Pagusel put her hands in the small of her back and rolled her neck backwards as Daq left without anything more than a nod. She maintained a stiff, businesslike press of her lips even several seconds after he whisked himself away.
After a few moments, she looked down to where the ground met the edge of the wall. Her eyes followed the length of the groove towards the destination door, slowly, at the pace a quick insect could ambulate. She knelt and touched the bottom of the wall with her fingertips, then brushed downward to feel the give of grime against the sandy texture of brick. She mashed her fingertips against the groove between the wall and the ground and felt the way the dry street sludge caked under pressure. She wouldn't risk even walking the several paces to the door as a human.
The volume of the first explosion startled Pagusel that her eyes widened despite her attempt at meditative calm. Her first instinct was to look directly upward, and subsequently her features glazed as she mused on the peculiarity of her very human reaction. She flinched--a wince of the corners of her eyes--with each subsequent eruption of noise; the sounds faded into one another and the reverberation from each previous bang served to magnify the next.
She carefully tapped out the seconds in her mind, continuing for some time after the orderly roar of echoing explosions faded out to make way for the chaotic swelling and lilting shouts of those men who intended to keep order. Perhaps he had asked her to wait too long. Nearly three minutes after the first explosion, it seemed the shouts were spaced further. They might have even been closer to Pagusel than before, nearer her side of the building. Or, it may have just been a trick of tired ears, which still heard the dim ring of violent combustion.
Slipping down into a cockroach gave Pagusel welcome reprieve from the exhausting human grievance of doubting ones own senses.
She skittered along the path her eyes had carved at the edge of the wall. The oily dirt felt correct beneath her feet. A stirring of breeze did not throw off her pressure-sensitive senses, and she didn't hesitate to continue for the goal she'd placed while possessing conscious thought. When the cockroach reached the small gap of the closed doorway, she reacted to the change of air-pressure and turned sharply inward. She cleared the low gap by almost a full thickness of her thorax.
Once inside, the cockroach grasped at its antennae to free them of particulate debris and paused to wait for disturbances. If she wasn't met with relatively calm air, she wouldn't grow into a human . . .
The air was still.
Pagusel was kneeling when she was human again. The room was mostly dark. Her senses had told her there was no noticeable movement in the chamber, but she couldn't rely on sight to rule out the possibility of a lurking threat. Her back was to the wall; she rose slowly and dragged her fingers up along the line of the doorjamb. When her wrist bumped a cool metal protuberance, her whole body held still, and then her fingers groped blindly below the knob for a manual lock. Meanwhile, her gaze roved the confines of the room in search of adjusting to the dark.
The door was locked by deadbolt, a rather simple precaution for a noted member of the Guard. Pagusel's nostrils flared with caution as she twisted the brass latch slowly. The bolt retreated with a muffled click, and the door was, apparently, thus unlocked. Pagusel gently patted the round surface of the doorknob and also higher up on the doorframe to check for additional locks, but found nothing, and eventually withdrew her hand.
She remained tightly pressed against the wall as she waited for Daq to come. If he expected her to actually leave the door ajar for his arrival, he was of stouter heart than she, or else possessing less sense. Between long looks at her slowly clarifying surroundings, Pagusel threw glances down at the thin gap of the door to check for the shadow of approaching feet.
Play Your Part
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
When Morax arrived back at the merchants' entrance, Daq's body was sweating from exertion and panting heavily. It didn't matter to him, though. There was just this one task to fulfill and.. He abandoned the thought upon realizing that Daq might be capable of overhearing it. Making as if he was anxiously focusing his attention entirely outward to stay in control of the developing situation, Morax slowed his gait and began to look around. For awhile, everything seemed as he had expected--that is, until he noticed the door.
It had been such a simple task that he was entirely sure the woman would have been up to it. And yet, the damned thing was just as shut as ever. Morax, usually possessed by an inhuman calm, began to panic, despite his best efforts not to.
Various half-baked plans circled around in his head. He quickly considered the use of saltpeter to weaken the frame of the door. Most of the stone on the walls was impervious to acid workup, with the exception of a few choice spots, but nothing that could cause instability, though. There was, obviously, a rather large gap in the wall already. Nothing he'd want to make use of, though. All of his options, he reasoned, defeated the purpose of his having Pagusel in the first place. He had wanted to stage a break-in without it looking like a break-in. He didn't really need to use that many explosives on the outer wall, but he wanted it to look like an act of terrorism, not a diversion! As more and more failed ideas overtook him, Morax slid away from his touch with reality.
Finally, with an exasperated-looking motion, Daq's right arm casually pushed the door open.
"Good work, Pagusel," Daq said. "We should proceed next.. to.. uhh--"
After recovering from the shockingly violent swing of emotion he'd just experienced, Morax evidently needed some time to recover.
"Well," Daq said. "Let's.. uhh.."
Trace the inner wall six meters to the right until a small wooden door is reached. This will be the kitchen. Proceed through the kitchen, turn left into the hallway, ascend the turret stairs for two flights, and exit into Melagone's library. From there we will decide what route to take.
"Let's.. trace the inner wall for six meters.. heading.. right until.. until we get to the kitchen door. Then it's through the kitchen, hang a left, up the stairs for two flights, and into the library," Daq blurted out awkwardly. With a bit of a staggering movement, he lurched into motion.
