Martinez and Raoul readied their weapons and charms. Despite their flippant attitude towards Sardar Milan the two knew they were in for a deadly battle.

Blessed bolts crafted by the finest gnome weapon smiths, holy eladrin daggers, dwarvish tunnel fighting foot spikes , and a ceremonial spear used by the monks of the death god Blabyon were some of the weapons they readied to be used to bypass their magical hides. An amulet with a stone of Almarth embedded in it and a cloak made from a disenchanter's hide to ward against their spells. Also a variety of other weapons and wondrous items were being distributed between the pair.

"How did you smuggle those items into my party?" asked the Admiral after he returned from calming his guests.

"Magic bag of holding. "shrugged Raoul as he tested the balance of a spear. Satisfied with its weight and point, he sprinkled a vial on its tip and it glowed a soft white.

"How did you get the bag pass my detections?" queried Edmund further.

"Now, now. We can't reveal all our secrets, less we'll be out of work. " cautioned Martinez with a slight smile.

As the two finished their preparations, they promptly scaled to the roof. Martinez hopped from pillar to wall fixture like a spider as he effortlessly scaled the wall to the sky light, while Raoul produced a pair of climbing claws and slammed them into the wall methodically as he climbed.

"We have stairs you know! " complained the Admiral as the pair disappeared into the night.

When the demon hunters reached the roof, they evaluated their situation again.

Raoul smelled the air deeply and pointed to the east. Before Martinez could act on the information , the half giant held his hand up as a sign of caution. "The one we seek is east in the harbor. He's not alone. I smell a dozen more scattered around the city. There's a whole nest of them but I can't determine the exact number. I assume from the fact I've never caught their scent before they are all working together. ", commented the half giant.

"Most likely .", agreed Martinez. "Doesn't matter how many there are, our best bet is to strike them hard and fast at their lair. We'll break up their base of operation, and watch them scatter. The ones that stick around we can get rid of one at a time. The rest the guards can handle. They shouldn't be too tough if their leadership is gone."

"Oohh you've thought this over. Guess that's why you're the boss. ", said Raoul sarcastically.

"As the boss, I say its time you earned your keep. Let's get this over with while we still have the element of surprise. The one that got away will blab to his buddies. We have a short window of opportunity I think. ", noted Martinez.

"Should we get the others? ", asked Raoul as he readied a vial for consumption.

Martinez shook his head. "No. Our time is limited. We'll get them when we begin mop up. Not counting Jose, the others aren't suited for a heads up battle anyways. Besides, if we wrap this thing up in a night, I'm sure to score some points with the lovely Baroness.", the duelist replied as he readied his only vial.

Raoul rolled his eyes at the mention of the baroness.

Martinez caught the eye roll and scoffed. "Trust me, my oafish friend. She's just playing hard to get. Soon it will be .. BAM ! Pregnant! " boasted the duelist.

Raoul chuckled at the duelist's confidence then quaffed his vial. The half giant began floating in the air. He knew the potions magic would not last long, but they would remain in flight till they reached their destination.

"Enough talk. Let's do this. ", commented Martinez before the pair flew into the night.

Jimmez and the strange boy that followed him did not talk as they wandered through the city. Eventually they found the large bustling courtyard that held the caravans . It was a large cobbled field, close to the north gate , said to have hosted many duels in the past. Typically they were battles between rival mercenary captains, or champion duelists employed by various nobles that wanted a public venue for their fight. Jimmez heard that even a famous tiefling champion once slew a terrible devil swine as well as saving the city by battling against a savage barbarian lord on this very spot. Regardless of its history , the young adventurer wanted only to find this Sammy character and figure out a way to get a reward for rescuing this boy.

Jimmez saw there were several caravans in the area, and wondered where to begin. He first thought to ask systematically about Sammy but thought that might take too long. He recalled the merchant that had directed him here wore light clothing and bright clothing, in the style typical of natives of Barkwark, so decided to inquire about which caravans had come from that direction. To his delight, one caravan had recently arrived a few days ago and were almost finished unloading their supplies. This was as good a place as any to start he thought.

Jimmez eyed a few caravan guards and picked one that looked bored. "Hello sir. I am in need of some adult assistance. ", he said in his best lost child voice.

