Shattered Innocence (IC) [M]

[Azlan]

Tyrian sighed as Kassin panicked and cringed as the feline attempted to fuse his head with a nearby wall.  The fox released his spell and knelt down.  The right index finger on his hand glowed white as he touched the teenager's head, easing the pain but doubling the effect the head trauma had on his consciousness releasing him temporarily from the waking world.

Foot steps could be heard descending again, causing Tyrian to swear lightly under his breath.  Using a simple cantrip he called a summoning, not vocally but instinctively.  He was rewarded by the appearance of a turquoise and orange arachspearian as it emerged from behind a stack of boxes in the opposite corner of the room. 

Quickly grabbing a bronze figurine from the table, he deposited it on the ground.  Scooping up the docile arachspearian as it approached, thanks to the summoning, he deposited it on the bronze figurine. 

He lifted the supine Kassin into his arms and softly padded over to the closest wall.  Taking a deep breath, more due to the fact that he hated merging with amalgamated materials that were not wholly natural then anything else, he melted into the material of the wall.  As long as nothing damaged the physical wall, he and Kassin would be fine.

[Tipod]

Rafa's own expression of snide contempt didn't waver in the slightest under the angel's threats. "Oh, look at you," he chided, "big man, putting anyone's life at risk but your own to keep family alive." He put aside the tomahawk, freeing up his hand to gesture with. "You can threaten me all you want, but there's one glaring flaw with this: you say you need me, but I need you like I need a hole in my head. Double goes for your emotional wreck of a cousin." He roughly jabbed the angel's chest with an index finger to push that little sentiment further.

"So if that's your big statement, fine. I'm not going back, I'm not cooperating, and I'm sure as hell not going to be some meatshield for Kassin or any of your worthless-ass relatives." Rafa turned and began to leave, rewrapping his scarf around his throat. "Have a nice, sanctimonious life, asshole."

[Noone]

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Brady was furious, he looked at 'Sharon' with a hateful stare, he gritted his teeth, he looked quite prone to shouting.
"Oh, I'm a liar am I?" His voice was thick with resentfulness. "Never mind the fact that I have been doing this for years, without any slip ups. I take my job very seriously. If you wish to continue making such accusations against me, I suggest you find some proof before you do. Now get out of my sight, you three have long overstayed your welcome, and I am very busy. The door is that way." He pointed towards the exit of his office, then looked at his desk, starting to write on some papers. When he heard 'Lugh''s comments, he raised an eyebrow and cast a hateful, suspicious eye on him.
Those two are definitely Kassin's cubi companions..., he thought. Still, why did he mention that name, do they already know my source?. He paused for a moment, filling his thoughts with more bureaucratic nonsense. But still, if they don't have any proof for it, I should be safe, and they'd probably all get killed trying to get something like that, which is a definite plus.. He turned his head back to his stack of papers, engrossed in what he was doing. He refused to acknowledge the presence of the others in his office.

Eilan continued staring at Brady after he went back to his paperwork. He turned towards the door, and slowly paced towards it. "Come on, I think we're done here." He passed a view at Kedered and Zanfib. He let out some thoughts. Did either of you get his source from his thoughts?

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The old man didn't even look at Garis as he went. He turned his attention towards the ceiling. He didn't say anything else.
Time passed by as you left yourself to the cold outside weather. No one came to visit. No minds could be felt, no sound except the rushing of the wind.

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The canine adventurer came down, he looked around both rooms with a casual glance. He took a look at the second room, but found and heard nothing. The arachspearian stayed silent, probably for the best. With a sigh, he headed back upstairs. "I'm sure there's nothing down there."

The feline upstairs glanced for a few moments. After a period of silence, he decided not to bother with formalities. He inspected Kshar's right hand and left forearm, after which, he simply turned and left for the downstairs.
"There's a creature upstairs," he said to the others. "Not one of the ones we're looking for though, not one of the cubi either, she didn't have the clan symbols."
"So... what do we do?" The canine asked.
"Well, who is she?" The feline asked Kyirri.
"A friend, and I'm sure if you don't put me down RIGHT NOW then you're going to become friends with a chair of mine, now get OUT! You've overstayed your welcome here!" Kyirri angrily responded.
"Lets just go," the one holding Kyirri said. "Simply existing as a creature isn't a crime, he apparently does get some strange guests, so if something happens, we know to pay this little guy a visit." After that, she let go of Kyirri. Kyirri growled at the three of them, "Now GET OUT!! OUT!! OUT!!" The three of them turned away and exited through the front door. After they left, Kyirri slammed the door shut and locked it. After he couldn't see them anymore, he rushed downstairs into the back room.
"Kassin? Kassin?" He said, he glanced around from wall to wall, looking for him.

