3rd day of Ransalacue, 5571A Dromdal Manor, Swan Street
Talantier, The Divided Lands
The atmosphere on the first floor was tense; people were speaking in nervous, low tones.
Sebastian finished laying the still-unconscious Cole Chartsheim on the divan in the living room; Bjorn had wet a cloth from the bucket of water in the kitchen and handed it to Vivi Knot, who was pressing it to Cole's forehead and otherwise attending to him as best she could.
Dark emerged back through the secret door.
"Barnsworth hadn't a clue anything was going on," he grimaced. "I think the only sound he's sensitive to is Auralana's voice. I just told him there could be trouble and Lady Dromdal had ordered him to stay in his room. He agreed readily enough."
"Good," Saito Takahashi nodded, then turned to their party wizard.
"We need-"
"Help?" Oliver guessed.
The samurai scowled.
"Authority," he said tersely. "We'll need city officials to clean up and take charge here after we've finished and told them what's happened. Go get them."
The transmuter nodded. "I'll send Fiach ahead of me. Shouldn't take long," he said and headed out to the entry hall. Seconds later, they heard the front door open and close.
"We should have all hands awailable for battle," Sebastian rumbled, his tone indicating his displeasure with Takahashi's decision.
The samurai waved off his concerns. "We need officials here as soon as possible. Besides, fighting is hard work and you told me yourself that's not exactly Athraite's favorite activity."
Sanders clenched his fists but seemed angrier at himself for having shared that information with Saito in the first place than he was at the samurai for mentioning it.
Illumenatta Duskwind was watching the others intently. While she had come to consider herself and Dark co-leaders of this motley band, she had to admit that Saito, while blunt, seemed an excellent tactician, so she deferred to him for now.
"Now what?" she asked.
Saito looked around, considering.
"Sebastian and the- Caffrine, will accompany me upstairs," he said. "Hopefully, we can convince Lady Dromdal to surrender once we've told her we've uncovered the grisly evidence of her crimes. However, if she's as stubborn as I think she is, there could be trouble."
"Why just three of us up there, then?" asked Qidarchios, frowning.
"Too many and Auralana will think we have no intention of bringing her in alive. Too few and she may get overconfident and think she has a chance at picking us off piecemeal. I want to at least try to avoid bloodshed," the samurai finished up with a look towards Bjorn.
"If only for her daughter's sake."
The cleric of Balder said nothing but nodded acknowledgement.
Caffrine Esslos, who had tensed up and then relaxed when Saito had stopped himself from calling her a thief, now spoke up, her tone curious.
"You want me as part of the first wave?"
"If Lady Dromdal has any kind of dangerous surprise in store for us," the samurai responded, "you'll be the one most likely to spot if first."
"Thanks," muttered Caffrine. "I think."
Leaving Lumen, Dark and Bjorn below as reserve, the samurai, barbarian and rogue ascended the stairs to the second floor as silently as possible, stopping just outside the door to Auralana's bedroom.
Saito gestured at the weak but steady light visible under the crack of the door. "We won't need that," he said, gesturing to the lit torch held in Sebastian's hand.
"Good," Sebastian said as he extinguished the torch and jammed in into a nearby wall sconce meant for lanterns. "I like to have both hands free."
"Remember," the samurai reminded them, "no weapons drawn unless necessary."
He raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door but opened it without waiting for a reply.
Caffrine's first impression upon entering behind Saito and Sebastian was not an encouraging one.
Lady Auralana Dromdal, still clad in her white dressing gown, was sitting up against the headboard by the right side of her enormous bed, propped up by pillows and facing the party.
Baron sat on his haunches in his closed cage, watching therm.
The thirty-foot distance between Auralana and the current position of the Light in the Darkness seemed to only emphasize the immense size of this bedroom.
A light cantrip had been placed on one of the bed's posts. Caffrine's low-light vision allowed her to see from her position all the way back to the bed but the ten-foot portion of the room extending behind her to the west wall was in shadow and only dimly visible. She glanced at the drapes covering the window and detected no sign of anyone standing behind them. Likewise, the sliding doors to the elevating room in the northwest quarter were both still shut.
With an air of forced weariness, Lady Dromdal spoke first.
