"I'm ready to head back. As far as weapons go, I couldn't make use of either of these. I like my swords smaller, and not as bloodthirsty, and I wouldn't know where to start with a bludgeon like that one." Mihara shrugs.
The midday sun is baking down as you return to the Thirsty Dryad, burning away any semblance of shade. The Inn itself stands, as before, dark and empty. Nothing obvious moves within, and nothing but your own footsteps disturb the dust.
"Nothing for now." Azri said, walking forward to the mentioned location but continuing to keep an eye out for trouble. Even dying would only be a temporary inconvenience for her... but it would be an inconvenience, and she was quite keen on avoiding it.
"Okay, hidden knot, come to mommy..." she muttered as she searched for the bit of bare wall that had been described to them.
"A secret passage? Shouldn't be too tough."
The three of you quickly locate the knot. It would have been a great deal more difficult if you hadn't seen it. Much like the rest of the inn, the secret door felt more grown than made, and would have been extremely difficult to spot.
Since you did know where it was, however, the corner where the walls meet slips away, opening up on a small room. The entrance is small, no more than a foot across, but you should all be able to squeeze through it.
Inside is much as Azerna described. A large, wooden locker bound in heavy brass stands at the far end, a padlock holding it shut. Next to it is a heavy chest in the same style. Against the north wall is a small writing table, parchment still scattered across it's surface, and what appears to be a filing cabinet.
"Ah, wonderful." Azri said, looking around. "...Is it morally right to take stuff, even if she said we could? I guess paying city officials for services rendered is pretty reasonable, and we'll probably have some sort of taxes later... but I'd rather not take any more than we think we're honestly owed for the labor. I'd kind of like to avoid starting all this off by making people think we want all their money...."
Her conscience caught up with her at the strangest times, though she did gesture for Mihara to start picking the locks and looking for the item they were truly here for.
"Well... she did offer, and it's for the good of the city." Mihara shrugs, herself uncertain, as she takes to the lock.
The lock pops open after several moments of poking and prodding. Inside the locker are several items of interest - a long, well crafted spear apparently made most of bronze, a a pair of oddly shaped knives, a lockbox of some kind and the item you were searching for - the Archon Stave.
Made of glimmering silver metal even in the poor light and topped with a crystal globe, one thing is odd - the runes Azerna mentioned are missing. Looking at it you feel, somewhere inside your mind, that simply touching it will irrevocably bond you to the item. You can feel the Stave's pull in your own Mark of Authority, as like calls out to like.
A series of runes suddenly spring to life in the doorway as the form of the ghost, Zedath, appears, eyes glowing red inside the helmet. He says nothing, simply standing - and waiting.
Azri glanced back at their group's Oracle. "You want it?" she asked. They were the two main casters of the group, and it would probably be best in one of their hands. She wasn't so greedy as to just grab it without asking, though... but she did glance at the ghost. "Mission almost complete." she said pointedly.
Instinctively, Mihara takes inventory, her merchant experience rising to the front of her mind.
Aibek followed the others quietly with naturally rolling footsteps. As the Archon Stave comes into view, Aibek starts to rub the back of the right arm, turning away to look around the room as the others decided who this Symbol was best suited for and taking inventory. As the ghost appeared, Aibek gave it a long stare, nodding at Azri's comment while instinctively pulling the nearest shadows to hand. While Aibek felt bad for the trapped beings, these quarters were too close and small for Aibek to feel comfortable with one who had previously been hostile.
"We're helping to finish the job..." Aibek said while trying to keep the edge from the words, moving in the small space to ensure the witchwolf was not blocking the ghost's sight of the object...
|
Ayreth leans forward slightly at Azri's question. A multitude of emotions cross her face as she hesitates. Someone is going to be the first to achieve a Symbol. Why shouldn't it be me? I deserve it just as much as anyone.
She lets out a deep breath that she didn't realize she was holding, her decision made, and her face serene. Ayreth takes a step back. "I believe this Symbol is meant to be yours, Azri, my sister," she says with a genuine smile.
"Nn." Azri replied, nodding. Well, someone had to be first unless they started doing amusing things with time, so they might as well get on with it. With a shrug, she moved over to the Archon Stave and held her hand over it.