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The angel looked at Raffiele with a resigned glance. The sword in his hand collapsed.
"I suppose if you are intent on having the worst case of cranial rectalosis recorded in history, then I can't stop you. But I figure you're just a danger to yourself and everyone around you, so it's not like saving you for another day would benefit anyone. Hopefully Miss Firestorm's goons will be able to teach you what I cannot, or perhaps some Thularian soldiers would, assuming help arrives before they tear you limb from limb. Regardless, I suppose if you don't want to act as a meatshield I commend your willingness to act as a decoy. I really should say farewell, because if you're smart, then you won't have to see me again until the time is right. If you aren't, and I think that is the much more likely option, then you should be seeing me again shortly, or maybe I'll be too late and you'll already be dead. A loss for sure, but one I can manage."
The angel turned away, in a moment, he vanished into the darkness of the woods, and was gone.

[Lisky]

After waiting in the cold for several minutes with no sign of anyone, Garis hid his wings, and got dressed again.  Although mildly disappointed that the old man wasn't stupid enough to follow, he figured maybe he could try and help the others out.  Returning to the bar, he walked back in, and found an empty seat.  He sent a quick message to Ked, 'it sees that my instincts were at least somewhat right, he knows far more than he should, try pressing the old man once you get down here... judging by the emotions i'm picking up, i'd say either things went very well, or horribly wrong... probably the latter though... want me to give it a shot?'

ordering another drink, Garis sat back, and waited for the others.

[Azlan]

Tyrian was only vaguely aware of Kyirri's presence.  With supreme effort, the fox withdrew from the safe, comforting embrace of the elemental earth. 

He strode from the wall carrying the unconscious Kassin.  Bowing and speaking in an apologetic tone, the angel addressed Kyirri, "my apologies, but the young Kassin panicked and slammed his head into a wall.  I merely capitalized on this unfortunate event and removed the pain, but intensified the effect it had on his conscious state."

Quickly he glanced around, noting the arachspearian remained on the bronze statue, "and in all that effort I made to create a elaborate ruse to explain the noise, and the adventurer missed it completely.  I take it they left then?  Excellent, I really had no desire to have to fight and kill them." 

Carefully, the fox laid Kassin out on the couch so he might rest.

He carefully picked up the arachspearian and showed it to Kyirri, "interesting aren't they?  A cubi once told me their thoughts are very odd, constant chatter not unlike the lines of some unknown play.  They aren't sentient as far as I know though." 

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered gave a sardonic bow, and turned his heel, motioning for his companions to follow him outward. Knowing it was foolish,  yet unable to restrain himself, he whispered, and used a touch of a spell to send the message back into the commissioner's ear. "An innocent man denies the accusation. The guilty deny the evidence."

As he made his way downstairs, he whispered into Zanfib's ear. "Not by name, but it is almost positive to me that it is some consortium of demons from Narukh. We have run into trouble with Nakata Firestorm's people earlier. It is almost certain to be one of them. Try not to asscociate yourself with me, I will be doing something stupid"

Bounding ahead of the other two on their way down from the staircase, Kedered vaulted over to the bar, ordered a drink at random, and decided to forget the faux-juggling act. Enough of the adventurers would be jaded enough to be uncaring for the entertainment, and magic users always seemed to look down on that sort of prestigitation.

After a moment sipping his beverage, he sidled over to the old man that Garis obviously indicated. Bowing low to him, he said unctiously. "Good sir, they call me Lugh, of the road, travelling entertainer, for all sorts of yer worships. I make my living on my skills to entertain, and a greybeard like yourself, especially in such a hazardous line of work, why, you must have all sorts of stories to tell. Perhaps a bit of music or minor magic might loosen your tongue?"

