Despite the bruise to his head, Jimmez thought it was a pretty good night. Not only was he going to get rewarded for returning Lally to his, most likely rich and worried parents, but he had something of an adventure as well. He not only defeated a gang of bullies once, but he bested them twice, and he even survived an encounter with some type of mechanical construct. A creature he was sure would grow in size with every retelling of the story he thought with a smile. All in all it was a pretty fun filled night, he decided to himself.
"So Jimmy, I can guess you're not from around here. ", asked Sammy timidly as they neared the noble district of Grom City.
"Correct. I'm from Veb originally, but I do a lot of traveling. I pretty much go wherever I'm needed.", boasted the young demon hunter.
"Are your parents, mercenaries …or are they caravan guards like my father?", Sammy asked with a raised eyebrow and genuine interest.
"My father died in the war with the gnomes, and my mother…from grief soon after. ", sighed Jimmez sadly. " My current guardians are kind a like Adventurers. Demon hunter's to be exact. ", he quickly blurted to show no sign of weakness. Though he regarded Sammy more as a friend now, he knew that he couldn't appear sappy to his peers. Pecking order was very important to boys his age.
"Demon hunting? HAH! ", teased Sammy with his familiar know it all grin. Though the taller boy was obviously making fun of him, Jimmez could sense some affection in his tone.
"It's true. There are demons everywhere in Grom. They show up when you least expect them. My Master Martinez is an expert at finding and ridding them. I'm currently learning how to spot them, the cool stuff involving fighting comes later I guess. ", stated Jimmez. As to accent his point, he drew his dagger and stabbed in the air playfully, much to Lally's delight.
Sammy however seemed a bit dubious of this claim. "You're serious about this aren't you? Well, how hard can spotting a demon be? I mean they are red, with horns and wield pitchforks right? Sounds pretty easy to spot. ", said the taller boy whimsically.
"You are referring to an iconic devil, but to be more specific, we use the term demon as an umbrella term for all evil outsiders. From the Tanarii demons of the abyss, to the death dealing yugoloths of Tarterus , the infernal batezuu of the hells, and all the whacky creatures inbetween. Everything in the shadows of the underworld, like the destructive Asura or the hungry Yeth hounds. As for your second question, unless they want to be seen, they typically disguise themselves or even hide when in public. Most use magic, but mundane methods work as well. Even the common tiefling, takes great pains in hiding its attributes in public. ", replied Jimmez smug in that knowledge that few people could challenge his lore of the lower planes.
Sammy blinked in surprise at the smaller boy. "You're serious about this aren't you? You really are one of those demon hunters? "Declared Sammy excitedly.
Jimmez felt a foot taller as the larger boy seemed to fawn over him. "Yes sir. My Masters and I recently defeated a particularly brutish creature that made its lair aboard one of the navy's mothballed ships. I admit, I wasn't a part of any of the heavy fighting, but I did help in locating it, and I did get a shot in with my crossbow. ", boasted the young demon hunter proudly.
Sammy beamed an excited smile "You have a crossbow? I always wanted one! "
"Well, its not mine per say , it belongs to my Master Martinez. However, I do get to use it on occasion. ", clarified Jimmez. He could tell by the excited look in Sammy's eyes that his access to a crossbow, trumped any armor that the young guard had.
"Umm…if you're going to be in town the next few days….ummm….maybe you can teach me how to use one. I always wanted to learn, but my sire always puts its off. ", the tall boy asked sheepishly. "I can make lunch for the both of us, I can even make my special lemon tarts, everyone says their great …that is, if its OK with you?"
Jimmez thought the whole statement was a bit odd. He could understand the taller boy wanting to hang out with him now that he knew he was a fearsome demon hunter, but enticement by means of a lunch or picnic seemed an odd approach. The fact that Sammy would admit he made tarts, threw him off, even if they were his favorite dessert. Jimmez thought that if he was a guard, making tarts would be the last thing he would let anyone know. All the coolness of wearing armor and getting your own weapons would be canceled by the fact he could do women's work and make delicate pastries. He thought about declining the strange offer, but the expectant look of Sammy's face and the fact that Jimmez practically salivated at the thought of the tarts , made it hard to refuse.
