Fantasy Sorcery!!! (Completed)

[Yokai]

>> Walk around the chairs <<
​

Aquila didn't flinch away from the gentle hand on her shoulder but it was close to it. No matter who they worked for, evil or no, she wasn't in the habit of murder. But Rhain's warning held some truth to it; she didn't understand many things about Khare or the assassin before her. They had lived different lives, grown up in different environments, and made different choices. Aquila would just have to prove to him that people's lives were worth more than taking the easy or fast route.

Still shaken up by the event she moved away from the circle to leave Rhain to his observations. Aquila doubted she would be able to notice something that he couldn't already spot faster. Instead she moved closer to the intimidating chairs that sat regal and empty; blue eyes scanning over them for any hints. It seemed that creature in the kitchens had been wrong in its guesses -- the nobles of Khare were long gone. Except for... oh, that could be a lead right?

 

[ArcticFox]

Rhain crouched down next to the circle. It was just a simple circle, inscribed on the stone floor of the room. The only remarkable thing about it was how perfect it was. It had a flawless curve. "Rather too well drawn." The assassin said, standing up. "That makes me suspicious."

As Aquila moved around the chairs, so did the assassin, coming up from the other side, commenting as he walked, his whole figure at times disappearing in shadows.

"No one here. No secret doors. No hidden passages."

Aquila could see that all the chairs had names inscribed on the back rest, high up. The throne on the dais, one of the First Noble, had a name Sansas embossed in gold leaf. The names of the others were smaller and fashioned from plain iron: Mouras, Tiffin, Lorag, Shinva, Xirin and Teetah. From all of those, Aquila had heard only about Lorag who was supposedly in the eastern part of the City. It looked like none of the chairs had been sat in for a very long time.

- Examine the circle.
- Walk into the circle.
- Leave.

 

[Yokai]

>> Examine the circle <<
​

Crouched down beside the circle Aquila noted the perfect curve of its design and immediately suspected magic of some kind. She hummed thoughtfully and tilted her head marginally to the side; Aquila wasn't about to walk into the circle without properly understanding the situation... but it really didn't offer much in the form of clues. Blue eyes scanned over its curves before she -- rather gracelessly -- fell back to sit down, crossing her legs in front of her as she settled into a more comfortable thinking position.

"Magic?" She suggested, looking up at Rhain. Aquila thought it looked an awful lot like one of those portal traps Rhain had mentioned before and was quick to ask; "Is it a portal trap?" If push came to shove, so to speak, she could cast her danger sensing spell and see what that brought up.

 

[ArcticFox]

"You are starting to learn already." Rhain nodded, and there was a small satisfied smile on his lips as he moved to sit beside Aquila. "The Portal Traps of Khare were built to protect citizens in one area of Khare from the citizens in other areas. Each region, Dwarf-town, Orc-ville, the rest, were given one trap to place as they saw fit and to move whenever they chose. Then if anyone from a neighbouring area attacked, they could not know what was a trap and what wasn't." He gestured at the chalk circle. "They can appear as anything. But should you stand in one, you will be transported wherever the setter of the Trap chose. To a solid rock or high in mid air. The tradition in Khare has been to dump unfortunates into the sewers. Most do not come back."

- Ask about avoiding the traps.
- Ask about the Nobles.

 

[Yokai]

>> Ask about avoiding the traps <<
​

"They can appear as anything?" Aquila repeated, subconsciously angling her body towards his as she mulled over the words. "Then how do you avoid them?" She asked quietly, mind already turning over her own small arsenal of spells. There was one spell that she knew, that was extremely draining, that essentially protected the user against other magic -- except for extremely powerful spells. Aquila wondered whether that spell could cancel out the portal traps, something she could wear as armor in the means of a last resort.

