Rajah Mogombo's ears perked up, and he emitted a low growl. The Rakshasa lord clad in dark silks crouched in a battle stance sensing something was amiss. He was in the middle of a busy street and the human cattle around him seemed startled by his reaction and backed slowly away .
The night's hunt had gone poorly. His chances for recovering the Prince's heart seemed to be growing slimmer by the hour. Without the heart he was doomed to stay in his current form, with the heart he could become a rare Maharajah or perhaps even a Rakshasa demi god of some sorts. It had been his goal for a while now, but he had always failed to obtain it. As his frustration grew, he discovered a conflicting scent that clawed at his memory. This new aroma had distracted him enough that it made any attempt to track Prince Lalit down impossible. Even worse was that now while he was at the faltering cusp of success, the alarms outside of his sanctuary had been set off. Someone had discovered and infiltrated his sanctuary.
This of course both infuriated the Rakshasa lord and gave him a second of pause. If his lair has been discovered would the humans mount a full scale assault on him soon? Unlike the cattle of Vinnraj, this Grom City possessed a number of dangerous individuals. Though it looked like a human city , there were various creatures that somehow masked themselves and placed themselves in this country's noble courts. A hierarchy that the Rajah wished was installed in his own native lands. Was the reason he was discovered due to a chance encounter or where the fore mentioned creatures actively seeking him out? Most importantly, at least to Mogombo's eyes, did one of his subordinates betray him? Though Kitahria was one of his more useful servants she was also very willful . There had also already been minor hints and complaints that this expedition to this foreign land was folly. Most of his small minded minions did not understand the prophecy and could not relate to the reasons why the Rakshasa lord had moved the bulk of his court to this half frozen wasteland.
Mogombo seethed, regardless of the reason for the alarm. He could not simply flee, but he needed to discover how his lair was exposed, and if there were traitors in his midst. Afterwards he could retreat and relocate.
As the Rakshasa lord decided his course of action a cracked voice brought him to the present. He was still on the street now being gawked at by curious human cattle. "Are you ok mister? We heard that hissing.", asked a nervous youth that had attempted to calm the gathered crowd.
Mogombo considered his response, but decided his fate was sealed. He had been discovered and there was no need for subterfuge. The Rakshasa lord raised his hand and it warped to reveal a hideous paw. He then swiped at the youth several times, slashing his chest and throat with deep cuts.
"Everything is not all right! ", growled the Rakshasa lord.
Panic gripped the Grommers as they fled in fear from his presence.
Lally screamed in fear as the klaxons sounded around them.
"Look at what you've done! "shouted Sammy as the tall young guard seemed confused at the result of their actions.
"What I've done? What I've done!? You're the one who told me this place wasn't warded. What do you call this you idiot know it all! ", shouted Jimmez in return at his smug companion.
"Lally and I got in here just fine, or did you not see that! I was you that triggered this. ", declared the normally fair faced but now angry youth. Even though his skin was an olive hued, Jimmez could still see him grow red with ire.
As the two boys engaged in a round of assigning blame, Lally shrieked again and pointed down the warehouse's dark halls. A meancing shadow seemed to have been alerted by the alarms and was advancing towards at the trio. It was an ogre sized creature seemingly made of both metal and a collection of mechanical gears, and methodically stalked in a steady gait. The creature was similar to the construct that was manning the ticket both, but much bigger and fearsome in appearance. It gave off a faint smell of burning coal, and it had fiery embers for eyes. Every movement it made was accompanied by a shriek of grinding metal.
The boys were in a panic, it would take too long to safely rappel out of the window and back to the street, and they were much too high to simply jump. Jimmez saw that both Lally and Sammy were between him and the monstrosity and despaired at how they were going to escape.
Sammy of course, was headstrong as usual and barked a challenge towards the behemoth. He stood before it and drew his club and motioned threateningly towards it. To everyone's shock, the creature walked right into and then through Sammy. The surprised boy was literally rushed over and knocked to the side, and narrowly escaped being crushed by its massive feet or slammed into the wall by the construct's impressive bulk. Lally of course, shrieked and ran like an idiot directly to its side, but the mechanical ogre seemed to ignore his presence as well.