"I have cooperated and gone along with your brashness, your rudeness and your insufferable ignorance of your true class all evening," she announced, "all to ensure the safety of myself and my daughter from this villainous Peck. However, this is absolutely the last straw. The noises and crashes I have heard from up here are ample proof that you have been trespassing without permission throughout my entire house. I give you my solemn vow that you will all be heading to Sumner Prison before the next sunrise."
"I would rather," the aged noblewoman finished by sitting up as straight as she could, "take my chances with that mad halfling than you!"
Saito Takahashi gave a short bow.
"I agree completely, Lady Dromdal. You have far less to fear from the Swan Street Slicer than you do from us."
Without taking his gaze from Auralana, the samurai held out his right hand towards Caffrine.
It took the half-elf a moment to realize what Saito was waiting for. Fumbling from nerves, she extracted Lord Dromdal's signet ring from her belt pouch and pressed it into the samurai's hand, who held it out in front of him between his thumb and forefinger.
"Perhaps," continued Saito, "as you are remanding us into custody of the city guard, you can explain to them why your husband saw fit to leave Talantier to conduct official business without his signet ring."
There was a long pause while Auralana Dromdal stared at her three guests in thin-lipped silence.
Sebastian Sanders smiled while crossing his arms across his chest.
"Does this change situation, Lady Dromdal?" the barbarian asked smugly.
"It most certainly does," she replied.
No sight or sound caused Caffrine Esslos to suddenly whirl around.
It was smell.
The rank odor of the sewers of Talantier, these days stronger than ever, was quite possibly the most familiar scent the young rogue had known within her living memory, for reasons beyond even what any of her new compatriots could have guessed. The whiff of it she had just received was so faint she knew neither Saito nor Seb would have picked it up.
None of this was any comfort considering the bizarre yet terrifying sight before her.
At first glance Caffrine thought she was looking at a human boy, perhaps eight to ten years old.
The figure standing in front of the window curtains was the same height as the average human child of that age, though somewhat thinner. It was dressed in the ostentatious fashion that the nobility of Talantier sometimes clothed their young offspring, all ruffles, buttons and bows. The original blue-and-white color scheme was somewhat ruined by the dampness of sewer water and dirt that clung to the fabric, which sported numerous tears and cuts.
The mat of unkempt, filthy white hair that draped down to the figure's shoulder only partially hid the gaunt face with the maniacal smile that belonged to no human child but a fully grown halfling.
Peck was holding a straight razor, caked with dried blood, in his right hand while his left was tipping the contents of a small vial down his throat. The hobbit tossed the vial carelessly aside after draining it but Caffrine caught a glance of the red residue within and her mind flashed back to her and Lumen's earlier examination of this room.
Transmutive magic, the moon elf had called it and although Caffrine had no more idea what that meant now than she did then, she knew with certainly that it boded nothing well for her and her two companions.
The Swan Street Slicer opened his mouth but all that came out was a loud, throaty aaahh sound; unsettling proof to Caffrine that the tales she'd heard about Peck's tongue having been cut out sometime in the past were all too true.
Razor held high, Peck rushed at Caffrine; the first figure he had locked eyes with, but a sudden roar only slightly less in volume than that of the recently deceased death dog filled the bedroom as an enraged Sebastian Sanders, greatsword already in hand, intercepted the halfling.
The hobbit sidestepped the draconic warrior's vertical downswing and slashed in a horizontal arc with his razor, cutting the barbarian across his left knee. Sebastian yelled in pain as blood began trickling down his shin.
Caffrine drew her dagger and slashed at the Slicer and just caught his right forearm as he was pulling the razor back to get it into striking position again. A thin line of blood opened up but the halfling paid it no mind.
Saito Takahashi drew his katana and was just about to enter the fray when a metallic clank made him turn around again.
Auralana had just pulled a pin from the top of Baron's cage, letting the front side of it fall down to the floor. The fearsome canine wasted no time in charging out of the metal enclosure towards its mistress' three foes.
What the black mastiff lacked in extra heads or gigantic size seemed to be made up for with sheer ferocity as the dog leapt at Saito with fangs bared. Fortunately for the wood elf, the links of his chain shirt proved just enough to keep those incisors from ripping through into his flesh.
