Mists over the Musarde, Chapter Two

[JMaytr]

Jonathan leaves his squat and goes into the city in search for food. He was always hungry, poverty did that to a person. But this morning was different. The hunger almost pained him. He made his way towards the office. Jonathan didn't find anyone there, but the bloodstains on the floor gave him an ominous feeling.

Leaving the office, Jonathan headed for the gallows in the middle of town. Once there he checked some of the traps beneath for something to eat.

[ewancummins]

Jonathan leaves his squat and goes into the city in search for food. He was always hungry, poverty did that to a person. But this morning was different. The hunger almost pained him. He made his way towards the office. Jonathan didn't find anyone there, but the bloodstains on the floor gave him an ominous feeling.

Leaving the office, Jonathan headed for the gallows in the middle of town. Once there he checked some of the traps beneath for something to eat.

Jon finds some moldy cheese, and also some dead rats. He's hungry enough that he might well be able to stomach them.

[Lord Skybolt]

Before heading out he feeds the cat then put's him out . He goes looking for Jon so he can treat him to Breakfast or Brunch as the time warrants . He'll be giving him 5 Gps for food for the next 3 days .

[JMaytr]

After Alain feeds Jonathan the two head out towards the dwarven pub.

"I think our next course of action should be to go into the sewers. I'd say daytime is our best bet as the rat catchers guild will be busy below. We should get Norzak to come with us. We could do some exploring down there, map some of the tunnels. Who knows? We might even find Van Dieks."

Jonathan greedily tears at some of the bread he has left over from Alain's meal.

[Lord Skybolt]

" I would have to agree with you on that, but I need to check with some sources to find out more information about the Doctor . Let's meet at the sewer entrance that Van Dieks used to escaped us in two hours to explore the sewers with Norzak . Also before meeting at the entrance there you and/or Norzak can find out what is in the chest we got from Greasy Louie . "

[JMaytr]

"Agreed. I'll get our friend and meet you there."

Jonathan and Alain part ways, the boy heading for the dwarven pub. Finding the place he enters and walks to the counter to order more food. It had been so long since he had coin in his pocket let alone gold. The barkeep came over and Jon ordered a milk and a desert. He knew Norzak bought cakes from a local bakery and hoped to stop by there before they entered the pipes.

"Have you seen my friend Norzak? He is a Dwarf with a black beard."

[Le Noir Faineant]

Cirdan looks battered after this night; you cannot tell if it was for sleeping in full plate, or for the traumatic experiences you all had the day before.

"The Sancerres want us to vist them for lunch. - I'll surely go. Anyone accompanying me? Mind you, even with the new riches we found, we will maybe not eat that good in a while."

The knight looks thoughtful. "I'd say we go shopping for our expedition first, though. The closer the sun moves to the horizon, the more the problem get, traditionally."

[steveflam]

"O'er 'ere, Jon" the said dwarf replies from over near the fireplace, eating his meal. "Come eat with me, lad. So what's we gonna do today? Tha others got some plan or somethin? I's wanna know whass in that there chest. Free gold is allas a welcome commodity, lad."

"We eat afore we head out, a good meal is important, ye hear me? Now sit and eat! Lassie," he calls out to the young serving lady "Some 'o' tha same fer me laddie 'ere. An bring me a pint with that!" He removes some of the few silvers hehas remaining in his pouch and slides it across the table for her. WHen she arrives he says "Thanks fer the meal lassie. Thass fer ye" he gestures to the coins. "Use 'em wisely" he says with one of his few smiles.

[Adam]

The sun glares in through the windows of the office in long beams, motes of dust spinning in them. Bennedict stands in front of the window, looking down at the long blood stains on the floor where the prisoner had previously been bound. He leans heavily on his newly purchased walking stick, breathing steadily, his expression unreadable.

Until his left eye twitches.

"Window's broken in from outside," he mumbles out-loud, an old habit from earlier days. "Clearly someone else came to attack the hostage."