"Errr Ok. Do you have tomorrow off? I'm betting my paltry allowance that my masters ,Martinez and Raoul, will be drunk after the Admiral's Gala. Their associate , Sir Jose , is always either partial drunk or in the process of drinking his agave worm juice to get to that state, so he won't be a problem. And I think the Baroness is still meditating at her shrine, so I should be available. ", stated Jimmez awkwardly.
"Excellent!", cheered Sammy. Jimmez wasn't sure why, but he saw that the taller boy was now uncomfortably close to him. He expected a bit more personal space, but he found himself almost shoulder to chest to the taller boy. The young demon hunter considered pushing him away, but despite his distress at his companion, he found he couldn't bring himself to do so. He wasn't sure why, but it felt strangely exhilarating to him.
"Oh look. That man with the big cloak and the crouch, is he a demon?",asked Sammy playfully as he hid almost comically behind Jimmez .
Jimmez shook his head and found it a relief that they were talking instead of worrying about how close they were walking together. "No, that's just an old guy with a bad back. ", he commented after quickly observing the man's gait, his smell, and appearance.
"How about that woman? Is she a demon? ", asked Sammy as he pointed to a woman in an alley. She was a plump woman with black hair, wearing dark blue revealing clothing. Jimmez shook his head and scoffed. It appeared that his companion was not as worldly as himself, and did not recognize a street whore when he saw one, something that he learned quite quickly to recognize from traveling with his masters , despite Lady Stille's sheltering. The young demon hunter did note that Sammy was partially correct though, the woman had a light brimstone and perfume scent about her, similar to the Baroness's but much cruder. As he visually inspected her further he saw that she had light patches of coarse fur on her upper arms as well as a few tiny bone spurs near her neck.
"Don't point….", admonished Jimmez. "That's a tiefling, and they take offense if you single them out like that. "
The woman in the alley caught a bit of their conversation and didn't seem pleased . " Scram you brat. Leave me alone , and take your little skank girlfriend with you!", hissed the tiefling whore.
Jimmez fumed at the insult. How dare she call him Sammy's girlfriend. Especially after all he did tonight, to have his masculinity questioned by a common street whore , caused him to see red. He was about to turn around and yell at her, when Sammy unexpectedly giggled and held his hand. Even more disconcerting was that he was leaning his chain coifed head, in a somewhat off balanced manner on Jimmez's shoulder and head.
"The tiefling says we're boyfriend and girlfriend. ", cooed the taller boy. "So Jimmy….do you have a girl friend?", Sammy asked with wide eyes.
Jimmez was confused to say the least. He was about to push Sammy back and demand to know what his problem was, when suddenly Chit, the long furry creature in Lally's arms, began hissing uncontrollably. This startled the trio , and Jimmez scanned for the cause of the creature's agitation.
The small group froze as a man in dark silks walked imperiously towards them. Jimmez didn't need his training or his senses to tell him what was before them. Subtle waves of evil emanated from the creature as it made its way towards them. Sammy drew his club and barred its path, but the creature snagged him by the neck with lightning speed. The taller boy struggled futilely as the creature lifted him up in the air.
Jimmez was about to go for his dagger, when suddenly iron chains wrapped around both him and Lally. The young demon hunter felt his lungs being crushed as he saw Lally go limp. Screams and shouts from the other pedestrians rang through the streets as flying deadly spinning chains appeared to seek out random targets. A man's head was ensnared before the chain tossed him against the wall, while another woman was battered relentlessly to the ground from another chain. The carnage around them seemed to fuel the thing holding Sammy's bloodlust.
The creature garbed in dark silks seemed pleased then barked something in an unknown tongue.
"I …I can't understand you…you're speaking too ….fast. ", gurgled Sammy as he kicked futilely in the monster's grip.
The dark robe figure shook his head then with his other hand he revealed his face. Jimmez was stunned, it was some sort of Cat man, from its appearance he guessed it was some sort of striped , orange , toothless tiger of some sort.