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib gave up with a snort.. This fellow must have been incredible shallow and focused to produce such a profound shield. Anyone with any depth or intelligence always had something lurking beneath the surface, and so the ringtail concluded that this Brady was little more than a tool of someone else.

He sent his thoughts to his companions, He is a liar, and a stubborn one at that. Unless you would like for me to break him, none of us will be able to glean anything from his mind.

Afterward, he listened closely to Kedered, and flicked his ears curiously.. Nakata? I have never been there before. He thought to himself, before sending to Kedered, I cannot say I have ever met them before. Should be an interesting encounter. Oh, and try not to get the place burned down around our ears. I do like my fur.

The psion took a seat towards the back, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd, and assumed his usual routine of passive scanning the room. That's when he noticed both Kedered and Garis seemed unusually interested in an old man in the corner. Inwardly, he half-wished he hadn't been distracted by Brady, for he might have been able to learn more about cubi communications, and perhaps what was going on. Outwardly, he began to scan the man, preforming the same routine that he had used on Brady.. Check for defenses, and if they exist, examine them to find a flaw. If they do not, then start probing.

[Noone]

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Brady pretended not to have heard Lugh, he continued working on his papers. As he left his office, Eilan passed Brady an obscene hand gesture, though Brady ignored that too. On the way down, Eilan was entirely quiet. He stared at the floors, the walls, but wouldn't look at any living person. As he went downstairs, with a shake of his head, he let out Let's wait till we're outside the city before you tell me any more.

The odd, one eyed old man sat still at his table. He had already taken his packet back. He gave a brief look towards Eilan, but then returned to staring at the table. His mind had a shield up, a strong one too. It would be impossible to access his thoughts without first removing the shield. On the other hand... the process of removing it isn't always a subtle process, which could attract unwanted attention. The bar was also infested with the thoughts of the drunk and of braggarts, many of which were undignified.

The old being gave an irritated look at Lugh when addressed. "Go away.", he said, with a sharp tone. The old being turned away.
Eilan gave a glance at Kedered. He squinted his left eye, as if puzzled by what he was trying to do. He let out some thoughts to Kedered. However, it didn't appear as though Eilan could receive sent thoughts. What are you doing? We should get going as soon as possible.
With that, the old man gave a quick glance at Eilan, then stood up. He slowly paced towards the exit.

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Kyirri gave a concerned glance at the arachspearean. However, after a moment of shock, he decided not to do anything with the spider. He shook his head, and faced Tyrian.
"Yeah... the adventurers are gone.., I waited till they were out of sight before I came down here."
Suddenly, the spider blurted out, facing Kyirri.

"Thou liest, abhorred tyrant; with my sword, I'll prove the lie thou speak'st!"

Kyirri was understandably freaked out. He jumped back, and fell on his read, he looked at the arachspearean with fearful eyes. He slowly paced back, and then he looked at the door, ready to bolt outside on a moment's notice. When Kyirri's face was turned away, the arachspearean continued.

"My voice is in my sword: thou bloodier villain than terms can give thee out!"

Kyirri gave another glance at the arachspearean, however, he quickly got to his feet, bolted out the door, slammed it shut, and rushed upstairs, wailing in terror.

[Lisky]

Garis approached Eilan with a smile, he whispered to the being "he's following a lead i started, but wasn't able to continue. if you think there's anything else Brady knows, let me know now, if there isn't, i'll head out with you. if there is, i'll pay him a visit, and see about getting things sorted out."

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib's eyebrows raised slightly, but the smirk never left his face. He sent out a thought to his three companions, He has a mind shield up. Very likely a cubi. Let him give him a mental knock.

With that, he sent to the odd, old man, very loudly and strongly, using a bit of psionic force to amplify his transmission. And where are you going in such a hurry? So many here seem dreadfully interested in you..

The thoughts were followed by the 'knock', which was basically a harmless bash against the fellow's mindshield. Its only purpose was to show the recipient that who they were dealing with was skilled in the mental arts.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Trying to decide whether to press ths grumpy old man or simply leave, Kedered was astounded to hear Zanfib's take on the situation. He tried to articulate a response of warning away of this sort of thing, but before he could frame the thought properly, he "felt", the psionic tingle of Zanfib pushing against the shield.

