Café de Nuit

THE MEETING WITH THE RUBY ORACLE
HOUSE OFF THE COURT OF CROWS

The Ruby Oracle accepts Benn and Dorgio's assurances they will go after Jonathon Matyr.


''I plan to leave soon. Tonight, I think. Though the outward quietness of this neighborhood has afforded me privacy between foretellings and readings, I've become aware of something disquieting in the air of the place. At first I suspected it was only the accumulated ghostly traces of the men, women, children who have perished over the years on that great scaffolding. But as I have had time to feel and ponder, I've come to think the thing I feel must have happened all at once, maybe years ago, though not a great many years. Something very wrong was done. Whatever it was, it left a stain.
I have not investigated further. My role is to see and advise, not to delve into the darkness with torch and sword. That is your part, heroes."

She breaks off, staring at the shuttered window.

"Is there anything else? If not, good luck."

Kat turns towards the noise rapier levelled, but she does not assume danger will come from that way, remaining alert all around. Her rapier glitters in the dim light, the blade flicking as she seeks a target, stepping deftly in an unpredictable pattern to confuse surprise attacks...

Bennedict writes a few more notes and then stands.

"Thank you for your assistance," he says, thinking privately Such as it is...

He will stand and depart with Dorgio. "It sounds like we need to be ready to battle a fiend of some kind," he says, "Do you have anything useful for that?"

Sara spots a rope ladder going up to the roof. She thinks for a moment to follow the man but decides against that. She goes towards the door and tries to open it saying:

"Come out the red-haired man is escaping."

VAN wrote:Sara spots a rope ladder going up to the roof. She thinks for a moment to follow the man but decides against that. She goes towards the door and tries to open it saying:

"Come out the red-haired man is escaping."

The red-haired man bolts, moving down the alley away from the door with keys jangling in one hand.

Sara tugs on the door.

Locked!

She hears indistinct noises coming from inside, and sees a strange, faint blue glow trough the keyhole...

LOCKED IN HOUSE

At First, Raen is alarmed and ready for every kind of nastiness when the door closes. When he listens Sara outside, confirming who did what, and making the assumption the house is not going down in flames any time soon, he hisses loudly.
"Shadow him Sara! We will break out! Mark your route with a dagger. An "X" would suffice, I think. If that's not possible, spot an item on him that is remarkable and I could use magic to locate!"

Then he turns to Kat. "Can you help me break down the door? Use a table as a ram or something? I am not particularly strong... "

Kat shakes her head.

"Not yet. I don't believe he would lock us in here just as a prank. Something specific is supposed to happen to us now I reckon."

her hand slips to her belt and she produces some lockpicks.

"You keep watch and magic anything that moves. I'll see to the door."

kintire wrote:Kat shakes her head.

"Not yet. I don't believe he would lock us in here just as a prank. Something specific is supposed to happen to us now I reckon."

her hand slips to her belt and she produces some lockpicks.

"You keep watch and magic anything that moves. I'll see to the door."

Kat turns to the door and sets to work on the lock.

It's a bit rusty, so it sticks, but it's not a sophisticated mechanism and the blue radiance from Raen's spell provides her a well-lit view.

But even as the lock clicks open, RAEN smells a whiff of something sharp, unpleasant.
Then he sees a big patch of blackness detach itself from the deep shadows of the farther hall.

Raen's light spells suddenly flickers like a candle caught in a draught.
The blue radiance dims.

Burning green eyes.
Red maw, ivory teeth.
CRUNCH.
Floorboards splinter beneath the beast as it rushes down the hall, straight toward the mage!

Sara doesn't like leaving her companions locked inside but Raen had a point. The red haired man know knows that they are after him and will be very difficult to find him again.

"We will meet later at the randevouz point."

She goes at the other side and climbes the rope ladder the man used before hoping he is too busy running to check if he is being followed.

INSIDE THE STALKER'S HOUSE:

After a momentary surprise, before fear kicks in, Raen steels himself to defend Katherine. "Oh, no you don't!" he shouts and falls into spellcasting. Blue-silver energy covers his arms and condenses to three bullet-like creations of magical energy.

alhoon wrote:INSIDE THE STALKER'S HOUSE:

After a momentary surprise, before fear kicks in, Raen steels himself to defend Katherine. "Oh, no you don't!" he shouts and falls into spellcasting. Blue-silver energy covers his arms and condenses to three bullet-like creations of magical energy.

The beast doesn't slow down , but runs right into the magical attack and slams Raen against a wall.
Its clamps its jaws shut on his shoulder.
The teeth feel like hot coals pressed against the wizard's bare skin.


He tears free, leaving his bloody shirt in the monster's jaws.

VAN wrote:Sara doesn't like leaving her companions locked inside but Raen had a point. The red haired man know knows that they are after him and will be very difficult to find him again.

"We will meet later at the randevouz point."

She goes at the other side and climbes the rope ladder the man used before hoping he is too busy running to check if he is being followed.

The red-haired man takes off on foot down the alley.

Clambering up the rope onto the roof, Sara can get a look at which way he takes through the nearby bazaar.
Not much traffic now, with the Black Cloud lowering above and the breeze carrying soot and grit, but a few merchants tend their stalls.
She sees the red-head hurry into an area of sooty, abandoned stalls.

The man crouches, half hidden from Sara's bird's eye view, then straightens up again a moment later. He now wears a sooty length of cloth wrapped round his head, disguising his face and his red hair.

He starts off across the plaza at a casual pace, moving diagonally past the house on which Sara perches.

Kat leaps away from the now unlocked door, and rolls behind the thing, rapier flashing out in a vicious thrust.

"Get out! Its open!"

kintire wrote:Kat leaps away from the now unlocked door, and rolls behind the thing, rapier flashing out in a vicious thrust.

"Get out! Its open!"

Kat's sword rakes along the beast's ribs just as a flash of lightning blasts past her..


For a moment Kat sees stars, flashing lights, through her tears. Her hair stands on end.

She smells smoke.

Then she sees monster hurtling past her on all fours, toward the rectangle of blue light.
Toward Raen at the door.
Smokes trails from a wound in its side and Saint Elmo's fire dances on its black fur.

The beast bites Raen's right leg and spins, throwing the wizard past Kat and against one of the inner walls.
THUMP.
Chunks of plaster fall from the ceiling.
Raen groans, struggling to get up, and then the creature is upon him, clawing with its bearlike forepaws.

The smoke thickens. Flames lick the interior walls, spreading from a smoldering spot on the front room's wall just to the right of the corridor. Kat doesn't see Raen fighting back now...

ON THE ROOF


SARA is watching the now-disguised red-haired man as he casually walks across the plaza below.

She can easily slide down and go after him, having marked his disguise, his garments, his gait and direction of travel...
But what's that noise?

Big commotion in the house below her.

Crackling, crashing, shouting.

Kat screaming.

Flashes of light through the open door.