"I am molded after the fierce jungle tiger, you mendicant! Tigers are supposed to be striped and orange, the creature you are thinking of is a saber tooth tiger. A creature practically unknown except for in this backward country which thinks it's the center of the world. It's bad enough I have to deal with your verbal stupidity, but your inane thoughts are enough for me to lose my noble composure. The next time you refer to me as a striped orange toothless tiger, I will gnaw a portion of your face off! Perhaps an ear since you apparently did not listen to my warning ! Do you understand?", shouted the creature angrily.
Jimmez nodded helplessly.
"AND your name is Jimmy or perhaps young Jim, not Jimmez…. The over confident person you refer to as a master, has ingrained in you his giant ego it seems. Lose it, for your thoughts hurt my serene harmonious thoughts. ", threatened the …..tiger man.
Jim..my gulped nervously and nodded again. The creature was a mind reader of some sort, and from the looks of its guardian it was well versed in magic. Though his vision was blurred from pain, Jimmy guessed his captor was a Kyton, a chain devil of some sort. Unless it was called by some higher magic, then the dark silked…tiger man must have been a mage or the 9th circle, or perhaps a sorcerer of similar power.
The tiger man began to turn his attention back to Sammy, but then paused and returned to Jimmy. "Remarkable, even though you are an uncouth barbarian you are well versed in arcane lore young one. Your knowledge amuses me so I will keep you around till I grow tire of you.", he stated before turning back to Sammy. "As for you , I find it laughable you can barely understand your own tongue, but I shall use the language of the barbarians to facilitate communication with you. I do not know how you escaped the blaze at Barkwark, but you will not escape a second time. After the events of tonight I hardly expected one, let alone two noble hearts at my disposal. Perhaps when I devour both of them , I will be twice as powerful? I am not certain, but I will make no mistakes .", the creature threatened as chaos reigned around them. A pair of militia men had entered the street woefully unaware of the danger before them. A pair of levitating chains swiftly dispatched them as they were grappled, constricted, and crushed to the ground.
Jimmy attempted to squirm out of the chains holding him, but the enchanted links slipped to his neck and choked him. He gasped for air as he saw the tiger headed creature grabbed both Lally and Sammy by the necks. The last thing he saw was the two boys dangled helplessly and seemingly paralyzed by some kind of magic, before he himself passed out painfully.
Besides the obvious illusionary wall, Lady Stille felt something was amiss. She turned to Sir Jose and saw the knight had detected something was off as well. Before either of them could react, the massive War Husky Greenpaw jumped at a patch of shadows. It's prey seemed slippery and quick , but the war dog was quicker. The shadow shrouded creature attempted to jab the dog with a long dagger, but instead it was quickly grabbed by Greenpaw and was shaken vigorously.
"Mercy..mercy! I beg of you. ", it said in common, with a strong Vedic accent.
"Hold boy. ", declared Sir Jose as he inspected what his mount had caught. Although it had attempted to hide his features with a cowl , the massive dog quickly tore through its disguise. The creature appeared to be a tall thin man, with several sparse patches of dark scale, and a single incongruous horn on its head. Stille quickly deduced the man was a tiefling of some sort. Despite his abyssal appearance he was dressed in a white and blue tabard with runic symbols on them.
"Who are you and why are you spying on us?", demanded Jose as he pressed his blade to the fiend blooded man's neck.
"I was merely under orders from my liege. I was to harass and detain any Rakshasa that escape her wrath while she raided the enemy lair. ", the man explained nervously.
Stille examined the long dagger, and saw what appeared to be a blow gun fallen nearby. Even without touching the blade or darts, she could feel the searing holy nature of the weapons, a reminder of her own dark heritage. "I think he's telling the truth Jose. He wouldn't be able to use these weapons if he was in league with the spirits, and I detect no charm on him. Let him go. ", she sighed.
Jose nodded at Stille, then gave a warning glance to the tiefling before releasing him. "We are seeking our comrades, they said they entered the Rakshasa lair here. Did you see them?", the paladin demanded again.
