Chapter 37: Actions

I am not sure who was more flabbergasted. The Tiefling who delivered various teas, confectioneries and sandwiches to a room of 6 adults all dressed in sleeping attire, or myself. It was, after all, my cabin that everyone was in. I thanked the woman, gave her a small tip and briefly wondered where she was from. I feel like I would have remembered a blue Tiefling living in Cherwood.
I turned back to the group to continue what had been a awkward pause. Everyone had arrived in various bed attire, and Melfina had just started to say something when the knock had come to the door for the tea. Looking around to see if anyone had anything Melfina once again opened her mouth.
“That is a very nice robe.” It would have been a mundane compliment if normally spoken. Melfina had emphasized every word however, as if saying a code phrase to someone. Otherwise it had been completely normal, and complimentary. Henry seemed to like the compliment, as he simply beamed, trying to stand up to show it off better. As the compartment wasn't quite big enough for all of us to stand, or sit all at once, the disorder caused by the Tabaxi's movement was quickly stopped.
Trying to change the subject, and move on from the robe, I ask “What was the most interesting artifact you have found?”
His eyes lit up and he answered immediately, “A monkey beheader! There was an ancient civilization that would cut the heads off of monkeys in a ritual to cleanse their crops and protect them from pests. They made a special device used it once a year for the whole empire. Brutal business, but a very neat artifact.” Melfina nodded in acceptance, probably thinking about how the blood would make everything better.
“Where do you find all of your artifacts” Marda asks, sitting atop a pile of pillows. She had said it was more comfortable like that, but I couldn't agree with her with her. Nesting under the pillows would have been way more comfortable.
Mr Hotfeet looked into his hands as he answered the question. “I bought them all. I want to go find them myself on an adventure, but I've never gone out like that before. I think it would be fun.”
“Have you heard of us?” Yun asks.
“Not really,” Henry replies. “There aren't any books that I have found on any of you, and the only thing I know is what I have heard from rumors in the city.” So, he had heard of us, and gone looking for some books, only to come up empty handed. Ha. Like anyone would write a book about Us. I wonder what he was able to find out. “I know that there was a fight last night. I thought you guys were the ones coming to kill me.” Henry explained.
“What? There was no fight last night!” Melfina sputtered. “and if there was, we certainly didn't kill anyone on the train.” If she had claimed to be Vandrin it would have been more believable. Her denial did spark a new thought. What all did Henry see during the fight? Was it just me, Max and Leona, or was Melfina and her wings in there as well? OR did he somehow see even more than I did.
“Someone was after something in your room” Geno admits. I was about to say the same, but I was frankly unsure how much I wanted to admit yet, and looking at everyone, we were all thinking the same. “They may have even been the ones that went through your room.” Good for him to try to fly that one past, but I”m not sure why he bothered. Henry knew the fight was over way before anyone went through his room. Maybe Geno was trying to convince him otherwise simply slipping it in while the Tabaxi was thinking of something else.
“Do you know what I have that they were looking for?” He asks, ignoring Geno's persuasion attempt.
Sighing, Melfina looks to me and holds out her hand. “Druss, may I have the note you found?”
Saying nothing, I simply give it to her, with the decoded meaning written under the cipher.
“We are not after what you have, it is more who you are going to talk to.” I admit. We might as well put all of our cards down. We are all sitting around in our drawers anyway.
“But I don't know you. Most of you are complete unknowns to me, and I don't even know what to think of the turtle.” Henry says. What is it about the turtle that people take so much notice about? Spike is sitting quite contently chewing on some of the berries that came in the pastries. There wasn't really any menacing look on his little face was there? Have I been around it too long? Maybe some people can sense the spirit inside the turtle, and they get some sort of unknown case of the Heebie Jebbiees. How can we explain the spirit to them and not sound like raving lunatics anyway?
“The turtle is simply a pet for me.” Melfina states, gesturing to the harness for it. “It may have picked up some of my temperament on the travels we have had, but it isn't really anything to be feared.”
“What is the item you are trying to get at your meeting in Laketown anyway?” I ask, trying to get away from the mysterious turtle.
Looking dubiously at said turtle, I can see the Tabaxi wrestle internally with the idea of telling us. Handing me back the note, he opens his mouth. “Well, since you already know about the key, I am meeting some people about a way to get into the lost Elven city. I'm not sure if they key I have opens the way or not, but they should have something that will show me the way.”