It had been such a simple task that he was entirely sure the woman would have been up to it. And yet, the damned thing was just as shut as ever. Morax, usually possessed by an inhuman calm, began to panic, despite his best efforts not to.
Various half-baked plans circled around in his head. He quickly considered the use of saltpeter to weaken the frame of the door. Most of the stone on the walls was impervious to acid workup, with the exception of a few choice spots, but nothing that could cause instability, though. There was, obviously, a rather large gap in the wall already. Nothing he'd want to make use of, though. All of his options, he reasoned, defeated the purpose of his having Pagusel in the first place. He had wanted to stage a break-in without it looking like a break-in. He didn't really need to use that many explosives on the outer wall, but he wanted it to look like an act of terrorism, not a diversion! As more and more failed ideas overtook him, Morax slid away from his touch with reality.
Finally, with an exasperated-looking motion, Daq's right arm casually pushed the door open.
"Good work, Pagusel," Daq said. "We should proceed next.. to.. uhh--"
After recovering from the shockingly violent swing of emotion he'd just experienced, Morax evidently needed some time to recover.
"Well," Daq said. "Let's.. uhh.."
Trace the inner wall six meters to the right until a small wooden door is reached. This will be the kitchen. Proceed through the kitchen, turn left into the hallway, ascend the turret stairs for two flights, and exit into Melagone's library. From there we will decide what route to take.
"Let's.. trace the inner wall for six meters.. heading.. right until.. until we get to the kitchen door. Then it's through the kitchen, hang a left, up the stairs for two flights, and into the library," Daq blurted out awkwardly. With a bit of a staggering movement, he lurched into motion.
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel saw the approach of feet as a flickering presence at the bottom of the door. Excepting a faint glow from beyond a corridor that led away from the chamber, that line of light was her only source of illumination. When Daq's feet blocked out her light, she could do little but stare at the bobbing shadow that righted itself quickly and eventually stood still.
She sensed his hesitation. She was sure it must be him, as it wouldn't make sense for a guard to approach the premises from outdoors. Somewhere, perhaps from that corridor, Pagusel heard a distant stirring.
Very abruptly, then, the door opened. Pagusel pressed herself tighter against the wall and glanced over to see that her company was indeed Daq. A mild wince traced her eyes at the sudden inundation of light from outside; it painted the walls and corners of the room and pierced the darkness of the corridor. She couldn't agree it was wise to swing the door open with such haste, and it may have just been a sensory trick, but it seemed the low stirring she'd heard paused just then.
"Good work" is what he said to her. She focused on keeping a blank face in order to preserve herself from the rush of memories that phrase was bound to dredge up. She continued to stare at him stonily as he fumbled through reciting his plans. His voice was tinged with the same detachedness she had pinpointed earlier, when she had offered drugs and understanding.
Pagusel's eyes moved in response to his physical directions: right . . . left . . . up . . . And then she glanced over to see the faint outline of a small utility door where he had indicated. He walked off without conference.
The back door was still slightly ajar, offering them enough light to see their way, but also providing clear indication of intrusion. The stirring in the corridor, which extended off the far left corner of the chamber, grew louder. Pagusel looked at Daq's back. She took a few steps to her right to put her a few feet closer to the kitchen door, but she didn't follow Daq's haste. Not yet. Footsteps approached from the far corridor. Surely by now Daq would hear, too.
A smallish figure cast his silhouette suddenly into the light. Pagusel squinted at the dark outline of a human youth. With her fingers extended up through the collar of her cloak, she scratched thoughtfully at her chin. The young man stumbled forward; his focus was on the open door to the outside. If they went slowly and quietly enough, they might make it to the kitchen door before he noticed, and then shut it behind them.
The boy took a few hesitant steps forward and blinked dumbly at the door. He looked very much the amateur. He hadn't had the sense yet to call for assistance. In his hand, and on his belt, he was armed with various clubs, but no bladed weapons. The shining ironwood baton in his hand, he held with his thumb extended along its length. He might snap his own thumb backwards if he struck something too hard.
Pagusel glanced over to Daq to see if he had turned to notice the spectacle yet. The hapless boy hadn't noticed them yet, for he was still trying to decipher the meaning of a door ajar. Pagusel's expression was concentrated, each of her features tightened into itself. The look might have been quizzical--what did Daq want to do? She wasn't a mercenary, after all, and wasn't bound to his command, but he did seem to hold a clearer understanding of the compound and its inhabitants. And, maybe she was in the unintentional mindset of following commands, having implicitly accepted his praise.
She sensed his hesitation. She was sure it must be him, as it wouldn't make sense for a guard to approach the premises from outdoors. Somewhere, perhaps from that corridor, Pagusel heard a distant stirring.
Very abruptly, then, the door opened. Pagusel pressed herself tighter against the wall and glanced over to see that her company was indeed Daq. A mild wince traced her eyes at the sudden inundation of light from outside; it painted the walls and corners of the room and pierced the darkness of the corridor. She couldn't agree it was wise to swing the door open with such haste, and it may have just been a sensory trick, but it seemed the low stirring she'd heard paused just then.
"Good work" is what he said to her. She focused on keeping a blank face in order to preserve herself from the rush of memories that phrase was bound to dredge up. She continued to stare at him stonily as he fumbled through reciting his plans. His voice was tinged with the same detachedness she had pinpointed earlier, when she had offered drugs and understanding.