You're being played. He thinks, his eye twitching again.

"The prisoner was clearly terrified," he continues, heedless of the errant thought, "there is evidence he was drug...by something of great strength." He bends down, looking closer at the fingernails dug into the wood of the floor.

They're smarter than you, and they're way ahead.

"Evidence seems to indicate that the man was taken through the window, and gone. A corollary may exist to the incident in the sewer, with another hostage who was similarly drug away. This implies a sentience to the perpetrator, and a purpose. What that purpose may be, however, is unclear."

They're monsters unburdened by morality, and apparently so are many of your associates. They can strike anywhere, at any time, and there is nothing you or your friends can do about it. They've killed your prisoners under your nose. How long until they start to come for Denys, for your associates, for you...

"If the intent was to silence the hostage, why not kill him while we were interrogating him? Perhaps it was punishment for failu-"

...for Charlotte?"

He glares immediately and stamps the walking stick against the floor angrily, silencing the inner monologue. With a bluster of dismissal, he turns and storms out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

***

Across town at the dwarven pub, Bennedict storms in, breezing past any of the staff and making his way to where the others are seated. He hangs his hat and jacket onto the back of a seat before sitting down, clearly irritated.

"The hostage is dead," Bennedict snaps, "Something, and I emphasize THING, came in through one of the windows and drug him away. This is becoming a disturbing trend, to be honest. Between errant crossbow shots and these attacks, I doubt we'll get any information out of any of the Doctor's men, should we capture them in the future."

He dumps a pile of papers out of his satchel onto the desk. "Here is what I recovered from the Doctor's office. Most of it is badly burned, but one of the sheets mentions a list of excavation equipment, and the other mentions the ratchatcher's guild. Clearly they're excavating in the sewers, probably looking for the portal we're trying to find." He grumbles in irritation. "The other is sheepskin with a passage I don't recognize. Probably something of some importance to their cult."

He shakes his head ruefully. "We're behind the eight-ball, gentlemen. The enemy is holding all the cards. The sewers beneath this city are massive and cavernous. I could spend the morning telling tales of people who wander down there and get lost, never to be found. They're digging somewhere, and we have no idea where that might be."

"The only good news is that Madame Renniere has seen to it to grant us access to the archives in the church of Ezra."

[JMaytr]

Full beyond his own belief, Jonathan sits back in his chair and begins to doze. He couldn't remember the last time his stomach had been this full of food. As he began to nap a stirring began in his gut. Shifting a bit in his chair at the discomfort Jonathan opened his eyes, but the feeling was still there. It was cold and alien to the boy. It washed over him quickly like being immersed in icy water. He looked around frantically for an attacker, some cause of the feeling consuming him but found no one. Just Norzak before him eating and drinking. Was the dwarf the cause?

Norzak could see the odd way the boy was staring at him and the obvious physical reaction he seemed to be having. Jonathan was pale and shaking, sweat forming at his temples.

The dwarf reaches out to Jon with concern, But Jon recoils suddenly, a look on his face that can only be described as pure terror.

The door to the Brazen Bees bursts open and Bennedict moves quickly to join their table. His speech distracts Jonathan for just a moment, allowing the boy to gain his composure. The image of the dead woman fleeted before him in that instant. Would he ever forget the events of the previous night? When the dwarf looks back to the boy, he appears normal as if nothing ever happened, but his eyes are watery and red. Jonathan was quiet during Bennedict's entire speech, his mind not on the archivist's words but on the boat the previous night.

"I can't keep the crossbow you gave me Norzak."

Jonathan hands the weapon over, his eyes distant. A few minutes pass before the boy speaks again.

"Why do we want to go to the church of Ezra's archives?"

[Adam]

"They have records of the city, prior to its discovery by the early settlers. We're hoping that somewhere inside there will be something that will lead us to the portal in the sewers." He stops, drumming his fingers on the tabletop and chuckling with a drip of gallows humor. "Gods, it sounds even more unlikely when I say it out loud."