Broadcasting to his companions, he didn't care if there was a trace of fear in his tone. We are leaving. Now. Zanfib, you and I will have words assuming we survive this.

He stood up, taking a sip of his drink and making a face. He tossed a copper onto the bar, grumbling loudly enough for nearby people to hear "If I am going to drink river water, I can go outside and get it for free."

Not needing to feign the anger decorating his face, he stormed out of the building.

[Noone]

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Eilan turned over to Garis. "Don't bother, let's just go." He decided not to elaborate in public, though he let the rest of his trail of thought out. He is likely in his office, and he was quite tight lipped on the subject, I doubt that he's going to be in the mood for another interrogation, and he'll be no closer to letting anything out. If we're going to get the bounty off, I think we're going to need to prove Kassin innocent. I think I know how we might do that, but we should head back home first.

The odd old man gave no direct response to the mental query. Either he couldn't hear it, or simply ignored it. However, he could certainly sense the mental assault directed against him. He softly muttered "Lousy whelps, no one has respect for the elderly these days...", as he left. Soon enough, he was out of the building, and out of direct sight. Fortunately, the rest of the place was busy with their own revelry, and couldn't detect direct mental assaults.

"Come on." Eilan started, as he left the building. The street was wide, but dark as night shined above it.  "The fastest way out is over here." Eilan started off towards that direction. The odd old man could be seen walking in the opposite direction, and would soon be out of sight. Eilan turned his head back towards the adventuring lodge's entrance, waiting for his companions to follow.

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Kyirri rushed upstairs, he lauched himself onto one of the couches up there and lay down in fear. He then paced towards the kitchen, grabbed a knife, then headed downstairs.
The arachspearean waved it's legs around, yet was oddly silent after Kyirri bolted out the room. The spider then crawled up onto Kassin's face. Kassin didn't notice, he was still unconscious from his ordeal. He didn't make any motion as the spider came by. After a period of silence, it began reciting something while on top of Kassin.

"What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness. to catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great; Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,"

Kyirri rushed back downstairs, shakily holding his weapon. It was a kitchen knife, not meant for fighting. Yet, he had a strange fear of the spider. He silently hoped that Tyrian would dispose of the spider, but didn't want to take chances with Kassin's safety. He came downstairs, and listened at the door to the basement's back room. At this time, the arachspearean started talking again.

"We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it: She'll close and be herself, whilst our poor malice remains in danger of her former tooth. But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep in the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly: better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy."

After hearing this, Kyirri entered the room, he looked at the spider, but his eyes and hands trembled in fear. He held the knife in his right hand shakily, yet, was on the verge of panic with the spider so close to Kassin.

[Tipod]

"That's a lot of words when a simple 'fuck you' would have sufficed," Raffiele muttered as he continued to stalk away. If that's his family, it's no wonder he's estranged. Couldn't belong to a nicer guy, though. But that made him ponder even further: this angel, this almost omniscient individual had been watching them since the start, or at least most of the time... He knew who Rafa and the others were and their whereabouts. Yet, he hadn't lifted a finger to help them in either case of them being attacked, whether by Nicha to start with or the adventurers and demons they'd run into on the way to Eilan's house. What did he think everyone else was, a tool? Fuck him, that pious son of a bitch, Rafa thought bitterly. Get some other patsy to babysit your kid brother. If everyone else knew, they'd get out while they still could.

The demon continued his trudge, waiting for any road, shack, or other sign of civilization to make itself known. He wasn't about to give up on his escape plan on the say-so of one angel.

[Noone]

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Travel along the wilderness takes some time, you're not sure how long it's been, though the sun has since set. The weather gets mildly better, still cold, but the snow is lighter, light enough to not obscure vision. You eventually come out of the woods, onto a road, it seems to have not been maintained in some time. Woods surround the flanks of the road.

You spend some time traveling here, towards where you think would be a safe location. It doesn't take long for this to go horribly wrong. Some time during your travels, you spot three demons walking side by side. A bull demon in the center, a feline demoness on his right, and a canine demoness on his left. You're able to spot them easily, they look highly dangerous. Unfortunately, they spot you as well.
They take a quick glance at you, then take a short look at each other. They nod.

