"Get those flames doused!" Hime said as she noticed the flames. "You, and you, get to the factories on either side. They need to put out every flame that's not in a sealed and easily controlled environment. Anything they need kept running for their business needs to be lowered to the minimal level, with people ready to put them out at any time. I want all workers except for that ordered to leave the factories and get across the street. You four, start turning away civilians and grab anyone with firestarting supplies around these three factories. Sechim's factory here was the main target of the vision, and I'll handle it. Let's move it - we do not have a lot of time to ensure the Skyseer's vision does not come to pass."
With that, she advanced on the guards of Sechim's, taking out her badge as she did so. "Constable Hime, RHC. This facility was the subject of a major vision by one of the Skyseers, showing it burning down from a fire likely to start within the next hour. I witnessed this vision myself, as I was with the Skyseer at the time. As such, I am ordering a mandatory evacuation of this building and a dousing of all flames within. I hope things will be able to return to normal within two hours, but right now we do not have time to waste and people's lives are at stake. Get in there and start moving them out."
The roused guards begin evacuating - the only people inside are some of the staff who also live on the premises and a handful of night workers keeping an eye on chemical reactions that were brewing or settling during the night. It will only take a few minutes to get them all out.
The flames behind the building also go out as ordered.
...or so it seems for a moment, before you see a flicker again. Someone is trying to hide an open flame, rather than smother it.
Without hesitating, Hime whirled to face the flicker and charged straight towards it. "Hold it right there!" she commanded. "Put out that fire right now!" Her tone here left no room for argument - and she was quite willing to enforce it through whatever means seemed necessary (although, hopefully, a simple command would do).
As you round the corner you see three humans and a Lizardfolk standing near the rear of the warehouse. They look up in vague surprise. The Lizardfolk gestures towards a cart, covered with a tarp. "We unload supplies, yes?"
Hime simply held her badge up again. "Constable Hime, RHC. First, put the flame out. Second, what supplies are you delivering?" Factories got deliveries all the time, of course - it was required if they wanted to keep producing things. That said, it was quite possible something being brought in was the root cause of the fire in Nevard's vision.
The Lizardfolk looked at her blankly. "Things they order?" He did not extinguish the flame, however. Whether he was simply slow or something else...
Hime's eyes flickered towards the humans, who probably knew the lizardfolk much better than she did. "Five. Four. Three..." Counting down was usually a good way of prompting people to action... and very few people actually wanted to aggravate the authorities. That said, she had no intention of wasting any more time than necessary... and if they weren't going to put it out, she'd put it out for them.
With a berseker roar the Lizardfolk charged forwards.
The berserker was surprisingly fast, but Hime was faster, and prepared.
"Hah!" Before the Lizardfolk could move forward, Hime closed the distance, letting out a sharp battle cry as she crouched down, then struck out with both palms in an open strike. The loud cry had occurred for another reason, too - to let the guards know that something was happening. "Wrong move." she said. She didn't know why they'd decided to attack - not for sure - but it was quite possible they were involved with the fire. Even if they weren't, attacking an officer of the RHC was a serious crime, and HQ would be quite keen on interrogating them...
for
Surprisingly the strike clinked against bright metal - a chain shirt beneath the creature's baggy shirt. The Lizardman lunged forwards with a snapping bite.
From above, a voice hissed, "Go, set the blaze." A glance up revealed a second Lizardfolk lurking on the balcony above. His eyes light up for a moment, his eyes almost aflame.
The three humans start trying to set fire to the loading dock doors.
Well, that answered that. Arson, was it? A serious crime, and she leaned backwards just far enough to avoid the snapping teeth before striking out at the torch and shoving it aside before it could burn her.
"GUARDS! ON ME!" she shouted, driving her fist into the Lizardfolk before her. She had to do this fast, and there was no guarantee she could take down all of them before they set off the fire - and here, she was having flashbacks of that engine room. Sigh. What was it with saboteurs and fire? Although she did have one ace up her sleeve just in case... but it was best to avoid using that unless absolutely necessary.
for
The bererker took a blow to the forearms with a grunt and a snarl, stopping the strike from doing permanent harm but hurting nonetheless. Above the Caster Lizardfolk snapped, "Fallback!" The insane battlelight grew dim in the one your fight. Panting, the Berserk fell back.