"By right of the Mark I bear and the ancient laws of Khalharum, I claim this Symbol of Authority - a Symbol to go beyond death itself, lasting until I shall never more walk the world." With that, she reached down and picked it up.
Selena looks warily at the ghost as the two white-haired women decide on who should pick the staff.
"Just a moment, ok?" Selena echoes Aibek, smiling at the ghost.
The staff flared for a moment. White metal and clear crystal seemed to flow and change, ever so slightly, to accommodate it's new mistress.
The flare pulled Aibek's attention away from the ghost for a moment, blinking at the light and murmured quietly in amazement as it changed before them.
Aibek said with a broad smile, "Congrats, Azri, it seems to like you. What do you think?" The witchwolf's swirling mind was then pulled back into reality and turned attention back to the ghost though motioned with one hand towards the Stave.
"Is this what you and yours were looking for...Is your job now done?"
As Azri gripped the staff, several more marks appeared - the same marks featured in the rune on her back, though very few people had ever seen those, considering the way they were so frequently under her clothing. "I think I'll like it more once I've used it a bit." she said, giving it an experimental swing. Only when she was done with that did she look over to the ghost. "The staff is found, claimed by one who bears the Mark of Authority. Are you ready to depart this plane, or do you have other regrets that still tie you here?" she asked.
Selena approaches the ghost, pointing at the staff Azri picked up. "Zedath, right? That's the Symbol of Authority, the one you were asked to find! After all this time, your job is finally done. Aren't you happy?" the half-succubus says with a smile to the ghost, not really sure how to approach the situation. Hopefully, that would have been enough to send him to Pharasma's judgement.
The Ghost paused, staring at the staff. "Zedath?" As he whispered his own name the dark glow in his eyes faded, and the armour covering his form vanished once again into the ether. "I was...Zedath. I remember that name."
He stared at the staff. "So many years...it was so close, for so many years." He laughed a little, a bitter little laugh. "Ironic. I wanted it so they'd free my sister. It was the price. Instead, it enslaved me too."
Zedath ran one hand over his eyes. "I just remember the...need. I am sorry," he added as he addressed Nigrum, "That I hurt you. Ghosts like I was...am....are mostly emotions. Frustration, rage, desperation. I wasn't rational. Thank you helping me regardless. Thank you all for helping me," he added, looking around.
The ghost began to fade. "Maybe now, I can find my fate in the Boneyard. Maybe I will see my sister again." Zedath closed his eyes. "Maybe I'll see you all again sometime. Thank you, once again." With that, the fallen warrior faded away.
|
|
Ayreth smiles as Azri bonds with the staff. She also turns expectantly towards Zedath's ghost. After he fills in the last few details of his story and then fades away, she wipes her eyes surreptitiously. "Go in peace, Zedath."
"Still need to figure out the water situation," she offers as a distraction from her emotions.
"Bye Zedath!" Selena waves cheerfully at the ghost as he disappears.
"Right, sis. We still have to take care of the skeleton in the basement, though. Hopefully we'll just be able to smash it now that Zedath has passed on." the half-succubus nods to Ayreth. "If we're lucky, it's still tied up."
Aibek nodded in agreement with Selena, We can check, and take care, of the basement situation, then we can go look at the fountain if there is enough daylight left. I'm happy to run back to Azerna quickly after we check the basement go give her the good news, she wanted to be informed as soon as we finished with this... said, waving a hand vaguely at where the ghost had been, "or we all go back if there isn't the daylight left and try again at first light..." Aibek said with a small shrug...
"Pretty sure there's enough daylight left - and the faster we resolve the water issue, the better." Azri observed, slipping out of the chamber and heading down the stairs, towards the other steps that would take them to the basement and the body. The job wasn't done yet, and she had no intention of resting until it was.
...That probably didn't mean much, actually, given that she didn't sleep.
"Let's go put that skeleton to rest. We can see about Azerna afterwards," Mihara suggests, drawing her bow. "We know what we're up against, so it shouldn't be too complex. Mind if I lead the way? I'd like to get a shot in before it knows we're back."
