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The Lie We Seek (M)

Started by Valtxr, May 22, 2017, 03:45:53 PM

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Valtxr

   The magical light at the altar faded to darkness without the sorcerer's presence to maintain it. As did the dark blue runes on the wall.
   Only silence. And the peculiar smell of Ignis-Crystal mixture in the walls.

* * * * *

   The passenger carriage stopped. The door opened. Ghost jumped inside and shut the door, and the carriage started back down the streets of Reajh. Heading toward the gates and eventually toward Uthlyn.
   Laython, with Spectre sitting beside him, looked to Ghost and asked, "What's the word?"
   "Nothing concrete, sir," she said. "There was a large crowd outside the Church at the time. A wedding, or something. No one agreed on anything. One even said a dragon did it."
   "How close could you get to the site?"
   "Not very, without being compromised. Military and guards were crawling all over it, sir. A couple members of an elite cavalry unit died in the attack, so it got them riled up."
   "Do you know if Strathus' son is alive or dead?"
   "He hasn't been seen by a trustworthy source since the attack. Only that is certain."
   Laython considered his options.
   "Perhaps a more...direct approach is required," he said.
   "Should I start looking for a professional to hire, sir?" Ghost asked.
   "That won't be necessary as of yet." Laython smirked. "Charles can keep an eye on her for now."
   The carriage rode on.

Elector Count of WAAAGH!

Otto slid across the ground on his belly, slamming his hand on the floor in fustration.

How the hell did he let this happen? How was he this careless.

Otto could only think as he clutched his head, a really aggravated look on his face. But he couldn't stay therefore ever, he pushed himself up, looking around for anything that might have given him a clue.

His first instinct made him move for the table, flipping through the books rapidly as his eyes scanned the pages...until he found one that might have been use to him. After stowing it into his coat, he grabbed a knife out of his pockets, and moved to the wall. Gently, he chipped away an outer layer around the room, before gingerly taking said rune and too storing it into his overcoat pocket.

It was then he heard a slam against the iron doors. Otto glanced back at the door, before he descended into darkness...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Didn't take him long to track down Melissa to her home through some quick inquiries, took him even less time to enter...


Valtxr

   Charles was in the kitchen of the house, only just arriving home from some adminstrative work at Earnhardt's estate. He could have sworn that with Mr. Deegan—Mr. Winters' biggest rival—dead, that things would eventually cool down a bit. That'd he get some time to spend with his family. Maybe even take Merissa and Niko to Uthlyn, or to one of the coastal towns out east on the Hivan Ocean. Not so. It seemed Deegan's death only emboldened Mr. Winters to expand more, and the jobs and tasks were coming down from top with no end in sight.
   Charles had a green apple in his hand, a few bites into it. Snacking before dinner.
   Then he saw him. The masked man. In his house.
   Charles dropped the apple and pulled out his main pistol and aimed it square at the man.
   Shouted, "Who the hell are you?"

   Merissa was in Niko's room with both him and Siro. Showing them a few sleight of hand card tricks she'd learned from her days as a thief. Enjoying their amazement.
   Then she heard Charles shouting from out in the kitchen.
   "Stay here," she said to the children. She stood up from Niko's bed and rushed to the door and down the hallway toward the kitchen and the living room.
   Naturally, Niko and Siro couldn't help but to poke their heads out. Peeking around the door frame and watching Merissa and wondering what was going on.

Elector Count of WAAAGH!

The man was only able to get that much out before the man grabbed the extended hand of Charles and pulled him forward, pistol sliding past the masked man before he brought his fist up to Charles face, aiming to knock him unconscious.

As Charles fell to the floor the masked man grabbed his pistol as he fell. The man then raised it up to Melissa as she rounded the corner.