Pagusel's eyes moved in response to his physical directions: right . . . left . . . up . . . And then she glanced over to see the faint outline of a small utility door where he had indicated. He walked off without conference.
The back door was still slightly ajar, offering them enough light to see their way, but also providing clear indication of intrusion. The stirring in the corridor, which extended off the far left corner of the chamber, grew louder. Pagusel looked at Daq's back. She took a few steps to her right to put her a few feet closer to the kitchen door, but she didn't follow Daq's haste. Not yet. Footsteps approached from the far corridor. Surely by now Daq would hear, too.
A smallish figure cast his silhouette suddenly into the light. Pagusel squinted at the dark outline of a human youth. With her fingers extended up through the collar of her cloak, she scratched thoughtfully at her chin. The young man stumbled forward; his focus was on the open door to the outside. If they went slowly and quietly enough, they might make it to the kitchen door before he noticed, and then shut it behind them.
The boy took a few hesitant steps forward and blinked dumbly at the door. He looked very much the amateur. He hadn't had the sense yet to call for assistance. In his hand, and on his belt, he was armed with various clubs, but no bladed weapons. The shining ironwood baton in his hand, he held with his thumb extended along its length. He might snap his own thumb backwards if he struck something too hard.
Pagusel glanced over to Daq to see if he had turned to notice the spectacle yet. The hapless boy hadn't noticed them yet, for he was still trying to decipher the meaning of a door ajar. Pagusel's expression was concentrated, each of her features tightened into itself. The look might have been quizzical--what did Daq want to do? She wasn't a mercenary, after all, and wasn't bound to his command, but he did seem to hold a clearer understanding of the compound and its inhabitants. And, maybe she was in the unintentional mindset of following commands, having implicitly accepted his praise.
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
Daq moved single-mindedly toward the servants' entrance to the kitchen, but he could feel that something was amiss. Almost half-way there, he realized that Pagusel wasn't following him. He looked back and found her a few steps away from where they had entered, keeping still and quiet. He traced her gaze and noticed the boy fumbling around in the alcove of the door.
Had they left it open?
Whatever the case, Daq realized that the boy would need to be eliminated before he alerted others. But how was he to do it? His hand thumbed the cold, worn hilt of his knife for a moment before withdrawing. Even if he managed to overpower and kill the boy with it, it would appear like an obvious murder. Besides, he was so young... a greenleaf, roped into something he didn't fully understand.
His hand went to his left lower pocket, where he was keeping a single vial. Just as he was tensing his fingers around the vial, he could feel his arm go numb.
We only have one of those, Morax chided. Best not to use it on an amateur.
Daq froze, unsure of what to do, but Morax acted quickly. Before Daq could even properly tell what was going on, he had bent down, picked up a piece of rubble left by the powerful explosion, and hurled it at the boy. It met his skull with a muffled, watery thud, and the boy dropped to the ground. Horrified, he struggled against Morax as he moved closer to inspect his handiwork. The stone had met the boy's head at the temple, and a spray of blood covered his shoulder and face. There were little chunks of tissue in it. Daq assumed these were bits of brain.
"Unfortunate youth," he heard himself say. "Standing in the exact wrong place when the bombs went off. Struck dead by a piece of debris..."
He turned again and headed to the kitchen door. "Let's go," his voice said. "Before the killing of any more is necessitated."
Had they left it open?
Whatever the case, Daq realized that the boy would need to be eliminated before he alerted others. But how was he to do it? His hand thumbed the cold, worn hilt of his knife for a moment before withdrawing. Even if he managed to overpower and kill the boy with it, it would appear like an obvious murder. Besides, he was so young... a greenleaf, roped into something he didn't fully understand.
His hand went to his left lower pocket, where he was keeping a single vial. Just as he was tensing his fingers around the vial, he could feel his arm go numb.
We only have one of those, Morax chided. Best not to use it on an amateur.
Daq froze, unsure of what to do, but Morax acted quickly. Before Daq could even properly tell what was going on, he had bent down, picked up a piece of rubble left by the powerful explosion, and hurled it at the boy. It met his skull with a muffled, watery thud, and the boy dropped to the ground. Horrified, he struggled against Morax as he moved closer to inspect his handiwork. The stone had met the boy's head at the temple, and a spray of blood covered his shoulder and face. There were little chunks of tissue in it. Daq assumed these were bits of brain.
"Unfortunate youth," he heard himself say. "Standing in the exact wrong place when the bombs went off. Struck dead by a piece of debris..."
He turned again and headed to the kitchen door. "Let's go," his voice said. "Before the killing of any more is necessitated."
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel watched as Daq's awkward hesitation was trumped by a hasty, violent action. She blinked at the sight and sound of a stone cracking against a dome of bone. She followed behind Daq to inspect the body as well.
The smell of the youth's body was vile and intoxicating. He had wet himself. Pagusel crouched beside the body after Daq turned away. She closed her eyes and her features slackened with acute grief. The dent in the temple was too fresh a memory to preempt with forced forgetfulness. She tucked her chin to the side to at least wrench her gaze from the sight.