Jimmez then wondered if it could even see him. It had reacted to the other boys like they weren't even there. Was this creature simply some sort of custodian and not a deadly guard as he initially suspected. Though the alarm and its introduction seemed somewhat coincidental the creature's reactions did not indicate any direct hostility from it.
Jimmez scrambled and press himself to the wall to test his theory, hoping he was correct. The large construct stopped before Jimmez and raised a large barrel like fist.
"ELIMINATE INTRUDERS! ", it barked as it readied to strike the young demon hunter down. Jimmez was in shock, was Sammy correct, did he actually trigger this. The mechanical horror had indeed ignored the two other boys, but reacted violently against himself. Why were they spared and he wasn't?
Before he could answer, the large construct smashed its massive fist towards Jimmez. The young demon hunter narrowly scrambled out of its way by darting to the side at the last moment!
"Shorty! NO! ", shouted Sammy in horror as the construct appeared to have smashed his new companion to bits. Curiously Jimmez found he felt reassured that Sammy was concerned for his safety rather than feeling fear that the creature before him was trying to flatten him. He wasn't even concerned the young guard called him Shorty, it felt more like a friendly tease than an insult the way he said it. Was this the sort of camaraderie that Martinez and Raoul shared?
Jimmez noted that his foe was much slower than him, and he quickly scrambled behind it. To his surprise, the monster was able to torso twist his entire upper body all the way around, without shifting its legs. Similar to a turreted copula one wound find on armored Grommish vessels, or an owl with its curious rotating head.
Jimmez considered running , but the nearby window was his only known venue of escape. To run further into the warehouse was foolish since it had the possibility of triggering more guards, or perhaps even an intruder immobilizing trap. He had to figure out a way to distract it enough so he could lower himself down to the street.
"You and Lally get out of here, it doesn't see you guys its just after me! ", shouted Jimmez as he thought the other two might as well make a run for it while they can. He wasn't confident that he could evade the beast forever, but he did feel some responsibility for the pair's safety. Despite Sammy's woefully inaccurate boast of the buildilng being unprotected, it was ultimately his idea to come to the Menagerie after all.
Sammy babbled something to Lally and pointed at the window. The smaller boy scrambled to the looped cord and fastened it to himself. Jimmez half expected Sammy to assist the smaller boy but instead the youthful guard screamed a high pitched battle cry and attacked the construct.
The construct was in the process of attempting to strike at Jimmez again, but it suddenly paused from Sammy's attack. Whatever reason that it had to ignore the young guard before seemed voided as the monster suddenly noticed Sammy's presence. It swatted at the boy and managed to clip him lightly on the shoulder. Despite the glancing blow it evoked a muffled cry of pain from the taller boy and sent him sprawling onto the ground. Jimmez's heart stopped as he felt concerned about the safety of his new ally. It raised its fist and attempted to strike him again, but instead it paused and appeared to have forgotten him again. Jimmez breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Sammy taking the opportunity to crawl unceremoniously away. The taller boy appeared to be wounded more in pride than in body. For a second Jimmez hoped it would forget about him as well , but it pivoted again and its glowing ember eyes seemed focused on him .
Jimmez once again noted that the creature's legs and torso were at odd angles. It was a slow ponderous creature he noted, and he recalled Martinez mentioning something about big creatures fall harder or some other combat zen nonsense. Jimmez hopped back again as the creature struck and saw it swayed a little from the force of its own strike.
As he observed the creature, an idea formed in his mind.
"Sammy are you OK?", shouted Jimmez as he kept a safe distance from the monster.
"Yeah. ", coughed the taller boy attempting to hide his battered pride.
"I need you to tackle it from behind next time it attempts to strikes me. Trust me on this!", shouted Jimmez in response. Sammy did not answer, and the young demon hunter hoped he was just conserving his strength.
Jimmez then closed dangerously close to it and positioned himself at its rear right flank. As predicted the metal monster pivoted its torso again. It balanced itself precariously, but the creature's massive legs seemed to support its weight. The creature once again raised its massive fist ready to strike, but instead of leaping to the side Jimmez hopped backwards from the blow. The monster over extended itself in a lunge but unexpectedly managed to extend its arm and strike Jimmez square in the head. Jimmez's eyes exploded in stars, and his last thought was he hoped Sammy was safe. He thought it was an odd thought to have in his final moments , before his mind faded into darkness.