Valtxr

   The masked man was fast. A blur. A tug on Charles's arm, and then a fist to his face. Stars exploded before his eyes as he toppled backwards, his arm knocking over the bowl of apples on the counter on the way down.
   Charles landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him. A bit of blood on his bottom lip. He'd taken hits before, but he was also a younger man then. He just couldn't bounce back like he used to, especially since he had transitioned from using swords and fists to using pistols. He stayed down, far too dazed to get up for the moment. He patted his left leg with his left hand, searching for his reserve pistol. For all the good it would do if he couldn't aim straight.
   But now he thought only of Merissa. Of Niko. So he had to try.

   Merissa froze as soon as she stepped out from the hallway and saw the mess in the kitchen. Charles writhing slowly on the floor. Otto aiming a pistol right at her.
   No time to think. No time to ask why Otto was doing this. Who he really was or who he really worked for.
   "Niko! Siro! RUN!"

   A lightning bolt of fear through Siro's body as she heard Nana yell. She'd heard that tone before. The same one whenever Sharon yelled after getting caught stealing food from a shopkeeper, and the two of them had to run as fast as they could from him and any nearby guards.
   She heard it in her nightmares. As she was being chased by something she couldn't escape. Until she woke up with a start.
   Both Niko and Siro backed away from the door and Niko slammed it shut, doing exactly as his mother had taught him. He grabbed the wooden chair next to his bed and threw it as hard as he could into the window of his room, shattering it completely.
   "Come on!" he said to Siro as he ran up next to the now opened window. "I'll help you out! Careful, careful!"
   Siro ran over to him and Niko, tall and strong for his age, picked her up off of her feet and set her down outside. Then Niko himself climbed out, grabbed Siro by the hand, and started running across the grassy commons behind his home with her.
   A few of the neighbors gave them some alarmed looks from their own homes.

Elector Count of WAAAGH!

Otto stepped forward pistol aimed at Melissa's head, walking forward menacingly until the barrel was an inch away from her head.

"I'm not here for you...not for this. But your friend Sharon." In his low and gravely voice, he said. "Tell her this: Once I've gotten Michael, I'm coming for her head."

With that, Otto dropped the pistol and his hand fell to his side. He the. Began to backtrack, hands swaying a bit as he then threw something onto the ground with his fisted hand, and smoke began to rise.

A good deal of smoke filled the room, but minutes later the smoke subsided...but the man was no where to be seen.

Valtxr

   Merissa closed her eyes as Otto stalked toward her. Her nose flaring with each terrified breath. This was it. The end of a thief's luck. The conclusion to the life she had chosen for herself.
   She swallowed. Said, "Don't hurt the children."
   But then Otto spoke. A threatening tone, but directed elsewhere. At Sharon.
   The pistol clattered to the floor. Otto backed away, and he covered his escape with a smoke bomb.
   And Merissa immediately rushed over to and dropped down next to Charles. Her hands on his chest and head as she leaned in to see his face through the haze of the smoke.
   "Charles! Are you okay?"
   "I'll be fine." He said, wincing a bit as he sat up. He pressed his palm to his lips. Pulled it back. Looked at the blood and wiped it on his pants. "Who was that? What the hell happened today?"
   "It's..." She hesitated. "It's nothing. We just need to be more careful. Look out for Siro. And Sharon. Now more than ever."
   Charles narrowed his eyes in confusion. Tried waving some of the smoke away from his face. "What? Merissa, I don't—"
   "I need to go get them. Niko and Siro. Stay safe, okay?" She kissed him before he had a chance to respond, then disappeared into the smoke and out through the back door of the house.

   Charles stood as the smoke cleared. Wondered just what the fuck was going on. There'd been several incidents today. Word of a number of a minor and major happenings throughout Reajh and Uthlyn.
   Maybe it was a mistake to let Sharon have the day off; ever since the infiltration job into the Pit, she'd grown more and more reckless. She hadn't acted like that at all in the first few months under Charles' strict supervision and guidance.
   Just what kind of trouble did Sharon get herself into?

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