The Eye of Anubis: Book Ten

[DocBeard]

As for Tomas...

...well, how would you look if you found out your entire relationship with someone was part of a plan by your worst enemy to hurt that person a little bit more?

Hurt radiates from Tomas as the full cruelty of Cavendish sinks in. There isn't even enough fire in the paladin to be angry; he just looks like a wounded and confused animal for a second. Mandisa existing had been...helpful. It had expanded Tomas's mind and helped him come to terms with certain things he might never have accepted otherwise. He really liked the idea of being a teacher and a mentor to someone, like Tomas was fortunate enough to find. Instead, this innocent girl has been maimed with brutal precision, and all Tomas Eisenwald ended up being was another tool for the surgeon.

Tomas squats down, carefully hefts Mandisa up into his arms, and starts walking.

[NeoTiamat]

The Outskirts of Muhar, Har'Akir
August 28th, 761, 5:36 AM; Day 164 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Thank you." Mandisa said softly, eyes bleary through the tears. "You are... so kind... I'm sorry I'm not the other Mandisa."

The Akiri girl buried her face in Tomas's coat and just cried as you left the prison-tomb behind. What the girl had lived through was not to be soon healed, but for now she was calm, and she was free. Soon she fell asleep in the comfort of Tomas's arms, slipping into blessed unconsciousness. The healing process had at least begun.

The air fluttered past you as you left the little tomb of the carpenter, flying away from the humble cavern that had been transformed into such a place of horror. You reached Muhar with remarkably little trauma, nothing worse than shredded nerves and the tingle of anticipation that one got in the calm before the storm.

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Your movements through town did not go unnoticed. Dawn came early in the desert, and the sky was already begin to lighten in preparation for the sunrise. A few Muhari were already up and about, getting an early start to the day - as soon as they spotted you, the began to veer off in different directions, giving you a wide berth. Several street urchins stared openly at your eclectic group, before dashing off down narrow alleyways.

"I don't like them," Sarari said, unslinging her bow from her back and quickly stringing it. "They moved with too much purpose."

"Yeah," Dieter said, not even bothering to look. "To get away from us."

"Nothing to do but keep moving," Harris said grimly. The guard captain looked exhausted, even more than the others did, but he kept it to himself. "No point in expending any more of our resources without knowing there's a threat."

A few miles later Sarari found herself momentarily vindicated when the street urchins returned, peeking out between the buildings of Muhar, shouting and pointing openly to the large group. Akiri:"There they are! Over here!"

"It just never ends!" Dieter complained, unholstering his rifle. Sarari swiftly nocked an arrow to he bow, aiming carefully down the alleyway to where their likely pursuers would be coming from. The woman scanned the area, seeking out any hidden figures. Suddenly her eyes widened slightly, and she abruptly stood down, much to Dieter's surprise.

"Hey, what do you-" Dieter's confused question was cut off by a sudden shout, as two familiar figures burst onto the street.

"It's us! Don't shoot," Professor Devereux called out, sounding a bit winded. He was looking even shabbier than usual, all of the buttons and fripperies on his ocher coat having been ripped off rather forcefully. The professor came out from around the corner of the building slowly, as if unwilling to do so until he was satisfied that no one would shoot him on reflex.

His companion had no such reservations. "Professor!" Remy yelled, dashing towards Andre in a state of near panic. He held a rune-covered sandalwood box in his outstretched hands.

All spells cast at the tomb with less than an hour/level duration have worn off, including Good Hope and Mass Fly

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Professor Devereux!" Lia shouts, running up to the academic. "What happened? How did you ... escape ...?" Lia's eyes flick left and right, and her voice drops. "Carter?" she enquires. "Marchand-Renier? What is going on, please?"

[yalenusveler]

To put it that Andre rushed to Remy would be the understatement of an age, well on par with something akin to saying Andre's seething loathing of Cavendish, a passionate hatred that burned hotter than the sun itself, was simply a mild dislike.

Reaching for the box, Andre's statement was clear. "Remy..I..I have no idea how to thank you, but however you all managed to get this..I just..thank you.You're certainly my best student ever..I just wish I were a better teacher." And with that, in an astoundingly human gesture, Andre hugged Remy.

"Now..what's going on? Is everyone safe..how did you get away? And Where. Is. Cavendish." Andre's face, a moment ago flush with relief soon turned, becoming something dark and something nigh inhumane, consumed by hatred, a hatred so pure and so primal alchemists questing for the philosopher's stone could confuse it for the essential vitrol.

"I will invent new rites of punishment for that piece of filth that will make those that exist now seem a tender mercy. She would love again merely to balance out my hate. But he..he ends. Now."

