POVERO Chapter Ten

[ewancummins]

A SAVAGE MELEE BREAKS OUT IN THE LEAPING TORCHLIGHT

Swords flash, men scream and fall, Thom staggers under a mighty cudgel stroke, and Gertie's whip cracks again and again.
Fild cuts low, dropping one foe.
Sixt batters a club aside and hacks down the man holding it.
That man's fellow knocks Sixt's broadsword out of the ex-marine's grip and hefts his club to strike---but falls a second later as Titus leaps from the top of the wall and clouts him senseless with a mace.
The fight turns against the estate guards. They draw back. One shouts,
"Run, boys!"
Sixt and the others bash and cut at the retreating men, downing all but one.

The lone guard streaks off into the night waving a burning torch over his head.


Damien, breathing hard, hustles up to Alfonse,

"Signore? After him ? On to the house while things are still confused?"


The Builder, who had joined the fray midway through, also moves closer to the mage.
He clutches the map scroll in one hand, his sword in the other, and casts wary glances around the dark field.

[Adam]

Alfonse whirls up his sling before letting fly!

"Don't let him get to the house!" he says.

[ewancummins]

Alfonse whirls up his sling before letting fly!

"Don't let him get to the house!" he says.

The party pursues...


But the guard with the torch, animated with terror, flees faster than any of Alfonse's band can follow. Before vanishing from sight, he hurls his flaming torch back at his pursuers.

The breathless chase has taken the party into a garden with trimmed conifers and pale marble statues. The air smells of sweet resin.
Not far distant, the stone wall around the inner estate and Folbre House rises at the garden fringe. The upper lights of the house spill a warm glow into the night.
At least, the party succeeded in chasing the torchbearer away from the house-- unless he circled back or went round to another point of entry, once he was beyond their sight.


Titus breathes hard, leaning on his mace.

Damien wipes dust and sweat from his face.



Fild, the slowest on foot of the team, trundles up to join the others.

Gertie coils her whip and draws closer to Alfonse and Sixt.

"My brother went after that guy. I dunno if he got him, but I think he went that way-"
She points down a path that runs close to the wall of the inner estate, going west.

[VAN]

Still bleeding from his serious wound Tom gets his bow and just nods to Alfonse.They have almost killed him and now one of these guards was running to the house to warn the others. He could not let this happen. Following the heat trail the halfelf pursues the guard. Getting closer to the house wall knocks and arrow at the bow and fires. Soon after sees the man dropping down with an arrow at his back. Realizing that he is ahead of the group Tom tries to hide and waits for them.

[ewancummins]

TOM

Still bleeding from his serious wound Tom gets his bow and just nods to Alfonse.They have almost killed him and now one of these guards was running to the house to warn the others. He could not let this happen. Following the heat trail the halfelf pursues the guard. Getting closer to the house wall knocks and arrow at the bow and fires. Soon after sees the man dropping down with an arrow at his back. Realizing that he is ahead of the group Tom tries to hide and waits for them.

Tom pulls back under a tall, well-trimmed cedar, using the deeper darkness under the plant as concealment. It's better than standing on the garden path lit by the moon and stars, at least.

[ewancummins]

Alfonse whirls up his sling before letting fly!

"Don't let him get to the house!" he says.

The party pursues...


But the guard with the torch, animated with terror, flees faster than any of Alfonse's band can follow. Before vanishing from sight, he hurls his flaming torch back at his pursuers.

The breathless chase has taken the party into a garden with trimmed conifers and pale marble statues. The air smells of sweet resin.
Not far distant, the stone wall around the inner estate and Folbre House rises at the garden fringe. The upper lights of the house spill a warm glow into the night.
At least, the party succeeded in chasing the torchbearer away from the house-- unless he circled back or went round to another point of entry, once he was beyond their sight.


Titus breathes hard, leaning on his mace.

Damien wipes dust and sweat from his face.



Fild, the slowest on foot of the team, trundles up to join the others.

