The Eye of Anubis: Book Ten

[The Whistler]

Otto, for his part, is nothing if not curious--and misplacedly optimistic. "I am with Charles," he says, as nonconfrontationally as possible.

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan threw up his hands. "Fine," he said curtly, "But we are leaving with plenty of time to get back before the hawk-men throw a fit. They are already agitated and the way you act, we should not agitate them further."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"What exactly would you have me tell them, Charles?" Kuzan asked pointedly, "'I apologize, but our companions ran off with a Muhari girl. They said they'll be back by sundown but if not, they would very much like to be staked in the morning.'"

"Certainly," Charles says, half-smiling. "That should do it. Always leave 'em laughing. After all, we're on Expedition business! Pushing the work forward! Winning hearts and minds! Oh, you're coming? Well, all right then, let's be quick."

Of course, the opportunity to be really quick has passed, but this is not a military expedition and Charles is not the commander, so some back and forth is always necessary. And, in truth, it might not have been a bad idea to have someone go back.

Shrugging mentally, Charles (as he has done so often as a member of the Expedition) chooses a horn of the onrushing dilemma and prepares to be impaled (a singularly unfortunate metaphor in this particular case, alas).

"Lead on, madame."

[DocBeard]

Tomas just starts walking, rolling his eyes at Kuzan graduating to open contempt for the rest of the group. We get it, he thinks, you like the psychotic torturers and don't trust us enough to take our word on how many miles of bad road they all are.

It hasn't graduated to the point where Tomas, or his fist, will need to take matters up with the priest, but it's close.

[NeoTiamat]

Somewhere in Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 7:04 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Akiri"Then follow me." Banafrit said simply, turning down the alley and disappearing into the shadows. The Akiri woman was not one given to many words, merely placidly walking ahead, though quickly. "It is not far."

===============================================

You heard the buzzing of the flies first.

There were only a few, as they hadn't been dead very long. The blood was still slowly seeping from the wounds, dribbling out to pool in a large, ugly crimson puddle in the center of the little cul-de-sac. The hot, iron stink of blood assaulted your nostrils, along with the beginning smells of decay under the waning Akiri sun.

There were four of them all together. A young man, no more than sixteen or seventeen years of age, leaning against the mudbrick wall of a nearby house, blood dribbling from his slit throat. Beside him, an older man lay sprawled on the ground, as though he had tripped and fallen, though the back of his brown robe was rent and slashed and covered in drying gore.

A smaller woman lay on the other side of the cul-de-sac. Or perhaps more exactly, some of her lay on the other side of the cul-de-sac, the rest lay nearer the center. She had been attacked so violently that her very head had been torn away from her body, lying in a pool of its own blood, unblinking eyes staring at you. Finally an older matron lay crumpled in a heap in a corner, relatively unbloodied, merely with her neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

"You should see this." Banafrit said softly, stepping out towards the middle of the cul-de-sac and turning towards you. Her eyes were strange, half-calm even in this nightmarish scene. "You should know what happens."

Without warning, Banafrit pulled a short, curved knife from the sleeves of her robe, a knife covered in drying, reddish-brown blood. ""Osiris recieve my soul."

And just as swiftly, 'Banafrit' lifted the curved knife and slammed it into her head, under the jaw.

It must have pierced the brain instantly. The Akiri woman's eyes glazed over and she crumpled, right into the pool of blood from the other four corpses. The murderous knife clattered to the ground, the only sound heard in the silent cul-de-sac. Banafrit died in a heartbeat, the only other living thing there.

You were all alone beneath the waning light of day. Just you, Sarari, and five corpses.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I recommend those of us capable determine who killed the other ones, and then we get out of here post haste," Lia says in a quiet voice. "This will look very bad if another Akiri sees it. Occultum video." The Mage makes a brief gesture in the air and stares intently at the dead, as well as the immediate area.

(OOC: Detect Magic is active.)

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan tensed. Then he tilted his head as something caught his ear. He glanced briefly to Sarari to see if she heard it too. Footsteps. Lots of footsteps. And they were coming.

"No time," he barked at Lia, "We need to get out of here, now. There's a whole mob coming this way." He turned and moved toward the exit.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Run or fly?" Lia asks, voice unruffled. "I do not fancy our chances in this warren of alleys, but I can cast a spell to give all of us flight. If we hug the roofs, we should be able to stay mostly out of sight. And I can shroud this area in darkness while we make our escape."

[Kaitou Kage]

"Then fly!" Kuzan replied urgently, "Whatever you do, make it quick!"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

(OOC: All of these actions are conditional upon there being time for them. If we're in a time crunch, please assume I cast only the Mass Fly and rise to the rooftops to begin our getaway.)

"Very well," Lia murmurs, already making circling gestures which encompass the members of the Expedition. "Facultam volati nos dono." Power wafts through the air like a cold wind and embraces the living gathered here. Lia is first to start rising to a nearby rooftop, the magic quietly pulsing on the air around her.

"Join me, please," she says, "and do not look back."

(OOC: Casting Mass Fly and heading for the nearest roof.)

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Speaking of quick," Charles mutters, gesturing to the group at large as he peers down the alleyway from which they had just come. "Celeritas."

Casting haste for extra flee-from-the-mob crunchy goodness.

[DocBeard]

"No!" Tomas shouts, grabbing for the woman...a second too late!

"...no..." Tomas groans, looking utterly horrified even as Lia's magic lifts him off of the ground. "I...she was right there...why would she..."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Escaping first, please, questions later," Lia murmurs. "And until we are a few roofs over, perhaps silence is in order ...?"

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan pursed his lips and floated off the ground using Lia's arcane-granted wings. Briefly, he wondered if a lot of people from his native land were like this. He also wondered if this was an attempt at a setup.

As he flew back to rejoin the group in the air, he wondered if they'd actually listen to him next time.

Probably not.

[lostboy]

"Escaping first, please, questions later," Lia murmurs. "And until we are a few roofs over, perhaps silence is in order ...?"

For a moment Sascha looks inclined to argue, running away from a crime he hasnt committed seems wrong, as if its affirmation of guilt. But then the magic begins to lift his body, and the choice is made. "The only thing that looks worse than being found crouching over a charnel scene would be being found enacting magic and floating over it" he says with a sigh.

Closing his eyes he mutters a soft blessing for the souls of the departed, then with a grim look in the direction of the coming mob he takes to the air after the others. Someone will pay dearly for this he thinks mentally adding yet another wrongdoer to his already lengthy black list.