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Into the gates, and past the guards! Look out, Reajh, here it comes! (Ice)

Started by Wrathwyrm, January 02, 2018, 01:56:54 PM

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Wrathwyrm

Some days, it's just not easy, being a guard.  Alright, true, there are many hours of inactivity, standing around, but think about it this way...  There are many long hours, just standing around, with absolutely nothing to divert you or keep you focused. That's the failing of guardship.  When you do a good job, you get left alone and you have nothing to do.  Gateway guards have it a little easier.  They get to meet people and hassle them.  Sometimes, though, it's not for the best because people can be a headache.  And sometimes, it can get a little weird.

This is one of those times.

We'll start with the setting.  This is the main gate of Reajh, capital of Connlaoth.  It is the largest city, the Grand Duke's city.  Anyone who seems suspicious or magical in nature must be questioned.  They had relief guards to keep watch for them while this happened, in some cases.  In comes a person, a young lady.  She can't be older than twenty, if that old at all.  She is brown-haired and in work clothes, which was unusual.  Now, there were plenty of people in Connlaoth who had dark hair, despite ancestry.  It happened.  However, the work clothing threw 'em.  She was in pants and a shirt, not a blouse and a skirt, or a full-on dress.  It's most common for the latter to occur in society, not the former.

It gets better.

So, boy clothes and brown hair, and also a leather belt with things on it.  They recognized some of it as a pistol setup, as in the powder and wadding on one side, with the gun on the other.  This was still relatively normal, in that ownership of a pistol was not a crime.  You just don't see many ladies doing that.  You also don't see them backpacking across Connlaoth alone either, but she was doing it.  Still, the gun she had was different, though.  It seemed to have some kind of hook attachement, which in the guard's mind meant that it was time for a hassling.  He and his fellow guard lowered their halberds to bar her progress.

"Halt.  What is that?"

"You'll have to be more specific."

"The gun."

"It's a gun."

"Yes, thank you, I gathered as much.  Why is it like that?"

"It's a Grappler Gun.  It's used for climbing."

"...what?"

"It shoots the hook up on a line, secures it, and helps you climb up using the spool-reel."

The device was...a rather weird ensemble.  It was a reinforced grape-shot pistol with wheel-flint-lock on one side and - indeed - some kind of spool thing on the other.  It was the weirdest non-magical thing the guard had ever seen.  The other guard mused that someone could make money off of something like that.  The young lady smiled at this, and said...

"I own the patent.  I'm coming in to talk with the black powder people about something."

"You mean the cannon makers?  Let her pass.  She can't possibly harm them more than that can harm themselves."

The name on the patent sheet for the Grappler Gun - in the Reajh Guild of Official Records - was Bellows, Katherine Bellows, or Kate.  They also had her name on some kind of specialized weapon called a Tri-Claw, which was in her pack.  People looking at her would see just a smiling young lady.  People who caused her trouble saw the smile disappear...and then they were in trouble.  But Reajh was relatively civil.  It was the Grand Duke's city, after all.  You could find all kinds here, and there wasn't always trouble...usually.

Ice

Just beyond the gates a creature had crept past the guards who were apparently distracted by some odd looking ... well was not sure rather it was a male or a female just by glancing at them. To be honest he didn't really care either. What was on his mind was trying to keep away from a rather powerful group of demons that he had managed to tick off. He knew that they would not be coming here at least he hoped so. The things they  threatened to do to him did not sound pleasant at all.

So to hide who he was he made his appearance in to that of a very handsome man. He had his signature cobalt blue eyes though. It was not like he noted to get that close to anyone if he could help it. That was when he noted just how many people were there.

As he glanced around he frowned. "Damn this place is huge." He stated to himself. He backed up a bit not feeling comfortable around so many humans. As he backed up he backed right in to someone. He stumbled a fell flat on his butt. He frowned looking up with his cobalt blue eyes to see who he had run in to.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't intend to run into you." He stated. He hoped he hadn't caused too much of a scene here.

Wrathwyrm

So, she was just walking along when...THUMP!  She was sort of blindsided by someone backing into her.  Now, the good news for our backing up guy was that he would not be landing on anybody today.  Kate was hit and immediately rolled with it out of the way, soon using that momentum to return to her feet.  As one who practiced an acrobatic form of movement to get around towns quicker - later to be known as Parkour - she could recover from all kinds of bumps and trips and such.  So, when asked...

"I'm fine, really.  Are you okay?"

She actually offered a hand up, so there'd be no scene here but 'Oh, someone tripped and is getting back on their feet', no harm and no foul.