Above, there was a crinkle of paper and a low chant, and a wall of flames lept into existence where the now withdrawing berserker had been a moment before. It was a surprising level of team work. A glance at the there similar colouration suggest blood ties between the two.
The three humans continued to mutter as they tried to set the fire.
Behind you is the sounds of boots coming - they will be there soon.
Whirling around, Hime focused slightly, and simply appeared on the roof next to the other one... and the very air around her seemed to tense up as she focused on the task at hand.
The caster jumped in surprise as you appeared, and tried to lash out. He breathed in deeply...and unleashed a cone of flame.
The Lizardfolk on the ground stopped, dancing from foot to foot and hissing at distress that his ally was under attack.
Hime winced as the powerful flames washed over her - that had hurt, and enough so to make her seriously worried. Given the potential for things to go wrong here... she couldn't simply charge in head-long and hope for the best. That had worked back on the ship, but given how injured she was...
She stepped back slightly, sending a surge of healing magic through her body as she did so. The other guards ought to be here momentarily, which was definitely going to help. "...I encourage you to surrender now, before you make things worse for yourself."
A pair of guards arrived - but were stumped by the wall of flame. Unlike Hime, they couldn't teleport.
Equally, the Berserk continued to dance in distress, and the humans tried to set a fire - unsuccessfully.
The Lizardfolk Spellcaster breathed flames again, but the power was much less intense than before.
Hime danced around the worst of the flames, then stepped forward and lashed out-
-to no particular effect, sadly enough. One of these days, she was going to get better at landing her blows, but for now she'd just have to grin and bear it. At least that wall of flames wouldn't last forever... hopefully.
The Lizardfolk backed away - and off the balcony of which you stood. He gently floated the twenty feet to the ground. His brother was waiting to receive him. The pair communicated in a muted mutter for a moment, deciding what to do next.
As the two of them spoke, Hime clenched one hand, then gestured towards the sky. Abruptly, the clouds for more than a hundred feet in each direction began to push inwards towards a central point as a wind began to blow from every direction. It was starting with just a gentle breeze... but just as obviously, the winds were getting stronger by the second. "I've seen your faces, you attacked an officer of the RHC, and you're attempted arsonists." she said as the winds swirled around her. "You can run, but not forever - not with crimes like this. Yet your punishment won't be too bad if you surrender now. Continue to resist, however... and I will show you what real power looks like."
"There are worse things than you, Officer," the Caster replied, waving a hand at the cart of supplies they had brought. A single flame and a cloud of smoke appeared and began to grow. "We work for one. Brother, ram the cart into the doors." The bigger Lizardfolk grunted, forcing the cart into movement with relative ease. "Run now, idiots, and we talk of not taking this from your skin." The humans bolted, and it was obvious that next turn the Brothers would do the same.
The winds continued to increase in intensity, approaching twenty miles an hour and causing the flames to start flickering. As much as she wanted to chase after them, preventing the district from going up in flames was the most important thing here... and this was the best way she could think of to ensure that didn't happen. On the bright side, at least she'd gotten them to keep talking. A confession of working for someone else, eh? They were definitely going to have to look into that, though she might set the city police on it, given the fact that she was currently assigned to a different job. An image of their faces ought to be enough to get some sketches done... but really, she was going to have to invest some more talent in that sometime soon. Being able to conjure illusions at-will was frightfully useful in her line of work.
The wind snuffed out the flames, and the brothers paused, arguing as to whether or not they should try and re-ignite it now.
"No." Hime said flatly - and the winds continued to grow in force, having now reached thirty miles an hour. It wasn't strong enough to knock people over, but it would interfere with arrows and the like now. Maybe the thugs didn't realize it... but she was quite determined to ensure their attempts at arson did not succeed.
Sadly, the fire wall continued to flicker, dancing in the strong winds. The Brother decided that they wanted none of this, and began to run for the other end of the alleyway.
They made it to the next alley...but your Soldier allies appeared at the crossroad, and began to chase them. Given they had horses, it didn't take them long.
As the fires died down the two Lizardfolk, now bound in rope, were pulled back.