The feline blurted out to the others, "That's one of the ones mistress Firestorm wants dead!" With that, the bull demon roared "GET HIM!" With that, they extended their claws and rushed towards Raffiele. The canine, during their rush, charged energy into her hands, then threw a bolt of lightning at Raffiele.

[Lisky]

Garis headed out, when he saw that his guide was headed one way, and his prey in another, he figured he'd better follow the lead before he lost it forever.  As he passed Elian, he said "wait up a bit, i'll be back in a few minutes."

He bolted after the old man, knowing that anyone who knew who he really was, was at the very least, a massive hazard, and with the possibility of gleaning some information seemed well worth the risk involved.  At least in Garis' mind.

[Tipod]

All that time, Raffiele had contented himself with the silence and eerie beauty of a dark road less traveled. The three demons, however, would see his enjoyment cut short. "Shit!!" Rafa instinctively ducked and rolled to his right, the electric arc narrowly avoiding the side of his head. Okay, you want a fight? I'll give you-- Rafa stopped himself short of drawing his weapons. The one thing he'd taken note of was that while Garis, Kedered and Tyrian has killed or at least wounded others over the course of their travels, he hadn't laid a finger on anybody. If he was going to weasel his way out of anything, it would have to stay that way. "Hold it, hold it!!" The hyena raised his arms in a defensive gesture. "Don't kill me, I know where the angel is!" With Kassin being worth the most out of the entire group, Raffiele could only hope he'd be able to convince the demons to break off their advance in exchange for valuable information, or a walk back to the town he'd fled from.

Don't be stupid, don't be stupid, listen to me first--

[Azlan]

Tyrian passively observed the spider creature as it gesticulated and orated.  "If one can believe the words of spiders than this is interesting indeed."  Shifting Kassin's weight to his one arm, he reached to lift the spider off the young angel's face, but paused at the exposed neck.  Sighing he scooped up the eight-legged wordsmith, "I am wont to be the puppet of greater designs.  Those born to walk upon this soiled earth, have but one spark different... freewill.  The choices I make are my own."

And with that, the arachspearean gestured with its legs, but spoke no further.  The fox blew lightly on the spider and it disappeared, cast several miles away.  Tyrian waved the index finger of his now free hand at Kyirri, "you should not wave such implements about unless you plan on using them.  As I said, the spiders are harmless... unless you try to harm them.  Now, do you have someplace I can put this tiger?  He is not light, despite being a bit scrawny." 

[Noone]

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Eilan looked at Garis, and let out an aggravated sigh. With a soft grumble, he let out to Zanfib and Kedered, "What is he doing? Can one of you start making sense?". He looked at Garis as he pursued the odd being. With another sigh, and a shake of his head, he began again. "Come on, I don't want anyone to be left behind, and I can't risk him getting lost."

The old being, noticing Garis's pursuit, quickened his own pace, not to a full run, but a fast-walk. Eventually, he turned onto one of the streets as he went, going into what looked to be a residential area.  He walked up to one of the houses, it looked to be small, and somewhat poorly maintained, but still functional. He went up to the door, ans pulled a key from one of his pockets. Faint grumbling could be heard under his breath.

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Kyirri looked at Tyrian, still in a half-panicked state. A wave of relief came over him as the spider vanished, though he was still quite shaken from the experience. His hand that held a knife stopped shaking. He pointed the blade towards the floor, as if not to appear threatening, however, his facial expressions indicated that he had not fully calmed down, neither did his tone.

"Harmless? That thing threatened to kill me twice, crawled onto Kassin's neck, recited what sounded to me to be very threatening sentences, not to mention that in the past few days Kassin has become one of the most wanted creatures in this lousy country. I also don't recall having crazy talking homicidal spiders in my basement either! So please forgive me if I think a bit of paranoia given the events of the last few hours is healthy." Kyirri's tone was tense, he was panting heavily. It took him about a minute to get his breath under control and calm down. With a shake of his head, he finally spoke in a more controlled tone.

"It's best if Kassin stays down here. I'd rather not risk anyone seeing him if he were upstairs. I suppose you could move him to the other room in the basement, but I really think he is safest down here."
Kyirri looked at the ceiling, a streak of worry came across his face. "I wonder where Eilan and the others are... I hope they haven't run into any complications..."