Pagusel was unarmed, and there was likely a reason behind the boy's homogeneous selection of weapons, so she opted to pick one up. She hefted in her hand the club he had held and quickly appraised the selection on his belt. But, they were trying to be inconspicuous, she supposed, and it wouldn't do to completely loot the boy.
The woman stood abruptly and walked away from the body before she could contemplate him further. She narrowed her eyes against the mental echo of Daq's utterance: "Unfortunate youth."
One last glance at the slightly ajar door, and she came to the decision to leave it that way. It might appear that the boy was opening the door himself when he met his end.
She came up behind Daq as he approached the door. Her right hand gripped the tapered handle of her newly acquired club, and her left cradled its smooth, heavy head. "If I must breach this door as well, you'll need to hold this," she said quietly. She eyed the door, down to the narrow gap where it ended above the floor, and then brought her gaze back up to Daq. Or perhaps he just wanted to open the thing.
The smell of the youth's body was vile and intoxicating. He had wet himself. Pagusel crouched beside the body after Daq turned away. She closed her eyes and her features slackened with acute grief. The dent in the temple was too fresh a memory to preempt with forced forgetfulness. She tucked her chin to the side to at least wrench her gaze from the sight.
Pagusel was unarmed, and there was likely a reason behind the boy's homogeneous selection of weapons, so she opted to pick one up. She hefted in her hand the club he had held and quickly appraised the selection on his belt. But, they were trying to be inconspicuous, she supposed, and it wouldn't do to completely loot the boy.
The woman stood abruptly and walked away from the body before she could contemplate him further. She narrowed her eyes against the mental echo of Daq's utterance: "Unfortunate youth."
One last glance at the slightly ajar door, and she came to the decision to leave it that way. It might appear that the boy was opening the door himself when he met his end.
She came up behind Daq as he approached the door. Her right hand gripped the tapered handle of her newly acquired club, and her left cradled its smooth, heavy head. "If I must breach this door as well, you'll need to hold this," she said quietly. She eyed the door, down to the narrow gap where it ended above the floor, and then brought her gaze back up to Daq. Or perhaps he just wanted to open the thing.
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
After reaching the kitchen door, Morax glanced back at Pagusel as she took the club from the boy's corpse, but he felt himself shunted away from consciousness by a wave of nausea. It was Daq's emotion, not his, but it was strong enough that he experienced it as well.
Settle down, Morax chided. We've killed before. Just because this one is a little younger doesn't make any difference. From the day he was born, he was marked to die. So it is for all men and woman, and even boys and girls.
Daq didn't really respond to this. Instead, he struggled with Morax until he was mostly in control of himself. There was a sour taste in his mouth, so his first action was to spit on the ground a few times. As he did this, he felt Pagusel approach from behind. Coughing and clearing his throat quietly, he kicked a bit of the dusty earth over where he had spit and turned to face her.
Almost forgetfully, Daq took the club immediately as it was offered to him. "Yeah, go ahead and open it," he said. After a moment's consideration, though, he realized what he was holding. Why had Pagusel picked up the club at all?
"Wait," he said. "Pagusel, you aren't planning on.."
He gestured awkwardly with the club. "You know.. Using this thing? ... Are you?"
Settle down, Morax chided. We've killed before. Just because this one is a little younger doesn't make any difference. From the day he was born, he was marked to die. So it is for all men and woman, and even boys and girls.
Daq didn't really respond to this. Instead, he struggled with Morax until he was mostly in control of himself. There was a sour taste in his mouth, so his first action was to spit on the ground a few times. As he did this, he felt Pagusel approach from behind. Coughing and clearing his throat quietly, he kicked a bit of the dusty earth over where he had spit and turned to face her.
Almost forgetfully, Daq took the club immediately as it was offered to him. "Yeah, go ahead and open it," he said. After a moment's consideration, though, he realized what he was holding. Why had Pagusel picked up the club at all?
"Wait," he said. "Pagusel, you aren't planning on.."
He gestured awkwardly with the club. "You know.. Using this thing? ... Are you?"
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel was a woman of few words, and rhetoric was not something on which she spent many of those. With this " . . . you're not . . . are you?" business, Daq made it clear that he was hoping for and expecting two different answers, but she wouldn't follow suit.
"Ahh . . ." She paused and looked at the weapon thoughtfully as she considered how to respond. "I plan to use it if necessity strikes. It seems a fine weapon to me . . . and . . . my aim isn't as reliable as yours." A raise of her eyebrows seemed a substitute for a humorous smile. It was brief, and she turned her face away from him as she changed.
In the blink of an eye, with an almost audible puff of air, Pagusel was tiny and scurrying under the edge of the kitchen door. She paused in there, the same as she had when she first came into the building. There was no clear disturbance in the air.
A few moments later, the human Pagusel jiggled the handle of the door to feel for give and play that would indicate creakiness. Slowly, she turned the handle, which gave a very soft squeak, and the door floated open into the kitchen on well-set hinges.
She held her hand out to accept the club from Daq before she turned her head to take into view the layout of the kitchen.
"Ahh . . ." She paused and looked at the weapon thoughtfully as she considered how to respond. "I plan to use it if necessity strikes. It seems a fine weapon to me . . . and . . . my aim isn't as reliable as yours." A raise of her eyebrows seemed a substitute for a humorous smile. It was brief, and she turned her face away from him as she changed.