The tiefling nodded, "Yes…a peacock of a man and a half giant, correct? Since their purpose was aligned with my mistress's , they allied with my liege and they proceeded into the lair together. "
Stille pointed at his tabard, specifically at the runes on them. "Those symbols are not Vedic, they are Jotun. It says your liege is the , forgive my crude translation, the Ivory Lady? I heard a little of her, she's a long ways from Vinnraj isn't she? "
The tiefling looked nervously and sighed. "Yes…She has come as a point of honor . The spirits that you seek, once killed a protectorate and a good friend of my mistress. When she heard of an attempt on Prince Lalit's life, she saw an opportunity to take vengeance on her foes. We are not under the employment of Sardar Milan, but our purposes are similar. I was chosen to accompany her, because, of all her servants, I am the most fluent in the language you refer to as the common tongue. "
Jose considered his words then relaxed a little. "Okay, sorry if I roughed you up a bit, but the streets are dangerous tonight."
The horned man shook his head and bowed. "Your apologies are not needed sir. I understand that those you refer to as tieflings are not outlawed in this land, but they are still shunned. Tieflings in Vinnraj are most often imprisoned, humiliated then executed, so your reaction is tame when compared to how I would be treated by Vinnraj standards. I fully understand your confrontational manner when faced with my lowly kind."
Stille shook her head sadly , while Jose slumped his shoulders. "Look , it was a misunderstanding OK. Your being a tiefling has nothing to do with my reaction. Umm I know a lot of ...err tieflings. ", the paladin noted while glancing at the baroness.
"As you say my lord. I accept your apology. ", responded the tiefling with little conviction, " Getting back to the situation at hand, I am called Akash or Aki if you like. I observed several numerous bands of Rakshasas and their human thralls have returned to their lair recently. I assume that my liege and your companions are the cause of this. There are much more of these creatures then we realize. There were too many for me to confront, but I suspect that our mutual allies will be hard pressed to fight this new wave of attackers. If you wish to aid your companions, I suggest we pool our resources and strike them from the rear."
As Jose and Stille nodded, suddenly a yelp from further down the block broke their conversation. The tiefling smiled and walked to the sound, while waving his new allies towards him. "Ahh I see one of my traps is successful. When I scouted the area, I prepared several traps to block their exits. ",he explained.
The trio ran to the sound of the noise, and were surprised to see a barbed net , with what appeared to be a distraught red fox entrapped, its fur tangled in Aki's trap. The hooks on the nets had already buried itself deeply, but bloodlessly into the creature's hide as it struggled futilely to escape.
Sir Jose moved immediately to slay the creature. Stille noticed he had an iron rapier instead of his broadsword out. Though he can channel his god's will into his weapon to bypass the Rakshasa's ensorcelled hide, that ability only lasted a few minutes a best. She guessed the knight was wisely using a more mundane weapon, that could pierce a Rakshasa's skin and saving his ability for his sword later it seems.
"Hold my lord ! Do not slay the damnable beast yet, let us question it first. ", suggested Aki in a subservient tone.
Sir Jose studied the creature and seemed puzzled, he then looked at Stille and shrugged. The priestess nodded slightly to show her agreement on the tiefling's plan.
"Stay still foul beast! Though the enchanted net strips your magic, we will not delay in extinguishing your life if you dare use your sorcery on us! ", warned Aki. From her vantage point, Stille guessed the tiefling was partially correct. The net appeared to be designed to make magic casting more difficult and would most likely spoil the spells of a novice caster, but an experienced or patient mage could still weave magic within it. "Tell us about the situation inside your foul lair , and if there is another lair you are retreating to! "
The fox creature looked both wounded and frightened especially with Sir Jose and Aki standing menacingly above it. It began to speak but could only stammer its words as the creature was seized with panic. Even though the creature was a denizen of the outer planes, Stille knew it was not a true outsider like a devil or a demon, but something more akin to herself. The priestess could tell it was young for her race , but guessed it was still a very dangerous creature.
"Speak beast! Or taste my dagger! ", threatened Aki which caused the creature to babble incoherently in a new round of hysterics. Jose simply stood there in a stoic manner, though he wasn't tall as Raoul he appeared every bit as frightening to the creature.