Sebastian's blade whirled around his head and came down in a circular at about a forty-five degree angle. Peck, either unaware of uncaring that the barbarian was capable of deploying such a bulky weapon so quickly, was caught unawares.
Caffrine cried out as a spray of blood washed over her from the gaping slash that suddenly appeared across Peck's chest.
Again, the only sound from the wounded hobbit was a throaty Aaahh.
Wielding his weapon two-handed, Saito fended off the slavering dog's fangs long enough to cut the creature on it's right side almost from cheek to tail. Blood and innards coated the katana's blade, but Baron was still upright, although Caffrine could see in an instant the wound was mortal.
"You!" she heard Auralana shout in a surprisingly loud voice for someone so old, "Run! Get the city guard!'
The rogue frowned to herself. Who was she yelling at? Peck? That made no sense and in any case the murderous hobbit seemed to take no notice of her mistress' command.
However, without warning the halfling shifted his attention to Saito and slashed the samurai on the back of his neck from behind just above the protection awarded him by his chain shirt. Takahashi cried out as yet more blood was spilled, although his wound seemed less serious than the ones that the Light in the Darkness had been inflicting on their enemies.
Caffrine could hear the sound of feet pounding up the stairs and drew comfort from that. She jabbed at Peck again with her dagger. The halfling blocked it with his left arm, seemingly oblivious to the new wound opened up there.
Saito continued to fend off Baron's attacks. Caffrine was just wondering if she could trust Sebastian to finish off the Slicer while she went to aid the samurai when the barbarian nearly bowled her over.
Without a single word of explanation, Sanders ran out of the room. Caffrine could hear the angry shouts and exclamations of Lumen and Dark as he rushed past them.
Understanding flooded into the young rogue's mind.
Sebastian was going to get the city guard, following the advice just given to him by the person he undoubtedly viewed as his new best friend, Lady Auralana Dromdal.
The singer with the legendary voice.
We're in trouble, she thought.
With a scream of frustration in a language Caffrine did not recognize; Nipponese, most likely, Saito thrust his katana into Baron's outstretched jaws, twisted the blade and pulled upwards and outwards.
The mastiff's face literally fell apart.
The samurai spared not a glance for Baron's body falling at his face but was whirling around to face the Swan Street Slicer again when Caffrine heard the same short musical song note she had heard earlier tonight down in the basement.
But this time it didn't come from Lumen.
There was a brief silver flash and now Saito was swaying on his feet, dazed just as the death dog had been.
Deep trouble, Caffrine amended her earlier assessment, then saw to her horror that Peck was moving to take advantage of the samurai's condition, stepping between her and Saito to do so.
Caffrine Esslos shouted at the top of her lungs and aimed her dagger at the hobbit's back.
With lightning speed Peck spun around, avoided her slash and duplicated the wound Caffrine had earlier inflicted back upon him, slicing her forearm open with the straight razor; much deeper than the cut she had given him.
Caffrine screamed and grabbed her right arm with her left hand. It was on fire- the pain was so intense she was having difficulty seeing straight.
But she was still able to see Qidarchios Sunleaf as her cousin ran into the room.
The elven bard, perhaps to make way for those following behind him, moved up further than Caffrine had been expecting; to a point where he stood directly between the Swan Street Slicer and Lady Dromdal, who still had not moved from her bed.
However, the extra movement had given Peck a split-second of opportunity and the mad halfling had not wasted it. The razor flashed again and Dark, who like Caffrine wore no armor, took the blade from his chest in a straight line up to his chin.
Fresh blood spurted.
It was a serious wound. Caffrine knew another strike would kill him.
Dark slashed wildly with his own dagger but the swing went wide.
But Caffrine was moving again; faster than she'd ever moved in her sixteen years.
Vowing not to let her cousin's sacrifice be in vain, Caffrine side-stepped so that she and Qidarchios were now flanking the Swan Street Slicer.
Peck grimaced as the rogue's dagger sunk into his left thigh. Not even the aaahh emanated from the halfling.
The only thing coming out of the hobbit's mouth now was blood.
The half-elf could now hear Ceseli Dromdal-Andronovich screaming somewhere but she couldn't see her.