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The demons keep their claws bared, however, the possibility of finding out where Kassin is sorely tempts them. They surround Raffiele, the bull in front, the others covering ground in a triangle like formation, blocking easy escape through the back or on either side. The bull made a few steps forward, closing in, he kept his claws held high.
"Tell us where Kassin is, and we'll let you live." The other two demons held their claws in a ready position, poised to lunge at Raffiele given any reason to.

[Lisky]

Garis approached the old man, and when in talking distance said "where do you think your going in such a rush... we never got a chance to finish our little conversation"  Very calmly, he felt for the emotions the old man was emanating, hopefully he could pick up something since he couldn't read the old man's thoughts.

Slowing his pace as he approached, Garis made no outward change in his appearance, but had prepped a lightning bolt that would require a mere gesture of the hand to cast.  he kept his arms crossed so the man knew that he wasn't reaching for his weapon.  "I'm only going to ask politely one more time. why are you wearing a mind shield? and what is it that your trying to hide?"

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered was too irritated to speak as he exited the lodge, and spent the walk out trying to get his anger under control. With a surge of will, for the most part he succeeded, driving back the red wall with a barrage of reproachment and images of his father. The seething was still there, a faint current roiling in his upper abdomen, but he had it under control, it no longer colored his thinking.

However, it stalled him long enough to miss out on a chance to stop Garis from pursuing that old man. By the time he had noticed, Garis was already moving away from the town gate, and Kedered whirled and accelerated to follow him, although refrained from using magic. Despairing of catching the other 'Cubi, he risked sending a burst of thought in his general direction. Desist! We must get away from this place before they start sending hostiles at us. We cannot fight an entire city with just the four of us. Do not provoke a fight.

[Azlan]

Tyrian shook his head as he deposited Kassin on the couch, arranging the angel as best as he could, being mindful of the wings, "that is their method of speech, as far as I have been able to discover they are no exactly sentient.  They do seem to speak, and it consists of strange words of poetic worth.  The words do not generally mean anything."

The fox tapped his amulet and his wings shimmered for a few moments before disappearing.  He then deposited himself on a smaller couch and put his footpaws up on the table, "I suggest keeping an eye out for more adventuring types and other troubles.  If we are attacked by bounty hunters or such, you will have to fend for yourself Kyirri.  I am charged with protecting Kassin, I cannot split my attention between the two of you."

[Tipod]

Raffiele's eyes slowly glanced to his left and right as the demons surrounded him. The former Claws of Fire might have kept by their words, but if Nicha had been any indication of their more recent goon stock, these demons were too undisciplined and impulsive to be trusted. Just keeping his mouth shut would guarantee a fight, though. "Look," he spoke stoically as he looked up at the bull demon, "I'm just an enforcer for some troglodyte named Adell Delani. I'm minding my own business, then this inn I'm at blows up. Now I'm stuck in this giant mess with some pussy angel who's in over his head." He exhaled slightly. "He's back the way I came in some pissant 'burb. White house, two stories, waist-high window and doorknob. Just kill him nice and painful-like so I can go home and forget this whole thing ever happened."

[Noone]

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The old being faced Garis with an irritated scowl. He noticed the prepared lightning bolt, but he didn't look the least bit intimidated. His tone was irritated, slightly sardonic.
"I like my privacy. That, which your incessant prattle is violating. Now if you don't mind, I have nothing to say to you. Go away." With that, he unlocked the door, went inside, slammed it shut, and then locked it. The building had no windows.

Eilan rushed over to Garis, he wore an annoyed expression on his face, and was softly grumbling to himself. "Now if you don't mind, could you tell me what was going on? We can't afford unnecessary delays, and I'd like to get moving as soon as possible." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. I just hope Kassin is alright..., he thought.

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Kyirri looked at Tyrian with a somewhat incredulous gaze, he was quite skeptical about what he said about the arachspeareans, but he didn't really care, now that it was gone.