[JMaytr]

"Well, Alain is out looking for more info on the Doctor. I think this Ezra church is a good start, though I can't read so I will be of little use to you there. Still, I'd like to come with you."

[steveflam]

Norzak rubs his eyes. After having listened to Benn, he wasn't worried, but was beginning to think that yes, their enemies were a step ahead of them. It was really frustrating as a matter of fact.

Keeping a low voice, he says "I'm in agreement to ye, Benn. Tha ezran temple's a good as place as any ta start. And," he pauses unsure of how to say it, but then says it anyways in his colorful way "Benn, not only is we behind tha eight-ball, but I get tha feelin' we are allas' one step behind them varmints. It's really really frustratin to say tha leas'. In fact I dunno bout ye, but I've a hunkerin' to get the heads up on these dolts. I'm jess tired of us runnin' roun' like a chickens with no 'eads, if ye catch me meanin'."

He thinks about Jon's reactions to him lately and frowns. "Hey Lad, could ye give Benn an me a minute? Mebbe wait for us by the door? I wanna ask him somethin' of a personal matter. Won' be long, I promise, ok?"


Once Jon leaves their presence, Norzak hunches in and speaks to Benn in a very uncetain tone. "I's wanna tell ye bout Jon's reactoions to me since we metted. I dunno if it's normal but I don' think 'es e'er had a da or ma ta take care 'o him." Norzak relates how Jon reacted to him just before Benn entered the Pub. "I dunno, I means I think I should tell ye, I's was a da afore, but" Norzak looks at the floor, a tear appearing at his eye "but I loss both me girl n me lady to enemies. I wonner if Jon thinks me as a da figure? I ain' averted ta it. Might do tha both of us some good."

He holds his head in his hands, running his fingers over his bald pate. "I thoughted mebbe as I've know ye the longest, ye might offer me some advice. I knows ye think I may be a bit brash but my ways is me ways. Ye cain' teach an ole dog new tricks overnight, ye know. Well, I wanted yer opinion is all."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

In his dreams he sees the woman. Her eyes stare in different directions and her teeth click with disapproval. Her red tendrils squirm like bored students. There is nothing below the neck, not even a stump.

<i>meht ekil tsuj emoceb lliw uoY</i>

The voice comes from nowhere.

<i>dnik ruoy ot od ll'eh tahw wonk uoY</i>

The face gives a lopsided smile. Then, it giggles.

Dorgio wakes with a start, and reaches for where his dagger would normally be. He glances around, not sure at first where he is, but then his eyes focus, and he sees Anja, still giggling at the ridiculous looking priest. He collects himself, and takes his weapons from where he'd stowed them. He tossles the child's hair, and then steps outside to meet Konstans. He thanks his friend, them to be vigilant, to watch out for their young men and women. He doesn't mention the red hair, for now, anyway.

He buys some roasted lamb in his neighborhood, then heads to the Office. He stops cold when he sees the bloodstains. He runs to his room, hastily feeds and waters Szoritas, then goes to the pub, guessing that's where the others will be.

He begins to say something about the prisoner, but he sees Benn talking to the others, and the scholar's look tells Dorgio that they already know.

When Benn and Norzak move off to talk, Dorgio rifles through the scraps of paper. He stops at the scrap that reads <i>Guild of Ratc--</i>. "Hmm…" He looks to Jon. "Your friends, the ones in the ratting guild. Do any of them seem the type who would deal with this Doctor?"

Dorgio orders an ale, then lights his cigarillo. He coughs and spits heavily. "And your wounds, boy, how are they?"

[JMaytr]

Jonathan watches Dorgio closely as he speaks, listening for hidden undertones in the mans words,

"My wounds are mending. I don't have any friends among the ratcatchers guild. Though I suppose old Robert or the dwarf Stoneguts would know the most about the goings on below."

Jonathan continues to watch the priest closely, a cold look in his eyes.