At the spirits end and apology Nigrum merely nodded. It was a shame such a warrior was not living, he would have proved a challenge. He keeps alert as they move towards the skeleton's abode. From those better versed in such things said, it was not directly connected to the spirit. He could very well be having another fight with the undead.
The basement was much the same as you had left it, although the undead is now defrosted. The ropes that once bound lie on the floor, soaking wet. There is one significant difference, however - the creature is now coated with a icy variation of the armour Zedath wore.
Aibek followed Azri and the others down the stairs quietly, eager to get this over with, hoping that the other half of the trapped being was gone as smoothly as the ghostly part.
But sadly that was not to be...Aibek let out a sigh upon spotting the now armor corpse. Clicking frustrated teeth together, Aibek used the shadows that the shadow assassin had been carrying to form a shadowblade light repeating crossbow and a bolt. Aibek moved into the room, eyeing the corpse carefully before firing the shadowblade bolt at the shambling corpse.
"All right, let's finish this." Azri said, focusing her energies onto what had once been the body of a probably-decent person. "Suffer." she told him, sending out a wave of misfortune and following it up with a bit of terrifying laughter.
Running down the stairs, Selena draws a shuriken and throws it at the now armored skeleton.
"Nice suit of armor you got there. Where did it came from?" the half-succubus asks the undead, not really expecting a response.
"Let's see how it likes this!" Mihara invokes her innate magic, throwing a spray of glittering dust at the undead.
The Skeleton shuddered as the hex hit it, and took the shadowry crossbow bolt and throwing star as well. An arrow was quickly jutting out of it as Ayreth's attack landed too. It hiss, the iced armour it had created cracking under the onslaught, cold mist pouring from the gaps like blood.
Still, it was not the wise creature, and lunged forwards to attack. Despite the glitter in it's eyes it didn't seem to have any trouble finding it's target. Icy boots didn't seem to cause the strange undead any real problems as it lurched forward, towards Selena
Azri metaphorically gripped onto the fabric of fate and heaved as the skeleton darted out at Selena. Sadly, she honestly couldn't do much to fight any particular foe, but she moved in behind the skeleton to flank it for Selena while continuing to cackle.
"Let's see if I still have it..."
Mihara drops her bow to the floor and flicks both her wrists upwards. Her spring loaded daggers pop out, twirling through the air. Mihara snags the two weapons out of the air, blades pinched between her indexes and middle fingers, before swiftly projecting both weapons towards the undead's neck.
Nigrum rushes forward, it was a new day and he was in perfect fighting form. The undead would know his full might and then true death. He draws Tsui in one fluid motion bring it across in it's blind between one of his comrades. Determined to rid the world of this foulness.
As the next shadowblade bolt moved into place in the shadowblade repeater crossbow, Aibek's dark eyes narrows on the armored corpse, shadowed emotions flashing in them for a moment before the shadow assassin sent another shadowblade bolt towards the corpse...
Clutching the wound the ice skeleton inflicted to her, Selena takes a step back and hurls another throwing star at the undead, hoping that it was enough to kill again the creature.
The skeleton hissed, icy armour cracking under the constant barrage. Notably, it's previous trick of freezing a weapon that touched it is missing. But it's only the armour that seems to be taking harm, despite it's ice-like blood - the skeleton within doesn't seem especially harmed.
The damaged armour falls partially away, however, revealing an odd mark branded into the skeleton's bone. One hidden by the armour and the rotted remains of it's gear, you can now glimpse only the corner of the smybol, glowing a dull blue against off yellow bone.
The Skeleton hisses again, helmeted head hunting for targets. Realizing that nothing is within it's range, it pauses for a moment...and then a wave of all consuming cold radiates out from it, sweeping the basement.
Azri didn't even bother dodging - what little damage the ice did was instantly healed by the negative energy that had gone along with it. She tapped its shoulder a moment later. "Want to try that again?" she asked, cackling... though she did try to identify the mark on his body, rather suspecting that it was either the remains of a Mark of Authority or the brand of some organization.
Nigrum is swept over by the wave of cold and death, a wider version of the strikes he had suffered at it's hands before. It hit him hard but he managed to get below most of it, shifting his balance into a spin and bring Tsui around to strike the undead in turn. Looking carefully for it's weakest points, to bring it's destruction much more quickly.