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan remained silent since leaving the tomb. Save for uttering prayers and activating wands, the priest said nothing at all and barely seemed to register anyone's presence unless they needed healing. An observant person, however, would notice how tightly he clenched his jaw and that his hands were balled into fists. If anyone other than Dieter came close, Kuzan gravitated away. He rebuffed any attempts at conversation and withdrew into whatever mental bastion he'd prepared for himself.

When he saw Remy and Devereux arrive, he relaxed just a touch. Where were Carter and Sebastian? What happened to them? Are they...

No. No, they can't be. Gods, please, no.

[lostboy]

Sascha just looks grim, keeping one eye on the empty streets as he waits for Remy & Devereux's explanantion, although the knight suspects whatever is going on is likely to make a bad day a hell of a lot worse.

[DocBeard]

Tomas stays back, a little ashamed and a little wary. His eyes gleam as he peers into the ether; on one hand, Cavendish can obviously still trick him, but on the other, it's worked so far.

For the whole trip, he was quiet, just letting Mandisa cry her eyes out; after a brief, hopeless glance towards Devereaux, Tomas returns to his stoic stance, gathering that the best thing to do is not to talk until he is certain about what is coming out of his mouth.

[NeoTiamat]

The Outskirts of Muhar, Har'Akir
August 28th, 761, 5:41 AM; Day 164 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Reaching for the box, Andre's statement was clear. "Remy..I..I have no idea how to thank you, but however you all managed to get this..I just..thank you.You're certainly my best student ever..I just wish I were a better teacher." And with that, in an astoundingly human gesture, Andre hugged Remy.

Remy's first reaction was to stiffen. He was about as prone to signs of physical affection as Andre was, and he clearly had not expected his mentor's response. A moment later, and Remy, somewhat awkwardly, put his hands on Andre's back, returning the embrace. The student trembled slightly with the effort of not holding onto Andre too tightly, taking some tiny measure of comfort from the gesture, comfort he desperately needed.

"Professor Devereux managed to get us past the guards," Remy said, his face a mix of relief and despair. "Professor M... has this crazy plan... he said if he was going to die, he'd go to his grave with you owing him one... Professor Carter... I don't know how he pulled it off, but he somehow did it..."

"And you, Remy," Professor Devereux added, softly, a sad smile touching his lips. "It was all of us... together. One for all and all for one."

"Professor Devereux!" Lia shouts, running up to the academic. "What happened? How did you ... escape ...?"

Professor Devereux seemed almost surprised to see someone approach him. The professor fiddled with the torn-up cuffs of his coat, as if not quite sure of what to do with himself. "Oh... Lia..."

Devereux lifted his eyes to meet Tomas' gaze with a troubled one of his own, then winced and bowed his head. "Carter told us to get out. So... we got out. Remy knew how to make us invisible... I... convinced one of the guards to leave his post and walk to the barracks. We just... followed."

"Where were you?" Remy said, doing his best to keep the question completely neutral. "We got to your rooms, but you weren't there..."

"We didn't have any way to get out of the main gate, so we... hid," Devereux said. "We thought we'd wait for you to come back... Remy found a secret compartment under the stairs... it... was a secret passage. We managed to find our way out and have been... looking for you since. I asked the street urchins to help..."

Devereux looked at his ruined coat, slightly ruefully. "The buttons are, er, were... probably worth more than they'd see in a year."

"Now..what's going on? Is everyone safe..how did you get away? And Where. Is. Cavendish." Andre's face, a moment ago flush with relief soon turned, becoming something dark and something nigh inhumane, consumed by hatred, a hatred so pure and so primal alchemists questing for the philosopher's stone could confuse it for the essential vitrol.

Lia's eyes flick left and right, and her voice drops. "Carter?" she enquires. "Marchand-Renier? What is going on, please?"

Devereux's eyes turned icy cold, his face a mask of deadly calm. "Cavendish..." was all he said.

Remy, somewhat reluctantly, let go of Andre, trying to regain some of his composure. "It's Vedarrak," he elaborated. "Cavendish has taken his place, or maybe he always was, I don't know..."

He paused and took a deep swallow before continuing, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "He took Proffesor M! Professor Carter said he was going to go back for him, but that was hours ago and we haven't seen any sign of him since..."

Remy clenched his teeth, running his hand back through his hair to get it out of his face. "I told him I didn't want him to die..." he whispered. The student suddenly just seemed drained and exhausted,staring up at Andre with dull eyes. "We have to go back... we have to-"

"Vedarrak."

Remy looked back over his shoulder at Professor Devereux. The professor continued, "We can't... stop an entire army of Falkovnians. Vedarrak... can."

"We need to rescue the other professors first. Then we can come up with a plan. We can fight Cavendish later, we can't bring the professors back to life..." Remy shook his head, trying to make sense of this horrible nightmare. "Vedarrak's probably dead, sir..."