The grey haired man looked over Jimmez stiffly, but relaxed and broke into a smile after he determined he was harmless. "What can I do for you two chaps."

"This boy has lost his way, and I was told Sammy could help us. ", replied Jimmez. He thought about claiming Sammy to be a friend but ignored it for a modified version of the truth. There might be too many questions asked if he attempted to perpetrate a deception he had so little information about.

The man looked at Jimmez and shrugged. "WHELP! He shouted at the top of his lungs."

Jimmez was surprised at his loud yell, and it seemed to unnerve the boy he was escorting as well.

He immediately began a litany of babble that confused both Jimmez and the bored guard.

As Jimmez despaired at his now yammering tag along, someone barked something in the same language as the boy. Unlike the boy's speech fast almost rhythmic talk, this was more slow and deliberate. Regardless of the pace of the new speaker, the boy suddenly fell quiet.

The young demon hunter looked and saw a thin boy similar to his age he guessed. He was obviously taller than him, had the same dark olive skin as the boy that accompanied him, and had a delicate and clear complexion. What was extremely curious, was the boy was wearing a chain coif and mail shirt, while sporting a tabard similar to the caravan guard the was talking to. At his side was a club , similar to the light weight variety the army uses. Jimmez also noted he had some sort of bristly looking creature on his shoulders. It had a shorter bushy tail and seemed quite long, similar to a ferret or a weasel.

"Sammy….thank Koryis you're here and silenced this brat. These two were apparently looking for you." Drawled the bored guard.

Sammy looked over Jimmez suspiciously. "They look like street urchins sire. " he said dismissively.

Jimmez noted by the way Sammy had talked to the guard he was probably his son, he noted that they looked nothing alike. He was also insulted by the comparison given him since he wasn't a little kid, he was a demon hunter. To have some whelp who was pretending to be a guard make such an ill judgement of him got him mad. He began to unleash some choice words on this kid, when suddenly his young tag along companion began spouting off his tongue, though this time in a more controlled and less noisy manner.

Sammy listened and held out his hand a few times. Jimmez guessed he was signalling him to slow down. The strange creature on his shoulders easily jumped into the smaller boys arms , and Jimmez half expected it to bite him. Instead the boy seemed to familiar with that particular breed of animal , and calmly petted it while talking to Sammy. After a few minutes, and from what the young demon hunter could tell , some repetition by the now sedate boy, Sammy finally nodded considered his words for a second and smiled.

"My Vedic is rusty, but I got the gist of what he was saying. ", explained the young guard. "This is Lally . Lally has been staying with his uncle and some how got lost . Something about backwards rakes or some foolishness like that . Anyways, Lally was lost, ran afoul to some ruffians who beat and chased him. That's where you stepped in I guess. Lally says he will reward us handsomely if we get him back to his uncle."

Jimmez's eyes grew wide at the mention of a handsome reward. Judging by the boy's manner of dress he guessed they were minor nobles. Perhaps he would be given fifty maybe one hundred gold for his safe return. Then suddenly he paused and looked at Sammy coldly. "Wait…reward …"US"…what's this us bit? I just met you. You ain't getting anything. "

Sammy smirked. "Listen shorty. We both know Lally has no idea where he is or more importantly where he lives, you won't be able to get him back to his uncle without my help and I'm not about to do this out of the goodness of my heart. I'm not helping unless I get a 50/50 cut of the reward. ", stated the young guard plainly.

Jimmez fumed. He called him shorty. He hated when people did that. He was also trying to muscle into his hard earned cash. Jimmez didn't see this punk stop those bullies. Also for some reason he was really annoyed to see this boy in a caravan uniform. He guessed his father must have given him a pretend role to keep him quiet and out of trouble. He seriously doubt he had any real combat experience. Somehow his little dress up game really irked him. He wasn't sure why, but maybe it was due to the fact Jimmez had fought real battles but was never given armor and weapons by Martinez. "Listen you scammer. I'll find someone else to help me. No way I'm giving you half my coin to some brat who plays pretend guard ! " barked Jimmez .

"FINE! Get lost then pipsqueak ! Go beat up some more little kids to impress Lally. Good luck finding someone else who speaks his tongue. "sniped Sammy in return.

The boy named Lally appeared to look hopeful initially but quickly deduced his chances of being returned to his uncle had rapidly disappeared. He began bawling loudly while sobbing more of his gibberish tongue.

