Martinez fell backwards into his chair and rolled off in a smooth motion as the room descended into anarchy. The two dark silk figures had dropped whatever illusion or camouflage that hid them and fell amongst the people below when their subterfuge was revealed. A scimitar descended where the duelist's head was a few seconds ago but Martinez was well and away. The duelist noted that the other attacker was caught mid-air by Raoul and had his momentum painfully reversed and slammed into a table. Fine silver , rare flowers, and elegant crystal decanters were smashed and shattered from the impact. Scents and aromas normally reserved for the rich was splashed about as if it were a common bar brawl.
"Guards ! Save the Sardar! ", shouted the Admiral as he placed himself between the Vinnraj noble and the other assassin. Martinez was surprised that Edmund would place himself in such danger, especially for a self-professed merchant, unless of course his wealth was as fabulous as he claimed.
Martinez noted that the remaining assassin eyed Milan but also looked up to the roof . Was he thinking of escape or perhaps reinforcements, wondered the duelist. Regardless of his goal , the duelist revealed his hidden Arbalest from his sleeve. It had a light weight stock with dual retractable arms, to make it easily hidden , and Martinez had surprised more than one foe with his sudden ability to spring it into action. The duelist swiftly aimed and fired the weapon , the bolt striking his indecisive foe in the throat sending him sprawling to the ground.
As the duelist dispatched his foe, the assassin that Raoul had caught should have had his back broken and taken out of the battle from such a slam, but instead he hopped onto the table and hissed in animalistic fury as he attempted to find his bearings. The half giant was not impressed and grabbed a smashed bottle and impaled its face with it. His attacker weaved and avoided a direct hit, but the jagged glass still managed to slash his face.
The assassin roared in anger and Martinez saw that his face glimmered and faded into the visage of a hawk. The beast screeched and threw itself at Raoul. The half giant reacted by summoning a staff made of pure force and swung it full force at his attacker. The staff struck the bird man in the side, but it did not stop its jump. The creature fell into Raoul and began savagely pecking and raking him with it's beak and talons.
At that moment the guards that were waved away earlier burst into the room. They were shocked at what they saw , but quickly recovered and attempted to subdue the beast creature with their standard issue military clubs. Though Raoul and the assassin thrashed around the ground wildly, the guards strikes were precise as they battered the hawk man on the head and back.
"Asura ! ", shouted Sardar Milan finally, as the Admiral attempted to usher him out of the room. Martinez recalled from his brief knowledge of the Vedic tongue, that it meant evil spirit of some sort. Were these creatures Rakshasas? If they were , why did that one have a hawk head? He had only encountered cat headed ones in the past. Were there various types he was unaware of?
Before he could analyze a solution, Martinez's body suddenly bolted forwards, more out of instinct then thought. The assassin he supposedly dispatched earlier with a bolt in the throat ,got up and unleashed twin rays of flame at where the duelist was standing. His years of battle experience and training had narrowly saved him from a fiery fate. The duelist fired another shot at his foe, but it easily dodged the shot. Martinez saw that his opponent was far from dead, and was already leaping around the now burning room.
Martinez recalled that if their foes were Rakshasas then they would be hard to kill. It was bad enough they were shape changers, incredibly swift, skilled at arms, and competent magicians, but the fact that most magic deflected harmlessly off of them , and they needed specialized weapons to hurt made them dangerous opponents indeed. The duelist shot his foe earlier with a simple magic bolt , but obviously that had no effect. His mind scrambled to recall what he used to slay the last pair of Rakshasas he faced. It was such a pain to keep track of all the various types of weapon combos he frowned.
Martinez's mind raced. Cold iron? No that was mainly for fey and minor demons. Silver? No that was for lycanthropes and minor devils, though he did note the creature on Raoul was similar to a were bird of some sort. The duelist dismissed the notion as he remembered it was an odd combination. Holy silver? No that would be too obvious and didn't ring a bell.
Martinez scrambled as another pair of fiery rays were directed at him. He evaded one easily but the other caught him in the haunch. Although his leather garments absorbed some of the flames, he still felt his skin burn . He faced worse when he had to catch a pack of escaped nessian hounds last year, but knew he wouldn't be able to take another strike like that. He scolded himself for his poor memory. It was true that Rakshasas were not commonly encountered in the wilds of Grom, but he should of written down their weaknesses or something. He laughed at himself as he realized it was a point he had stressed to Jimmy in his training.
