Night On The Town (Open, Zantaric Flashback)

[Yeti]

After the music had faded, Nepaket slowly came back to her senses.

The band members were finishing up packing their instruments, and the dancing subsided. Partiers were either passed out or beginning to say their goodbyes to fellow friends. Bar tabs were paid, though a few shiftier characters simply evaporated from the room before the innkeep had noticed. Or maybe he did, as he looked up from the glass he was cleaning and narrowed his eyes at the door. Several more patrons were traipsing upstairs, a few sharing bedroom eyes at each other as they did so. All in all, the event had gone as well as an event in Zantaric could.

Nepaket took a moment to breathe. Somehow she'd managed to end up leaning against an empty table. She attempted to give the barmaid cleaning it a smile with her faceplates, but the lady simply swept her rag across the tabletop even faster and zipped away, a nervous look on her face. Nepaket shrugged. They'd been dancing for a long while and the exhaustion was settling in. But it had been a long time since she'd felt that much joy. It was hard to read how her companion felt, but she didn't regret this journey in the slightest.

Stretching a bit, she approached Hadrian, stifling a yawn that threatened to pull the whole geometry of her head apart. "Th-at was frrn." Gazing around the emptying bar, she sighed. "It's ov-rr already?"

[quaggan]

 Hadrian took a little longer to realize that the music stopped. He turned his attention to the musicians to confirm it; they were putting their instruments away. They were probably tired, or were only paid to play a specific amount of songs.

Fortunately, it appeared that Nepaket was very satisfied. Satisfied, and... strangely changed. Was it fatigue? He made a mental note - while her speed was incomparable, it looked like she possessed no enhanced stamina to speak of. "It is over" he confirmed. Should they seek a place for her to rest?

He approached the bar manned by a grumpy-looking woman of species he did not recognize. "Do you have any rooms free?" he asked.

She gave him a look. "Oh, it's you. Listen, if you want to have a fight, this isn't the place for it."

Hadrian would beg to differ - the inn room had just enough space for him to swing his sword comfortably, but was not so large as to allow foes wielding larger arms the same. And even if he was attacked by a larger group, they would lose their advantage in numbers and be forced to come after him in trios at most. The tables and chairs strewn about could serve as makeshift fortifications or even improvised weapons. It was a good place for a skirmish, but right now the question was why did the woman think her workplace was about to become a battlefield.

She was not willing to answer. Her face became even more clouded. "It's closing time. Please leave."

She clearly knew more than she let on, and information was more precious than gold in the times of war. But Hadrian was never a reconnaissance unit, and knew little of how to deal with skittish civilians. He turned towards Nepaket, in hopes that she could assist.

[Yeti]

Nepaket sidled up next to Hadrian, catching bits and pieces of the conversation they were having. Something about getting a room upstairs? What for? She would obviously find herself comfortably at rest in her caravan back...

Oh, that's right. She'd snuck out hadn't she? Of course she wasn't planning to stay away for longer than the night but she'd never informed the skeleton of that fact.

Unless he was seeking a room for different reasons than sleeping. Perhaps something upstairs had caught his attention? Or was it simply a matter of the lady being rude? Her thoughts turned to the rogues from earlier... Her stingers lazily pointed towards the barkeep, in case it was the latter.

"Iss something wrr-ong? You can tell uss. Not here to hurt. Just danced."

Of all things, Nepaket was not exactly the master of diplomacy.

[quaggan]

 The barkeeper made some noise that barely registered to Hadrian's hearing. "Well, someone was giving you the look earlier. Didn't you notice? Pro'ly not, if you were busy dancing. I don't know what that guy wanted with you, but it can't be anything good. Not here in Zantaric."

Seeing that her words were of no use, she chose another angle. "He left, probably to bring friends. If you're fast, you can be gone from here before they show up. That's a chance to lose them, if you don't want to fight."

Hadrian didn't mind testing his skills further, and would attest that Nepaket was more than capable of defending herself against the local rogues, but it was not only his choice to make. "Do you want to... lose them?" Preferably not to be found again. "Or fight? We can fight outside" he quickly added to reassure the barkeeper.

[Yeti]

She brightened a little at that, retracting her stingers to point away from the barkeep. "No need to fr-ight." The circus must have been on her trail. Now that she'd had her fun, it was high time she returned home. Certainly this shifty fellow was probably one of her co-performers, and that meant they'd be meeting up with her shortly.

Her thoughts were swiftly turning to inviting Hadrian along. Would he enjoy the circus? The question had only just slipped into her mind, and now it was fumbling for purchase among her general feelings of tiredness.

"Muss-t be friend. Makes sense-ss to me."

[quaggan]

 The bartender seemed to have reached the limit of attention she was willing to give them. She turned around and began arranging the bottles on the shelf. The sound of clinking glass was slightly disrupting Hadrian's auditory sense. It was nothing serious, but he would nevertheless prefer to fight in a different environment - if it came to it.