“I understand that the city may now be located in the Shadowfell.” Melfina says. With a nod of agreement from Henry, she continues, “We may have business going there at some point to help you out.”
“We have a trip to Davenport to complete before we can go, but you wouldn't be ready to go immediately anyway would you? How much of the fight did you see anyway?” I ask.
He pours himself another cup of tea before answering, setting the Tea pot down very carefully. “All of it. I saw the whole thing.”
Oh. Crap.
“That is why I thought you were here to kill me, because of what I saw.” Yeah, If I had seen a bunch of people slinging spells and probably making meat salsa out of people I would be worried too. I'm not even sure what magics they had thrown around last night, but remembering what Yun had done to a flock of birds I wouldn't be surprised if it had been something big. Not that I could say much, I had made a giant fireball with those birds too.
“If we wanted to kill you, you would die.” Melfina said. I know it wasn't a threat from her, just a fact of life. Trees are made of wood. Fish live underwater. Things we need to kill get killed. That, while mostly true, was a dangerous way of thinking. It might lead to not looking for other solutions to problems. It may bear some further thinking while on this trip.
Asking Marda to pull out the magic carpet, I want to share it with Henry. There may be a few things he can help with, and he knows we already have magic. I can use his knowledge of old artifacts to our advantage, and this would get his mind into something he can focus on. Besides possible impending doom. Pulling the haversack into her lap, she reaches in and pulls out the large carpet, which had been gently folded to fit. Henry's eyes had grown large at the bag, when Marda was clearly reaching in further than she should have, and bugged out when the whole carpet had come out. Now that he was able to see the vibrant colors of the carpet, his jaw started to succumb to gravity, and fell open.
After asking us if we wanted to sell either item, we politely refused, and got down to talking. As I didn't know how to use the carpet, I was hoping that he would be able to help me with it. He seemed to be more at ease talking about artifacts, and said that he would be happy to come look at it, and we could work through it together. Seeing that as an excellent way to get to know each other better, I agree.
Once the tea and the confectioneries were gone, we got back to work. Geno and Melfina went to her cabin to extract the mysterious blood Marda found. Henry and I continue looking at the carpet, trying to discern how to use it. Marda had seemingly fallen asleep on her throne of cushions, but I was pretty sure she just didn't want to move. The gentle rock of the train and the calming effect of the tea would have had that effect on me anyway. We had not got far with the carpet when Melfina came back in. With the look on her face, Henry decided it would be best to return to the carpet at a later time, and went across to his own cabin.
She was excited to find that she had enough to connect with the owner of the blood through her holy magic. Deciding to wait until we are farther out on the trip, she wants to see if the perpetrator will reveal themselves or make another move. We would have the whole ride to keep a lookout for suspicious activity, and while we know of one raider, there may be more. It was going to be a long trip.
We arrived at the Smallville station that night, but due to it being at night, we didn't stop. Shortly after we passed Smallville, Max came to get me;. As it was late at night, I expected him to look tired, but not nearly as weary as he was. He explained that Leona had shut herself away, and had hardly said anything at all today. If I thought we had been cramped inside my cabin, I didn't think about sharing a room with a Minotaur. We headed back to their cabin and once he and I were in, I closed the door.
“Hey Little One.” It was a silly thing to say. Leona was no longer the little cub I had taken as an apprentice. She was now larger than most Tabaxi I knew, although not as big as Max was. As broad as I am, she could get just a bit bigger when she wanted to. But the moniker had stuck. Now, she was curled in the back of the cabin, looking out into the night. I could see that she wasn't asleep, and wasn't even pretending to be. Just lost in thought, and judging from how she was, it was a vicious loop of thoughts she was in. I knew what it was, as I had been there before. Not saying anything, I simply sat next to her and reached for her hand. With no resistance, I pulled it into my two hands and gave it a small squeeze. Her thumb twitched at the pressure, a small acknowledgment at my presence. Settling my self into a comfortable position, I waited for her.
“I killed someone.” It had come out over an hour later, in a diminutive voice. I still had her hand in mine. She hadn't moved.
“Yes.” I agreed.
“He didn't have to be here, he should have been somewhere else.” Ah. I had been a part of this argument before mostly with myself.
