Faithslinger Chronicles – Shadow Games – Chapter 2

The next thing the heroes felt was the sudden pull as the room dropped several degrees suddenly, then a sharp chill run through their body. Carter called out something, but everyone got the same idea: the couple was about to unleash something powerful. The party quickly fell back as the water raining down on Ricky and Lucy began to coalesce into a bubble of water around them. Their silhouettes briefly showed them imbibe something small, followed by a passionate kiss.

The officers fell back first, the rained covering fire into the globe of water in hopes to at least force the sorcerers to throw up shields while the wizards fell back themselves. The hail of bullets struck the watery shield, but lost their momentum and was brought to a dead stop in the water sphere, but the splash back quickly froze into jagged slivers of ice against the water shield. With a gesture of his hand, Ricky forced the watery sphere apart in all directions shooting multiple icy flechettes at the cops before they could react. The trio was struck and fell to the floor as the wizards scrambled to their side and threw up another pair of shields.

'Damn, they thought ahead on this', snarled Earp. 'Status?'

'You're bleeding', said Tremere.

'It's just a scratch', replied Earp. 'Anyone else?'

'A couple of shots to the vest, no damage', said Warner.

'Oh no…' said Aiden. He scrambled to Carter's body, lying in a growing pool of blood. He lied nonresponsive to anything going on around him, body struck with flechettes through the right side of his body through his shoulder, chest, and thigh. Aiden looked back at the others, "These injuries are serious. Between the blood and the sprinklers, these flechettes will melt and open up his wounds quickly. We have to get him out of here."

Earp looked back at Tremere for a moment and gave the nod. One thing about Tremere, he always had a plan.

"Warner, pull Carter to the back and see if you can find help getting out the fire escape. Now that I got a bead on Lucy, I can counter spell whatever she can throw at us. Earp, we need the big guns now."

"I need a moment …"' said Earp.

"Aiden, Shish Bam Boom.", said Tremere, to which Aiden nodded.

Tremere stood up to face the duo, to which Lucy immediately reacted by throwing up another gout of flame at him. Tremere was already prepared, forcing his will and capturing the gout of fire in his hand, dissipating it immediately. Earp pulled a small crucifix from his pocket and quickly said a prayer under his breath as Ricky took aim at Tremere and began conjuring another spell.

Aiden quickly stood up and drew his blasting rod, taking aim at the criminal couple. The tip of the blasting rod glowed with a brilliant yellow light and Aiden screamed,"Fuego!" A blast of fire shot out through the rod at the sorcerers with increasing speed. Lucy tried to raise her hand in efforts to block the spell, but the flames engulfed the two of them immediately, throwing them to the ground in reaction of the spell. They quickly started patting themselves down to put out the flame, but suddenly realized that the blast of fire they were hit with had no heat to it.

Earp quickly moved forward , crucifix in hand, and slapped it down to the shallow pool of water beneath them with this palm pressed against it and cried out, "Exar Dominus!" Brilliant white energy poured through Earp and flashed through the water trail at Ricky and Lucy. They were suddenly struck with this new energy, coursing through their bodies like lightening. They passed out in shock in the pool of water, steam rising in a cloud around them.

Earp and Tremere walked over to the sorcerers, handcuffing them and emptying their pockets of their contents only to find very little there: a light rail map and schedule, a brochure on the Arizona Science Center with floor plan, ticket stubs, and a couple of empty vials. Aiden proceeded to the back to find Carter and Warner as Earp and Tremere hauled them out the front of the museum. Police cars, an ambulance, and a fire engine were waiting outside. The policemen who just arrived took possession of Ricky and Lucy and escorted them to the 5th Street Jail right away. Warner was waiting for Earp by the ambulance with Aiden.

"I'm going with the ambulance to get Carter to the hospital. I'll call you once a room number has been assigned." Warner tossed his keys to Earp and entered the back of the ambulance.

"Earp, Aiden and I have to go as well", said Tremere. "Can't stick around and answer too many questions. Plus we have to report to the White Council about what has happened." Aiden walked back to Earp and Tremere as the ambulance pulled away. "We'll get back in touch with you as soon as possible. Keep us in the loop about Carter, okay?" said Aiden

"Sure. No problem." replied Earp. "Graffiti Bar, 9pm?" asked Earp. "We'll be there", replied Aiden.