Hime still wasn't done. She couldn't make a true storm, per se, but the power she got from the spirits could push pretty close. Even as the lizardfolk were pulled back, the winds continued to increase in power, until they hit forty miles an hour - enough to potentially blow out even protected flames, like those of lanterns. She let the wind blow that way for just a few seconds, then clapped her hands and spread them wide. As she did so, the winds started to die down - though it would take almost half a minute for the weather to go completely back to normal. The weather didn't get strong very quickly, and it didn't weaken very quickly either. This was distinctly unlike most other kinds of magic, but it was what it was - and she felt she'd made her point here.
"Thank you, gentlemen." she told the soldiers, nodding to them and fixing her clothing after the mess the wind had made. She looked at the arsonists a moment later, then dropped down to their level and made her way over. Sadly, she couldn't use her Charming Touch to influence them to talk - not outside of official settings, anyway, since mental control magic tainted the evidence unless multiple others were watching to ensure no abuse occurred. "...I know criminals don't like squealing on each other, but you should know that the courts tend to be more lenient to those who talk. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
The brothers remained silent. Interestingly, they did not look especially alarmed or concerned, although that might simply be there more cold-blooded heritage.
Hime shrugged slightly. "Very well, then." she looked up at the soldiers. "Send a copy of whatever you get from them to my desk at RHC headquarters, would you?" she inquired. "It might be relevant, so I'll be looking for it." And having prevented a major fire here - probably - she still had a busy day ahead of her. First up, letting the locals know what had transpired and ensuring that they were on guard for more of this for the rest of the day. Then she had to go purify herself... and then go talk to Nevard again and get that meeting set up.
(Oh, the things she did for investigations...)
Hime returned to the Mayors manor for Purification. Although he was no longer there, having other tasks to do, his associates were able to perform the correct rights and determine that a spirit had not attempted to sneak off the mountain in the back of your soul.
Nevard, having remained to be purfied, explained that he intended to hold a rally in the next few days and reveal what he saw. He says that it of essence that the city as a whole hears what occured, but will not explain more details.
As you consider this, a small yellow canary on a light breeze arrives. Both circle Hime's head. The wind speaks in a woman's voice, tinged with a Danor accent.
“Your character comes recommended by a dear friend of mine. At his suggestion, I would like to arrange a meeting so you and I may discuss a mutual enemy. Speak to the wind a time that is convenient for you, preferably within the next two days, and my canary will guide you when you are ready. The meeting will occur in my territory, because while I trust my dear friend, I confess I find him a poor judge of character. After all, he associates with me.”
Hime's mouth twitched slightly. She enjoyed people who had a sense of humor, even if they were rather... suspicious. "Just after lunch will be fine." she responded. She needed to get a few bites to eat before she went through any more violence. That, and make sure she was a little healthier. More importantly, though, she wanted to get this over with in a timely manner.
The wind flittered away with a sensation of movement. The canary, however, stayed near you. Watching.
Given that it is currently about eight in the morning, that will give you four or so hours to complete any other tasks. Or perhaps simply reporting in to the main office - a routine most officers will usually do each morning. Perhaps something else has turned up during follow-up inquiries...
Given the commotion she'd made this morning... yeah, reporting in was probably for the best. She wouldn't have hesitated to ignore that if she was still hard on the case, but even with the travel, she was pretty sure she had the time for that. Humming slightly, she headed off towards HQ.
Upon your return you find a follow up to an earlier detail - confirmation that Nilasa was repeatedly and continiously seen at a pub called the Thinking Man, known to be heavily patronized by the cities more radical elements. Given Nilasa's apparent links to Gale, it's deffintely a lead.
There is also, of course, the matter of the person who took items from Nilasa's body before anyone could stop them.
responsible for four deaths over the course of two weeks. Flint police
investigate, and an impoverished Yerasol Veteran claims he saw the same
pattern of wounds on fellow soldiers in the last war.
Music. Randall Pell, a renowned composer from Slate, will be conducting
the Navras Opera House and plans to hold auditions for performers. This
has led to a boom in sales of “respectable” attire for amateur Docker
musicians, who want to make a good impression.
Mayhem. A rash of eighteen small fres in Parity Lake is believed to
be arson. So far the burns have killed over forty, but fre responders have
managed to keep them from spreading. The fres seem to target properties
of by factory owners, even the occasional factory out-building, and so are
believed to be the work of Gale.