Stille stepped forward and gently pushed back the paladin. The paladin seemed reluctant to stand down and his stern gaze met with Stille's. The two were briefly locked in an unspoken contest of wills, but a smirk and a wink from the priestess was enough for him to relax his stance. Inside Stille found herself almost giggling like a school girl as she realized she could sway the handsome paladin so easily, but she concentrated at the task at hand.
"Girl…if you cooperate with us, I swear that we will show you leniency." stated Stille, in a commanding voice.
The creature looked at her and started to snarl, but quickly broke into sobs as it realized its predicament. Stille noted they sounded alien coming from the bestial creature. " You wish me to betray my people, then slay me afterwards when my usefulness is over. Just get it over with. ", it sobbed in a clear voice, with a very slight Vedic accent.
Stille sighed and knew it was most likely correct. Though she disdained the practice of killing prisoners, Rakshasa's to her knowledge were dangerous creatures not to be trusted. She knew that killing it was probably best for all involved, but there was something about the creature's manner that seemed innocent and unspoiled by their dark nature.
"You will answer us or your death with be most painful! ", threatened Aki. The tiefling brandished his long dagger dangerously close to the creature. "Why are we wasting time on this beast? It most likely knows nothing of value anyways. Let us just slay it and help my mistress and your friends. ", spat Aki. Stille wasn't sure if he was bluffing or was just stating the obvious.
The priestess expected some sort of bloodshed to occur, and was surprised when Sir Jose spoke up. "As a knight, I will guarantee your safety as long as you are my prisoner. Swear an oath to me under the power of my god Nirrodin, and your safety shall be assured by my honor, until your crimes are properly judged. That is the best I can offer.", he stated grimly and unexpectedly.
Aki and Stille both looked at the paladin in disbelief. He wasn't going to actually trust this creature was he? Even if the creature swore an oath under Nirrodin's watchful eye, that was still an unusual offer by Sir Jose.
The fox creature shivered then nodded. Jose placed his hands on the frightened creature's head , and before it could protest he channeled his divine energy into its skull. A silvery sword on shield symbol was branded onto the creature's hide, but it did not appear to be in pain or distress from the ordeal. As Jose's divine magic faded, the creature transformed before them into a young lightly dressed frightened teenage girl.
Without waiting to be questioned, the transformed creature began speaking all it knew. "Your..your … friends have battled to the bottom of Mogombo's lair. My lord was not in the lair at the time and they easily penetrated our lax defenses . I ..I…fled in the heat battle, since I was no match for their might. I have some spells , but it is impossible to leave the lair by normal magic. I fled using secret tunnels that I am able to navigate through with my small animal form. We believe the lair's magic barring properties are because it was built on the ruins of some ancient wizard's sanctuary. I..I…. heard the alarms and shouts, and I believe the rest of Mogombo's court are arriving to do battle with the intruders even as we speak. " , it said nervously.
Aki shook his head. "Mogombo is a powerful Rajah , or lord of the Rakshasa's. It seems we have miscalculated their strength. Even my mistress will be hard pressed to battle his entire court. "
Stille considered both their words, but Sir Jose was the first to speak. "Where were you running to , and why are you not assisting your reinforcements?"
"I ..I was fleeing to the Rajah's barge. I suspect that even if my people slew the attackers, our lair will be discovered and more hunters will be after us. We are far from our homeland , and we fight only to further our leader's…questionable… goals . He wants to devour the heart of the Royal house of Nashput, and gain dark powers from the sacrifice. I..I want no more part of this, and am only here because it is the Rajah's command. The ..the.. rest will follow me to the barge soon … I..I don't care if they brand me a coward. I want no part in any of their rituals that involve eating the hearts of children….I have no stomach for this. ", it answered dejectedly in the net. Stille shuddered at the thought of these creature's eating hearts. She could see that the pitiable creature wasn't just answering their questions, but it seemed to be confessing its guilt. Even though Jose had offered it safety while it was his prisoner, it seemed ready to accept its fate.
