Hazardous Times Part IX (fresh blood - not literally, please! - welcome)

[Attalus]

SIR BLANDAMOUR(He comes in unexpectedly and hears just the tail end of the last conversation, and frowns) "Lady Galadria, why do you think that I should not take your word? I have known you for years, and yet to find you staining your honor. I shall be glad to accompany you, so my superior directs."

SIR BORS (He exchanges a bafffled look with B.) "Aye, I so do. Find out the cause of this strange crimeand mayhap cleanse some little part of Koru-Shun."

[ 05-31-2002, 09:16 AM: Message edited by: Attalus ]

[mistral4543]

Cora

"What do you mean that she escaped?" ~ The very calmness of her voice struck fear in the messenger; she advanced towards him, her right hand perched on the hip and the fingers of her left hand swinging the hilt of her sword ~ "Speak the truth, coherently, for I'll have no hesitation removing a redundant tongue." ~ Snapping at the trembling figure before her ~ "Hurry up!"

Tobias

He leaned towards the carved pillar, remaining in a relatively unobstrusive spot as he noted the beads of perspiration forming on the temples of the unfortunate lad ~ How much he reminds me of my youth. ~ An involuntary shudder ~ Let's hope Isaura has been killed... death would be far more welcome than the living hell that awaits her.

The messenger gulped and proceeded to rattle off at top speed ~ "Well, she was disguised as an old lady, I think. In fact, I think you were there when she sat innocently at the centre of the room." ~ Racing through his narration at Cora's icy stare ~ "Anyways, not long after your Ladyship and Lordship left, it seems the boy Jimmy discovered her secret. But by then, she'd flitted off as a ghost..." ~ Pausing to take a deep breath, before continuing ~ "... the barkeep then shouts, someone grab her... something like that, and then three well-muscled brutes tear off after her. The last I heard, they beat the crap out of her... then I rushed here to report the news to you..." ~ His voice died as the tip of Cora's blade now pressed against his throat tantalisingly.

Cora

"So she's dead?" ~ The dissatisfaction showed on her marble face as she turned towards Tobias, the blade still resting comfortably in its latest position ~ "And what say you to that, Tobias?" ~ Her eyes narrowing as she awaited his reply.

Tobias

"What is there to say?" ~ He shrugged, forcing a loud yawn ~ "The matter's closed without us having to lift a single finger. Good job and good riddance, I'd say." ~ Casually addressing the sweaty messenger ~ "You've done pretty well, I'd say."

Cora

"I'd much have preferred to have a play at her." ~ She sounded terse, robbed of a fiendish delight ~ "But now, it seems..."

"Your Lord and Lady ship!!!" ~ The door swung open abruptly and a lanky lad dashed in hollering, pushing aside a protesting valet ~ "She ain't dead! She's been rescued!!" ~ His blue bulging from agitation ~ "Th' old lady... she disappeared, but the three thugs... they're dead!" ~ He stood gasping for air, trying to relax.

Cora

As the words sunk in, she nodded soberly, then faced the messenger ~ "Next time, you'll remember to check out the facts before reporting them, won't you?" ~ Her voice kindly, poring over his white face. The latter nodded, not knowing whether to feel relieved or terrified.

Tobias

He looked away, knowing the inevitable result of her deception.

There was a shrill scream of agony, followed by a deadly silence...

[mistral4543]

With one confident leap, he stepped onto the damp ground and surveyed the area critically before motioning with a toss of his head, for his men follow suit. It was quite, quite dark and save for the sound of the choppy waves some distance away, all was quiet.

Eeriely quiet.

Troubled, he scrutinised ahead of him. Yet the dimness of whatever light was around prevented him from doing a thorough survey. He grew impatient and cleared his throat, feeling the stir behind him and holding his hand up to silence them. They obeyed, although the uncertainty seemed to feed on their highstrung nerves.

At long last, the flare of a torch light came into view. Signalling for his men to get ready, he took his time to absorb the sight before him. His eyes widened at four drabbily-clothed ladies following the leader, a particularly attractive lady in a prim attire. Behind him, he could hear the muffled snickers of his men, and his eyes narrowed.

Something was wrong. The problem was... what?