Monsters. Citizens are warned to avoid the western bayous around
the Battalion school in Pine Island. The martial university has imported
exotic wild beasts from a Risuri colony in Elfaivar, and will be conducting
exercises in beast tracking and monster slaying.
Marriage. Wealthy industrialist and renowned son of Flint Guy Goodson
is getting married to a Crisillyiri noblewoman: Faith Unitas. The ceremony
will be closed to the public, but reporters are eagerly sharing every detail
of the arrangements. The intense interest has journalists excited about all
the papers they’ll sell when King Aodhan has his marriage early next year
Ah, news - something she had to keep tabs on, since one never knew where leads could be found. The bit about arson was particularly interesting and topical at the moment... but she reported in shortly after returning to the office, detailing the majority of what she'd done and what she was expecting the office to hear about. If they didn't, well, they'd know where to start looking. She did not, however, actually report on Gale (instead referring to her as 'an associate of Nevard's') - she was probably going to do that later, but for now, she wanted a free hand in doing the investigation that had actually been assigned to her. Not that she'd avoid a chance to end a spree of arsons if she could accomplish it while doing everything else...
Without mentioning Gale, Delft mentions you might also want to follow up on the Diplomatic Staff if things don't shake themselves loose during your meeting or the Lizardfolk fail to mention anything after being held for a while.
Once it's all be done, it's around lunchtime. As you munch on your food the canary that has been following you suddenly starts chirping, attempting to get your attention.
Very deliberately, Hime finished her meal - then nodded to the bird, intending to follow it for as long as necessary to get to this meeting. She'd noted that she wouldn't feel too bad if the Lizardfolk were pressured within the confines of what the law allowed - they'd almost set off a serious fire, and arson wasn't exactly a minor crime. The government had plenty of reason to want to find out what was going on there.
An hour passes as you follow the canary, leading you once more into the Cloudwoods. It leads you to top of a waterfall, over eighty feet wide, before flitting across the water and to a woman waiting on the far bank. Hummingbirds fill the air, and you get a sense they are also watching you.
The woman across the bank reaches out for the canary, and as it touches her han it vanishes. Tilting her head for a moment, she nods, and crosses the river by jumping to three stones in long, gliding sweeps that magic cannot normally achieve. Finally she lands on the bank.
"Thank you for your trust," the pretty, dark-haired Elven woman says in a light Danor accent. "I am Gale."
<"Hime, RHC."> she answered in fluent Elven. <"I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me, given our... respective positions. I won't pretend to like or agree with much of what I know about you, but to be blunt, that's a matter for another time. A young girl who seemed to be associated with you is dead, and I'd like to find out why.">
The woman pursed her lips. <"So would I. I have some suspicions, and I can show you how to find those, but...I have a contact, a courier to the Unseen Court who lets me call him Ellik. He’s an eerie creature, dwells in shadows, but is loyal to the court and has a fondness for this nation which treated his people well for so many years.>"
<“Just over a month ago, when the last new moon was aligned with the planet Nem, Ellik arranged for me to walk with him into the Bleak Gate. I will spare you the details of that journey’s emotional toll, but during the few hours that night when I could see into the dark side of the world, I discovered something."> The Elf shuddered at the memories.
<“There is activity in that mirror image of Flint. Not much. I never saw anyone other than my guide. Most of the buildings are hollow, like abandoned shells of dead sea creatures. But there are no echoes, and no wind blows, so you can hear footsteps from miles away. And in the distant gloom I saw torches and lanterns, lights that the denizens of that world would never need. Their path ran along the canal, to the still analogue of Parity Lake, and then up toward the Nettles. I did not have the time to get close, but I heard churning there, and saw smoke and steam drifting into the starless sky." Gale paused for a moment.
<“They are working, assembling something, hidden right where we can’t see it, on the other side of our shadow. My Nilasa found a clue, I think. I sent her on a mission, and she found the truth, and they killed her for it. I am furious at her murderers, but Nevard has made me realize that this conflict is larger than my selfsh desire for revenge.">
<“Unfortunately, I can’t return to the Bleak Gate, nor show you what I saw. The same alignment with Nem will not repeat for decades, and I have not yet found another way into that world. But I do have proof of my own.”>
She produces a tiny vellum book from her belt and offers it.