"So pass judgement, and let's kill it? ", stated Aki as it seemed to have guessed Jose's promise of safety was a manipulation of words, after all , it did admit its allegiance to the heart eating Stille suddenly realized it as well, and was abhorred that the paladin would trick it so easily.
An uncomfortable silence fell on the illusionary alley. The tiefling, the priestess and even the trapped Rakshasa awaited Sir Jose's judgement.
"She has answered my questions, and I will honor my word. She will not be harmed till proper judgement can be passed. ", was all the knight had to say about the matter. Stille did not expect such a response from the knight . A few days ago she would have expected him to kill it and move on to massacring everything he found in the Rakshasa's lair, but Jose's brave and borderline dangerous decision gave her even more respect from the surprising warrior.
Aki shrugged and motioned to the entrance's lair. "Shall we assist our allies then? Perhaps , you wish to extend more of your endless mercy and capture more of them? ",he said in a sarcastic but still subservient tone.
Stille almost laughed at the response, but Jose shook his head. "No, I suspect that the creature is right. If an alarm has been raised that is summoning Rakshasas back to their lair, I suspect the smarter ones, and most likely this Mogombo creature are headed to the barge we were told about. Lady Stille and myself were originally seeking to aid a boy that was in pursuit by the Rakshasas. The more I hear about their true motives, the more I suspect that they after this Prince Lalit. They will most likely attempt to devour the heart of this boy. I don't know if the boy has been slain or not, but I do wish to see this Mogombo creature brought to justice and made to pay for his crimes. We will go to this barge and either confront this Mogombo there, or sink or disable the vessel so they cannot escape. ", the paladin declared. Stille almost swooned at his commanding presence, she had never seen this side of him before, and she found she liked it, like it a lot. She wondered if Jose kept it hidden when Martinez was around, since two alpha males were not a good thing to introduce into a small group. If that was the case, she made a note to herself to encourage Jose to step out of Martinez's shadow.
Despite the priestess's silent approval of Jose's course of action, Aki stared in disbelief. "Wait…my master and your allies are being surrounded and attacked by a literally an entire nest of Rakshasa's and their thralls, and you want to abandon them and pursue their leader? Are you Grommer's that blinded by hubris that you will leave your friends in danger?" , the tiefling asked in shock with not a hint of subservience in his speech.
Jose laughed, "First off , I doubt their leader is there. Secondly, we are talking about Martinez. Not only can he easily handle this pack of rabble, but he prefers to do it in a way that guarantees him the most fame and glory. Also the detachment of Royal guard that have been woefully attempting to follow us in secret will be more then enough for the Rakshasa to handle. ", he stated as he easily grabbed the netted Rakshasa and threw her on the back of Greenpaw. He then mounted the large green dog and helped the Baroness up as well. After his passengers were secured he waved to a group of men that were attempting to discretely lounge around a few blocks away. When Jose was sure he caught their attention he pointed to the hidden alley.
Aki shook his head at this development. "I will stay and lend whatever aid I can to my mistress. I wish you the best of luck , in your heroic endeavor. ", the tiefling responded as he readied his blow gun and entered the lair. "I curse the day we stepped foot into this country of Fools." , he added under his breath.
"Fools! You intruders, will rue the due the day you step into my lair! ", threatened Martinez as he dispatched a human thrall with a clean blow through the neck with a flourish from his dagger.
"Technically, its their lair and we're the intruders. ", noted Raoul as he tossed a few of the dead bodies towards the base of the stairs. The corpses were formed into a loose pile , and it seemed to be made for the intention of slowing the enemy down rather than actually holding them off as a barrier. "…rue the day…. Have you been attempting to expand your vocabulary or something?"
Martinez shrugged as he peered cautiously up the stairs. "Yes, I've been trying to impress the Baroness with my ….. how shall we say…. scholarly acumen. Then it will be BAM ! Pregnant!", boasted the duelist with a swagger.
The Ivory Lady did not seem impressed by Martinez. "That was just a wave of expendable fodder to test our strengths and weaknesses. The Rakshasa are known to carelessly throw the lives of their thralls away, just to open up an opportunity for them to strike. They have a well-earned reputation as cold heartless beings, that seldom grow attach to the slaves they surround themselves with. I suggest you concentrate on the battle ahead , instead of chattering incessantly about your love interest. I'm sure your bubble headed lady friend will be more impressed by perhaps a tattoo with her name slightly misspelled on your chest. ", she scolded icily.
