Empheria's whistle resounds loud in the air, sending a shrill warning and call for help to the townfolks. Maybe distracted by the sound, Minodora is hit square in the face by Isaac's hand. A crunching sound and a spurt of blood come from her nose as it's cracked by the blow, and a moment later it's Quiin's blade to strike, as he follows James' advice and moves in. The flowing blood looks black in the dim light.
Blooded but not uncowed, the possessed girl savagely slashes at Isaac with a knife, drawing a line across his chest to match his forearm, and kicks Vorin straight in the chest, sending him to the ground next to James.
Maybe deciding that you are currently more trouble than you are worth, or that she'd rather pick this fight another time, she sprints away towards the shadows, inhumanely fast, leaving a faint trail of blood on the cobblestones.
"OW."
Isaac is not done, he sprints after the retreating figure, trying again to get ahold of her before she can vanish.
"Come back! We're not going to let you kidnap Minadora!" Empheria screeches, and chases after the demon-possessed girl.
From his position on the ground everything became clear to James.
'Classic. She pulls Isaac away, then she's one on one. Maybe two, with Vorin.'
"Isaac! Back here!"
Desperately he struggles to his feet, stumbling back against the wall as he looks for his new target - and finds it! Forcing back nausea he raises the weapon and throws it.
James looks for something odious - literally, full of odor. I can think of a number of things; none of which I want to write, but all of which should be possible to find in a medieval alley.
As Vorin rises painfully, Quiin begins to rush after the fleeing duo, stopping as James calls him back. Minodora catches Empheria's blast on her cape, discarding the burning rag before it can harm her. She dodges Isaac's push and James' rotten cabbage , dashing away again from her pursuers. She's tantalizingly out of reach.
Isaac stumbled to a stop, watching the retreating figure outpace him entirely. He was fast on his feet but she was faster. His big hands opened and closed repeatedly at his sides. The tatters of his sleeves were sopping with the pale fluid that served as his blood and more dripped to hit the cobbles.
"Fiend!" Isaac shouted after the thing riding Minodora's body. He did not use the word as an insult but as a taxonomic label, "Return what you stole!"
James wipes his hand, pulls his bow, and starts to string it.
"We need a priest." He notes quietly to those nearby "We don't win if Min is dead."
"She's too far away for me to get her, no matter how fast I run," Empheria notes resignedly. "Maybe one of you can catch up, or use a bow. I'll blow on the whistle some more." She proceeds to do just that.
Your aggressor vanishes in the shadow. Should you wish to follow, she left a bloody trail.
Shortly after, a guard comes running. "What happened here? Who's calling for help?"
"We need to speak to Mayor Deverin! Now! We just saw Min - Minodora! She's injured, bleeding, and definitely possessed!" James looks to the others for support.
"And she's running away really really fast!" Empheria says. She starts panting for effect, just to impress on him the urgency of the situation.
Isaac moved off to the side. His hands were still clenching and eyes busily trained away from faces, trying not to draw too much attention. He did not feel much like answering questions right now.
Seeing you bloodied and agitated, the guard does something unexpected, for an adult. She takes you seriously. "Come quickly." she motions to you, drawing a short sword and a shield and herding you back the way you came.
The Mayor is still talking with Ilsoari as you enter the office, and the only other person in the room is a sleep-deprived Father Zantus. The wizard bends his spine and brings his forehead against the Mayor's desk, hitting the wood with a soft thud.
"What's the meaning of this?" asks Mayor Kendra Deverin, sternly.
James shifts nervously as Ilsoari headbutts the table.
"Ah. We were walking home." James starts "Someone jumped down at tried to stab me." he indicates one of his wounds "We thought it was a goblin at first, and we went her, but it was Min! She fought me and Isaac and Vorin and Quiin off. Em hit her with some fire, which she didn't like. We hit her, though, and after a bit she ran off bleeding. If we're fast enough you might be able to track her."
He straightens "Good thing we were together, but. I think she was hunting me. I don't reckon I'd be here without the team backing me up."
"So you weren't looking for trouble?" asks Ilsoari, not wholly convinced. Father Zantus, in the meantime, moves over to you, taking a look at your wounds.
"By the grace of Desna, let your pain be eased." the cleric says, and a wave of warm healing energy washes over you, mending some of your wounds .
"Kendra, we should move now. Remember what Stoot did after he was forced into retreating? We can't let that happen to the girl."
"Absolutely not!" responds the mayor. "With Belor out, we're stretched thin enough as it is. I can't take any guard off the streets, not with a killer on the loose!"
"I assume that Miss Kajitsu is still out of business?" asks Ilsoari. As Father Zantus nods, Ilsoari holds his head with his hands. "Then us two and Daviren Hosk are the only ones around who can hold their own in a fight, and if we had to face her in her lair, with whichever traps are lying around..."
He raises his face and looks at you. He has an idea and he doesn't like it one bit.