In the blink of an eye, with an almost audible puff of air, Pagusel was tiny and scurrying under the edge of the kitchen door. She paused in there, the same as she had when she first came into the building. There was no clear disturbance in the air.
A few moments later, the human Pagusel jiggled the handle of the door to feel for give and play that would indicate creakiness. Slowly, she turned the handle, which gave a very soft squeak, and the door floated open into the kitchen on well-set hinges.
She held her hand out to accept the club from Daq before she turned her head to take into view the layout of the kitchen.
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel's answer to him was entirely unsatisfactory. Either she had failed to notice his objections, or she had ignored them outright. Daq looked away from where she had changed, driven by some archaic and strange sense of modesty left over to him from his younger days in the north. Staring out at the dusty reddish-purple daybreak, he tried to decipher the intents that belied her words. Was she simply being frank, or was she calling him out on his hypocrisy--how could he, someone who had just murdered a boy, have qualms about violence? And the bit about his aim? Surely she realized it wasn't his own aim or his impulse that had driven the action. Was she just joking?
Daq's train of thought was interrupted by a gentle squeak of the door behind him, one so quiet that he'd have missed it under ordinary circumstances. Without a word of thanks, Daq stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He glanced around furtively, but aside from pots, pans, and cauldrons, they were alone in the room. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and extended the club to Pagusel.
"Take it then," he said. He looked at her directly, but a veiled look settled upon his eyes, not unlike how the look of Morax struggling for control, but somehow different. "And let's be finished with this business."
He pointed at the door on the other side of the cluttered kitchen. "The hallway next, then the stairs, then the library."
Daq's train of thought was interrupted by a gentle squeak of the door behind him, one so quiet that he'd have missed it under ordinary circumstances. Without a word of thanks, Daq stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He glanced around furtively, but aside from pots, pans, and cauldrons, they were alone in the room. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and extended the club to Pagusel.
"Take it then," he said. He looked at her directly, but a veiled look settled upon his eyes, not unlike how the look of Morax struggling for control, but somehow different. "And let's be finished with this business."
He pointed at the door on the other side of the cluttered kitchen. "The hallway next, then the stairs, then the library."
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel took a few slow steps forward, less transportive than exploratory. As she strolled forward to breach the strait between two butcher-block islands, her gaze tripped over the round bottoms of rows of hanging copper pots. She paused on the balls of her feet and lifted her club to nudge the brown iridescence of one pot. A trail of dust trickled down; she coughed behind closed lips.
Pagusel looked back at Daq. She stifled another little cough and blinked at the sight of his stand-offish gaze. Her eyelashes were wet, matted into glossy triangles. It didn't seem she was crying--it was the dust. Cluttered as the kitchen was, there appeared to be a thin layer of dust settled over most of the implements and surfaces, suggesting disuse in all but a few relatively clean spots.
Pagusel lowered her gaze for a moment before turning away from Daq and stepping forward again. She picked her way across the untidy floor, and even left soft footprints in places. It seemed there wasn't much use for this kitchen, in this home. Perhaps there weren't many mouths to feed--or the mouths that there were didn't require feeding.
At the door Daq had indicated, Pagusel stopped and waited for his arrival. She pointed her club at the door and blinked wetly at him. Her placid bearing was broken briefly with the spasm of of another silent cough. She had to swallow before speaking, to calm the irritation in her throat.
"Will you do . . . the honors?" she said and indicated the door again with a jab of her club. "This one is locked from the inside, so you can try your hand at opening a door. If you expect me to go before you at all times, I should remind you that I did not agree to be your bodyguard." Her gaze flitted around the counters of the room and landed on a thick, blunt thing. "I think you should take something like that," she said as she pointed at the rolling pin.
Pagusel looked back at Daq. She stifled another little cough and blinked at the sight of his stand-offish gaze. Her eyelashes were wet, matted into glossy triangles. It didn't seem she was crying--it was the dust. Cluttered as the kitchen was, there appeared to be a thin layer of dust settled over most of the implements and surfaces, suggesting disuse in all but a few relatively clean spots.
Pagusel lowered her gaze for a moment before turning away from Daq and stepping forward again. She picked her way across the untidy floor, and even left soft footprints in places. It seemed there wasn't much use for this kitchen, in this home. Perhaps there weren't many mouths to feed--or the mouths that there were didn't require feeding.
At the door Daq had indicated, Pagusel stopped and waited for his arrival. She pointed her club at the door and blinked wetly at him. Her placid bearing was broken briefly with the spasm of of another silent cough. She had to swallow before speaking, to calm the irritation in her throat.
"Will you do . . . the honors?" she said and indicated the door again with a jab of her club. "This one is locked from the inside, so you can try your hand at opening a door. If you expect me to go before you at all times, I should remind you that I did not agree to be your bodyguard." Her gaze flitted around the counters of the room and landed on a thick, blunt thing. "I think you should take something like that," she said as she pointed at the rolling pin.
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
The stirred up dust made Daq's nose burn. He hadn't really had any trouble with allergies since he was a child, but his months of residence in polluted Marn had made him more sensitive. Arriving at the door, Daq responded to Pagusel's little quip with nothing but a dour look and a sniffle. Her new-found sense of levity grated on his already irritated nerves.