 

[ArcticFox]

"By being clever." Rhain folded his arms, looking at the chalk circle. "The Traps have one flaw in their design. They require a perfect symmetry to maintain their illusion. This means that, whatever form they have taken, they will always appear to be a perfect circle. Just like this." Cautiously he indicated at the circle with a pointed finger. His face suddenly darkened and he looked quickly to the doors and then back to Aquila. "The Traps are no longer under the control of the people of Khare. For many years now, every trap in Khare has been moved and placed by Sansas himself. And he is not where I expected him to be." He exhaled and turned his gaze down to the ground. Aquila heard him murmur. "I thought I had all the pieces of the puzzle."

- Ask how he knows all that.
- Ask about his puzzle.
- Ask about Sansas.

 

[Yokai]

>> Ask about his puzzle <<​

Subconsciously Aquila followed his gaze to the doors, listening in silence to his meticulous deductions on the information behind the portal traps. This was clearly a topic that Rhain was familiar with and Aquila found herself easily drawn into the conversation. The more she knew then the better her chances of surviving Khare, and continuing on with quest, were.

"Puzzle?" She echoed curiously, "What do you mean by that?" Aquila's features sharpened minutely with concentration, it sounded like this had been on Rhain's mind for a long while. She began to wonder if this was his reason for coming to Khare.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I told you I have a quest." Rhain responded. "It will take me beyond Khare, but for that I need to find a way out of this city." He explained, once again making a small sigh. "The North Gate is locked and has been for such a long time. I have been trying to find a way out as there is a contract I need to complete on the other side. However, I have not been successful yet. Sansas had failed to see reason multiple times and refused to aid me, I though he might change his mind when I brought you to him. But, he must have sensed me coming." He stood up then, preparing to leave. "We might have a better chance of solving Khare's mystery and getting out of it if we both worked on it. But, I function the best on my own. I'll be watching you, Analander, out of the shadows. And I'll contact you when sharing information becomes necessary." He waved a hand in goodbye, not turning around to face her. "You can take my room at The Wayfarer's Rest. I won't sleep tonight. Good luck."

- Run after him.
- Say goodbye.

 

[Yokai]

>> Run after him <<
​

Then they shared a common goal after all, Aquila was surprised by his easy admission and appeared to mull this over. Both of them were looking for the lines of the spell that would release them from Khare. She felt strangely hopeful at that, and felt less alone than she had been for the duration of the day. When Rhain turned to go she hurried after him -- he had given her a lot of information and she highly doubted she could add to that. But there was no point in withholding information from each other.

"Wait!" Aquila ran after him with a troubled expression, there was one thing she needed to know. "What about Lorag?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Lorag?" Rhain stopped and turned around. Then he nodded. "Yes. You can search for him. If he's still alive." He shifted in the place, like he was eager to get away. "We'll meet again, Analander. I won't keep you out of the loop." Then he walked away and was soon lost in the darkness.

--

Following an alley after Rhain disappeared from view, Aquila reached the Docks again. It was quite late at night now and she would lose too much time to get back to Ellie's inn. She also had a good chance of getting lost in the unknown alleys of Khare in dark, not to mention she would risk being ambushed or pickpocketed. There was a row of abandoned stalls at the makeshift market which she could use for cover for the night. There were also many dead end alleys were she could curl up in. Or she could go back and sleep in Rhain's room as he offered.

- Sleep in the stalls.
- Sleep in an alley.
- Sleep in Rhain's room.

 

[Yokai]

>> Sleep in Rhain's room <<​

Aquila wrapped her cloak tighter around her person to keep out the evening chill. Emotionally she felt drained, drained to the point where she just wanted to be somewhere safe and warm. Ellie's inn would be exactly that right now. But physically she was too exhausted for the journey and the hassle. Instead Aquila reviewed her options before settling on the most tempting. She doubted Rhain would return that night or until he wanted her to see him. And he had offered his room to her, who was she to say no? Aquila then dutifully decided to return to the inn for a comfortable night of rest in Rhain's bed.

 

[ArcticFox]

The Wayfarer's Rest was just across the square and after making her way through the stalls, Aquila was greeted by that same rowdy atmosphere. The innkeeper did not bother her when she went up the stairs to Rhain's room. There was no lock on any of the rooms after all and how did the owner of the place manage to have some order among his customers, was a mystery.