Nepaket sounded adamant about this man being a friend of hers. Was she earlier so absorbed in dancing that she would not notice someone she knew? Or perhaps there was something else at play, a limitation to her sight? Well, the friend in question probably had a reason not to approach her here. Whatever the truth, there was no longer a reason to remain here.

"Will we go look for your friend?"

[Yeti]

"Yes." The scorpion nodded, turning for the door.

It must have been at least 3 or 4 in the morning by now. High time for Zantaric's nocturnal citizens. The town still seemed ever alive as in the early stages of nightfall. Only a few businesses, their tavern trip included, had closed for the night. A few previously dead buildings were now alight, while some simply operated 24/7. Nepaket brushed past a bat-like humanoid on the way out the door.

She wasn't sure where to start looking for her friend of course. Was he not after her? Should she just stay in place until he'd tracked her down? Or perhaps stick to the alleys where he'd most likely be looking? Opting for the latter, she took a backroad away from the hustle of the town.

As she moved, she spoke to Hadrian. "Friend is looking for me. I... rr-meant to tell you." She paused, trying to figure out which way to turn. Deciding left, she continued on. "I was... not w-wanting to be found. Felt rr-trapped. Ssso, I left for the night. But I did not want to leave for-r-ever."

[quaggan]

 Hadrian turned more of his attention towards his senses. If there was someone after Nepaket - a friend or a foe - he should be able to notice them before they approached. If not, it would be a lesson in what the people of this new world could do.

He listened to Nepaket, trying to make sense of her words. It seemed like she went absent without leave, but from the nonchalant way she spoke about it, he inferred that there probably wasn't any sort of sanctions for it. She seemed quite willing to meet with her friend and return. Hadrian tried to use this information as reference to gauge the nature of a unit she belonged to, but to no avail.

"Your friend... look like what?" he asked. He could be more alert if he knew what to be on lookout for. As they moved through the streets of Zantaric, he assessed every alley they passed for tactical advantages. If this person turned out to be not a friend, Hadrian would be prepared. If not, then it would be good practice.

[Yeti]

A small, whistly series of chittering noises replied. Nepaket was trying to work that out herself. She walked the length of an alleyway, listening out intently, her head sometimes tilting as if to try and orient herself to some specific noise.

"Could b-be... Human?" She murmured, "Or not. White -rr- maybe black hair. Maybe... ringmaster? No... Someone else. Hypnotist? Hmm..." She didn't seem too certain. Trying to remember the face she'd spotted back during the fiasco with the rogues was difficult, if only because she'd simply sensed him on his way, without a visual to back it up.

She was trying to do that now. Follow the instinctual feeling of being watched. Instead of running away she was trying to move towards it. If only there was a sign of where they were.

[quaggan]

 Even considering his lacking knowledge of this world, Hadrian found Nepaket's words to be not very helpful. While he doubted not that she attempted to provide accurate intelligence, clearly there were too many possibilities for her to settle on just one. He would have to be on his guard.

There was also the matter of his companion's state. Hadrian remembered naught of being a creature of flesh, and his knowledge came only from his experiences and memories of the foes he fought. He was thus aware of specific weaknesses of the living, and hoped to learn to identify them once more. The bizarre sluggishness and lack of focus on Nepaket's part concerned him.

Alas, concern was all he had to offer at this point. He could barely notice that something was afoot, let alone identify the problem and conceive of a solution. He was aware of his limits, and recognized that the best course of action was to rendezvous with this friend of Nepaket and entrust her to them. They should be wiser in the ways of flesh care. She spoke without a care for sanctions for going AWOL, therefore it should be safe to leave her with them.

Movement drew his attention - too regular and continuous to be dismissed as the commonmplace comings and goings. His hand was already resting on the hilt of his sword - a rather natural position to take in this town, not something that would draw attention. There were people gathering. He indicated one discreetly to Nepaket. "Your friends?"

[Yeti]

Indeed, she'd seen it too. Any tiredness was traded in for being suddenly on guard, as the figures approached in a semi-circle from the alley.‌ They'd reached an intersection, and it seemed almost planned that the figures chose to step in this way. Nepaket was certain now more than ever they'd been tracked all along.

Except, none of these faces were those she could place. And many of them were wearing some kind of strange robe... The majority of them had faces which were oddly blurred, as if magic was in place to keep their identities from being seen. Only two of them didn't have this disguise.

One of them was a dark elf, who did seem oddly familiar. He wore a smug smile, standing in more ornate dressings than many of his peers.

And of course, by him, was someone she did recognize.

"M-Mentalist?"‌‌ A circus member, but what was he doing with this crew?

[quaggan]

 Moryandal breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Nepaket. The silent skeleton at her side was puzzling, but not even the strangest being he's seen in Zantaric that night. "I was looking for you" he hurried to explain. "We've been worried. I know you can take care of yourself, but-" he stumbled over words. Was there a way to express his thoughts without making himself into a fool in the process?