He investigated the rolling pin that she pointed out, but ultimately left it on the counter. "I'm fine," he said. With that, he unlocked the door and tried to push it open. His attempt was met with unusual resistance, so, wrinkling his nose in exertion, he put his shoulder into it and pushed harder. The door, after a few hesitant creaks, flew open.
Daq stepped out into the hallway and held his hand out in a porter-like beckoning gesture. "If you please," he said. As he made his gesture, his eyes followed his extending arm. When his gaze first landed on it, he didn't really process what he was seeing. Morax, however, went into a state of revolt. Daq could feel his stomach churning out acid, his skin growing cold, and his heart beating faster, but it wasn't until it lurched toward him that Daq realized the skeleton was more than a piece of decoration.
Subconsciously, he registered its rusty axe and buckler, tattered remnants of a quilted chestpiece, and battered helm, but looking into the lifeless, empty sockets of its impassive, yellowed skull, all Daq could manage to do was say, "Oh god."
He investigated the rolling pin that she pointed out, but ultimately left it on the counter. "I'm fine," he said. With that, he unlocked the door and tried to push it open. His attempt was met with unusual resistance, so, wrinkling his nose in exertion, he put his shoulder into it and pushed harder. The door, after a few hesitant creaks, flew open.
Daq stepped out into the hallway and held his hand out in a porter-like beckoning gesture. "If you please," he said. As he made his gesture, his eyes followed his extending arm. When his gaze first landed on it, he didn't really process what he was seeing. Morax, however, went into a state of revolt. Daq could feel his stomach churning out acid, his skin growing cold, and his heart beating faster, but it wasn't until it lurched toward him that Daq realized the skeleton was more than a piece of decoration.
Subconsciously, he registered its rusty axe and buckler, tattered remnants of a quilted chestpiece, and battered helm, but looking into the lifeless, empty sockets of its impassive, yellowed skull, all Daq could manage to do was say, "Oh god."
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel exhaled in chime with the door's creak. Her eyes followed the progress of Daq's hand, and her eyelashes lifted like a slowly drawn shade as her gaze traveled the upward skew of his arm in motion. Her gaze drifted past his hand and hovered in the dusty space that was shortly intruded upon by an animated skeleton.
"Ohh." Her interjection was sharp but quiet. She stepped forward to buffer the space between the presumably unarmed Daq and the abomination. He may have seen the strange curl at the edges of her lips and the crinkling at the corners of her keenly staring eyes that almost looked like mirth, or at least intrigue. "Heebie-jeebies," she muttered under her breath.
When she stepped in, she used her unarmed hand to flip the hem of her cloak up and double it upon itself so that her arms had more mobility from the elbows down. She squeezed her right hand firmly around the smoothness of her club and pulled her left hand in against her torso as if to steady her bearing. Her left foot inched towards the agressor to provide a base upon which she could lean forward and lower her stance.
Then, as the skeleton ambled quickly forward, Pagusel bent her right wrist towards herself. She jabbed straight forward and snapped her wrist out to turn the wide striking end of her club in a tight arc. It connected with the foe's buckler with a crack.
The skeleton, seemed to pause in suspension as a rattling reverberation passed from its shield hand through its brittle bones and magicked joints. It had raised its axe as it advanced, but the jarring seemed to have interrupted its attack. The skeleton's elbows creaked and its ghastly jaw bobbled as it tried to overcome the setback, and then it moved as if to ready another swing.
Pagusel aimed another tight swing at the thing's buckler and rattled his joints once more. She glanced back over her shoulder to check on Daq's progress, hopefully, in arming himself. Any of the rows of old knives in the kitchen behind them would do little harm to this foe, other than to perhaps shred his chestpiece further. They couldn't hope to make flesh wounds in an enemy already freed of his soft tissue.
"Ohh." Her interjection was sharp but quiet. She stepped forward to buffer the space between the presumably unarmed Daq and the abomination. He may have seen the strange curl at the edges of her lips and the crinkling at the corners of her keenly staring eyes that almost looked like mirth, or at least intrigue. "Heebie-jeebies," she muttered under her breath.
When she stepped in, she used her unarmed hand to flip the hem of her cloak up and double it upon itself so that her arms had more mobility from the elbows down. She squeezed her right hand firmly around the smoothness of her club and pulled her left hand in against her torso as if to steady her bearing. Her left foot inched towards the agressor to provide a base upon which she could lean forward and lower her stance.
Then, as the skeleton ambled quickly forward, Pagusel bent her right wrist towards herself. She jabbed straight forward and snapped her wrist out to turn the wide striking end of her club in a tight arc. It connected with the foe's buckler with a crack.
The skeleton, seemed to pause in suspension as a rattling reverberation passed from its shield hand through its brittle bones and magicked joints. It had raised its axe as it advanced, but the jarring seemed to have interrupted its attack. The skeleton's elbows creaked and its ghastly jaw bobbled as it tried to overcome the setback, and then it moved as if to ready another swing.
Pagusel aimed another tight swing at the thing's buckler and rattled his joints once more. She glanced back over her shoulder to check on Daq's progress, hopefully, in arming himself. Any of the rows of old knives in the kitchen behind them would do little harm to this foe, other than to perhaps shred his chestpiece further. They couldn't hope to make flesh wounds in an enemy already freed of his soft tissue.