"You've all the shipments, then?" ~ The lady asked, her green eyes glittering as she, in turn, surveyed himself and his men. Fifteen to five. At least, they had the advantage in numbers. But... what the hell, just get it over and done with... this place gives me the creeps... ~ He cleared his throat again before replying ~ "Aye. And you have the payment ready?"

"Of course." ~ She answered with a tinge of scorn ~ "Her Ladyship pays for her goods. You're sure that this is of the highest quality from France?"

He resented the distrust in her voice. Replying coldly ~ "Naturally. Brandy... silk... perfumes... powders..." ~ Here, one impatient lad began to drag out a carton and open it with a crowbar ~ "See there. We've delivered the goods." ~ He handed the bill to the lady ~ "Let's complete the deal and be done with."

Her pearly teeth flashed once and she advanced towards the group, the other maidens following suit ~ "Tis good that we've found a reliable partner. Lady Cora finds some smugglers most dishonourable... we are pleased to have met you." ~ The ladies smiled at the men, and panic was now gripping him for no reason ~ "Alright. Men! Move the cargo over!" ~ Turning snappish ~ "Move it!"

"Isn't it a lovely night?" ~ She murmured softly, facing the direction of the sky ~ "You know what would make it perfect?" ~ The burly sailor returned her beam idiotically ~ "Yeah... moonlight... that'd be right romantic." ~ He reached out to cup her chin, tilting it towards his own, his lips puckered up for a kiss despite his leader's shout of warning.

All too soon, the nightmare had begun. The clouds drifted, revealing the heavenly globe, candescent in the velvety sky. In two seconds, they heard the ominous sound of fabric tearing. Terror ripped their voices away at the horrific sight in front of them. And then he cried in resignation.

"Werewolves!" ~ The more agile of the group regained their senses, but almost too late. They swung their blades blindly at the lashing claws, some aiming for the hearts of the five terrifying beasts. Yet it was all too late. They knew it...

As the morning sun arose from the horizon, the ground was strewn with torn limbs, grotesque faces and bloodied organs.

A lonely boat bopped about the waters harmlessly.

[Attalus]

SIR BLANDAMOUR (The next morning, in the silvery early sunlight, the little group gathered at the gate that les to the great and evil city of Korup-Shun. B. sits atop the mighty Shaitann, his black warhorse, awaiting the arrival of his companions.)

[mistral4543]

"That's enough, you two!" ~ Her face was wrinkled with frustration as she grabbed their collars and flung them onto their respective beds ~ "Any more of this nonsense, and the werewolves will be after you." ~ Groaning inwardly as she caught the excitement on their faces.

"Oh, wow! That'd be cool, Mom! Tell us more!" ~ Both sons nevertheless crept under their blankets obediently, their innocent eyes wide open ~ "Yeah, tell us about those werewolves! Do they live here in Korrup Shun??"

"Hush!" ~ She hissed, peering over her shoulders at the windows. Hurrying over, she closed them shut and beckoned the boys to lower their voices ~ "If you promise to go to sleep after this, then I'll tell you a story." ~ Heaving a sigh of relief at their enthusiastic nods ~ "Remember, though, it is only a story."

"There was once a peaceful city, bustling with trade and interesting activities. The people were comfortably dressed and fed, and life was as it should be..." ~ Her voice grew moodier ~ "Then one day, a band of exotic folk arrived. A group of six, the leader being a stunning beauty. She bought the most expensive mansion in the city straight away and resided there..." ~ She sat on the bed wearily, ruffling the hair of her elder son.

"No one knew how she grew rich so rapidly... no one knew how she got the money in the first place... but she kept a low profile, most of the time. Yet there were rumours of werewolves." ~ Her hand glided down to his chin ~ "A young man soon appeared to the scene and courted the lady with his glib tongue, an attractive appearance and nothing else. She was swept off her feet, and they married... happily, it was openly declared." ~ She made no objection as the younger one came over and shoved his sibling to make way for him under the same blanket ~ "Well, that was until he was caught stealing. Apparently, he had stolen for his true love, whom he had abandoned for wealth. His wife, naturally, went berserk with rage, vowing revenge for the humiliation."