“He could have. He could have been a candlestick maker somewhere, living his best life. You are right. Instead, he came onto this train, with the intent to cause pain and maybe kill someone. You could have been somewhere too.” I've never really known what to say for this, even after the times I have had to face it. There was always something different to say.
“I could have been home.” She says. “You would have killed him just fine without me, you are used to it.”
It hurt to hear it. I knew she was still trying to process everything about the situation and I let it pass. “That is the thing. I have never been used to it. I never want to be used to it. I don't look forward it it. If I could help it, I wouldn't kill anything ever again. I would sit aside and let others do it. People who are more suited for it.”
“Then why do you still fight? How can you?” she asks quietly.
I take a deep breath, try to gather my thoughts. “I fight because if I don't, people I care about could suffer. I fight because I have seen others simply turn a blind eye to the wrongs in the world, and those problems still need to be fixed. I fight because bad groups are out there that will use innocent people as slaves or puppets, and that is wrong. If I have to fight so that others may live a better life then I will. Would I prefer that we all just live happy lives? Yes. With all my fiber and being yes.”
She finally moves to look me in the eyes. “Will I always have trouble sleeping like you two?”
“You might.” Max replies. “But your father and I have our own demons we struggle with, just like everyone else. We will be there to help you just like you help us.”
She was quiet for a moment, her thumb rubbing against the scales of my hand. Her fur was starting itch on my hands a bit. “What will we do when we get to Davenport?” She asks.
Letting out another sigh, I look to Max. “Well, we don't really know what waits for us there. We know many of the Legion's retired are heading there, and we know that the Crimson Dragons are trying to setup in the area, maybe taking it over. It may be hard to stay out of fights there. If you want, you can stay on the ship and watch over the crew there.”
She seemed hesitant to say more, and was able to speak again after a few minutes. “What happens if I turn. You know, get bigger.”
“My dear sweet Leona Panathalax. One of our comrades stayed in her Werewolf form for nearly the entire time we knew her, and we were proud to fight by her side the entire time. She was unstoppable. Fought Trolls by herself for fun.” I wrap my arm around her “We will always love you, and if need be, proudly fight by your side. And damn those who think otherwise, because they don't matter. Now come on. Lets go to my cabin, and I can tell you stories about how we found the Werewolf named Quiet Sleeping in a tree, wearing the captain's dress uniform. It was quite a feat, considering the captain wasn't even with the troop at the time.” Patting Max on the shoulder, and grabbing a couple extra pillows for Leona, we went back to my cabin, already telling her a story of booze, bad bets, and two mischievous druids.
Leona had fallen asleep at some point during my story, and I wasn't sure when. I had told her that there was no shame in talking about any problems she had, we were all here for her, even Marda and Melfina. Both of them had been there I am sure.. She said she would let us know if we were needed.
It started raining the next evening. We could hear the rain hit the train car up to the point where we entered the tunnel the next day. It had become a constant, rhythmic tapping in the background, and with the gentle sway of the train it had left a lethargic feeling in everyone. Suddenly the tapping had stopped, and light could be seen passing the windows of the train. The water droplets on the windows were briefly illuminated by torchlight inside the tunnel before the wall of smoke from the engine blotted it out.
My world was briefly in black and white. I could see just about everything about me, and stuck my head out of the cabin, to see the posted guards light their lamps. As the small amounts of light came through, the rest of the car was lit now that others could see the means to light candles. Without enough light to read properly, I felt kinda silly telling my own stories to the egg by my self. Inviting Melfina over, I asked her to tell me of the monsters she had hunted while she and Marda had been away. I can learn from her battles too, so if we meet more of the beasts she has met we would be at more of an advantage. It was stuffy inside the cabin while we talked, but I dared not open my window, should I choke everyone out of the train car.
Soon after Melfina had come over, the smoke did dissipate outside the cabin window. Looking out, we saw that we had come to the massive natural cavern where we killed the Hydra. The massive carcass was nowhere to be seen, although that wasn't surprising. If the tunnel crew hadn't removed the body, any other living creatures in this cave would have removed it for us.
I remember the plan we had set down, and how Rorin had almost died during the fight. The first fight with the hydra had been bad enough, if you could call it that. Not so much of a fight as meal time according to everyone else. Melfina and I look at each other, and I can see her thoughts had been pretty close to mine judging from her expression. She glances at my shoulder, and I only then realize I had been rubbing the spot where the diamond had brought me back to life, leaving a brand on my scales. As fast as the cavern had appeared, it was gone again, the train going into what had been solid rock. Smoke once again took it's watch outside the window, and stayed there for several hours.