"Bravo ! Bravo! Your skill in the art of dance is just as light and angelic as I recall! ", declared Admiral Edmund as the small crowd of onlookers dispersed.
The lovely Baroness, attired in battle worn but still stylish black armor, curtsied towards the older gentleman. "Edmund! You've moved up in the world I see. ", she said with a warm smile.
The Admiral grinned proudly and took her armored hand and kissed it lightly. "When my servant told me that a Lady Sharliss had arrived I had to see for myself. ", declared Edmund excitedly. "I thought I would either meet someone outlandish enough to dare impersonate her, or behold once again Grom's most beloved and lovely Baroness. ", declared Edmund loudly for all the gathering crowd to hear.
Stille's pale skin blushed at the comments. "Please Edmund, its Stille now. I love to hear the words of your flattery, but I feel so undeserving of it, especially the way I am attired."
"Ah, you tease me with your allusions of your famous black dresses. Many a sleepless night did I endure because of the tantalizing memory of those daring gowns. ", laughed the Admiral .
The Baroness's dance partner or most likely escort raised an inquisitive eyebrow then glanced an appraising eye at her. "This sounds intriguing. ", he commented with an amused smile.
Suddenly Sardar Milan stepped out from behind a ring of guards and bowed deeply and reverently to the Baroness. "Pardon my intrusion . I am Sardar Milan of the Vinnraj state of Nashput, but I could not help notice that the Admiral referred to you as Lady Sharliss. Are you "the" Lady Sharliss that I have heard so many wondrous swashbuckling tales in Vinnraj about? ", he asked politely.
Sharliss was taken aback by the question but then shook her head. "I highly doubt it. I've never been to your exotic country. "
The Sardar shook his head in disbelief. "Surely you must be the basis of the epics, your beauty is just as the tales described. Blue hair, pale skin, and an almost otherworldy aura. Are you the Sharliss who is the daughter of the Warmaster, and the one that helped saved the world from the hordes of Ogremoch?", he pressed.
Sharliss took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes…my father is the Warmaster….and I did a play a very minor role in that Ogremoch affair. My participation in that quest has been greatly exaggerated it seems. I was more a victim then an active participant actually. ", she sighed reluctantly. "How did you hear such tales , especially from far off Vinnraj? ", she posed in return.
"Ahh, I was fortunate to have a chance meeting with the heroic Captain of the Legendary Acheron of course, and her …very orange companion. They are fabulous story tellers indeed! ", explained the Sardar nostalgically. At the mention of the pair, the baroness's broke into a light smile.
"Daughter of the Warmaster? I thought you said your father was a minor guard officer in Lower Lueders. ", inquired her companion in curious disbelief.
Admiral Edmund laughed, and the growing crowd echoed his humor .
The Baroness smiled, but dismissed the men with a playful wave. "Enough fawning from you well meaning sycophants, I seek two guests at your party. Perhaps you can direct me to them, I was told you had a meeting with the pair earlier. " she inquired.
The Admiral seemed confused, but the Sardar nodded. "Ahh , you must mean that rogue Martinez and his big servant , Ragou or something. They were here earlier. "
"They are gone now? We need to find them right away. I witnessed evil spirits pursuing a boy, and they are the only ones that can track them in time. One even attacked us as well, but Sir Jose bested it with his righteous might. ", the Baroness declared with a wink at her battered looking companion.
The Admiral and Sardar looked at each other in surprise. Edmund guessed she had encountered the Rakshasa as well tonight and she witnessed them pursuing Prince Lalit. He wasn't sure if she saw the actual prince or his presumably disguised major domo, but it did offer more hope.
"The Sardar suspected a plot against the ..boy.. and employed your friend and his companion to seek out these evil spirits. They have already left to due battle with them, but unfortunately we have recently found out that the spirits had already attacked the ..boy.. you saw . We fear the worse, but hearing from you , that he still might be alive , raises his prospects of survival considerably.", explained the Admiral in broad terms, in case more Rakshasa spies were in the area.
