Despite the flames above and around her, the swirling smoke, the fighting guests, the crazed panic....what scares Rayka most is the frenzied look in the young noble's eyes. They burn with greed and insatiable hunger.
"The reward for your head...."
He stabs out again, this time hitting Rayka's arm.
Rayka recognizes that there is something not right about how the noble is acting. Why would there be a reward for her head? No one but Lady Iuncus knew she was upstairs and she hadn't gotten here yet.
The brawler feels like she doesn't really have time to fight but he wasn't about to let her go either.
She lashes out with her fists causing blood to gush from the Chelish's face as she tries to remove the obstacle to her and Henri's freedom.
and
and
Rayka, tiring of his hindrance, lashes out with her fists at the armed noble. He appears startled that an unarmed woman would attack someone wielding a sword. Her fists hit his head, cutting his skin and a sheet of blood covers his face. He curses in throaty Chelish and draws back a pace.
The entire roof starts to fall in, and burning timbers starts falling into the fighting mass. The chaos breaks down into sheer panic as everyone tries to flee. Curtains of smoke and ash swirl into the room, blinding everyone. Rayka coughs and loses her bearings.
Luckily, a life on the streets has prepared her for this moment. Dust, sand, smoke and water. She has fought in them all. After a moment she faces herself and Henri toward the kitchen door, her Chelish noble foe lost in the flames. The heat is growing to painful levels.
Then, she hears a voice coming from dead ahead. 'I know you are here, thief. My Husband watches the front door. Reveal yourself!" It is the thunderous voice of the Lady. Rayka can't see the imposing woman, hidden behind smoke, ash, flames and fallen piles of burning wood.
Henri, at her side, gabbles out a spell and Rayka feels a surge of healing rush through her.
The brawler wonders why Lady Iuncus wants her to reveal herself and how her husband knows to watch the front door. Why didn't the Lady come in and get her herself. Rayka wasn't about to just give up knowing that certain torture and death awaited her.
Rayka leans over and whispers to Henri, "If you see an openin' to escape, do it."
She looks around the room for other possible exits but can't see much because of the smoke filling the space.
Rayka can't tell if the Lady Inuncus is lying or not. However, Rayka has not seen the Lord in the confusing fight before all was plunged into fire and flame.
The pain of being hit by electricity is still fresh in Rayka's mind as she contemplates which exit to use. The brawler doesn't like her chances against someone who uses magic but someone who uses a sword, that she knew. Even if Lord Iuncus is guarding the main door, she likes her chances against his weapon more than against his wife's lightning.
She pulls Henri after her as she moves towards the main door.
Unwilling to face the Lady in all of her fury, Rayka turns Henri around and they head for the main doors. All around them the fire builds in intensity, as the inferno above creates the conflagration below. The fine tables, the musical stage, the chair, even the dance floor itself become food for the hungry flames. Smoke fills the space, making breathing difficult. At her side, Henri coughs and hacks, obviously barely able to handle it. The heat is becoming intense, and Rayka can feel her skin starting to ache with the heat.
Embers and burning wood rain down, creating a hailstorm of carnage as they run for the main doors. Rayka's directional sense holds and soon they confront the gaping door outside. The oak doors are flung open, as smoke funnels through them outside. Rayka scans the door and sees no sign of the Lord, but does spot about three Gorum guards staring at the flames with slacked jawed faces.
Seeing some water on one of the tables they were passing by, Rayka rips off two pieces of her dress and drenches them with it. She passes one to Henri, "Hold it over your nose and mouth. It may help."
She can't help but feel hopeful as she gets to the door and doesn't see the Lord. The heat is so intense that she decides they need to get out quickly which means taking her chances with the exit rather than moving up the stairs. Seeing the three guards as a non-threat considering their facial expressions, she runs for the door with Henri in tow.
Wet rags held to their mouths, Rayka basically drags Henri toward the door. The guards soon glimpse two figures hurtling out of the fire, faces obscured , soot stained. However, one must realize it is Rayka because he shouts, "That's the Osrion! They will want her for questioning!"
Another even adds, "I bet she started this fire."
Add they move to block her way out.
Even though the doors are open and Rayka is so close to fresh air, she can't see outside due to the intensity of the flames and their glare.
Rayka glares at them, "I ain't startin' no fire."
"Can't we do this outside? I'll soon be dead if I stay in here and then who will they question?"
Rayka knew that her time, as well as Henri's, was running out. They wouldn't be able to stay inside for much longer and reason did not seem to be a trait the Iuncuses had looked for in their guards.