Ice

Sal blinked when he saw who he ran into. The strange human he had taken note of before. He was secretly kind of relieved that she was not hurt. Not that he cared it was just that he didn't want a scene. Not that his little stumble hadn't gotten a few glances. He heard what the girl said to his question.

"I'm alright. I guess I'm just a little clumsy."  He stated letting her help him up. He was a small man and was very light for a grown male. One might think that this could be due to being under nourished or something. The fact was he had trouble adjusting weights with certain forms.

After getting back to his feet he looked at the girl. He supposed he should be nice to her since she was kind to him. "I'm Sal by the way" he told her with a flashing smile. It could have been mistaken for a flirt but that was far from his intention. His kindness was only skin deep.

Wrathwyrm

She helped him up without so much as a flash of resentment for bumping into her, fully-acknowledging that he must've just been a little clumsy.  Given the fact that he'd fallen on his ass, this seemed likely, anyway.  It was kind of surprising that he'd be the small light one.  After all, Kate considered herself to be the one who'd dominate those attiributes, in most cases.  Well, apparently that was not always the case.  The human-looking demon would nnote that she had rather good balance control, yet again, as she was not thrown off by his weight at all.  Then, she gaze a bow with a smile.

"Katherine Bellows, or Kate if you prefer."

If there'd been anny intention of a flirt, she missed it utterly, on the basis that they were just being friendly and cordial.  She straightened up again and, of course, was curious now.

"You're new to the area, aren't you?"

Ice

The demon just smiled at her as she introduced herself. He wondered if he could use her in some way. As he wondered what that use would be . Then he thought about why he was here and he cringed very slightly. He was still worried that those other demons would find him. He the focused on the situation at hand. No need to worry just yet.

" its nice to meet you ." He said with a grin. Now he knew he might be safe in this city. However he was not sure if he wanted tobe disclose that he was pretty new here. Not that he couldnt kill her in an instant if he wanted to. As stated before he didnt want a scene caused.

So he decided to just tell her. " yes I am" he stated he said with a soft smile. He then looked at her . "What about you?" He now asked. If she had been here maybe he could use her as a temporary guide.

Wrathwyrm

So, hee was new, but as for her...

"Yes and no.  I am a citizen of Connlaoth and I have been here before, but I live in Uthlyn, really.  I'm only here because this is where alot of the official business-y stuff happens."

Everything that was legal and enforced was here in the Grand Duke's capital, so that he was close to his material assets and could micro-manage them at will.  This was also where a great many businesses were situated, as Uthlyn was a university town, meaning that any business there existed specifically to support or profit from the students.

"Are you just visiting, or did you need to do something important here?"

Ice

The demon listened to what the girl said. It seemed she was famailer with this area. The only thing he knew about this place was that the whole land hated magic. Of course that was why it was best to hide here in his mind.

"That's very interesting. I'm just a traveler. I don't have a permanent place to stay myself." He said with a smile. Now when she asked her question to him he frowned. He was not willing to tell the truth on why he was here. He could and probably would be killed if he did tell her.

"Umm I am just visiting here. Just doing some sight seeing." He told her. Like most demons he could lie to someone and they would think he was telling the truth. At least most did

Wrathwyrm

Fortunately, for him, Kate's ability to suspect people's intentions were lower than most.  If she did not have a reason to thing something was up, something could BE up and she might not notice.  So, when the demon-in-human-guise outright lied to her, she didn't suspect a thing.  Why would she?  He seemed a decent enough fellow.

"Well, you picked a good place for it.  Apart from the Grand Duke's castle, many a noble family have residence here, the church and the Mordecai tower is here, and much more."

There were also less savory places to be, such as taverns, 'gentleman's clubs', gambling establishments, and more...but Kate wasn't really interested in most of those.  Maybe the taverns, for food.  She wasn't much of a drinker.

Ice

Salamon smirked when the girl seemed not to notice his lie. That was very good in his mind. Though when she said something about a church he shivered a little. He did not want to be close to a holey place. He was after all very weak against that kind of thing. Even touching a simple cross would hurt him a lot.

One thing he kind of wondered about was what a mordecia was. Though he didn't want to seem stupid for asking that. After all he did need to look like he had some since .

"That is very interesting. Maybe when you are done with your business here you could show me around?" He asked with a smile. He decide that it would be best to be kind to this young girl. At least for now.

Wrathwyrm

Think of it this way, Sal: Holy power may be anathema to you, but demons are not affected by the anti-magical quality of most Mordecai, if any at all.  Here, within the limits of Reajh, he enjoyed the fullness of strength, all powers accessable without question.  Lucky duck!  Of course, he didn't seem to know how lucky he was.  The Mordecai of Connlaoth must not have been something that he'd researched, in reference to mortal powers.  Right now, he was just playing the part of the human newcomer, and in answer to his request...