"Madam Bevaniky, the weapon seller, also knows her way around a fight, if you're lookignto set up an adventuring party." adds Mayor Deverin, trying to recall those who distinguished themselves against the goblins. "The Mvashti ladies know magic, and Sir Korvaski used to be a militant in Abadar's church."
Empheria is a bit insulted at Ilsoari's question. "We never look for trouble!" she exclaims. "We were looking to be helpful!"
"I'm coming," Isaac said as his wounds stitched themselves closed. He was clearly not asking for permission, though his eyes never met anyone else's. He had hit Minodora, hard, and she was still up and running. Maybe the adults needed someone like him for this fight, too.
"We nearly had her!" James protests, simultaneously nodding thanks to father Zantus. "But all we could do was hurt her. We need someone to..." James reaches for the technical term and falls short "woogy her. And rope. We need rope. Plus" he pulls out his trump "She wants to hurt us. If we look weak she might come to us."
The three adults speak at the same time, their voices overlapping.
"That's what I feared." sighs Ilsoari.
"No way I'll let you go!" states imperiously Mayor Deverin.
"That could very well work." is Father Zantus' comment.
As the other two look at the priest as if he sprouted a second head, he elaborates.
"Possession keeps the spirit of the host intact and fighting. If she is forced to act against her nature —say, attack her friends— then there is a concrete possibility that we can force the possessing entity out of her. Which may be part of why they survived the attack."
"Are you really suggesting putting them in danger?" says the Mayor, incredulous.
"They are already. And they defended themselves pretty well earlier. That's not counting their exploits against the goblins, where they proved themselves crafty and canny. If we're there to protect them, they are our best hope of getting young Miss Povalli out alive. What do you think, kids? It's alright if you don't want to. We'll find a way."
Ilsoari, having been quiet for a while, goes to the window without a word, opening it. "Call Master Hosk and Sir Korvaski, please." he tells his familiar, before releasing it in the air.
"I'm in!" James exclaims without hesitation.
"Me too!" Empheria joins in. "We're not gonna let the demon take Minodora!"
Vorin speaks up too, "I want to!"
To Ilsoari, he adds, "Please? You taught me how to protect myself."
"Yes, that's why I called Master Hosk and Sir Korvaski here." sighs Ilsoari, retrieving his spellbook from a pocket that looks too small to hold the volume, and opening it. "The former is an excellent tracker, second only to Miss Andosana, and the latter has experience as a bodyguard in the holy orders of Abadar. Our mission will be to ensure you get to Minodora unharmed. Then you and Father Zantus can work your exorcism. And I thought Sandpoint was a quiet place for retirement..."
Very soon, Daviren Hosk and Sir Jasper Korvaski enter the sheriff's office. Hosk is wearing dark brown leathers with a gray cloak, and is carrying more knives than there are in the set of cutlery of the Rusty Dragon. Korvaski has a weathered, but well-cared for breastplate, and sports a sword, a shield and a crossbow.
Father Zantus and Ilsoari explain the situation to the two newcomers: if the paladin seems reluctant to carry children into danger, he's adamant in offering his service to rescue your friend. Daviren, meanwhile, remembers your exploits from the Swallowtail Festival, and smiles encouragingly to you.
"You have a way to send signals? Ah, whistles, excellent. Blow it if we get separated and you need assistance. If we have to fight, fight smart: keep on the defensive, use the terrain, keep the higher ground, block chokepoints. Most of all, try to avoid fights."
The ranger gives you some advice from his experience in the forest and the goblin raids while he tracks Minodora's blood trail. The traces bring you north, skirting the Garrison, then towards Junker's Edge, until...
As he realizes where the trail leads, Daviren curses under his breath, while Ilsoari casts a spell on himself. It sounds like wood hitting metal. Sir Jasper grimly loads his crossbow.
"Well, we should have expected it, shouldn't we?" muses Father Zantus.
The trail leads to Chopper's Isle.
James follows in Daivren's footsteps; literally. Not the hunter his friend Tark was, he'd still spent enough time hunting to at least realise just how competent Daivren was.
It was hard to tell whether his questions on tracking and tactics balanced out the few traces he managed to spot.
Quiin doesn't really feel any particular bond to their temporary companions, but is pleasant enough on the journey to the isle.
"Are you guys ok?" he asks his friends as they travel. "I can't believe this has happened to poor Min..."
"Yes... no!" Empheria says, changing her mind halfway through. "We just attacked our friend. We're not okay till she gets back to normal."
"We're going to get her back," Isaac said, his implacable certainty might either seem entirely naive or comforting depending on the listener.
"I know what to do now."
Chopper's Isle, abandoned and wild, is as eerie as a place can be. Moving through the tall grass, you quickly stop hearing the soft washing sounds of the gentle waves in the Varisian gulf. Instead, birds of all kinds are chirping. Cuckoos, doves, crakes, kingfishers, woodpeckers, magpies, it sounds like most of the local feathered fauna has found shelter in this island.