Gertie coils her whip and draws closer to Alfonse and Sixt.

"My brother went after that guy. I dunno if he got him, but I think he went that way-"
She points down a path that runs close to the wall of the inner estate, going west.

GERTIE FREEZES.

She looks about the garden.
"Something's coming."
Her warning gives her friends time to ready weapons and look for danger.

Growls from the darkness of the east.


The party sees the pack emerge from cover about thirty feet away. Four snarling coal-black mastiffs fitted with studded leather armor, straining at leashes held by a man in armor that matches theirs.
An unarmored boy follows the man, holding a low-burning lantern on a pole.

The hound-master calls out,
"Who goes there? "

He tugs the leashes to bring his beasts to heel.

[Adam]

"Someone was climbing the fence!" Alfonse shouts. "We're after him! He went that way!"

He points in the direction of the fleeing man with the torch.

[ewancummins]

"Someone was climbing the fence!" Alfonse shouts. "We're after him! He went that way!"

He points in the direction of the fleeing man with the torch.

''Yeah?"
The Hound-Master steps forward, letting his four mastiffs stalk ahead of him.
The dogs growl.
"I don't see any fence hopper. Or maybe I do?"
The man's wide mouth twists into a nasty sneer.
"I don't recognize you lot. But we've got a lot of--heheheeee-- volunteers in tonight, so maybe you are alright. Maybe. You'd better come with me. The Serpent will sort things out. And you can stack your arms at the gate, just in case."

[alhoon]

Fild looks to Alphonse, his bloodied sword in hand. He licks his lips, thinks for a moment.
He takes a step forward, to be in the front in case of an attack and addresses the man.
"Don't you think you should be doing something better with your time, than pestering our boss friend?" He says to the handler without any hint of friendliness in his voice. "Like looking for that burglar before he damages the house further than the ruffians attacking already?"
Then, casually wiping the blood of the man he's wounded (he hopes he didn't kill but not time to think on that now) on his boot, visibly in order to make his point clearer, adds. "You know, your questions are offending and we're not people you want to offend. I suggest you take your puppies with you and go catch that burglar."

[ewancummins]

Fild looks to Alphonse, his bloodied sword in hand. He licks his lips, thinks for a moment.
He takes a step forward, to be in the front in case of an attack and addresses the man.
"Don't you think you should be doing something better with your time, than pestering our boss friend?" He says to the handler without any hint of friendliness in his voice. "Like looking for that burglar before he damages the house further than the ruffians attacking already?"
Then, casually wiping the blood of the man he's wounded (he hopes he didn't kill but not time to think on that now) on his boot, visibly in order to make his point clearer, adds. "You know, your questions are offending and we're not people you want to offend. I suggest you take your puppies with you and go catch that burglar."

"Puppies? hahahhaaa! You sure are a rooster. Cockadoodledoo!"
He slaps his leg with his free hand.
The dogs growl louder still, tugging on their leashes.
"You'd better put that needle back in its sheath before I decide to feed 'em early."

The boy with the pole-lantern steps a bit closer.


Anyone paying attention won't fail to note that the hound master wears a shortsword and buckler at his belt.

[alhoon]

Fild looks at Alfonse, saying "We're wasting time."

[ewancummins]

"Do you guys have tokens?"
The HoundMaster edges closer, only about three yards from Fild now, as he asks the question.

[Adam]

Alfonse rolls his eyes and barks out a few words of magic, sprinkling the pinch of sand secreted in his hand in front of him.

[ewancummins]

Alfonse rolls his eyes and barks out a few words of magic, sprinkling the pinch of sand secreted in his hand in front of him.

Three out of four dogs flop down on the ground, tounges loose. They begin snoring loudly.
"Whaaa? Sorcery!"
The Houndmaster release the wakeful dog. He points at Alfonse." Kill!"

And then grabs for his sword...

[VAN]

Tom at his hiding spot wonders why the others haven't joined him yet. So he decides to go back and look for them.