As Stille considered her response, a dark red house cat sized humanoid with a demonic but almost comical visage, wings and barbed tail appeared. The admiral seemed displeased at the imp's presence but waved it forward to speak.
"Master…I caught a tiny bird bearing a message for a Lady Stille. ", it hissed while holding a small jar with a fluttering bird inside.
"Oh that's me. ", declared Sharliss. The Admiral recalled hearing that she had begun calling herself that. He then nodded to the creature, and it released the bird which quickly darted towards the Baroness's ear and conveyed its message unheard.
"They found their lair. It's near the harbor in a hidden alley by the old bricked tailor shop.", she explained. "Sorry to cut our reunion short Edmund, but a young life might be at stake. ", she declared. The baroness and her companion then exchanged hard glances before the pair swiftly departed towards the declared destination.
The Admiral considered sending forth a full detachment of guards to assist them while the Sardar looked hopeful at this new development. As he pondered that course of action he decided it was too direct , too dangerous. He knew such situations often required a deft hand to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties. He wasn't sure of the exact situation, but he reasoned stealth might be required. Also Martinez had not sent a messenger to him directly, but curiously to the Baronesses instead. Was she adventuring again he wondered. If so, then Prince Lalit's chances of survival had gone drastically up. The Admiral decided that a more subdued response was required. He signaled one of his servants to have have a patrol of Royal Guardsman brought to the harbor and keep them as a reserve in case things got out of hand.
As the Admiral pondered his response, he suddenly had an idea. "Your ears are sharp….what did the message say exactly?", he asked his small demonic servant.
The creature shrugged. "I could not hear all of it…but I did catch something about…Bam Pregnant …", it said cryptically.
The Admiral shrugged at this useless bit of information. In situations like this, he knew it was best to rely on the specialists that were trained for this kind of thing. He was sure they would conduct this affair with the utmost professionalism.
"This is the least professional assault of a Rakshasa lair that I've ever seen. Are you sure you people are qualified for this? ", asked the Ivory lady.
Raoul simply shrugged and readied himself for the next assault. A well-muscled man dressed in what could best be described as a collar and a harness , while wielding a heavy mace rushed him. The half giant's senses detected he was not one of their shape shifting foes, so he calmly slammed the blunt end of his staff into his gut, then followed with a swat to the side of his head while he was reeling from the first blow. The man's head exploded in a shower of blood and teeth, before he flew to the side and struck a wall. Despite his now mangled face, he still managed to scramble to his feet. To Raoul's amusement, he remained a hold on his weapon and charged the half giant again. Before Raoul could finish him though, the Ivory Lady's bladed staff impaled him through the chest in a bloody and messy blow. The mad man gurgled and attempted to push himself through the weapon, but it just merely hasten his demise. Finally with his fury spent and his life blood gone he collapsed to the ground with the spear still embedded in him.
"I've seen charmed thralls before, but I've never seen drugged ones. ", noted the tall albino woman in disgust as the last attacker was slain. She mumbled a spell and the corpse trapping her spear froze solid, with a twist his body shattered into frozen chunks, thus freeing her weapon. The halls of the Rakshasa lair still echoed with distant maddened screams, but no attackers were left standing before them.
Raoul bent down and placed a large finger on the lips of one of their unconscious foes, a classic northern beauty with long blonde hair and a muscular physique dressed in red silks. He smelled his finger then frowned. "Black lotus mixed with poppy essence and a bit of dorf root. An evil mixture.", he noted.
The Ivory Lady nodded in agreement then scanned the impromptu battle ground. "Your friend fled pretty fast when the going got tough, why do you even associate with him." , she commented as she saw no signs of the human Martinez.
Raoul simply shrugged and proceeded down the corridor. "He pays well. "he stated. As he filtered through the incense and the nearby reek of death he could smell more Rakshasa further into the lair.
"I also thought mercenaries would be less trusting. I did not think that you would accept my assistance so easily. What if I was a trap sent by the Rakshasa, or heaven forbid I meant to steal your bounty. ", joked the Ivory Lady.
Raoul snorted. "Not my decision. I guess Martinez thought he could take you , if it came to that. He can get pretty arrogant sometimes."
The albino giant laughed at his presumption but continued to follow her new ally.