The bored guard rolled his eyes at the arguing boys. "Quiet you three ! Master Kirgi will be pissed if you keep raising your voice. He doesn't like it when he's disturbed while feeding his dolphin." He said angrily.

The three boys all stopped at the bored guards demand. Lally stifled a sob but looked as if he was on the edge of tears. Jimmez did not like this Sammy punk, but he also didn't want Lally to suffer. He guessed the young boy was his responsibility and he would have to swallow his pride if he was to see this thing through. "Wait…did he say dolphin. Oh never mind 60/40…since I did most of the work. "offered Jimmez finally.

Sammy considered his offer then nodded. "Agreed. Let's get Lally home. The sooner I get paid the better."

Jimmez scoffed at the young guard's mercenary attitude . "Yes, the sooner I get paid the sooner I get to see the Menagerie. " added the young demon hunter wishfully.

"Oh … that place. It's really interesting. I saw it yesterday …without paying I might add. " replied Sammy enthusiastically. All signs of their previous argument vanished as the two boys found some common ground.

"Hmmm? " asked the bored guard catching only a few bits of their conversation, but hearing enough to suspect shenanigans from the young guard. Sammy in return beckoned his two new companions away from his prying ears. "None of your buisness father. ", he said dismissively.

The guard smiled and waved at him then continued his most likely boring duties.

When they finally got out of ear shot Jimmez thought over Sammy's statement. It was an intriguing prospect. Considering the cost of admission, the young adventurer doubted that Sammy's ticket was paid for by his lackadaisical father, the young demon hunter suspected something underhand was afoot. Something that also sounded intriguing. Lally on the other hand , followed simply content to pet the odd creature in his arms.

"I found a way to sneak into the old building , and I got to see it for free. ", boasted the young guard with a snicker.

Jimmez was dubious of the statement. "Wait, even if you did find a way to sneak in. Aren't there any magical wards ? "

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm just saying , your story is a bit far fetched. The place houses magical monsters, I would think they would at least have some form of magical defenses." Explained Jimmez from a position of authority, after all he was the professional demon hunter here, not some lowly pretend guard.

Sammy laughed. The tall olive skinned boy reached out and messed Jimmez's hair. "Look Pipsqueak. The night is still young. How about I show you how I snuck in before we return Lally back home. "

Jimmez only wanted his reward, but the thought of seeing the Menagerie without paying intrigued him. Raoul had a saying, "Why kill one imp when you can kill two imps with one boulder. ", it sounded silly but here it was looking him in the eye. Free admission while keeping his reward certainly seemed like a sweet deal. He was certain that after he parted ways from Lally he would have nothing else do with the smug Sammy later. "Sure…what's the worse that could happen?" Smiled the young demon hunter.

This was the worse thing that could happen thought Stille as she stared into the darkness. Not only had the Rakshasa followed her, but it also had gained the tactical advantage with the darkness. Added to the fact her only ally here was Sir Jose, the one she trusted the least from her party, made the entire situation far from ideal. Jose was a fair warrior, but he was not as versatile as Raoul or even Martinez , he would be nearly useless in this dark veil.

Stille's thoughts flashed randomly about her insecurities, but her focus return as the room exploded into panic. A scream from one of the waitresses punctuated the chaos. There were a few guardsman at the tavern ,but their pleas for everyone to remain calm was drowned by shouts and blood curdling screams. Stille's vision was superior to a human or even a dwarf's in the supernatural darkness but at best she could only see the dark outlines of figures. She had no clue the number or the direction of the attack.

The priestess attempted to dispel the darkness around with her magic. She felt the spell begin to unravel but her discordant mind failed to dismiss the expertly crafted spell around her.

"How many are there? ", the priestess shouted as she scanned hopelessly around the room. Stille knew Jose's special paladin vision could detect evil but only in the general area. It was far from accurate when used as an ability to see unless one concentrated for roughly 15 to 20 seconds, time he most likely would not have. It was an overrated ability but the one that unnerved Stille the most. Even when she confronted him in the tavern she caught him staring at her like she was some kind of blight. Stille could ignore his annoying habit of attempting to talk like an aristocrat but she absolutely loathed his subtle stares. Despite her reservations about his power, it should be able to identify the number of their attackers she thought.