The bed was rickety and scratchy when she laid on it. The room looked as if it was empty the whole time, it held no memory of the assassin's presence. The candles on the desk had burned out and the room was dark, though she was able to see the outlines of the furniture on moonlight.

- Sleep.
- Block the doors with the table.
- Leave.

 

[Yokai]

>> Block the doors with the table <<
​

The lack of locks on the doors made Aquila supremely anxious and she was quick to remedy that. She wouldn't get a wink of sleep if she spent the entire night worrying about intruders. Aquila removed her pack and cloak, storing them beside the bed, before finally taking off her boots. Once she was dressed for bed -- she would keep her armor on in such an unfamiliar place -- Aquila moved the table in front of the door as means of a barricade.

 

[ArcticFox]

The table was propped against the doors, providing a sort of comfort for her as she went to sleep.

Sleep overtook her in moments no matter the state of the bed. And she slept soundly.

Right until the point when she was jolted awake by the sounds of footsteps in front of her doors. It was dark outside still, but lamplight could be seen flickering underneath the doors of the bedroom. She heard two male voices whispering.

"Did you find any?"
"No one good."
"I told him. We snatched far too many people from here. No one of worth stays to sleep any more."
"How many do we have?"
"Enough to get more. Not enough to do anything with them."
"No one's even seen Sansas for three weeks." There was coughing sound and voice muttered something that Aquila did not quite catch.
"You sure about that? How do you think Sansas got to be First?" There was a clatter of metal and then the footsteps stopped. They were right outside her bedroom.

- Listen.
- Try to get away through the window.

 

[Yokai]

>> Try to get away through the window <<
​

For a second her blood turned to ice in her veins -- whatever was outside her door was bad news. Aquila moved silently, slipping on her boots, weapons, and pack, before she headed to the window for a hasty departure. There was no way that she was sticking around to find out what was going on. One of those voices had mentioned the First Noble and that was enough to drive fear into her heart. Nothing good could come from allowing those voices to catch her like they'd presumably caught others, if judging from their conversation was anything. They sounded like smugglers.

 

[ArcticFox]

Then there was another noise on the outside, a third person approaching, and a patter of clawed feet and a bark - a dog.

"Any finds?"
"A couple of Elvin." The new voice remarked.

The dog started barking then, as Aquila was picking up her stuff, and whatever the men continued talking about, she could not hear them. She realised too late what was happening - the creature had picked up on her scent!

- Run for it.
- Hide under the bed.
- Stay and fight.

 

[Yokai]

>> Run for it <<
​

Aquila's heart leapt into her throat and she abandoned her previous plan of silently slipping away. There was no time to think over her decision, to plan or calculate. She didn't even have time to slip on her shoes or her cloak, though Aquila did grab her bag as she darted straight for the window. Hopefully the table pressed against the door would keep them at bay for a moment, long enough for her to get to the window and to jump.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Someone's in here!" Voiced followed her as she jumped outside. In her haste, she landed badly, twisting her ankle once more, but it was far more painful now, causing her to limp.
"Alpana! Fetch!" Another set of voices and these ones were coming right from the alley where she landed.

A group of people was patrolling the streets down below in full armour and with dogs. Something big and on all fours ran after Aquila. She evaded through the stalls across the Docks, but it seemed to pass like water through every gap and nothing seemed to slow it down. Finally Aquila reached another alley, its walls so narrow that she barely slipped through. The animal followed her in. It was about to leap at her.

- Try to run.
- Try to dodge.
- Stand your ground.

 

[Yokai]

>> Stand your ground <<
​

The creature chased her down mercilessly and when Aquila reached a dead end she came to the sudden realization that there was nowhere left to run. Nowhere but up. She turned, just in time to see the creature preparing to leap for her and Aquila made a split second decision between spells. Summoning her wavering stamina Aquila focused her magic on the creature and cast electroshock. Hoping the spell would find its mark and buy her enough time to escape. What these people wanted with her, she had no idea.