She mutters so that only Henri can hear her, "Remember what I said. I'll make an openin' for you." The brawler hopes that the guards will focus on her and that they'll ignore Henri.
Rayka momentarily focuses her strength inward, preparing her body to explode in power. She seems to grow in size, or maybe the heat is starting to affect the guards' minds, and then she releases it. Her body appears to have been loaded into a slingshot as she bursts forward with no intent of stopping.
Rayka charges forward, Henri bobbing in her wake like a small fishing vessel following a man of war. The brawler bowls over the first Gorum guard and sends him sprawling onto the few stairs. Cursing he hits the ground with a loud clunk.
Rayka, bloody, stained, wreathed in flame, looks like a specter from another world, a demon whose will is not to be challenged. The two remaining guards flee, shouting in terror into the dim night, dashing to flee this avatar of death.
But there are those who do not flinch from devils.
Standing in the small front yard, in the small square of carefully tended grass is the Master of the Manor, Lord Incunus. A massive sword is held in both hands, defensive posture. His stance is trained, eager, ready and reminds Rayka of trained cobras she has seen. Coiled and ready to strike.
"I give you credit, Osrion." he shouts over the burning house just behind her. "Not many would have the courage to both rob me and burn my home."
There is a pause as a massive timber inside falls with a crash, sending a plume of sparks high into the dark sky, red embers mixing with the distant white stars.
"I trust you know what my people do to those we wish to suffer." Images of summoned devils ripping her limb from limb pop into Rayka's head.
The Lord lifts his sword slightly, 'This will just be the start, but a start I will enjoy."
He begins to move forward, closing the distance.
Knowing Henri is behind her, Rayka motions to the side indicating he is supposed to run. All she says is, "Remember," before she takes a step forward to make sure the Lord's attention is solely on her.
"Surely I ain't smart enough to either rob you or burn your house. I'm just an ignorant native who needs your help."
Rayka has no intention of going gently into that good night. If she was going to be made to suffer then so would he. It was then that she remembered the horn from upstairs. Feeling she has nothing to lose, she blows into it with all her might.
Heri starts to argue with her, but when he sees her reach for the horn, he starts to run. Fast. The bard is soon lost in the velvet blackness of the night, hopefully to be found by others in Rayka's gang. At the least, the musician seems competent enough to escape capture by the disorganized Chelish forces.
As she pulls the horn out, the gleaming ivory feels warm on her fingers, a feeling of power and magic. Ahead of her, Lord Incunus stops for a second, catching sight of the magical artifact. For the first time his face doesn't show sneering contempt or cold fury. Instead it displays something Rayka has never seen on the face of a Chelish noble.
Fear.
His momentary hesitation gives the brawler time to take a deep breath, raise the horn to her lips and blow. The note it plays is not the shrill tone she expected, or even the low cry of the hunting horns she has heard. Instead it is a deep bass note so profound as to shake the very bones of the Golarion.
While it doesn't deafen her, the noise feels much louder then it should, vibrating through her in a way that makes her a secondary part of the horn. In a way, it seems to be playing her. The waves of sound cascade out, smashing into the Lord, the burning house, nearby buildings and the scattered bystanders.
With shock Rayka realizes her lips are frozen to the horn, held there by some magic beyond her strength. Whatever else, she is now committed.
The burning house starts to crumble under the new onslaught, as fire weakened timbers give way. Entire walls fall in on themselves, collapsing like a house of cards. Rayka can feel the heat at her back growing as more fuel is dumped into the inferno but she is unable to move. Blister rise up her back as the fire grows.
In front of her the Lord is thrown to the ground in confusion, hands clasped to his ears. His armor is cracked, as if he had been hit by a fully laden cart. Sword forgotten he struggles in obvious pain, eyes clenched shut as the sound rolls over him, crushing him without concern.
All around, people fall to the ground, clutching their heads in agony. Even the grass flattens out, as if being driven by a hard wind off the desert. Rayka's horn is a force of nature.
Nearby houses rock int he sudden hurricane of sound, walls cracking, fences snapping, windows shattering. In a perfect circle for 100 feet, Rayka destroys nearly everything.
Finally, just as her back feels like it is melting off, the horn releases her and the single unbroken note ends. In its wake is a very strange silence, broken only by the groans of the wounded and the roar of the flames. The house is not merely a pile of burning wood, all engulfed by red hot flames.
Rayka stands somewhat shocked for a moment at the beautiful devastation the horn has caused but then the burning pain from her back brought her jarringly into the present. All she can think is good thing I didn't blow that when I was inside the house...
Her brain screams at her to run and so she does. As she runs into the darkness she shouts, "Sothis will never submit!"