Raoul chuckled slightly from the comment but Martinez just smiled at the reprimand from the giant. Even though he guessed she was several times older than himself, she only appeared to be a teenage girl, and there was no way Martinez would have his personal affairs questioned by her. Added to that fact this little girl was disparaging the pureness of the fair Lady Stille. He thought he could responded to her by commenting about her relative age, perhaps her bloated reputation , or maybe the fact the duelist had killed more of these spirits then she had, but who's really counting. Instead of such a low brow route, Martinez simply smiled and gave a slightly flowery bow to the Ivory Lady. "When we triumph over this motley band arrayed against us, I wish to change your opinion of my so called …bubble headed lady friend…and invite you to perhaps a dinner so you can experience her refined courtly charms yourself. "
The Ivory Lady seemed readied for a volley of insults directed back at her and was disarmed by the duelist's charming response. " I suppose I owe her that opportunity. " , she finally stammered.
Raoul edged towards the stairs and held up a hand. "Enough chatter….I can hear their breath. They approach. " , he warned. He then turned to Martinez. "I would have went for a shot at her age. Young girls hate that. ", he snickered audibly enough that the Ivory lady heard as well.
Before another round of barbs was exchanged, a battle cry sounded from the top of the stairs. A thin barbaric man wielding a battle axe, dressed in ratty furs lead the charge, followed by what appeared to be three burly militia men with clubs and shields. Behind the lot was a man with backward swept legs, with the head of what appeared to be a deer with two long curved horns. The animal headed humanoid began the assault by summoning a pair of large dire wolves behind the trio. The beasts gave an unearthly howl and their eyes glared with a fiendish fire before they pinned the group from behind against their new attackers.
"Get that antelope man first! ", shouted Raoul as he swung his force staff at the barbaric looking man in front. Martinez half expected the man to perform some sort of feral leap to evade the weapon, or perhaps catch it with his savage strength, but he simply had his head caved in from the half giant's attack.
Martinez nodded as he stepped forward, stabbed with his dagger, then stepped back and twisted away from several clubs of the enemy militia men. The duelist was impressed at the skill and speed of the guards, and wondered if they were really guards or perhaps magically enhanced. "I can't get the antelope , their guards are tougher than they look. ", responded the duelist with no shame at his inability to pierce their defenses.
As Martinez And Raoul dealt with the attackers ahead of them, the Ivory Lady was knocked to the ground by the fierce horse sized wolves . Her weapon was thrown to the side as she slammed into the ground. One seized the opportunity and bit down on her her leg while the other attempted to bite her face. The small frost giant giant wrapped her strong hands around the throat on the one wolf near her head and barely stopped its attack. As she struggled with that opponent, the one at her leg had managed to shear through her strong blue and gold armor and drew blood. Instead of crying out in pain, the small frost giant simply held the wolf at her throat at bay , while she kicked the leg biting wolf on the snout with her free leg. The creature she kicked yelped and released its prize, giving her the chance to draw both her legs to her torso. The kicked wolf quickly recovered though and pounced again at the Ivory Lady, but instead of sinking its teeth again into her shapely muscular leg, the small giant kicked it again with both legs as her back braced against the floor. The wolf's face was smashed and the impact threw it back across the bottom of the vault, sending it crashing into the now emptied pillowed beds. With a simple twist she redirected the wolf at her throat and sent it tumbling to the side next to its cohort. Then she summoned her bladed staff back to her side, scrambled to her feet, and readied for the next assault.
"You guys….. don't know what an elephant or a tiger is,…. but you can identify an antelope? " , she asked as she attempted to catch her breath.