Wait..that was it. Pointy weapons, specifically blessed ones. Holy piercing weapons were needed recalled Martinez as yet another barrage of fire was directed at him. This time however , he was prepared and skillfully dodged them as they scorched and ignited the Admiral's sitting room.
As the duelist evaded the fires of his attacker, the hawk headed monster rose from the still form of Raoul and struck the guards battering him. One cruel talon tore through the armored torso of one guard and spilled his guts onto the floor, while the other slashed the other guard deeply across the arm, almost severing it. The creature screeched in victory as it turned it's attention to the defiant Admiral and cowering Sardar.
Martinez saw this and saw an opportunity. He turned his attention away from his own attacker and swiftly loaded two holy bolts into his trusty Arbalest. Though they were blessed by the demon blooded Stille , Martinez had no doubts about their effectiveness. Besides her eye catching good looks, she was one of the staunches allies he had ever had against the demons he often faced. As the hawk man attempted to pounce on both the Admiral and Sardar, the prone Raoul as expected, suddenly lunged and seized its foot. The creature then saw Martinez fire and attempted to leap away, but it stumbled but remained in place from the half giant's grip. The duelist's bolts struck it in the chest and stomach, it's eyes grew wide in pain and disbelief , as the missiles tore through its feathered hide. It's body seized up and collapsed to the ground as rivers of blood began flowing freely from its wounds.
The other assassin looked in horror and shock at its slain companion. Instead of pressing its attack , it intoned a spell and began levitating off the ground. Martinez reloaded his weapon and aimed at the creature as it flew to the roof and the waiting skylight . He hesitated his shot, as the assassin loosed a bolt of lightning from its vantage point. It was an inaccurate wide area spell, but fortunately more of the Admiral's guards that had arrived and a military mage intercepted the spell and dispelled it harmlessly before it could do more harm. The creature howled like some form of ice ape before vanishing into the night.
"Get up you big oaf. I don't pay you to lie around. ", smiled Martinez jokingly to his bloody but still mobile friend as the guards quickly extinguished the burning room.
"Aww…I was just setting up the shot for you. I know you're a bad shot so I was trying to keep him still. ", yawned the half giant as he picked himself off the ground. Several clerics began treating his bloody but superficial wounds.
"Your reputations are well founded I see. ", approved Admiral Edmund as he surveyed the damage.
"I admit they are competent, but one escaped .", noted Sardar Milan. His terrified panic was once again replaced by his calculating demeanor.
Martinez chuckled before facing the Vinnraj noble. "First off , are we hired or not? ", demanded the duelist .
Milan scowled but reluctantly agreed. "I dislike your tone Grommer, but I concede I do not have the Ivory lady or other more refined Rakshasa slayers at my disposal. You are hired."
Martinez bowed. "Excellent. You will be billed my regular rate. ", lied the duelist as he intended to charge as much as he could get away with. "Secondly, it did not escape. We let it go. How else will we track it to it's lair. ", he added with a sly smile.
Jimmez smiled slyly. His little show tantrum had the desire effect. He was able to ditch the paladin and allowed to wander the streets freely on his own. He knew mention of drink would convince both Raoul and Jose to go to the party, a simple palming trick was all it took to ensure he drew the short straw. Even if for some reason Martinez dragged him along, Jimmez was ready to feign fatigue or boredom. The young apprentice knew exactly what strings to pull on his elders to get the desired effect. For Lady Stille he would always play up the defiant orphan act. For Raoul , the clean cut boy that would do something twice if asked once. Martinez was easy, he just had to flatter him and appeal to his vanity. He even called himself Jimmez to flatter his master. As for Jose, it was just a matter of acting petulant and spoiled. The knight did not handle "baby sitting" well. The young boy remained both faithful and grateful to his masters but he saw the need once in a while to manipulate them to his own ends.