Rayka darts off into the night, the cool air like a balm on her bleeding, scalding skin. Every step creases the wounded muscles, creating a fresh new spike of agony. As she runs, her mind races.
Where was everyone? The plan had been to met on the barge with the loot. Well they had no loot and no barge. Had the barge come? Scared off by the flames? Where would she meet everyone...
"Hey...hey!" With relief she spots Obella waving to her from behind a pile of stones. She has her finger dug into her ear, wincing. "Did that horn make you deaf, I've been shouting at you for two blocks."
She runs up and gives Rayka a quick hug, accidentally squeezing her arms around the open seeping wound that is her back. A wave of total, blinding pain sweeps through Rakya like a tidal wave.
Rayka winces and she collapses to her knees as pain overwhelms her. "You're a sight for sore eyes. I don't think I can...did everyone else get away? Henri?"
She tries to get back up on to her feet and takes a sharp intake of breath as another wave of pain engulfs her, "The fire was intense but seein' what the horn did to the manor was so worth it."
Obella looks worried when Rayka sinks to the ground in pain. Face taut she says, in a false cheery voice, 'Come on, Anax is gathering everyone up close by. Come on, lean on me."
Awkwardly, Obella helps Rayka limp up a side street to an old, dirty looking warehouse. The street is not long but it feels like twenty miles to Rayak's tired, blistered legs. Every step feels like a Chelish lash is ripping open her back anew.
Finally, they step inside, and Rayka sees the building is crowded with people. Most them are dressed like 'firefighters' and must have gathered here.
There is Anax, commander of the White Jackals, seated wearily in a chair. When she spots Rayka limp in, his grin lights up the room. He stands up and crosses the room.
"You got away? That makes up for a great deal." He slaps Rayka on the shoulder and the brawler nearly stumbles to the floor as a flood of pain grays her vision.
anax cruses and says briskly, "Nefti, got another burn here. Bring the salve."
Out of the shifting shadows of the room Nefti appears, the cleric holding a small jar of fluid.
She comes over to Rayka and opens the top of the jar. A harsh pungent odor fills the room, like fresh paint. She winces and says, "This going to hurt."
Carefully she scoops up some of the salve and begins to apply it. Each stroke feels like lightning streaking through her body, a raving, white hot pain burning her nerves. She convulses and nearly passes out again.
Finally though, the pain subsides as the salve starts to cool the injury. 'Sorry, but the flames are magical and hard to heal." Nefti says apologetically.
"I'll survive, thanks."
Rayka once again struggles to her feet and grits her teeth against the pain, even though it has indeed lessened.
She starts for the door, "If Henri ain't here then I have to find him."
Anax frowns and steps in front of the brawler, blocking the way. 'Sit down before you fall down. You are in no condition to lead a search." he grabs a chair and offers it before barking to two other shadows.
'Faouk, Turwil, go find the musician. Sharp now!" The two men vanish into the darkness outside. The gang leader turns back to Rayka, "Well, that certainly went in an unexpected way. No loot, but we destroyed the mansion and leveled much of a city block. Not bad."
He smiles briefly then says, 'We will have to flee the city, if not the country."
Rayka begins to protest but realizes that she truly doesn't have the strength. But she only takes the offered seat when she sees Anax's people leave to look for Henri.
Rayka grins, "We definitely embarassed the Chelish and destroyed a lot of their stuff. That's a personal victory." Her grin fades, "But I'm sorry we weren't able to get more of their loot before things went sideways." Then she nods in understanding. "As soon as Lady Iuncus saw me I knew I would have to flee the city. But why do you have to leave? Did they figure out you weren't part of the fire brigade?"
The brawler looks at Obella. "Did you take a look at what we found in the desk? Maybe there's still somethin' to be had if we move quickly."
Then she remembers something else and struggles to her feet again, "And Shalina, we must warn her. I overheard somethin' at the party that she needs to hear."
Anax laughed, "We got in, but things rapidly soured when they figured out there was trickery going on. Besides, did you see those strutting nobles peacocks? My boys couldn't pass without clocking one of them."
Obella shakes her head and hands over the still sealed scrolls, wrapped in red wax. When Rayka stands up and starts shouting about Shalina the Stalwart, Anax looks concerned, "Do you think she would see us? And even so, would she shelter us against the Chelish? I don't know much about her..."
Rayka shrugs, "We won't know unless we ask. She's Osiron so you'd think she'd want to help but there were also a lot of Osirons at that stupid party. I guess, if anythin' with the info I heard, Tekk or Ankraten will listen to us 'cause it's about a threat against her safety." When she says the monk's name, a small smile crosses her face which looks somewhat out of place considering their subject matter.