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
Daq stood, frozen, until Pagusel's club slammed into the skeleton's buckler and made a deep, ringing noise like a gong being struck. Something about the sound jarred him, made him realize that the dreamlike, unfathomable experience he was having was, in fact, real. In the face of a moving skeleton, it was hard to deny the existence of at least some magics.
But how was he to fight it? How could one combat something that didn't play by anyone's rules but its own. How could one kill something that should already be dead? He could think of dozens of ways to stop a heart, seven different places he could cut to cause hemorrhagic bleeding, and three different places that would shatter a skull and damage a brain.
The skull would be a good start, he heard. That's usually the focus of the necromantic energies.
"Necromantic energy?!" he whispered out loud. He hoped that Pagusel would be too engaged with the skeleton to notice him.
It's your choice whether you believe me or not, but I'd suggest you go for it even if you don't.
Another gong-like clang sounded out as Pagusel knocked her club against the thing's buckler. Daq looked on for a moment as it staggered back and gathered its balance again. She obviously wasn't having any luck with her present methods.
"Fine," he said. Keeping his eyes on the skeleton, he fumbled around with one arm on the dusty counter until it came in contact with the rolling pin Pagusel had indicated earlier. Grasping it firmly by one of the handles, he joined Pagusel's side and waited for an opening.
But how was he to fight it? How could one combat something that didn't play by anyone's rules but its own. How could one kill something that should already be dead? He could think of dozens of ways to stop a heart, seven different places he could cut to cause hemorrhagic bleeding, and three different places that would shatter a skull and damage a brain.
The skull would be a good start, he heard. That's usually the focus of the necromantic energies.
"Necromantic energy?!" he whispered out loud. He hoped that Pagusel would be too engaged with the skeleton to notice him.
It's your choice whether you believe me or not, but I'd suggest you go for it even if you don't.
Another gong-like clang sounded out as Pagusel knocked her club against the thing's buckler. Daq looked on for a moment as it staggered back and gathered its balance again. She obviously wasn't having any luck with her present methods.
"Fine," he said. Keeping his eyes on the skeleton, he fumbled around with one arm on the dusty counter until it came in contact with the rolling pin Pagusel had indicated earlier. Grasping it firmly by one of the handles, he joined Pagusel's side and waited for an opening.
Re: Play Your Part
Pagusel wasn't making any progress with the abomination except to keep their duel at a stalemate. After a few successful strikes on his buckler, she was still in a state of hesitation as to how to make an effective offensive strike. The timing of the skeleton's stumbles and recoveries was not reliable enough for her to yet size up and take advantage of his weak points. She needed a partner if she was going to have any quick success with this.
Daq came up beside her quickly, and sure enough, he had armed himself with the rolling pin at her recommendation.
She coughed once as she opened her mouth to speak. The dust was choking, and the mold coming off the skeleton's rags was contributing. She swallowed to clear the irritation from her throat and whispered a hoarse command: "Swing for the jaw, something you can knock loose," she said, and paused to drive the thing back a few steps with two rapid blows to that buckler.
"I believe . . . the magical bonds are weaker on the joints nonessential to its--" She grunted and then coughed as the skeleton lurched unexpectedly forward. A thin crescent of a bone, a floating rib, shook loose and rattled as it fell through the basin of its pelvis. "--Function," she finished with a pointed look at the nonstructural piece of bone as it hit the floor.
Apparently her intent was to pick away at the magically held-together frame in hopes of destroying its stability.
Daq came up beside her quickly, and sure enough, he had armed himself with the rolling pin at her recommendation.
She coughed once as she opened her mouth to speak. The dust was choking, and the mold coming off the skeleton's rags was contributing. She swallowed to clear the irritation from her throat and whispered a hoarse command: "Swing for the jaw, something you can knock loose," she said, and paused to drive the thing back a few steps with two rapid blows to that buckler.
"I believe . . . the magical bonds are weaker on the joints nonessential to its--" She grunted and then coughed as the skeleton lurched unexpectedly forward. A thin crescent of a bone, a floating rib, shook loose and rattled as it fell through the basin of its pelvis. "--Function," she finished with a pointed look at the nonstructural piece of bone as it hit the floor.
Apparently her intent was to pick away at the magically held-together frame in hopes of destroying its stability.
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Daq Bekkar
- Citizen
- Posts: 369
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:49 pm
- Name: Daq Bekkar
- Race: Humanoid Construct
Re: Play Your Part
Daq listened as Pagusel instructed him to aim for nonessential joints, and he noted her success with knocking off one of the ribs, but Morax interjected as she spoke, making it difficult to focus on her.
Although she is, in principle, correct, he said. That is not what you must do in practice. Watch its rhythms. When it is caught off balance, strike at the temple and attempt to shatter the skull.
Squinting his eyes against the dust, Daq attempted to watch the back-and-forth between Pagusel and the skeleton, but he accidentally inhaled a great whiff of the mold that had irritated Pagusel and descended into a sneezing fit.
Dammit, focus! he heard, but that didn't help either. He could feel the seconds ticking away as he struggled to regain control of his senses. Surely the clanging Pagusel was making as she hit the skeleton back again and again would alert someone.
Finally, he'd recovered enough to begin repressing his urge to sneeze and cough, and he watched as the skeleton stumbled. Eager to move on and minimize their risk of getting caught or injured, Daq lunged for the skeleton. As he brandished the rolling pin and made for a strike against its temple, he could hear Morax within him, shouting for him to stop.