Gasps and sounds of drawn weapons rang from behind. He quickly turned around, almost stepping on his cloak in the process. Were they being attacked by some of the local lowlifes? His eyes widened in shock as the men who led him to Nepaket now turned their arms on him. What was this all about? His words may have been poorly-chosen, but surely this was no cause for violence. "What's going on?"

"Beware, brothers!" the elf called, pointing at him with a gloved finger. "'Tis no worthy ally, but a treacherous viper in our midst! Look how readily he betrays us to the enemy!"

"The enemy?" He did not understand what was going on. What was the enemy they spoke of?

The elf seemed unwilling to explain, gesturing instead to his disguised allies. Without a word, they reached for their weapons, some notching arrows on their bows. Why were they so eager to resort to violence? Surely, there was an agreement to be reached, if only they talked things through!

The skeleton accompanying Nepaket didn't seem to share his opinion. It (he? Moryandal should ask the skeleton about preferred form of address later) drew the sword, ready for battle.

[Yeti]

Leaning down, tails raised, Nepaket hissed.‌

Commotion erupted from the alley. Daggers gleamed silver in the dark, the whistle of an arrow loud as it whizzed past her head. She moved immediately, ducking away in one swift arc, a stinger aiming for cultist throat. It missed, but she flicked her tail to the side, managing to slap the archer into the wall next to him.

The fight was so sudden, and her mind was racing as she moved automatically to defend herself. They had blades; She knew it'd be death should they manage to pierce her. She had to be cautious, dodging as quickly as she could, trying to spot Moryandal among the chaos. Why was he with them?‌‌ Was he in cohorts?‌‌ Why were they attacking her?

Metal flashed in the dark and she only just managed to block the blunt edge of the sword with another stinger, trying to hold her own against another robed man. The dark elf in the meantime seemed to be stalking around the perimeter of his ambush, awaiting a moment to slip in.

"Hadrian!"‌ She wasn't sure if she could take care of this many attackers at once. There had to be at least five, with a couple moving towards her while the others focused on Moryandal and Hadrian. And of course, their leader.

[quaggan]

 Hadrian was content to leave the talking to Nepaket and the others. Even if he considered his vocabulary adequate, it was between Nepaket, that man she called mentalist and that strange elf. He was a soldier, not a diplomat.
Once the talks inevitably broke out into violence, he was ready. He drew his sword, immediately charging at two nearest enemies. One of the foes wielded a two-bladed axe, one that she used with practiced expertise and to great effect; catching Hadrian's weapon between steel and shaft whenever he attacked. Even once he changed his target and went after her club-wielding companion, she intervened. Such a well-practiced pair they were, with her intercepting any attacks and him pressing on the offense. He caught himself looking forward to the aftermath of the battle, where they would be raised to join the great army; the heat of battle making him forget.

He spied three more fighters closing in on him. It was time to end this. He charged forward, letting his sword be caught between the blades of her sword, moving into the range of the club. The man swung a fierce blow, aiming to crush his skull. Hadrian twisted his head to the side, to an angle that would break the neck of a living man. As the club landed on the armour, denting the steel, the soldier brought up his knee between his enemy's legs. The axe-wielder struggled to get her weapon free to cover for her ally, but failed. The skeleton hooked one leg around his and swung him to collide with her, sending both enemies flying. He pressed the advantage, charging after and striking with his sword when they could not recover.

An arrow whizzed through the air, finding the mark between the plates of his armour. It flew through, between the gaps in his illium, just to make a dent in the inner steel and clatter harmlessly down inside one solleret. The archer must have realized his mistake in firing upon a fleshless enemy, for he swore quietly and aimed at Nepaket instead. Hadrian doubted not that his companion could dodge an arrow in flight or strike it out of the air with her tail, but it went against the magic that moved him to let an attack on an ally go unintercepted. He picked the axe the woman was wielding off the ground and hurled it at the archer. He didn't exactly expect it to hit, just to keep the man from firing. It worked - he quickly ducked to avoid the blow. As he struggled to his feet, some of his comrades moved in to protect him. No matter - Hadrian faced worse odds before.

[Yeti]

Having managed to distract the archer and drawing several attackers from her, Nepaket found an opening. She rushed the archer now that their backs were turned. Two stingers found his back and leg. As she withdrew them, he had mere seconds to reach feebly for his dagger, until his leg fell numb and his spine seemed to collapse. He fell to the floor at an odd angle, one arm still trying to reach her.

Seeing the other two cultists still distracted by Hadrian, Nepaket turned to face them-

And the dark elf rushed her instantly. A sharp pain laced one side of her face-plates, where his blade had swiped. It chipped one of the pieces off, leaving a small dark gap in place.

An odd noise came from Nepaket as she reached her face, taking a step back. It'd been awhile since such pain had come to her. It brought back memories of the desert, of those people who had once caged her...

She attempted to strike the elf, hissing, but he seemed to flicker back into the night, out of reach. Nepaket growled lowly, trying to figure out which direction he'd gone. The cultist at her feet had gone still, though his breathing was shallow. His face seemed much clearer now, revealing a half-elven face now that the magic keeping his identity hidden could no longer keep.