Sunlight suddenly took over from the smoke, the train bursting out from the side of the mountain, greeting us with a spectacular view. A Large valley stretched out beside the train with a river below us. The train was curving around to run along the mountain range for a while, and I could see our next stop coming up from a ways off.
A town, built right into the foot of the mountain range was slowly growing out into the valley, and up the side of the rock. I had heard of this place in my younger days, and we had even passed by it while I was in the Legion, but I had never been to the mining town of Fallton. As the train pulled into the stop, I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Built mostly of wood, it looked like a dusty place. A strip of wood was built onto the front of every building, to allow people to walk. The roads, if you could call them that, had a crude rail system down the middle to pull ore or metal in large carts by beasts of burden. Goats, yaks and horses could all been seen pulling metal carts full of rock. The rest of the road would be dirt, where the beasts would leave droppings, and after a rain, everything would mix together into what I could only assume to be an absolute quagmire. That is, if anyone were to walk in them. Most of the livestock seemed to know exactly where to go, and all the people of the town stayed on the boardwalks, which were pristine.
The few buildings that were made of stone seemed to be at regular intervals, and were seemingly sculpted directly from the rock. Obviously important structures, they all had stairs that led to a second floor balcony that would cross over to the other side of the road. It would allow for people walking through the city to cross over the road safely, not get in the way of the industrial traffic, and never get boots dirty.
It was difficult to figure out the locals from the outsiders until something became very apparent. Every single one of the locals had a helmet. A simple leather cap, with several iron plates bound to it, I would imagine it would keep someone from being killed by a falling rock, should the rock not be big enough to simply squash them into a fine paste. The helmets were all carried, or worn by each local seemingly at all times. Another big hint was that every single helmet carrier was a dwarf. Some were in dresses, others in large protective leather suits, some in eyeliner. All had beards. Whatever it was, it was now easy to tell the locals apart from those who may come to buy the products mined here.
Since we were stopping long enough to refill all the trains fuel, I decided to get off for a few minutes. The train station had been positioned just outside of town, near the main road similar to Smallville's stop. Walking the short way into town, I find that a craftsman has set up a barrow selling small metal knickknacks.
“Well, Aren't you a Tall drink of spicy water!” The dwarf said, looking me up and down. They were sitting next to the barrow on a small chair and the way they were looking at me reminded me of nights at the Temple to Dem Falic'. I was about to politely leave when something caught my eye. A medallion, half the size of my palm had been cut from a strange metal. Waves of dark and light metal pulsed around each other in a way very pleasing to the eye, and into the metal had been carved a dragon, wrapping around the outside. Symbols for ice, fire, and acid were carved into a triangle, all around a bolt of lightning in the middle. Seeing my interest in it the dwarf spoke again. “Mmmm I saw you and thought you might like this immediately. Of course, I thought other things too, If you are interested in just that, I'll say ten gold. If you are looking for something else I could lower it to three.” I fish ten gold out of my purse, and hand it over, asking what type of metal it is. “Oh, that vein of iron had traces of nickle in it, but it wasn't found until after it was smelted. Left a nice wavy pattern in it. Sometimes it's nice to mix things that don't normally go together.” I thank them for the purchase, and take my leave, heading back to the train ignoring the advances. That's enough of that town for a bit I think.
Two weeks into the journey Melfina decided to use the blood she had collected, trying to determine if there was still an intruder on the train. Yun and I watch over her as she works her magic. Geno is off visiting the engineers again, as he had thought of multiple additional questions. After a matter of seconds she opens her eyes. “He is still here on the train, acting as an engineer. Geno was even talking to him. After Geno left, he was looking at the plans for the train, and trying to copy them. Let's wait for him to get back and we can check with him.”
When Geno got back, we find that he was talking with Bobby, his least favorite engineer. Over all of Geno's visits, Bobby has been least forthcoming with information, but he has been there the entire time. Geno hadn't noticed anything in the time since we started, like Bobby acting completely different, so maybe we should take a look at him more closely. Yun and Melfina decide to get a closer look while Geno is going for another tour. They went forward, Melfina muttering to Geno about a Pissing Engine.