The next several hours were preoccupied with the mundane aspects of the job. Earp followed through with the procedures as with any case file, turning over all firearms to the CIS for testing, reporting to his captain on what had transpired, and filling out incident forms related to the shooting. Inspector Dobson of IAB paid Detective Earp a visit and questioned him on the incident…repeatedly for hours on end. The only moments Earp got to himself was when Warner checked in with him from the hospital. Carter made it to the hospital and was rushed off to surgery right away. The doctors said there were not any major organs injured, but a number of arteries and veins were slashed by the barrage he took and the surgery required a number of stents had to be used to keep the blood vessels from collapsing. Carter will be on the shelf for a few days at the hospital before they release him to go home. All in all, Carter was looking at a month of recovery.

That evening Earp headed down to the Graffiti Bar as originally planned only to find that he was the last one there. Walking into the bar, Patty warmly greeted him as she always did and briefly provided her condolences regarding Carter. Earp scanned the room like he always did, Aiden, Tremere, Cloud Redfeather, and Warner were already at their table, a couple of others locals who were in the know, and a little Mexican guy was sipping on his drink in the corner. Dave nodded at Earp and placed the usual in front of Earp, BBQ Chicken sandwich and an ice cold Coke. Earp quietly picked up the food and headed over to the usual table.

"Photomancy?" asked Warner.

"Sure did." replied Aiden with a smug look on his face. "It's a quick and dirty version of Glamour. We needed a distraction to buy us some time, but I knew that any kind of real attack couldn't get past that water shield he threw up. So I faked the fireball with a slight manipulation of the light in the room."

"Fuego?" asked Cloud. "As in the Midwest soda pop company?"

"Dunno. I just heard it somewhere before and thought it sounded cool." replied Aiden. Cloud looked over at his mentor Marc Tremere, only to find him laughing.

Earp quietly sat down with the others and spoke a quick prayer under his breath before starting to eat. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to help you guys out" started Cloud.

"It's not your fault" replied Earp. "If we thought we needed you for this one, one of us would have called."

The table got quiet for a moment. "So how is Carter holding up?" asked Aiden.

Warner replied "Carter is still being Carter. I don't know if it was the morphine that started him on, but even all bloody and cut up the way he was he was still making jokes. Trying to keep our spirits up despite his condition."

Earp could feel the anger grow. Like every police officer on the job, Carter knew the risks signing up with the SAU. But this was different because he was a mortal, wasn't blessed or special in any way, just an ordinary beat cop that stepped into a world far greater than his own.

The door to the bar opened and closed again and heavy footsteps entered. A looming form standing seven feet tall scanned the room and then lumbered its way to the table where the party sat. His build was muscular and cut to precision, but the goat head, matted brown fur over his body, and inverted legs with hooves were a giveaway that he was of the fae.

"Mortal Knight, I would have words with thy" said the beast as it approached the table. "I bear a message for your master."

"Come back another time. This is a private engagement" replied Earp without looking back at him.

"I will not be ignored Mortal Knight!" snarled the fae.

"Get to stepping before Ol' Chupacabra decides to take a bite out of you" replied Earp.

The fae scanned the room and locked eyes with the little Mexican in the corner. The Mexican stared back for a moment , then shook his head and went back to his drink. "Not this day he will not" replied the fae as he looked back at the table.

"Master Noland" chimed in Warner, "this is not the best time to discuss such matters. Perhaps we can…"

"Squire Warner, this does not concern you. Nor you either Wizards" snarled Noland again. "This is between me and the Mortal Knight."

Just then, the Warner's phone began to ring. Warner checked his phone real quick. "Earp, we just got a call. Kiwanis Park."

"Crap" said Earp. "As if today was not hard enough to deal with."

The party stood up from their table and started moving past Noland in haste. Marc and Aiden approached Patty and paid the bill for the table. Earp tried to move past Noland, but the huge fae repeatedly stepped in his way. "We have business to discuss and I will not let you pass until it is done" said Noland.

"Listen here, you dumbass! You keep calling me the Mortal Knight. Mortal. Knight. That means that mortal affairs come first, and if you keep me from my duties I will arrest you for obstruction of justice!"

Warner and Earp stormed out of the Graffiti Bar in haste with Noland in tow, only to find four men only a few yards away from the door. They were dressed in Hot Topic leftovers: black t-shirts, jeans, and hoodies. Their exposed skin was pale whitish grey wrapped around their lean, six foot frames. Their look was much like a shark with large black eyes and jagged teeth bore through their gaping mouths. However their mouths, throats, and t-shirts glimmered with an unnatural silvery sheen and their utterly feral stare at the trio gave cause for alarm.

"Ghouls."