After a short distance, the corridor reached a make shift guard room with stairs going down as well as doors to the side. The half giant ignored the doors and pointed below . His old staff made of force was flickering so he simply dismissed it and form a new one before descending.
"You know, Rakshasa's are mostly immune to blunt weapons. That spear at your side is more suited to fight them. ", observed the Ivory Lady.
Raoul shrugged again and probed forwards with his staff, a conservative but crude attempt to trigger any traps. The Ivory Lady followed closely behind as they descended the stairs. Eventually the pair reached a large opulent hall with a small archway on the opposite end of the room.
The hall was quite tall, easily thirty feet in some places. Raoul guessed it was previously a weapons hall of some sort, but the Vinnraj spirits had apparently converted into more hedonistic purposes. In the center of the room was a large open fire pit, with what appears to be the grisly remains of a humanoid, half charred and apparently half eaten , burning slowing on a spit. There were dozens of silk beds, surrounded by large pillows scattered about the room. What was more amazing, was that despite the battle that had just taken place above, there were at least a dozen comely humanoids lounging around in a daze in the room. The majority were women dressed in proactive and scanty outfits, but some were men dressed similar to the last man that the Ivory Lady dispatched. There were tall athletic northmen, nymph like elves, dark exotic southerners, and even what appeared to be halo blessed assimars. The beauties simply ignored the two tall intruders and continued to recline in a relaxed drugged state in the room.
The Raoul eyed the room suspiciously and sniffed the air. "More of that vile concoction.", he confirmed with a slight frown.
The Ivory Lady nodded in agreement. "The Rakshasa's have simple desires. The accumulation of power, and to revel themselves in all forms of base , crude, and carnal pleasures. They are very disgusting creatures. ", she spat.
Raoul's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room . The half giant suspected there were hidden enemies about but the strong drug laced aroma required him to take time to filter through the smells. "My people have tales of similar decadence in the harems of the wizard kings of Athas. ", he recalled as he continued his olfactory search.
"My own people of Frosthaven, would never tolerate such a blasphemy. They are a cruel people, but pragmatic and would not permit such base indulgence.
Raoul stopped and raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "Wait..you're a frost giant? I assumed from your gait and stance, and your use of magic that you were some sort of Vinnraj version of an ogre ma…", he began but was quickly cut off.
"Do not compare me with those thieving beasts , or our tenuous alliance ends here. Yes I am a Frost Giant, and yes I am very short for my race. I will say no more. ", she grumbled in annoyance. The half giant noted a hint of shame in her voice.
Raoul smirked and was about to probe further, when suddenly the room exploded into howls.
A volley of fire lightning streaked from the corners of the room to the pair of giants, but the Ivory Lady calmly erected a wall of ice to intercept them. The frozen wall shuddered and cracked before exploding in shards of ice, but it had accomplished its goal by absorbing most of their initial impact.
The half giant saw several striped tiger men, a hooded snake man and a creature that looked like a primitive dragon man amongst the thralls. He guessed they were shape changed and lying in wait. They drew scimitars and charged the pair.
"I'll get the crocodile and the cobra spirit, you take the tigers?", the Ivory Lady commanded.
"Tigers? Those aren't tigers, they are missing their big front teeth, and they are also comically striped. They are more like some sort of raccoon house cat spirit. ", noted Raoul loudly. His two attackers paused and roared in anger, infuriated by the insult directed at them.
Raoul swept his force staff in a wide arc at the two raccoon cat spirits , they easily hopped back and dodged, but the half giant's staff managed to clip the snake man's shoulder instead. The blow staggered the oddly hooded creature , but it did not seem to harm it much. The snake man changed its target and rushed Raoul as the half giant assumed a more defensive stance from his now three attackers.
"The staff won't help against these ones, use your spear instead. ", shouted the Ivory Lady as she formed a lance of ice over her head and shot it at the dragon headed spirit, it struck him squarely in the chest, but its legendary spell resistance dissipated the spell easily. Undaunted she stabbed it with her bladed staff, but it easily parried with its scimitar with a strong downward stroke. Though the creature was physically weaker than the small giant, it more than made up the difference with its supernatural speed and skill.