"Even his body... should be enough to convince them the Kommandant might be an impostor," Devereux said. "The Falkovnians were starting to take precautions against shapechangers... on his own orders." The professor paused, licking his lips slightly. "But I... think he's alive."

"We passed a smilodon in the streets," Devereux explained, turning to all of you. "We thought that would be the end but... it... ignored us. I think... it had orders to find someone."

"That was over half an hour ago, professor," Remy protested, twisting his notebook impatiently. "It's probably long gone by now. We don't even know if it was looking for him. We just can't chase after Falkovnians when our own friends are being killed..."

Devereux looked Remy straight in the eye, his face unnervingly emotionless. "It may already be too late for them, Remy," he said.

The student clenched his fists, straightening up and meeting Devereux's gaze with his own. "It might not be," he quietly contended.

[DocBeard]

Tomas looks down at Mandisa, gently running a hand through the girl's hair.

"If he has them." Tomas manages, his voice struggling against chains of emotional control, "They are not dead yet. There would be no art in simply killing them."

It's horrible, but it's true, this latest trick has shown it. Cavendish prioritizes cruelty; not above survival, as in the case of some madmen, but possibly above certain victory. And if Cavendish can use Tomas's decency against him...Tomas's eyes narrow. "Look, we don't have time to bicker right now. Every second counts. We've all been following Charlie's lead for a while, now, and as bumpy as the road's been, we're all still on it. I say we have our say, then he makes the final call and we follow it."

A pause. "I think we should split up. I know that it is a bad idea, but the fact of the matter is that Professor Devereaux and Remy are both correct. One group can find Vedarrak, or what's left of him, and the other can try and locate the other Professors. Once we both try that, we can meet back here and see what our resources are."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia abruptly spreads her arms wide and makes a chirruping, clicking noise. Grimmric erupts from her hair and spirals up and up into the lightening sky, making his own squeaking noises. Soon enough, the little bat is lost from human sight, but Lia keeps looking upward.

"Provided all goes well," she says in a distant tone of voice, "we should soon have aerial reconnaissance. They will want paying, however. I have asked that they warn us of enemies approaching first. If they see any of the people we want to find ... they can do that, too. Provided all goes well."

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan took Remy's shoulders and looked the young man in eyes. Fierce determination burned hotly in his gold-eyed gaze. Not the wicked, malevolent demon the priest had revealed in Kamarn-Quse, but Kuzan's own will, resurging against the adversity.

"Hold onto that thought," the priest said in a very low voice, as if he was afraid speaking any louder would come out too loudly. "I swore to you I will do everything that I can to save the people of this Expedition. I still will. You have my word."

Kuzan turned to Tomas and shook his head. With his gaze set and the lighting dim, the dark circles under his eyes stood out sharply. "If we split and the group without me gets in trouble, you may not survive. You and Sascha both used your healing powers when you should have let me handle it. You don't have as much of it as I do. What good is splitting up if one group just dies?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I agree with Kuzan," Lia says, eyes still turned to the night sky. "We are ... vulnerable. We have not slept. Kuzan and I have exhausted our most useful spells already. If Cavendish has the professors, it does not seem likely that he will kill them at once; he enjoys having prisoners too much, to use as live bait to draw us to him. We should get under cover and regain our energies, then plot our course."

[NeoTiamat]

The Outskirts of Muhar, Har'Akir
August 28th, 761, 5:45 AM; Day 164 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"He has both of them," Remy said, quietly. He shifted uneasily, looking at the others with his dull and tired eyes. "He only needs one for bait."

Sarari already had an arrow nocked to her bow, her body tense with anticipation. "I can look for one or the other. I will not be caught."

Harris unsheathed his sword, giving it a few experimental swings. "I don't think I can quite take the entire Falkovnian army, but I can defend those who might need it well enough," he said, nodding to Andre and Lia.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Unfortunately, I doubt Cavendish will give us time to regroup," Charles says, scanning the streets with a rather bleak expression on his face. "Certainly not until tomorrow morning. I would be surprised if he doesn't know we are now in the city again already, which means he would probably just begin to kill people until we show ourselves."

Pausing, he continues, "Our best bet may be to make a lot of noise...that way our friends will know where to come to reach us and we can draw our enemies out, while still remaining in one group. We may even get to pick our terrain. With Grimmric's help, we may have some forewarning...It's not necessarily ideal, but given that Cavendish could pretend to be anyone to go in search of him is a wild goose chase. So...make him come to us. What do you think?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"My defensive spells are running down, Charles," Lia replies in a bleak tone of voice. "They are not gone yet, but I have less than two hours before I am completely defenseless. I can not turn invisible again before I have had time to rest and study. I can not make you all fly again. I can put up a wall that should be impervious to most harm, lay down a field of murderous tentacles and hurl some fire and force spells. That is it."