Not really sure what they are planning on doing, I wait in my cabin while they are ahead on the train. There really shouldn't be anything that could happen, Geno will be there to talk to the engineers and with his knowledge, he could probably keep them occupied for sometimes, which would allow for Melfina and Yun to find something that would help us keep any eye on the probable impostor. I mean the worst that could happen would be Geno would be barred from the engine. No. Wait. Then he'd talk to Us about it. Hmm That may in fact be-\
WHUUOOMM!
The sound of a heavy object falling on the cabin floor removed my thoughts from my head. What in the outer planes had-
WHUUOOMM!
The lunatic juggling anvils had dropped another.. By the time I situated the egg and poked my head out the door, the cacophonous sound had happened three more times. I had just enough time to jerk my head back inside before one of the suits of armor thudded past. It was heading up front. Gods above, what had they done up there. I had an image of the walls red with substances similar to spaghetti sauce when Melfina and Yun came back, thankfully not covered in crimson.
Apparently, they had angered Bobby, and annoyed him enough that the armor had been summoned, and the three of them had been banned from coming forward. Geno was talking like it was just Melfina and Yun, and I wasn't really sure if that would matter anyway. If Yun wanted to get up front, they could just be another person in a snap, and even if Geno was banned, they would have to grab him first. With all that grease on him that would be hard to do.
The trip up front had not been for naught. Melfina produced a jar of what appeared to be Human nails. From toes and fingers. I have seen Humans, and some of the other races ripping nails from their fingers while concentrating on something else, or while fretting over difficult matters. It was an odd practice, and keeping those trimmings is simply mind boggling to me. But it provided a link for Melfina to use some spell of another, so it was worth it.
Henry also kept working on the carpet. He would come over to my cabin, and we would stretch it out between us, and examine it, as if looking for some lost clue that would reveal everything to us. He was able to provide a bit of information we didn't know. From the color pattern on the carpet, it was probably made by acolytes to the dragons, probably the blues. Most of the times he came over would end with us talking. My contribution were the stories of the legion and after, his were the items he found. Most of my stories didn't have the darker sides that still haunted me. I left them out, almost to leave his innocence intact.
Either in the mornings, or after l=Lunch he would come over for some time. One Morning, he had put the carpet on the floor, and had lay down on top to see if he could get a closer look. “Maybe the inks had left an impression on the rest of the fibers” he had said. Time quickly passed and it had gotten later in the day than we had thought, and we had once again devolved into talking. His grasp of draconic had impressed me, and we had continued talking in it, mostly of how backward the language was compared to the others. Hearing people passing in the hall outside, Henry looked down at his ancient time keeper, a piece he had obtained for someone who had never shown up to collect it. With a small gasp, he exclaimed “Ope, I gotta go! It's my time for luaaAAA-”
I assumed he had meant lunch, but at the moment the carpet had suddenly risen three feet off the ground and was staying in place. The Tabaxi was struck silent by either fear and excitement, and for his benefit I will say excitement. Mostly. I was dumbstruck myself, and was desperately trying to remember what he had just said. Forgetting lunch entirely, we toyed with the carpet for a little while longer, Finally finding that the words, “ope, I gotta go” had to be said clearly in draconic. That would activate the carpet for use. Henry also found the words, “The Crashless Wonder. Were hidden in the scroll work across the bottom of the carpet, so the lettering had been fancifully woven in. With the mysteries of the carpet obtained, we stayed and ordered lunch to be delivered, and talked more, basking in the job well done.
Leona had a few more nights of troubled sleep, but Marda and Melfina had taken notice a few weeks into the trip. As they ate meals with her and Max, they recognized the problem, and helped with advice of their own. Both had been through more than enough battles, and I'm sure they have both had problems in their time. With all the support she had, she wasn't afraid to let us know if she was having difficulties.
One thing that was troubling was the fact I couldn't locate the Airship. I never really wanted to get on top of the train to look, but when moving from car to car I would look into the sky. I couldn't find it in the sky for the whole month, and it was starting to bother me. I kept meaning to have Melfina message them but as she was using other spells, I didn't want to take all her spells in case we were attacked.
While I had been worried about another attack, I suppose it was all for not. No attack ever came, which was just fine with me. I didn't need to fight more people on a train full of innocent people. I also didn't need more magic being flung about with the guards that didn't trust us already.