Raoul ignored her advice and deflected an incoming slash by a scimitar with his staff, and brought the haft of his spectral weapon against the ribs of one his attackers. Though it failed once again to hurt his foe , it did knock him back a bit . The third spirit managed to slip past his defenses though and struck the half giant grievously along the arm. It hissed a cry of triumph, but it stopped as the half giant's skin swiftly knitted and reformed itself.
Though Raoul's psychic ability to invigorate himself in the middle of battle was impressive, it was a costly power in terms of draining his inner strength. The half giant knew he would not be able to sustain that effort for long.
"Any time now…", he muttered out loud.
"Hang on ! I have my hands full with this crocodile spirit. Fall back to the stairs in the meanwhile !", grunted the Ivory Lady as she attempted a tripping attack with her bladed staff. The creature before her saw through her strike and hopped to avoid it. Though it evaded the weapon, the miniature giant anticipated this and walked into him and slammed it with her heavy shoulder. The spirit was sent crashing to the ground, where the giant swiftly pinned it with her armored boot . The creature attempted to scramble free, but she stabbed it through the gut with her weapon. It should have been a mortal strike but the creature continued to struggle, claw, and bite from its vulnerable position.
Raoul on the other hand attempted to withdraw to the stairs as suggested, but one of the raccoon cat creatures cut off his escape. He soon found himself backed into a corner as he swept his staff in short controlled arcs to keep his foes at bay. One of the Rakshasa spirits evoked a volley of energy at the half giant, it struck him squarely and staggered him back. The other two sensed an opening and swiftly descended on their dazed and wounded prey.
"Raoul! ", shouted the Ivory Lady as she watched her ally being overwhelmed. She was too far away to lend him assistance , so she stabbed her down foe again in an attempt to finish it, even as it continued to bite and rake her armored leg .
As the half giant braced for the savaging he was about to receive, his two attackers stopped as their backs arched in pain and fountains of blood. The pair of striped cat men fell to the ground face first, as a dark figure appeared suddenly behind them with twin daggers covered in gore and blood. The hooded snakeman barely comprehended what was happening, before one of the daggers stabbed through its lower jaw, pinning it to the roof of its mouth and embedding into its skull. The dark attacker's other dagger gracefully ripped through its throat and then was sent spinning into the other side of the room, catching the struggling dragon man between the eyes in a single smooth motion.
Regardless of the violence and the carnage around them, the drugged slaves simply ignored the mayhem as they continued to lounge about in their daze.
The Ivory Lady looked at the fatal wound the man inflicted and was stunned. Seldom had she seen such lethal skill in battle.
"So you're a frost giant, that is quite remarkable. I would have guessed you were some sort of shape changed cloud or storm giant. From my experiences with Frost Giants, most appear to be crude brutes, not as lovely as yourself. I would love to hear the tale of how a member of that savage people became a graceful noblewoman in exotic and tropical Vinnraj. ", Martinez cooed as he retrieved his dagger. Raoul chuckled, his boss had the annoying habit of constantly flirting, regardless of the race or physical compatibility.
"You…you were here the whole time…listening?", concluded the Ivory Lady in shock.
"If I was eavesdropping on your conversation, I deeply apologize. As Raoul can attest, I was hidden waiting for an opportunity to strike down our true foes. I did not wish to tip my hand against their crude minions. I could have entered the fray sooner, but like the patient eagle I waited till my foes were positioned close together, allowing me to be able to inflict maximum retribution on them. ", boasted the duelist while his sidekick nodded in agreement.
" Don't be too impressed, he can only do that when he catches his foes off guard. That's why he needs me, and that's why I was using the staff. It presented them with easy prey. Without someone getting their attention, he's really quite pathetic .", shrugged the half giant once again.
Martinez fumed at the comment and wound up in preparation to kick the half giant. Before he could execute his futile and most likely foot breaking blow, the arch at the back wall of the room exploded. Amidst the rubble and dust a massive creature entered the room. It was a bestial headed creature, a good fifteen feet tall, with large floppy ears, grey skin, a pair of massive tusks and a trunk. It wielded a large club reinforced by bands of crude iron. The creature snorted ferociously before it trumpeted a battle cry and charged the trio.
"A pygmy hairless mammoth man ! ", shouted Raoul and Martinez in mocking surprise at their new attacker.