Raoul made a quick motion, and Martinez jumped into the air. It was a move that the pair practiced in their long association with each other. The half giant then channeled his remaining inner strength into his foot and stomped it into the ground. The power of the half giant's energy flowed into the ground and shook the entire chamber , knocking the three unprepared miltia men and the anteloped headed Rakshasa to the ground. The wolves and the Ivory lady were shaken , but they managed to maintain their foothold, Martinez on the other hand, landed nimbly among the scattered guards and bolted towards his stunned prey. He grabbed one of the creature's horns and yanked its head back with the leverage it provided, thus revealing its throat which he quickly stabbed and ripped with his blessed dagger.
The monster seemed shocked at how quickly he was dispatched , it attempted to feebly conjure a spell but Martinez , jabbed it again through the eye and ended its life.
"There are only pronghorn antelope's in Grom, but there are several varieties hailing from our true homeland of North Darokin. I don't recognize that particular type but its species was quite evident. ", noted Martinez calmly, before he suddenly dodged a volley of crossbow bolts. "Next wave is here guys, there's quite a few of them ."
Raoul stomped on one of the fallen guardsmen's chest and a sickening cracking was heard throughout the room. He then strode to the Ivory Lady's side and swept his staff in a warning manner towards the snarling wounded wolves.
"Antelope is tasty, but the meat is dry. Lady Stille cooks it nicely when she wraps bacon around it. ", the half giant noted tangently as he clubbed an incoming wolf. The staff struck it against its flank , but it leaped to the side to mitigate the force. The half giant then interposed himself between the two beasts and the wounded giant, giving the Ivory Lady more time to recover.
"You two are remarkably calm. I guess you two do this type of thing quite often. ", grinned the Ivory Lady as she imbibed a vial. The bleeding on her wounds stopped but it still appeared terribly mangled. She seemed revived , even though the elixir mended and healed her leg slightly, and seemed prepared again for battle. "The culinary masters of Vinnraj use several unique blends of spices to transform antelope meat from bland to savory. It really is quite an art. ", she said as she prepared her bladed staff for the wolves next charge.
Martinez ran down the stairs . He almost slipped once from the cracked loose floor, but he quickly recovered his balance. As he raced, he jabbed the two remaining guards once into their sides. One guard fell from the blow, while the other clutched his side in pain and attempted to swing back at the fleeing duelist. Martinez calmly danced away from the retaliatory blow and slipped into the shadows of the room.
"Perhaps you can cook a dish for the Lady Stille when we meet, she would surely enjoy such exotic fare. ",echoed the duelist somewhere in the darkness. " That last stomp really shook up this old building. I detect weak points in the floor , walls, and support columns. Maybe hold off on that ability less you want the roof to fall on our heads. Leave it to wizards to build crappy buildings. ", he added, his voice sounding from nowhere and everywhere.
Raoul looked absently to the roof and confirmed Martinez's observation. " Well noted, I only have the strength to do it once more anyways. All this talk is making me hungry. ", he then tapped the Ivory Lady shoulder, and pointed towards the mob descending down the stairs . The last wounded guard attempted to hobble out of the way but was trampled by the next wave of Rakshasas and their thralls.
The Ivory Lady saw this group of attackers and erected a wall of ice to block them. Though her magic was strong, cracks and fissures were quickly appearing on the barrier. As her attention was diverted, the wolves seized the opportunity and pounced at the two giants. Raoul attempted to block them , but it was unnecessary, since they fell to the ground, well short of their prey, twitching and bleeding from two daggers in their backs.
Martinez swiftly retrieved his weapons and twirled one in a bored manner with his fingers. "All this talk might be moot anyways. There's a lot more Rakshasas in this town then we suspected. I'm guessing this incense they smoke or something similar masks their scent, similar to how we use demon ichor on occasion. "
Raoul glanced at his comrades wounds. "A correct assessment. I'm running out of inner strength, our healing potions are almost exhausted, and we're slowly losing this battle of attrition. We're also in enemy territory, cornered like rats and with no means of escape. ", reasoned the half giant calmly. " A real pity though…I would have like to tried Ivy's spice blend antelope. ", he added with genuine sadness.
The Ivory Lady shook her head and laughed even as her barrier was being torn apart. "Besides the Walrus man, I have never known anyone that was worried more about food when faced with imminent death. "