"I see a two dozen evil presences. ", replied the paladin through the confusion.

Stille shook her head . " I mean how many greater evil presences, I don't care about the people who cheat on their wives, or steal from orphans right now. " she growled in frustration as another scream punctuated the darkness.

"Two. One on the roof one directly in front of me. " answered Jose nearby.

"I'm the one in front of you !", spat Stille as she once again silently cursed the paladin's vision. She knew it was just another one of his calculated slights directed at her, but it still chipped away at her ego. As she fumed at the paladin, a sharp pain tore through her shoulder which cause her to falter and almost fall. She inspected her wound with her fingers and felt something metallic had struck her.

"Oh. Sorry…right. ", mumbled Jose oblivious to the blow that had struck the priestess.

Stille gritted her teeth and stumbled towards what she thought was Sir Jose. She grasped his shoulder and half expected him to swat her with his blade in retaliation. He didn't and she began to lead him away. "We can't fight it here, we need to get to the courtyard." , she gasped as something sharp struck her in the leg.

"Food…should not try…to escape. ", whispered the darkness around her in rough common.

Stille fell, but the paladin caught her. He wasn't as big as Raoul but he was very strong, and easily supported her as she guided him out of bedlam in the tavern .

As they advanced , Stille through her pain blurred eyes saw something swiftly move directly in front of them, barring their path. She wasn't sure if it was just a stumbling patron or the monster, but her question was quickly answered as she heard a grunt of pain from Jose. She knew her options were short so released a burst of holy smite directly before her, she could have attempted to randomly aim behind the shadow creature, but was unsure if its spell resistance would prevail or her targeting would fail. While most clerics of Koryis, and most people in fact were immune to this divine energy, Stille knew she would be affected by the holy light, a fact that plainly reminded her of the dark blood that festered inside of her.

She channeled her will through her prayer and the area before her was briefly illuminated from the strike. She briefly saw a tiger headed man dressed in dark silks recoil from the light , before she herself was consumed by it. Her eyes burned and her skin cracked. She guessed she would have been thrown aside like a rag doll if Jose was not supporting her.

She wasn't sure what happened next as her eyes slowly recovered .

She felt Jose toss her forward, and she wondered in her daze if the knight was sacrificing her to make good his escape. Instead of being struck down by the Rakshasa she flew past it and landed in the dirt in the courtyard. Through her blurred vision she saw the knight and the tiger man exchange a few blows. The creature appeared to be quite skilled and easily disarmed Jose with its swift claws.

Instead of surrendering or retreating though, Jose uttered a deafening battle cry that silenced the entire inn.

"Que viva la Daro Raza!" was all she heard followed by a similar roar of challenge from the tiger spirit.

A few seconds later Stille's eyes and senses had returned fully. She saw she was lying in a patch of herbs . Something akin to oddly shaped throwing irons were embedded in her leg and shoulder. Nearby Sir Jose was grappling with a tiger headed man. She saw the paladin had tackled the unsuspecting Rakshasa. Though he wasn't as strong as Raoul, besides her departed husband there were few men that could matched the athletic knight's strength.

Although Stille had only seen the knight battle evil with his blade and shield, she was surprised at how remarkably adept he was with his bare hands. She had learned the basics of grappling and pummeling from her uncle Frank and appreciated the techniques he was using. Though he couldn't penetrate its skin, the paladin was painfully manipulating its joints. She suspected the creature was stronger than Jose, but the knight's skill easily leveraged his own strength , while he incapacitated his foe's power. She had heard of North Darokin freestyle fighting or Daro Lucha, but had never seen it in battle till now.

Jose first mounted his opponent while it was on his back, after a few heavy slaps to daze it , he began raining his elbows onto its head. As the creature claws and thrashed in return, he briefly released it only to seize it from behind in a heavy hug as it attempted to scramble up. After a painful few seconds of squeezing, the paladin grabbed one of its arms, and used it to leverage pressure onto the creature's neck, thus avoiding the beast's lethal bite. As the monster struggled again to free itself, Jose began applying pressure to it in the lower back with his knees. The force did little to the spirit, but allowed Jose to force it again to the ground. In a flash, the paladin then wrapped his arms around the creature's head, and ran forward stretching its neck in the process. Before it could bite the paladin in retaliation, Jose had taken a few steps, then leaped forward with the creature's head still in his grasp and fell to the ground almost causing it's neck to snap.