"Certainly!  Just follow me and we'll do that once I'm done talking to the right people.  The cannon people shouldn't be that far.  They umm...wouldn't keep them too close to expensive property."

Not if the Duke has anything to say about it.

Ice

Salamon had not really done much research on that subject. In fact he really was not sure what they were. He was not the most powerful demon in the world. In fact he was weak compared to most of them. He was contemplating how to commit crime without being caught. He was a sneak after all. And not not only did he have a guide but he had a scapegoat.

" okay that sounds like a plan." He stated. He frown as the scent of sulfur came though his disguise. Oops there was always a slip up or two when he tried to be human. He hoped that she would not notice that. Though if she did she would become his first victim here.

Wrathwyrm

She did smell sulphur, but right after her nose twitched, she checked the horn on her belt, muttering "Huh...  Did it leak?".  Let us not forget what gunpowder is made of, after all.  After making certain that her horn was secure, Kate led Sal off down the road, where...she only got herself turned around once or twice, due to having been momentarily distracted by something.  After a bit of a walk, though, they came to a building that seemed...kind of like it had had to have been repaired a few times.

"This is the place."

You could tell because it had a prototype 'bell cannon' out front.  They didn't have to worry about it being stolen.  Anybody capable of hauling it off quickly wouldn't need it for that which it was made.  The cannons inside were better than the original that started it all, now.  Part of this was due to her mother's own work, in fact.

"Well, you can wait out here or come inside.  That much is up to you.  I'll be talking with the workers about powder measurements for pistols and stuff."

Ice

Sal was more then happy to know that his slip up had not been linked to himself. As he walked with the young girl he slowly was forming an idea in his head. He would cause some trouble here after all. And taking a demon to a place filled with dangerous things was never a good idea. As this young human was about to find out.

As the got to the building he could not help but grin. This was the perfect place to start trouble. At least he thought so. He smiled and turned to the young lady who had lead him here. Now to show her what she was dealing with? Maybe he should.

" you humans are all the same. You are stupid. You just lead me to the perfect place." He stated. And by perfect place he meant a part of town that was much less crowded then where they were before. And as he spoke she would likely feel the pure demonic engery coming from him.

And if she thought that cannons would save her do not forget he on top of being a demon was also a powerful magic user.

" time to die Kate . " he stated eyes glowing as he started to move closer to her now.

Wrathwyrm

So, Salamon seemed very pleased that she was helping him out like this...and then he turned on her.

That...  Honestly, that had an...effect on Kate, for a moment.  What drew her out of that stunned state was his mention of 'humans'.  He...wasn't human?  He wasn't anything close to human, maybe?  His eyes glowed.  What did that mean?  What kind of creature did that...oh dear.  Salamon was standing in part of the capital of Connlaoth, home of the Citadel, where the Mordecai were.  Now, the range of the average Mordecai varied, but half a mile was not uncommon.  Given that there could be any number of them wandering the city and not just within the tower itself, that meant that Salamon was likely displaying signs of supernatural ability within one of their fields...and not being affected by it.

That could only mean one thing: Immortal Magic.

Magic was not exactly studied deeply within Connlaoth, since it was forbidden by law, unless you were marked and held in check by the kingdom and its guard.  Nevertheless, it was known throughout the land that magic had two primary classifications: Mortal and Immortal.  Mortal was, essentially, anything that could be accessed directly by a mortal, without involving an immortal in any fashion.  Immortal was the power controlled by those who were ageless and powerful, their signature abilities immediately recognizable and intrinsic to their very beings.  Judging by the glow in his eyes, Salamon was a demon in a cunning disguise.  And because he was one, his magic could not be suppressed by normal means, as in your standard Mordecai field.  However...

"I wouldn't do that."

Kate was suddenly working on staring him down, though she was also poised to get moving, with all her speed and agility at her command.  There was still a chance, and there was also a chance to use that chance to quell him into inaction, uncertainty.  Knowledge was power too, and this would give the demon pause for though.

"If you're standing there with eyes glowing, you're probably a demon, but even they can be blocked, by Adhara.  You don't know anything about them, but if one finds you, all of your power is gone, and then you're doomed.  Even if you can catch me, someone will panic and call then, and they'll converge on you."

Just in case, she was prepared to fire her grappling hook up to a building to reel up upon it and get away.  Kate was putting on a brave front because she knew she was right, but she was also afraid, because she was still facing off against a demon near a cannon factory.

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