"I'll be alright, I don't think most bounty hunters go around attacking those that don't have bounties on them... it gets them a bad reputation, and usually killed. Though... I truthfully didn't expect those three to break and enter in here... there are laws against that sort of thing." He took a glance at the knife he was holding. He frowned as he looked at the dull blade. "Then again... I don't really think this lousy country is very... lawful... to say the least, mostly runs on vigilante justice, and it's even worse out in the Northwestern parts."

Now that he had calmed down, he decided to go back upstairs into the kitchen, then put it back where he had found it. He went around, briefly looking out the windows, the sky was darkening. Only a few pedestrians could be seen on the roads, none of which had any interest in Kyirri's abode. He then decided to come back downstairs to check on Kassin. He paced over to him, and put his left hand on his forehead. He turned his face to Tyrian.

"Are you sure he'll be okay?"

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The bull demon put on a disturbing smile, but his body language was no less threatening, he seemed overjoyed.
"You've saved us the trouble of torturing you for information. I suppose now we can freely do so for pleasure before we decide to end your miserable existence."
With that, the three of them lunged at Raffiele, claws bared, ready to sink their claws into him. All of them converged at once. The bull slashed at Raffiele's face, while the others went to strike at his back.

[Lisky]

Garis gave the man a sardonic smile, and was about the press the man further when Eilan came over.  He looked at the Fox, and shrugged apologetically "sorry, i was seeing if i couldn't goad him into doing something stupid, a lot of young cubi panic when they're disguise has been discovered.  I was hoping to get him to make some obvious move.  But, your right, lets get going. we don't have time to waste"  He left the house, and followed Eilan

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib merely smirked as he followed along, watching Garis harass the old man. He didn't bother to try and contact the fellow again, and merely observed the going-ons. He walked over to Garis and Eilan, and said, "I could try and punch his mind shield in, if you are intent on pursuing this fellow? However, I will say this. I have not known cubi to be capable of such developed mind-shields. Mayhaps with proper training, but I am yet to see that either."

[Lisky]

Garis shook his head softly and said "it's not worth the time, effort or risk anymore, if he didn't break under threat or intimidation he's either a clever or powerful cubi, or a very powerful magic user.  whatever the case, Eilan is right, we don't have any more time to waste.  We should get back to Kassin as soon as we can."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered's disgusted thoughts filtered through to the two other telepaths with him. Or he paid someone to put a mind shield around him, or he has an item that duplicates the effect. We have no evidence that he knows who we are, or is a 'cubi, or is anything other than a cantankerous old man.  We are close enough to Narukh for people with the resources to take such precautions. We have no basis for intimidation, not with a whole gang of adventurers within shouting distance. W have already compromised our position, perhaps fatally. We need to return to Kassin as quickly as feasible. 


Kedered lengthened his stride, heading purposely towards the city gates, and speaking to Eilan. "Come on, let us get back. We have been away too long". He didn't look behind him to see if Zanfib or Garis were following along, and at least for a red hazed flash, he didn't much care if they died in this stinking town, as long as they didn't compromise the position.

[Tipod]

Even in the face of such an attack, Raffiele wasn't about to let himself lose his temper and slaughter the demons. But with those only fractions of a second to react, what was there to do?

Simply put, nothing. He allowed the demons to strike at his body, the bull's claws ripping through his jaw and cheek as the demons behind him shredded his back to confetti. It hurt, a lot, but it wasn't the worst pain that he had even been privy to. Still, he had to make it look like they'd gotten him good. He let out a choked gurgling as his lower jaw was nearly torn from his head, body stiffening from the back-blows before he slumped to the side, falling to the snowy ground as his eyes stared vacantly into the distance. Feigning shock took an incredible amount of concentration: his eyes couldn't move an inch, nor any muscle in his body lest the ruse be given away. All he could hope is they wouldn't try to gouge his eyes out afterwards, and just leave him to "die" as they went back for Kassin.

[Noone]

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Eilan gave a surprised glare at Garis. "Cubi? How did you kn..." He took a deep breath. He took a few glances around to make sure no one was listening. "Never mind, even if he is, it's not a crime, though I certainly don't know what he would be doing so close to an adventuring lodge. At any rate, assaulting him, or breaking into his home, would cause this place's guards to rise against us, which would greatly interfere with proving... his innocence. At any rate, we can discuss things in more detail when we get back home." With that, he headed towards the exit, then home.