She gets lost in her own thoughts for a moment before Obella brings her back to the present with a kick to the shin.
Rayka reaches for the scrolls with the intent of breaking the seal. "First, let's see what the Iuncuses hid in a secret compartment of their desk. Maybe it's also somethin' she'd need to know."
After the kick Obella grows thoughtful, "Doesn't Tekk run that Old Gods chapel on the edge of the city?" Clearly she wants to keep Rayka away from any monks.
Nefti nods, "He does. It is where my own priest was trained in our traditional worship. How do you know about it?"
Obella shrugs, adding, "You hear all sorts of things on the streets."
Meanwhile Rayka cracks the wax seal and unrolls the scrolls. They are covered with cramped writing, many stained with water and moldy, as if they were stored for some time in a dank box or crate. The parchment feels strange to Rayka, not made of the usual Osirion papyrus. Also, the letters mean nothing to her. Another language? A code?
Rayka glares at her friend as she rubs her shin, "Fine, Tekk the Holy it is." Disappointment colours her face and she grumbles, "He's probably the most likely to listen about a threat against Shalina anyways."
As she unfurls the scrolls she turns them upside down and then rightside up, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "Why couldn't there be pictures? This is just a bunch of nonsense." She thrusts them at Anax angrily, "It's all been for nothin'. Maybe you can make 'em out."
When Rayka makes her remark about pictures, Nefti rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to say something but Anax's grunt silences her. The gang leader eyes the shoddy parchment for awhile then says, "It is Chelish letters, but not in the right order. Must be a code of some type. I don't have any int he Jackals who could solve this."
When Rayka expresses her frustration he adds, "I wouldn't say for nothing. The fact it is in code probably means it is very important. Shalina is supposed to be very wise, she can probably break this code."
"That's two reasons now to attempt an audience with Shalina the Stalwart."
Rayka's eyes dart towards the door and back, "How long will it take your men to find Henri? I'd hate to leave without him. He's not safe anymore either. But we need to get to Tekk sooner than later, even if we have to wake everyone in the Temple at this hour."
Anax frowns and says, voice heavy, "I think it is time to divide our forces. Me and my men need to get out of the city. I doubt the entire horde of us can claim sanctuary, if there is any, at the Temple. Besides, it is the entire way across the city. No way all of us can sneak there, not with the Chelish on the warpath."
Nefti adds, "You and Obella take the information. You are the ones in deepest with this apparently."
'We'll find the musician." anax says firmly, 'If he can be found." Then he says, remembering something, 'I saw a lizardfolk run out of the building during the fire. What was that about?"
Rayka nods her head in resignation, "Too large a group will draw unwanted attention. This is a time where safety in numbers doesn't apply."
She turns to Obella, "You sure you want to come with me? You weren't seen at the manor so you ain't in any danger. You could stay in Sothis if you wanted..." Rayka wanted Obella to make her own decision but she obviously didn't want to go alone.
The brawler fixes her gaze on Anax, "When you find Henri, please keep him safe. Tell him...tell him I'm sorry. And if you can, can someone take him to the Temple? If you can't, make sure you take care of him. He ain't got no one else."
"The lizardfolk was a prisoner of the Iuncuses. They were usin' him as a translator. We freed him and he left when things started goin' sideways, before the fire was started. He said his name was Sivvek."
Obella grins, "You are stuck with me forever. Besides, I need to make sure you don't get sidetracked in looking Ankraten. Someone needs to keep you on the straight and narrow."
When Rayka asks about Henri, Anax nods, "We will find him, and help him escape. I hear Absalom is nice this time of year..."
Nefti leans toward Rayka and says, softly, "May the Old Gods watch over your steps. "
Then the female cleric hurries away, helping gather up the chaos of the gang.
Obella remarks, "I wonder if we should take rebellion up as a career. You did a really nice job on that manor. It has been too long since the Chelish have had to work for anything. Maybe it is time we did something about it."
She waves her arm at the dark street, 'But first, an appointment with the past. I've never met a Hero before..."
Out of everything that happened that night, Nefti's demeanor when she leaves is one of the most surprising to Rayka. She had actually seemed like she genuinely cared about Rayka.
"I told 'em that Sothis will never submit when I ran off. Maybe rebellin' ain't so bad if it's for a good cause. But I've definitely made myself a target which means anyone who knows me is a target."
Rayka ponders Obella's comment as they prepare to step into the darkness. "I wonder if he's as big as the stories say he is..."