Jimmez grew up in the small Barony of Veb. Though he loved the rustic charm of the rural fief, the sights, smells, and sounds of the Capital was overwhelming . Ever since they arrived at Grom City , the young demon hunter was dazzled by all he encountered. They were only here for a short while , slaying a demon for the navy and securing future contracts, but the young boy was mesmerized and wanted to experience more. From the seedy gambling parlors, the wondrous parks and gardens of the nobility , the grand military monuments, and even the bustling merchant district, there was just so much in the city to discover. It was only a matter of time that he began making secret forays into the night to explore these wonders by himself. If it meant deceiving his masters then so be it. Jimmez knew it was wrong to lie , but he rationalized that it didn't hurt anyone. Besides, Jimmez was sure he could take care of himself. After all, how many other 13 year old boys had dispatched an ogre, several dretch demons, a half dozen feral goblins and even a dreaded stirge.
The night was young and the young Demon hunter was determined to see the marvels of Porlock the Warlock's Menagerie. It was rumored to be a tourist side show, but that didn't matter to the boy. He had heard it contained all sorts of wondrous creatures , both mundane , magical and planar , from around the world and across the planes. Thoughts of seeing a gaseous flumph, a fearsome dire corby, or even a massive froghemoth danced in his head as he made his way there. Although his apprentice allowance was a pittance, Jimmez was sure he had enough funds to pay for entry . Though he might have attempted to sneak in, he doubt his training allowed him to evade any magical defense that the zoo might contain.
The boy trekked across town to an old warehouse in the lower merchant district. The massive building loomed, dark and old, and appeared that it had seen better days. Regardless of its state, Jimmez was resloved to gaze at its hidden wonders. "One child admittance. ", declared the boy proudly as he walked up to the entry booth.
An odd looking , almost construct appearing humanoid was manning the booth . He looked at the young demon hunter dismissively. "One Platinum crown. ",he declared almost mechanically.
"Wha…what? That's crazy! ", declared Jimmez in shock. He expected to pay a silver, which was a laborer's daily wage , and was prepared to go up to a gold, but a platinum piece was ridiculous.
"Move along child. This zoological marvel wasn't meant for commoners. ", replied the construct .
Jimmy was at a loss of words as he stormed off. He was so close to see the wonders of the world only to be turned back by lack of funds. He doubted he could manipulate this golem or construct and he considered his options carefully. It would be easy enough to steal the funds , but that was against everything he believed in. Though he admitted he dabbled in roguish behavior, theft was clearly a taboo he had not crossed yet. He wondered if he could find Jose and beg for the money, but the boy had his pride. Maybe he could go to the gambling dens and bet on the hell hound or cockatrice fights to raise the funds. He found them boring but he also admitted he had a talent to pick a winner.
As the young demon hunter pondered his next move, he was distracted by loud shouts from down the street. Curiosity got the best of him as he scampered to see the source of the commotion.
Jimmez was surprised to see a small mob of teenagers chasing what appeared to be a young dark skinned boy. The boy was thin, and smaller than the short Jimmez. He would guess his age to be ten or eleven from his appearance. His clothes looked expensive but currently they were dirty, ragged and recently torn. Judging by his soft appearance Jimmez guessed he was an aristocrat of some sort, but right now he looked bruised, frightened, and confused. Several adults saw this , but did not seem to care. Boys will be boys they thought.
"This is better than playing "Beat the tiefling with a stick" ! Let's teach this no good foreigner a lesson! ", declared a youth with a big misshapen nose. Jimmez frowned upon such a sentiment. Lady Stille was one of the people he admired the most in the world. She had given him opportunities and trust when others dismissed her. She was also to his knowledge a tiefling, those with demon blood, and it infuriated him that people would treat her people in such a way.
"Get out of Grom! Go back to your mamma! ", shouted his skinny friend with the over-sized adams apple. Jimmez scoffed at the inane comment. He was sure the poor boy wanted nothing better to leave and return to his mother. The bullies however ,in their misguided rage ,were barring his path not expediting his departure.
"I bet he has coin! ", blurted a chubby girl with gaudy curls. Jimmez's eyes turned to platinum crowns.
At the mention of coin Jimmez knew he had to act. Though Lady Stille often told him to take what Martinez told him with a grain of salt, the duelist's mantra of "if you are good at something, you should be paid for it" seemed to ring true .