The ruins of Jervas Stoot's house are not much but burnt charcoal. Daviren moves in front of you, keeping an eye out for any danger that may hide within the ruins. Then, he speaks.
"I've lost Minodora's trail. She might have stopped bleeding, and she's been careful enough to hide the signs of her passing. Logically, this is the most reasonable place where she might be hiding. It doesn't look like anything worse than some grass snakes are around, so let's look for hidden ways in."
Everyone spreads out looking for clues. Ilsoari is the first to find something, though unwillingly. With a loud snapping sound, the ground under his feet cracks and gives way.
"Mother- Feather Fall!"
The wizard's reflexes and magic save him from a sprained ankle as he floats in the burnt remains of Stoot's basement, where his profane altar used to be.
"Great news, I've found an entrance to the basement! The stairs are collapsed, though."
Soon enough, Sir Jasper has a rope tied to a tree and lowered into the hole, and you can explore there too.
Quiin sticks to the house, avoiding the basement for the moment.
"A a lonely house on a lonely island with a creepy basement... I'm surprised no-ones taken up residence!" says Quiin in a moment of uneasy good humour in the dire circumstances.
Empheria slides down the rope. "Maybe someone did take up residence. Let's find out," she says as she looks around.
Isaac drops down into the basement a second after Empheria touches down, landing heavily with little in the way of visible discomfort.
James looks around, and then down 'Easier to go down than come up' he tells himself. Carefully he starts to move to the house, new bow in hand.
Vorin peeks down into the basement, but says, "Me and Quiin can look up here for now." He can get down fast, if he has to, after all. Holding onto his whistle, he starts to search around for clues.
Vorin and James, amongst the ashes and dust of the ruins, manage to find a set of woodcarving tools which escaped the fire. The wood in the handle has been blackened by the fire, but the small blades are well-crafted, elegant in simplicity. These were likely the tools which carved the beautiful birds that once graced many buildings in Sandpoint, the vessel for Jervas Stoot's art.
Downstairs, Isaac only finds a fat centipede, who quickly scuttles away; Empheria, following the vermin with her eyes, notices it going behind a suspiciously loose stone in the wall. Behind the stone, there is darkness, but her low-light vision picks up a roughly dug tunnel, going forward.
"Cool! A secret passageway!" Empheria points out to Isaac, but also loud enough for the upstairs group to hear. "Do you guys think the demon took Minodora into there?" she asks.
"Sweet!" James calls, handling one of the knives.
When Empheria calls out about the passageway, however, he realises he has unwittingly chosen the more boring of the two options.
"Coming down!" he calls, swarming down the rope.
"There is one way to find out," Isaac said, starting for the tunnel without hesitation.
Quiin goes down to the basement and follows Isaac, blade out.
The dirt wall crumbles to dust as Isaac walks through, leaving a hole large enough for him to move through. Inside, his darkvision reveals a short descending passage, leading to a room dug in the earth. The walls are irregular and kept up by rough wooden poles, and on the other side is an old, half-rotten wooden door. You can't hear the birds singing, here.
"Hey!"
Sir Korvaski, noticing the boy going in, moves towards the passage. "Let us go first! It could be dangerous!"
"That's why I was going in first," Isaac said, as if genuinely puzzled as to why he would not go first into the dangerous situation.
"Uh... How about someone get some light. Empheria?" James complains, staying back for now "Not all of us can see in the dark! Also, we need to keep at least one old person up top to make sure Min - or - well, whatever - doesn't just cut the rope and leave us stuck down here."
"That's what I was trying to do! I can't see in the dark either," Empheria says. She fumbles around with her backpack, distracted by Sir Korvaski's protestations. When she finds a torch, she holds it up in one hand and waves the other, causing a small flame on the torch to light up.
"Sir Korvaski?" Empheria says on a flash of inspiration. "Father Zantus said that Minodora needs to be forced to act against her nature. So maybe she needs to see us first, and try to attack us, because we know her best."
"It's the best way. We will yell if we need help."
It takes some convincing, but in the end Sir Korvaski agrees to let you go in the front, provided that the four adults are right behind.
"Well done with that torch, Empheria." says Ilsoari, appreciatively. "I'm glad your control has improved."
The room after the passage is dug amateurishly, with rough dirt walls, propped up by a rickety structure of wooden poles and beams. On the other side, an old wooden door is the only noticeable feature.
Isaac strides into the small space with his usual disregard for physical harm and goes to check the door. He was good at being a target.
Quiin steps up next to Isaac, ready to defend himself and the others.
James, bow in hand but arrow un-nocked, stays a little back from the other boys.
"on 3?" he suggests.
Vorin catches up to the others, moving quickly to take a position following Isaac. Gripping his rapier, he nods quickly to James, taking a breath and getting ready to jump when Isaac opens the door.
You push the door to discover... an orthogonal corridor, leading to doors on the right and left. The walls are similar to the room you just left, made of rough earth. The doors on the two sides of the corridor are simple wooden ones.
Further examination will reveal that the one on the right is locked, the one on the left is not.