The journey back was quiet, the snowfall had gotten lighter, though the environment was colder. Eilan was completely silent, though one thought kept leaking through his head. Narukh? That doesn't make any sense.., Brady himself had fought creatures from there, I can't believe that he would be working for them now. He was visibly agitated, his fingers twitched near his blade-hilts as well, as if wanting to pull them out and swing them at his frustration. However, he kept his sanity firm. The roads were quiet too, no other travelers were about at this late hour. 

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Kyirri, after holding his hand to Kassin's head for a few minutes, decided it was time for him to head back upstairs. "I figure I'll make something to eat, I know Kshar said she was hungry, though, she has been quite quiet lately..." He shook his head, and went upstairs
Hours passed, nothing of note happened, Kassin didn't wake up.

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After their lengthy period of travel time, Eilan came back to Kyirri's house. "Alright... we can enter through the front." He went up and knocked on the door, he squat down so that his face was at the waist high window. Kyirri rushed over to the door, took a look outside. Seeing Eilan's face, he opened it up.
"How did it go?" Kyirri asked.
Eilan was somewhat drained of energy, his eyes had a fatigued expression to them. Yet, he found the energy to trudge on. "Not as well as I would have liked..." He paused for a moment. "How is Kassin?"
"He's asleep downstairs," Kyirri responded. "Tyrian is watching over him."

"Alright, thanks." Eilan nodded. He turned back to Kedered, Garis, and Zanfib. "Let's head downstairs.  First, I'll want to know, in detail what you managed to pick up from Brady's thoughts, and..." he said, turning to Kedered, "how you came to the conclusion that his source was someone in Narukh. Then, we can plan our next move, I think I have an idea." With that, he headed downstairs to the first room, before settling in, he went over to the basement's second room, and opened it. He took a brief look at the unconscious Kassin, but then focused his attention on Tyrian. "We're back... I think you'll be interested in what the others have to say about this mess..." He breathed a deep sigh, then went back into the basement's first room, and waited for the others to follow.

Kyirri rushed upstairs. I haven't checked on Kshar in a while, I wonder if she is still getting changed... He rushed up to her. "The others are back, I think you should head downstairs... I think Eilan and the others have something important to say to you."

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The three of them looked at Raffiele. "Pfft, pathetic." Let out the feline. She went over to his body, touched her hand to his neck. "Still breathing, I say we make this as agonizing as possible.", she said it with a child-like glee. The bull moved over to restrain Raffiele's arms, just to make sure he didn't try anything. "Make it slow," said the canine. "He might not scream loudly, but it should be entertaining nonetheless. We can slit his throat after he passes out."

The two demonesses tore into Raffiele with their claws, they did it in such a way as to make it as painful as possible. The process is excruciating, as they rip through your body with ease. They make it last a while, you lose track of time, but they certainly extend the process well beyond the point of good graces. They laugh as they watch  your blood trickle into the snow. Eventually, you pass out from the experience, the last thing you feel is the touch of one of their claws nudging against your neck, poised to slice into it. Darkness overtakes you.

You wake up some time later, it's much darker out now, so it could have been a few hours. But the demons aren't around you, and there isn't a lot of blood in the snow. Your most grievous wounds have closed, but the pain from them still rings, and some of them are still open, bleeding lightly.  The cold snow and air bites as it rubs against your wounds, aggravating them. You also feel awfully weak, fatigued, your arms and legs feel as though they barely have the strength to lift you, your wings are completely numb. You also notice your surroundings are different, you're in a wooded area, the road you were on is nowhere in sight.

You hear a sigh, coming from someone standing above you. "Wake up.", he said, in a demanding tone.
However, you recognize the voice, it's that angel you met before.

[Lisky]

Garis followed Eilan downstairs, and took up a place on the couch.  He relaxed, and let go of his disguise.  He looked around the room, and wondered what had happened to Rafielle.  Looking around he asked Ty "any chance you know what happened to the demon.  Have you heard anything since we left, or is he long gone?"

The distinct lack of the white furred succubus suddenly attracted Garis' attention.  He hoped to have a little time to go over quite a bit with her before things got interesting with such a large bounty on their heads.