Jimmez sprang into action and pursued the mob. With an athletic leap, a daring spring, and an acrobatic somersault he managed to land between the harried boy and his attackers.
"That's far enough. Leave this innocent child alone! ", threatened the young demon hunter with a curl on his lip. Jimmez had watched some thespians say something along these lines in a play that Lady Stille had dragged him to. The young boy thought it a funny line and had practiced to imitate it, much to Martinez's approval.
Despite his small size his intimidating presence and dramatic entrance gave the mob pause The much larger, big nosed youth was unimpressed as he reached behind him and pulled out a knife. "Outta the way shrimp, or I'll gut you gud. ", he said to the approval of his peers.
Jimmez stared at the weapon and chuckled. " Is that suppose to be scary?", he asked as he recalled all the monsters and demons he had encountered since he began his apprenticeship.
The big nosed youth snarled , and began slashing the air in wide arcs to prove how serious he was. As the youth neared his new victim, Jimmez walked into his blow after a wide slash and punched his fist into the youth's elbow. The blow stunned the knife wielder causing him to drop the blade, which Jimmez promptly caught . He then stepped back and examined his new acquired weapon.
"A bit crude, I've seen goblins make better.", he commented nonchalantly as he then began to twirl the knife , effortlessly and almost too fast for the eye to follow with his fingers. After several seconds of showmanship, he tossed the knife back to the big nosed youth.
The youth absently caught the dagger . "Here you go try again. ", stated Jimmez before he rabbit punched him twice in swift succession to the side, then followed with a slam from the top of his head to the taller boy's chin.
The youth yelped in pain and turned to seek help. None came however as his gang quickly scattered and abandoned him. The big nosed youth decided that was the correct course of action and swiftly followed his "friends".
Jimmez then turned to find the smaller dark skinned boy cowering in a corner watching him in both fear and curiosity. "Don't worry friend, I've taken care of those …ummm….varlets for you. ", declared the young demon hunter as he considered what his master Martinez would say in this instance.
The dark skinned boy paused before running forward and hugging Jimmez. Tears streamed down his face as he began sobbing. " Blah blah blah Blablah blah Lalit Blah Blah Blah Rakshasa blah blah"
Jimmez stared at him blankly in return. "Huh?"
Stille regarded the possible weretiger in confusion. Why did his fellows flee? Were they after whoever escaped the palanquin? Why was he or she so important?
Before she could sort out her thoughts, the creature before her dropped his guise and assumed his presumed true form. It appeared to be humanoid with a bestial southern tiger face . It dropped its scimitar, and despite its oddly shaped backward hands , it extended long deadly claws to face her.
"Look out! It's a striped toothless tiger man! ", shouted an observer alongside one of the streets.
Though her situation was dire, Stille permitted herself a chuckle. Most Grommers were accustomed to saber tooth tigers, and seldom saw the yellow striped southern variety. The weretiger was not impressed though. It turned towards the direction of the comment and unleashed a cone of fire towards the street. While most of the buildings were magically reinforced stone, several observers were ignited and screamed in pain from the pyrotechnic attack.
Stille was shocked at the careless violence of the creature and sprang quickly forward at it with her blade . The creature however proved quicker and easily evaded her blow. It turned around and lashed at the priestess with its claws, but she managed to block its strike with her shield. Stille then followed up with an indirect sweep with her forward leg hoping to trip the creature up. The weretiger saw through her hidden attack and hopped back safely out of range before she connected.
"You are good …human….but human are ….food …just food. ", it said in choppy common.
Stille took great offense at his comment. Not because she was referred to as human, but for its murderous attitude and statement. She attempted to summon a spiritual weapon to aid her, but the creature charged her as it closed the distance once again and broke her concentration.
Stille attempted to block again with her shield, but the beast rolled towards her right side at the last moment. Before she could react and shift to meet his new position, the creature lashed out at her sword arm , rending armor and flesh with its strike.
Stille stumbled back in pain, and was surprised that her foe had not pressed its advantage against her. She instead watched the beast play and taste the blood on its claw. It smiled and almost purred as it watched the priestess bleed.