There was a long pause before she went on ~ "From then on, the city was filled with chaos. People sometimes went missing, and never returned... everyone locked themselves in their houses at night, praying to be left alone..." ~ "Just like now!" ~ "Silence, I tell you!" ~ Her voice rang with indignation ~ "Remember, this is only a story." ~ The tone of urgency achieved the desired effect; her sons remained silent, for the moment at least ~ "Rumours formed in the taverns, but only at the strictest confidence. There was talk of werewolves guarding her mansion... as to what she was, it was anybody's guess. For who could rule a horde of werewolves, if it were merely a mortal?"

"More, more..." ~ To her dismay, they were more curious than frightened again ~ "There is nothing else to say. It is a tale, nothing more." ~ Abruptly, she shoved them backwards onto their pillows ~ "Now, go to sleep. Or you won't outlive this day."

With that, she left the room, taking care to lock the door securely.

[ 05-31-2002, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: mistral4543 ]

[mistral4543]

OOC>>> I hope no one seriously minds that I'm posting on... I just want to set the stage for this part of the plot and afterward, I'll leave those interested to expand on it

IC>>>
At the single knock on the door, he swung himself off the stool and strided over to let his friend in ~ "You're alive, thank heaven! Come in, quick!" ~ And bolted the door hastily behind them. They sat by the fireplace, brooding over the situation.

"They were at it again last night... I tell you, it's odd but I still fell squeamish at the sight of those remains." ~ "It's not as if it's natural, is it? I mean, we certainly didn't start out in life, knowing we'd be doing this for a living." Two heavy sighs, before the visitor spoke again ~ "What I find odd is how she can find so many gullible fools to run those errands for her... but then, the secret has been kept for so long... due to fear..." ~ "There you have it! She rules by fear alone. Can you imagine being mauled to death by those damned druids? Sure, they pretend that they transform to werewolf form only in the moonlight, but don't you be fooled by them." ~ A mirthless laugh ~ "They shapeshift at will, and the more powerful they are, the more often they can do it in a single day."

"Yeah, I heard of that... druids who've abandoned the neutral path for expediency. A good thing they don't run around killing us pathetic mortals." ~ He stretched his arms out, yawning a little ~ "I guess it's to their advantage to keep this front. After all, as long as nobody knows, we look like a sane enough city and they get all the free contraband they could ever wish for... and they pay us well."

A derisive snort ~ "Indeed, why kill everything when you can make use of it? She's not dumb... the only thing she did wrong was to love that nincompoop, and even then, I'll bet my life that he doesn't live through this week." ~ Chummy chuckles now ~ "Heh, I'd bet on that too. What a fool he is. He'll realise his mistake soon enough... doesn't he even know what she is?"

"Apparently not." ~ He suddenly sat upright, gripping his friend's wrist ~ "Did you hear that?" ~ His companion shook his head ~ "I thought I heard something..."

Hearts throbbing frenziedly, they grabbed their hatchets and sprinted to the backdoor. Almost freezing as they heard the powerful fist bashing against the iron door.

Racing towards the kitchen, he ducked under the table and unlatched the trap door ~ "In here! Quick!" ~ Pushing his friend down ~ "Go on... I'll catch up with you...NO!!!" ~ Panic searing every fibre of his icy body as the door slammed shut with a decisive 'click' ~ "Open up, damn you!... How can you do this to me?!..." ~ His voice died as the sound of the footsteps trailed off a few seconds later.

There was a tremendous crash resounding from the front door, while the pounding continued to hail upon the back door.

Sick with fear, he found the world reeling at an incredible speed, before blurring and darkening into blackness.

[ 05-31-2002, 09:17 PM: Message edited by: mistral4543 ]

[Attalus]

OOC>> Gosh! I guess we won't be a minute too soon.

[Larry_OHF]

OOC>>Woah! Nice! I like where you're taking this! I don't suppose you are leading me on, now are you? Or making it more tantalizing for TAO to return? I hope I am up to the challenge!

[mistral4543]

OOC>>> Thanks, Larry Attalus - You were a lot faster than I'd expected, so I had to up the challenge level [img]tongue.gif[/img] Please feel free to post on if you wish; I'm more or less done. Anyone who wants to play the baddie, pls email or PM me... we can work out the details together and you'll have full rein thereafter

[Attalus]

OOC>> Sorry, Mistral, but don't worry, no-one has joined me yet, including my worthless esquire.