keaton said nothing. For once, she was forced to turn her eyes away.
~Keaton the Black Jackal
Most content at the received response, Ignatz took his glass of whiskey quickly and just held it when the Jack Daniels arrived. Smoky and strong in its scent, it fit the bat's smile perfectly. He gave Gareeku a slight glance, examining him for signs of oncoming drunkenness, then shrugged and took a long, slow drain of the glass, enjoying it thoroughly.
Again, when the bat was finished, he put the thick-bottomed glass down with an audible clack and put his elbow on the table, leaning his head on his palm. He then gave Cogidubnus a long, unclear, half-smiling look, just waiting for the wolf to spot it.
Mel winced a bit when the participants drank the rotgut. "No need to resort to drinking the janitor's cleaning solution. I have given the bartender money. You can order proper drinks."