"Not …human…..", It commented in amusement, in its choppy version of the common tongue.
Stille took the brief break in combat and intoned a healing prayer on herself. The monster currently had the upper hand, but she was determined to hold out till the militia arrived. She wasn't sure if they would be enough, but she understood she was a poor opponent for her foe. As the priestess's wounds mended the creature realized what she was doing and waved its hands dismissively at her.
A volley of magical missiles struck the priestess and staggered her. She attempted to raise a shield spell to deflect any further such attacks, but the creature disrupted her enchantment with a burst of dispelling magic.
Stille knew her options was dwindling and knew her situation was dire. What was this creature? Definitely not a weretiger, upon reflection she recalled they were significantly larger than humans while the creature before her was clearly man size. Although it was rare for weretigers to employ magic , if they did they were generally neophytes in its mastery. This creature and its fellows however seemed to be masters at their craft. It was like some sort of demonic version of were tiger.
Stille suddenly realized what she was facing. It was one of those cannibalistic spirits from the far eastern Lands of Mystery. The name escaped her but she recalled they were creatures that changed shape, were resistant to magic and weapons, and were skilled arcane masters. As the priestess came to the conclusion of her foe's identity, the creature slipped past her defenses and struck her across the head with its backwards hand. Its claws raked and tore her face as she screamed in pain. Stille fell to the ground from the blow and struggled to crawl to her feet.
*BANG*
A chorus of thunder rang out across the street. Stille looked up and saw a detachment of Royal guardsmen had arrived. There were two dozen of them and their first rank had just unleashed a deadly volley from their famous dragon golems . Unlike the ill trained and poorly equipped town militia, the Royal guard were a feared force known throughout Grom. Armored in silvery breast plates while wearing red tabards, they were the city's elite force. They were founded after the siege of Grom City nearly a hundred years ago, and were formed to battle any invaders or monsters that dared attack the citizens of the Capital.
The cat spirit screeched as it was struck multiple times by the guardsman. It stumbled briefly then vanished from sight. Stille noted that she felt the uncomfortable presence of multiple blessed weapons in the area. Even though she wielded a holy blade, Stille's abyssal heritage made her sensitive to being in close proximity of divine weapons. Though she wielded pure divine energy, due to her nature she was also vulnerable to them. The priestess recalled that although her blade did not pierce her opponent's skin the holy fire surrounding it did burn it slightly, she reasoned that the Royal Guard must have employed similar attacks against the spirit.
"Are you all right ma'am?", asked the lead guardsman as it examined the area for signs of their vanished target. " We would have fired earlier, but you were in the way. "
"Thank you sir. I was lucky you arrived in time. ", gasped Stille as she healed her wounds again. Though her face was badly cut, it was a superficial wound and she concentrated mostly on her wounded side and sword arm. A cleric amongst the guard offered to heal her wounds, but she waved them off and directed them to the wounded amongst the smouldering building.
"No, we arrived too late it seems. We were under orders by Admiral Edmund to follow the Nashput contingent from a safe distance and provide additional security . We saw the attack but we arrived too late it seems. I see no sign of the Prince Lalit. ", stated the worried guardsman as he examined the slain body guards and the abandoned palanquin.
Stille shook her head as she attempted to piece together the information given her. " He escaped. He is alive for now, but I doubt how long he will remain so. Three maybe four others pursued him as he ran. Hopefully he reaches your detachment or some other safe point", she noted.
The guardsman looked at each other and shook their heads. "Doubtful. From my briefings I've been told the Prince is but a child, and worse still he does not know our tongue. We'll bring the full might of the militia and guard to find him though. Thank you for your assistance, but we'll take over from here. "
Stille considered his words but knew the boy's fate was doomed. Despite the Royal Guardsman's best intentions , they were mostly human and it was getting dark. If the attack occurred earlier then there would be a chance they could find him swiftly in the daylight. The darkness however would delay any rescue and play towards their foes strengths. She doubted the boy would survive the night if left on his own. It was not her fight, but she was determined to help him.
She realized she lacked the skills to track the boy, and from her recent defeat she was incapable of defeating his pursuers. However, she knew a band of demon hunters that could.