There was a sharp crack and a gooey slicing sort of noise, and Daq watched with a distant sort of interest as the skeleton's head popped free of its neck. The torso wavered before him, still intact, until the head hit the floor and broke apart, at which point, whatever force had been holding the joints together dissipated, and the bones fell to the floor in a pile.
"See?" Daq said. His voice sounded odd, as if it were being echoed back at him. A black rim started to form at the edges of his vision. "I knew it was the right time to strike."
Shortly after he finished speaking, his legs gave way, and he collapsed. The black rim expanded, encompassing his entire field of vision, and he passed out with the skeleton's rusty axe still embedded in his left shoulder.
Although she is, in principle, correct, he said. That is not what you must do in practice. Watch its rhythms. When it is caught off balance, strike at the temple and attempt to shatter the skull.
Squinting his eyes against the dust, Daq attempted to watch the back-and-forth between Pagusel and the skeleton, but he accidentally inhaled a great whiff of the mold that had irritated Pagusel and descended into a sneezing fit.
Dammit, focus! he heard, but that didn't help either. He could feel the seconds ticking away as he struggled to regain control of his senses. Surely the clanging Pagusel was making as she hit the skeleton back again and again would alert someone.
Finally, he'd recovered enough to begin repressing his urge to sneeze and cough, and he watched as the skeleton stumbled. Eager to move on and minimize their risk of getting caught or injured, Daq lunged for the skeleton. As he brandished the rolling pin and made for a strike against its temple, he could hear Morax within him, shouting for him to stop.
There was a sharp crack and a gooey slicing sort of noise, and Daq watched with a distant sort of interest as the skeleton's head popped free of its neck. The torso wavered before him, still intact, until the head hit the floor and broke apart, at which point, whatever force had been holding the joints together dissipated, and the bones fell to the floor in a pile.
"See?" Daq said. His voice sounded odd, as if it were being echoed back at him. A black rim started to form at the edges of his vision. "I knew it was the right time to strike."
Shortly after he finished speaking, his legs gave way, and he collapsed. The black rim expanded, encompassing his entire field of vision, and he passed out with the skeleton's rusty axe still embedded in his left shoulder.
Re: Play Your Part
For the first few seconds of Daq's sneezing fit, Pagusel flinched with each successive expulsion. She gained control of her reaction before Daq stopped sneezing, and she continued to drive the fiend back inch by inch.
She winced and twisted her shoulder away from the unexpected trajectory of Daq's rolling pin as it swooped past her to hit the thing's skull. The report from the blow was also unexpected--that squish shouldn't have come from the skeleton's brittle pate.
As Pagusel focused her eyes again on the now-headless skeleton, she registered that its axe was gone. She turned to see the place of its landing; Daq might have noticed her urgently skeptical stare were he not experiencing tunnel vision. Too late she lunged forward to break his fall, and only managed to catch the heavy rolling pin as his hand dropped along with the rest of him. Then the thud of Daq's body on the floor echoed the clatter of the mess of dry bones. Pagusel at least had the presence of mind to shield her nose from the cloud of mold that came up.
Slowly, Pagusel lowered her forearm from her nose and idly swung the imbalanced weights of the two blunt weapons she held in her hands as she considered the situation before her. It would be redundant to disagree with Daq's cockiness at this point. Maybe it wouldn't have been her reaction under normal circumstances, but Pagusel came to a decision influenced by several factors: the time-sensitivity of their situation, the threat of unknown dangers that lay ahead, the memory of what had happened to Daq's personality the last time she had played nurse to his injuries.
She wrinkled her nose and turned to step over the pile of time-stained bones. Ahead, she could see the shadows of tall steps flickering in orange torchlight--the staircase Daq had indicated earlier. Maybe she could go on and find the necromantic creature behind all of this on her own.
She winced and twisted her shoulder away from the unexpected trajectory of Daq's rolling pin as it swooped past her to hit the thing's skull. The report from the blow was also unexpected--that squish shouldn't have come from the skeleton's brittle pate.
As Pagusel focused her eyes again on the now-headless skeleton, she registered that its axe was gone. She turned to see the place of its landing; Daq might have noticed her urgently skeptical stare were he not experiencing tunnel vision. Too late she lunged forward to break his fall, and only managed to catch the heavy rolling pin as his hand dropped along with the rest of him. Then the thud of Daq's body on the floor echoed the clatter of the mess of dry bones. Pagusel at least had the presence of mind to shield her nose from the cloud of mold that came up.
Slowly, Pagusel lowered her forearm from her nose and idly swung the imbalanced weights of the two blunt weapons she held in her hands as she considered the situation before her. It would be redundant to disagree with Daq's cockiness at this point. Maybe it wouldn't have been her reaction under normal circumstances, but Pagusel came to a decision influenced by several factors: the time-sensitivity of their situation, the threat of unknown dangers that lay ahead, the memory of what had happened to Daq's personality the last time she had played nurse to his injuries.
She wrinkled her nose and turned to step over the pile of time-stained bones. Ahead, she could see the shadows of tall steps flickering in orange torchlight--the staircase Daq had indicated earlier. Maybe she could go on and find the necromantic creature behind all of this on her own.