The nails Melfina had obtained had been sufficient enough for her use, and she had used a spell to look into the engineer several times, and had at one point found that the original Bobby the engineer was in fact dead, his body left by the side of the tracks, probably thrown out a window on some night. I decide to leave watching over Bobby to Geno and Melfina. If I tried, I would probably botch it like I did with Henry. I can just imagine walking up to him and screaming, “Who do you work for!” Being a giant Dragonborn it can be hard to be subtle sometimes.
By the time we had reached Laketown, we knew that Henry was supposed to meet his contact at the Three Rivers Inn at tea time the next day. They would be wearing clear markings and would approach him. He didn't really know much more about who he was dealing with, or how many there would be. Just that they had something that he wanted that would help him find his lost city.
Getting off the train, we find some of the guard had been waiting for the train to arrive, and had arrested some of the occupants, the daughter in the Harriet family. I didn't know much about them, except that I always found spike following the matriarch of the family around the dinning car. A family of well to do humans, the elder woman had appeared a doddering almost Senile thing. Until you looked her in the eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing at all times. I overheard the daughter being told she was wanted for attempted murder, and I wonder what had really happened. It had been clear she was always pushing the mother to eat specially prepared meals made by the daughter. They had both been nice enough.
We got situated at the inn, some of the kids remembering me from the last time we had been through. I had after all used my fire breathe to ignite a giant wooden statue. I don't remember much else, as I was really tired during that visit. Once we had our rooms, Marda and Henry head out to do some shopping at a local store. A place where he could get a good deal, he often visited when coming to Laketown. Marda had wanted to see what could be found there, and wanting to blend in, left her swords with us at the inn, borrowing a hand axe from me. While she was gone I took the time to clean her weapons and think about what we should do for the meeting.
Once we were all back, Marda buying some surprises for later, we decided on a plan for the meeting. Henry was worried that he may come to physical harm, so Yun was going to play on the stage in the sitting room. I was going to be across the main entrance hall, in the dinning area facing the meeting. Melfina and Geno were going to be invisible, While Marda was going to be a body guard. Not wanting to be overly recognizable, Yun is going to disguise her, and I lend her a couple of my hand axes again. I also emphasized we did not want a blood bath here. A public place, and an Inn that knows us, we would rather follow whoever shows up back to a hideout and deal with them there if we have to. All in agreement, we turn in. yeah. What could go wrong.
The inn had three main areas. Entering the building, there was a long hallway, lined with arches on both sides that led to the sitting room on the left, and the dinning on the right. An interior balcony overlooked the main entrance, allowing patrons to look down to the main desk below. The sitting room would have be a place to smoke a pipe, or read a book while enjoying tea or strong drink. The bookshelves lining two of the walls allow for patrons to find any information on a multitude of subjects to pass time. There were tables, and a small stage, but not a place to have a banquet. A couple windows allowed for more light, with shutters to keep weather out. The stage would have been for ambiance music, or to address a small gathering. The dinning room had the larger tables, and the large buffet table. The tables were efficiently placed to allow for maximum occupancy with the allowance for people to get food and drink without trouble. The brick exterior left a rustic look to the building, and spiral staircases outside could allow patrons to get in and out of the rooms while enjoying the city air.
Sitting in the dinning area, I could see Henry and Marda sitting at the table across the main hall in the sitting room. We had sent Leona and Max with the egg to look for the Airship, to see if it had made it. We still had not heard anything, and we were getting worried. Yun was playing quietly on the stage, enjoying themselves more than performing. If Yun were to be performing, they would have drawn too much attention. Melfina and Geno were of course not visible, and I had lost track of where they had gone. I had a wonderful slice of carrot cake in front of me waiting for the meeting to start. The house specialty, it was spiced perfectly, and nearly half gone when two Human males came in.
One was smaller, yet obviously in charge. He wore a linen business suit, with a yellow pocket square. With a smarmy smile on his face, he locked eyes on Henry and spotting Marda, the smile twitched for just an instant. Turning away from me to say something to his associate, gesturing to the table where my friends sat. The larger of the two I knew to be human, but he may have been at least part troll. Wearing enough fabric to cover a small shed, the leisure suit may have been dark brown at one point, but light, time, and probably fierce scrubbing had faded the color. It now looked like something you may pull out of a latrine. The sleeves were rumpled too, as if they were constantly being shoved up past the elbow.