<“This is a copy of a spell that will detect certain kinds of planar energy, though you have to have been exposed to what you’re seeking. Worthless to most people, but I have been to the Bleak Gate, and I believe that when you were with Nevard so did you, or at least you touched the veil.">
<“I’ve flown across this city, trying to fnd sources. In some place the stink of it bleeds through naturally, especially on Cauldron Hill, but I’ve followed trails. The night after Nilasa was murdered, I found a strong source at the consulate, and I tracked it across three districts before I lost it. And too often I’ve found it clinging to factories, or in the foyers of rich businessmen.">
<“There is a conspiracy afoot. The Danorans are involved, and industrialists in this city, and some third force in the Bleak Gate. They’ve already killed to protect their secrets. We need to fnd out what their goal is.”>
Hime listened carefully. Gale's story was... well, "fantastical" was among the mildest words she could use to describe it. On the other hand, she had the feeling that the elf was telling the truth - certainly, she couldn't see any way for the elf to benefit from such a tall tale. <"Did you send two lizardfolk and a couple of humans to Sechim’s Alkahest & Etchings?"> she asked. <"I'm not sure if he told you or not, but Nevard and I saw the attempted arson there in a vision... but given the number of those that have occurred lately, it's a little unusual for one to be the subject of a Skyseer's vision without some other meaning to it.">
Gale shook her head. "No. When such a place is in need of destroying, I do so myself. I don't send agents to do what I can. But not all the arsons have been by my hand. Look at any fires in buildings that do not have the backing of Danor as the potential work of your Lizardfolk." She smiled. "My guess, if it was in a vision, is that either the building or the creatures sent to burn it holds a clue to your task."
<"Since it was the place your friend lived... an attempt to cover up evidence, maybe."> she shrugged slightly. <"Bit sloppy, though, since I'd already been there and checked it over."> Speaking of, she checked the offered book, quickly tabbing through the contents to get a better sense for what it had. She'd read it more thoroughly later. <"Are there any places in particular you think this... spell... should be used on?">
She shook her head. "You should feel such a place when you near it, and I do not wish to colour your perception more than I have. You will doubt what you find otherwise."
Hime nodded slightly, taking mental notes on all of Gale's words. Well, it was a lead, but how she was going to put this into a report... goodness knew she was going to need some pretty solid evidence to back it up. Her superiors could get finicky about that sort of thing - although she couldn't really blame them. Strong claims required strong proof. <"I see. And was there anything else you wished to communicate to us at this time?">
"Would you listen to a terrorist?" Again, Gale smiled. "Watch Danor. They do not have Risur's best interest at heart. Beyond that..."
Hime simply raised an eyebrow. <"It's been my experience that most people have reasons for the things they do - while others may strongly disagree with those reasons, that doesn't mean they should be dismissed entirely out-of-hand. You don't resolve a problem by telling others that their opinion doesn't matter - you have to go to the source and address the source of their concerns. Then, and only then, will it be resolved properly. We may have our disagreements, Gale, but it's not like I want to be your enemy. Our people can do far more by cooperating and appropriately compromising than they can by shoving each other into the dirt.">
"A wise view point," Gale agreed. "But for now, I am afraid I have no more to share. Not yet, anyway. Trust is a two way street, Constable, and I'm afraid I don't quite trust you enough yet to reveal more. But...this is a start. A good one. Thank you trusting me enough to meet, and I will see you again." Gale stepped backwards - off the cliff - and dropped down the waterfall before suddenly soaring off above the woods. Such an act of magic should be impossible...
...but when you worked with the RHC, you learned to accept that the impossible could be commonplace. Part of that might have been because of their hiring policy, and the way they enthusiastically recruited 'talents'. Still, at least she'd made a good start, and she turned around to head back into town. It was time to test this spell of Gale's - if she was telling the truth, it probably wouldn't be too hard to prove it.
You returned to town by early afternoon, perhaps 2 o'clock - plenty of time to continue your investigation.
Book in one hand, Hime headed for the closest major intersection. Crossroads were popularly believed to be a point where the worlds met, so if the spell was going to be tested anywhere, that was probably the best choice for now. There was too much about this murder that didn't make sense yet... but getting to the bottom of problems was why the RHC existed.
You get a vague tingling, but...nothing solid. Perhaps testing the spell at the base of Cauldron Hill would be a good way to learn its use, since Gale mentioned the dark energy is a constant there.