 

[ArcticFox]

The creature was struck by lightning and fell down on the dirty cobbles of the alley with a yelp. But, there were more behind it, leaping toward Aquila. The alley was too narrow to maneuver. The next hound veered without loosing its pace. When its body hammered into Aquila, the blow felt like being struck with a Giant's hammer full in the chest, as though the creature was made of solid iron. She was thrown backwards, her head hitting the wall. Everything went black.

--

Aquila's eyes fluttered open. Her head was thundering and ready to split. There was a lump on the back of her head the size of an egg and her vision swam as she tried sitting up. Her hands and feet were not bound, which was a good thing.

The ground below her was rocking softly and she felt nauseous and sick. There was a loud grumbling in the dark around her.

As she looked around she realised that she was at the bottom of a wooden pit, with a hatch far up in the ceiling. Other bodies were sprawled around on the floor.

- Check yourself over.
- Call out.
- Cast a spell.

 

[Yokai]

>> Check yourself over <<
​

Disorientated was an understatement. Aquila felt thoroughly flummoxed at the situation she had managed to find herself in. Glassy eyes were bleary as she gazed out over the countless bodies that accompanied her in the pit. The rocking motion suggested a boat though Aquila's mind was finding it hard to figure out much more than that. She had to try her best to focus and prioritize. The first thing she needed to do was check the extent of her injuries and find a way to remedy them. As Aquila carefully checked over herself she wondered whether the smugglers -- pirates? nobles? -- had taken her pack.

 

[ArcticFox]

At least she still had her pack and weapons. But, then she realised that a chunk of her gold was missing. It was pure luck that she kept the gold in multiple pouches, so the bandits found only one of them. Her ankle was sore and pulsating in pain, it would be a bit of a feat to lean on it in the next couple of days. However, she did have the Blimberry potions in her pack.

The wooden walls on either side of her creaked and groaned. She was definitely in the hull of a boat.

"I know you." A rumbling voice behind her. And a sniffing sound. "Why are you here?" The Orc from Torrepani moved to stand in front of her, looking down at her.

- Greet him.
- Ignore him.
- Scramble away from him.

 

[Yokai]

>> Greet him <<​

While she was glad to have her weapons and pack still, Aquila was irritated to find that a large chunk of her coin was gone. Her ankle throbbed with pain and Aquila grimaced, attempting to elevate the injury to reduce the swelling; the wound on the back of her head didn't feel much better, she didn't know what to do about that. At the very least she still had her Blimberry potions -- she would need those to survive this thing. Why the smugglers -- slavers? -- hadn't taken her equipment was a mystery to her, one that she was grateful for.

A voice sounded from behind her and Aquila flinched with surprise, the sudden movement causing pain to flare up and bright spots to dance across her vision. When they finally receded she looked up to find... the Orc from Torrepani?

"Hello, Shank," Aquila greeted him, recalling his name slowly from the archives of her brain as she leveled him with a suspicious stare. He had asked her to remember it, though that had been under a fairly compromised situation. She would have blushed at their meeting again if she wasn't already so exhausted and hurting. "I imagine for the same reason you are...?" Aquila replied with a tired smile, "I'm not here of my own volition so I can't truly say."

 

[ArcticFox]

"The bastards up there think their little ship will hold me down." Shank spoke through gritted teeth. He still had his mask on and his expression was half hidden underneath it. He did not have a weapon with himself and his armour was really just some strips of leather. He did not look like he would be able to tear the ship down, no matter how angered he sounded.

- "How did you end up here?"
- "Where are we?"
- "How do we escape?"
- "I'll get us out."

 

[Yokai]

>> How did you end up here? <<
​

Despite Shank's lack of noticeble weapons, and armour, Aquila couldn't help but notice he was seemingly unharmed. She blinked at him blearily before her gaze slid over the other figures. All of them were thrown together into the hull of this boat, but for what reason? Aquila's first assumption had been slavery but now she wasn't so sure -- she knew slavery happened, but surely they would have picked easier targets.

"So, how did you end up here?" Aquila asked, turning his question back on him. "Why are you in Khare?" She was genuinely curious after all, the last she had heard of him he'd been preparing to head out for a hunt.