What she did see was her other cousin Illumenatta Duskwind as the moon elf, longsword already in hand, dashed into the room and pulled up short, the blade already in motion.
Despite his battle rage, the hobbit's wounds were taking their toll. The Slicer wasn't moving as fast now and Lumen's blade found it's mark, a shallow stab into the halfling's chest.
Peck made to riposte at Lumen, the only unwounded member of the Light in the Darkness currently present when he saw Saito, now recovered from his daze, aim his katana directly at his neck. The hobbit dodged the blow, but Lumen now had her sword back up into parrying position.
Caffrine could now just partially make out the forms of Bjorn Sigmundson and Ceseli just outside the bedroom door, the former trying desperately to prevent the latter from entering.
"What are you doing?" Ceseli shrieked. "Stop this! Stop this right now!"
"Daughter!" Auralana responded quickly to the sound of Ceseli's voice. "Daughter, save me!"
The cleric and the noblewoman continued to struggle.
"Ceseli!" Bjorn was forced to grab both of the woman's arms and hold her fast, even though this was breaking his heart.
"It's your mother!," he yelled. "She's behind the Swan Street Slicer! She's a murderess!"
The younger Lady Dromdal shook her head wildly at him.
"You're mad!" she yelled. "That's impossible! My mother would never-"
"Ceseli!" Bjorn shouted at her. "We found your father's remains in the basement! Your mother had him killed and then fed him to the death dog! Ceseli!" he repeated when she still wouldn't stop attempting to escape his grasp, "your father is dead!"
Ceseli stopped struggling.
She stared wide-eyed at the cleric for a moment. Her mouth opened but no sound emerged.
Then her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed in a dead faint into the priest's arms.
"Smooth move, Lover Boy!" Caffrine heard Saito roar in anger.
Apparently realizing his talents were best put to use elsewhere, while still keeping his dagger ready to parry Dark stepped back and began to sing; the same battle hymn Caffrine had heard him use in the basement.
But the song lasted only a moment.
Before anyone else could react, Peck stepped forward , brushed Dark's parry aside with his left hand and slashed again with the razor in his right. The horizontal swipe cut the high elf across the chest, and the intersection where the two slashes met began to bleed profusely.
Qidarchios Sunleaf crumpled to the floor and lay still.
Caffrine screamed and plunged her dagger into Peck's chest.
The halfling pulled back, not even looking at the gaping hole in his torso that was now bleeding even worse than that of his latest victim.
Dammit! Caffrine thought. Why isn't he falling?
Then the teenager found her voice again.
"Bjorn!" she yelled. "Bjorn, we need you! Now!"
And that precise moment, another scream cut across all others.
Not knowing what she was doing, acting with no thought whatsoever, Illumenatta Duskwind extended her right hand at the Swan Street Slicer.
No spell. No tactic. No bardic music. Nothing but rage at the hobbit that had cut her cousin down.
And before the unbelieving eyes of the other members of the Light in the Darkness, a white streak of light emerged from Lumen's finger and disappeared into the halfling's chest.
A final bubble of blood burst between Peck's jaws and the Swan Street Slicer toppled over and lay still, stretched out across the various pools of blood on the floor.
Saito Takahashi, his own face contorted in rage now, cried out, raised his katana and headed towards Lady Auralana Dromdal.
But now it was the elder noblewomen who was singing.
Her voice, brittle yet somehow beautiful, shrill but still mesmerizing, flooded the room with a humming, like an audible fog.
Caffrine paid it no mind. She was moving towards Auralana as well, alongside the samurai.
She was going to gut this human monster like a pig and not feel the slightest remorse about it.
Then Saito abruptly stopped.
The rogue stopped as well.
"Saito?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
The samurai did not reply but turned towards her.
His eyes seemed oddly unfocused; he was not dazed, nor did he seem charmed like Sebastian had been, but something was without a doubt wrong with him.
The wood elf looked confused, as if he was trying to decide what to do.
The song continued, filling the room like invisible water.
"Takahashi?" Caffrine asked again. "What is it?"
Without a word Saito thrust his katana into her chest.
Caffrine felt no pain, only surprise as darkness took her.