The creature was in pain but was not out of the fight. It snarled bestially and its hands crackled with a blue aura of lightning. Stille saw this and uttered a quick prayer to Jose . The Rakshasa scrambled forwards and met the knight head on again. It looked as though if it would shock Jose to death, but Stille's prayer held and the electricity passed through him harmlessly.

Even though it still scored deep wounds with its claws, the creature was surprised as it's lightning enchantment had no effect. Jose seized the advantage by grabbing its head in both his hands then forcing it down, while simultaneously driving his knee into its head. The blow would normally break a man's nose or split his forhead but it simply caused the monster to cross its eyes in pain and confusion.

"Take that you stupid gato. ", spat Jose as the stunned creature .

Stille eyes had a moment to focus and noticed where the paladin's sword was on the ground. She recalled seeing that during the struggle with the beast, he had either dropped his weapon or was more likely disarmed by the creature. Whatever the reason , she scrambled towards his blade and was careful to grab it by its hilt, less the blessed blade burned her hands.

"Catch Jose! ", she shouted as she thew the well crafted but simple blade at him in a slow spinning arc.

Jose deftly timed the weapon and easily caught it. He then channeled his divine energy into the weapon causing it to burst into holy flames. Though clerics were more skilled at manipulating divine energy to preform prayers and miracles , paladins on the other hand were noted for their ability to channel the same energy through their weapons with devastating effect.

The Rakshasa's eyes grew wide in fear as it sensed that not even its supernaturally tough hide could withstand the weapon. Even though it wasn't a piercing weapon , it blazed with might as it came crashing down onto its head.

The courtyard fell silent as the spirit began to rapidly dissolve in front of them. A brief round of clapping followed by a roar of applause soon greeted the victorious paladin. Stille guessed more than a few patrons witnessed the titantic battle and were now cheering their champion. Though she had her reservations about him, she couldn't deny him this great victory and soon began clapping and cheering as well.

"Gannador victoria gannador ! ", he shouted to their exaltations while raising his arms and playing up to the crowd. As the knight basked in his glory he then noticed Stille and quickly turned red. For a second she saw that stare again and Stille turned away. Instead of giving her a look of disgust or pity, he dismissed his Darokin accent and mannerisms, and ran to her side .

"Are you alright m'lady . I should have attend to you sooner, but my pride caused a lapse in my judgement. " apologized Jose once again in his fake speech patterns. " I'm sorry you had to see that, but I sometimes revert to the my people's national fighting style when disarmed. It's a bad habit that shames the teaching of my master Sir Rollo."

Regardless of his stare, Stille smiled as she had new respect for the man after this great victory. He accomplished what she couldn't and killed the Rakshasa. She swiftly healed any major wounds they had received with magic.

As she performed her prayers of mending , once again her mind was casting doubts into her thoughts. Was she wrong about him, was his veiled threats just a part of her troubled mind? After her husband died, she had always felt a little lonely and empty, but she had for the most part been able to suppress her feelings. Since returning to Grom City though, memories of the early days with her husband had flooded her with nostalgic thoughts. Thoughts that made her mistrust herself, and to see enemies that weren't there. Was she guilty of transposing her fears onto the paladin?

"That's quite alright. The glory is yours. ", she said finally at last.

Despite her affirmation there was still something bothering him. "I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to stare..its just that….", began Jose but his voice trailed off.

"No apologies are needed. My mind has been wandering the last few days, I see slights directed at me when they aren't there. I should be the one apologizing to you. ", Stille said humbly.

Jose shook his head, he then took a sudden step and stood directly before the priestess. Stille gasped as he suddenly brushed his armored fingers against her face softly. She felt a small wave of healing flood into her as his fingers touched her cheek. "Your face was marred by these deep wounds. Its a crime to distort such gentle natural beauty. That's why I was staring. ", stated the paladin . Stille then recalled the superficial slash she had received earlier but chose not to heal. She grew red with embarrassment as well…and felt something stir in her that she hadn't felt in awhile.

Jose lingered briefly before her then he reluctantly drew back. "You were saying something about gathering the boys?" , he asked with a sigh finally.