As the new comers got up to the table, I saw Marda size them both up. She came up to the upper knee of the big brutish one, but I didn't have to worry about her. Henry looked nervous, but determined. If this could get him closer to his goal, he would get through it. Unfortunately the smaller of the two sat with his back to me, and the larger one didn't seem to have anything to say. They were obviously asking Henry for a lot, as his expression grew dour. He was asking something about what he was getting in exchange for the deal. His lips were hard to read with all the fur around them. The leader then pulled something out of his jacket, maybe a contract or map. Asking for better light, Henry and the brute head over to the window and open the shutters.
Not wanting to be staring at the meeting, I glance down to cut off another bite of the cake. Fork hovering over the cake, a shout is heard across the hallway, and the only part of Henry I can see as I look up is the tip of his tail as it swishes out the window, and up. “Oh Shit.” Shoulders dropping, my hand falls to the table, fork clattering to the plate pointlessly. This is going sideways real fast.
Chaos erupted in the sitting room. The Big guy vaulted out the window, earning him a slash from Yun's rapier. Marda started hacking at the smaller man, but some of the blows stopped short of him as if invisible armor were stopping the axes. Wrapping herself around his legs, Marda was trying desperately to stop him, only for his form to turn into a mist. With the cloud moving towards the window to follow the other two Yun stepped off the stage.
“Overcompensating are we?” Bellowed Yun, finishing a crescendo on the violin, and the cloud comes back into the shape of a man, before shrinking smaller, to a large snail, still sailing out the window.
With the ruckus attracting attention, people started running out of the inn in a panic. Trying to blend in with the crowd, I run out with them. I'm not really sure how I can blend in that well, but it is worth a shot. Once outside I can see that the carnage has started. Melfina's Spiritual scythe floats behind her as she runs up a set of spiral stairs. Geno's Blurred Form runs past the big man, swiftly laying into his kneecaps with a large wrench. Henry must have gotten onto the roof somehow, as Melfina, Geno and the brute are all trying to get up there first. Taking my eyes from the battle, I run across the street. There could be more of the slavers and I take a quick look for them before looking back at the inn. A group of people were starting to gather on this side of the road, far enough away to be able to flee, but close enough to watch the spectacle, and I could see over the crowd. Yun had come out of the window now too, stepping around the nice plants that had been planted there. Marda was rooting around the ground looking for something in the small patch of mulch. She had pulled the magical manacles out of her bag. Melfina had beaten the large man up to the top of the building, and was standing over him. Blood was running down his shins from where Geno had beaten him. Ice materialized from Melfina's outstretched knife, battering the thug hanging onto the roof.
Looking around, I can see some people are agog at the sight of the magic. One person seems to be less stunned than the rest of the crowd. A younger man in appearance, he holds the reins of three horses, one of which was nearly large enough for me to ride. The jaw of the horse handler was clenched tight, with a solemn look. Looking back at the carnage, the Brute has finally made his way up to the roof, bound and determined to get there. Yun appears next to him, as if they had simply decided to be there instead of the ground below. But before Melfina or Yun could grab the thug, another being does. The Specter fades into being, and grabs the big man by the shoulders, one in each ghostly appendage.
As the ruffian looks up, the visage holding him flickers briefly, into the form of a young woman, before death once again solidifies as much as the spectere ever does. A scream can be heard from the lout as he is ripped in half, spraying blood over Melfina and Geno. Yun was able to pull the parasol out and cover behind it. I had seen Yun use the parasol to conceal their rapier, and I thought it was just for decoration. As the blood starts running over the edge of the roof, the spectators below chose that time to scatter. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. The dispersing crowd did make it a little harder to follow the man with the three horses, so I cast a little spell of my own.
Drawing some magic from the world around me, I cast a mark on my target, and a brief scent of bad cologne and horse hit me before I faded away. The spell would help me track my target, but couldn't point out where he was exactly. This way, if I lost track of him, I would have a better chance of finding him again. Following him at a greater distance, I saw the town guard was heading towards the scene of the chaos. While I am concerned about my friends, I didn't have to worry long.
Melfina's voice rang in my head. “Henry is fine, we have a map now. Heading to Madame Curie's Inn. Captured Mr. Big. Stay safe. Henry will sort this all out.”
Knowing I could answer, I responded once her message was done. “Following third slaver. I promise I won't kill them all without you guys. See you soon.” Well, time to see if I can be a giant, one armed shiny Dragonborn that can't be seen.