Fable - Ask Fanning the Embers

[Kala]

Lia crouched a ways back from the gate, half shrouded in the darkness of the walls shadow from the light of the moon.

While they had made their way over here the Tiefling had been careful to study the building and most of it's surrounding. While this way was the best to get onto the property, it was not the best way to actually make it into the building. Most would have been able to tell that simply from the iron bars on the windows.

"There is a terrace on the other side of the building." She said in a hushed whisper. "We'll need to make it over the gate, across the grounds, then onto the roof."

Simple enough for her, perhaps for Malphias too. She did not know about Lyssa, though she was sure her purple friend would be more than happy to carry the woman.

"From there we can get onto the Terrace and inside." Any other way they would either have to use magic, or be loud.

Neither was her favored option.

 

[Malphias]

Malphias swaggered with his usual casual grace, unhurried and silently amused by his own thoughts. He swept a hand through his hair, and the shroud of glamour worked its way down from head to toe, the horns disappearing first with a faint, lilac mist. His eyes glimmered a crystalline blue, his skin pale, and the jagged teeth, claws and tail went too. The smugness however, remained plastered to his face as he coolly leaned an elbow on Kala's shoulder as he watched and listened.

"You going to use that if it comes to it, Lady fae?.." the tiefling rumbled, jerking a chin toward the dagger at her hip, a sly grin on his lips.

He looked down at the lock on the gate and quirked a brow. "Over it?..Tsk. Come on Blue, this is your area of expertise is it not? Can't break a simple lock?.." his head shook.

His hand rose with a lazy wave into the air, the shadow he cast rippling into form as it flew into the air and solidified into the illusion of a harpy and landed on the lawn with a shriek, and stalked toward one of the guards. He called for help, and started firing arrow after arrow, each one missing it's evasive target.

"That ought to keep them busy for a few minute. Let's move."

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

"If I have to," she said to Malphias questioning glance. "It is not a decoration, after all," she added archly to the comment.

She was about to say something to Kala when the darker of the two of them suddenly radiated magic, and Lyssia, turned sharply before he had even done anything. Magic was her domain, after all; she, like the rest of her kind, were attuned to it in a way that mortals could scarcely understand. Her eyebrows drew down as what he was doing with it became manifest; the harpy would certainly draw attention, but perhaps more attention than the mercenary really wanted.

"Why would you do that?!" she hissed at him, but did not wait for a response. She seized the prim herself, and using only the faintest, hardest to trace amount of it, she touched the lock on the gate. For a moment nothing happened, and then it clicked audibly and the gate swung partly ajar.

But she did not make any advance beyond that; this was their bailiwick, not hers. From within the narrow garden she could hear the sounds of other guards calling out, although there was no fear in those voices. Their window to move would be narrow, and they needed to be gone from the sight of that thing and any reinforcements that came along.

 

[Kala]

She had forgotten how brazen the other tiefling was.

Wait. Had she forgotten, or simply chosen to ignore it at all together? The latter seemed far more likely, given whom Malphias actually was. His head shook for a moment, and she bit her lip as the lock was undone by the Fae.

For a brief moment she waited for either of her companions to go forward, but when neither of them moved she hissed. "Fine."

Though Lyssia didn't like it, Malphias' illusion was almost invaluable. The Harpy spun into life was a distraction like no other. Though no panic was summoned among the guards, attention was certainly gathered. Kala's gaze flickered from left to right, searching, assessing, and then she darted forward.

With an unnatural speed she moved across the clearing of the courtyard, darting over the grassland and gardens until she slammed against the far wall of the estate.

From her satchel she pulled a small hook and rope. Winding it for a moment before tossing it up onto the roof. The smallest clink echoed out as the metal caught.

 

[Malphias]

"What?" his brows rose and he gave a husky chuckle at the little fae's temper, gesturing toward the harpy with a shrug. "I thought she was pretty!..But, I'm sorry. Did you have another plan for distracting the guards, or were you just expecting that we waltz right in?.." he asked sarcastically.

After the gate was opened, he followed after Kala, though at a far more dignified pace. One could not swagger and sprint at the same time, and he sauntered composedly in her wake.

"Ladies first." he whispered and gestured to the rope, a dark brow arching as he gave the pair a grin of amusement. "I'll watch."

The harpy would continue to cause some trouble for the guards until they were clear before taking off with a few flaps of it's wings and disappeared into the inky sky.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

As if Malphias had tasted the little fae's temper, as he thought of her. The red hair was a solid indicator of her temperamental nature, and right now the trigger was set rather finely. Too much risk in this venture, too much stress. They were right in questioning her need to come along..,but it was a thing that she had to do.

Lyssia was decidedly slower getting across the grass and garden than the other two. She was not by any stretch of the imagination and athletic individual. When she arrived at the wall with the others, she was puffing lightly from the short trip. She said nothing as she stepped in front of Kala and, with a hard swallow, started up the rope ahead of the others.

Despite her lack of experience with such things, she made a quick ascent. She couldn't run, but she could climb, apparently. And as she drew level with the roof, she paused, hesitating to cross the threshold. There was something off, up here; her arcane senses tingled faintly. She could see nothing, but she didn't need to see a thing crafted of magic to know it was there.

The seelie pulled herself up, and waited for the others to come up as well, whispering to them as they did. "There....there may be some kind of ward or trap up here," she said in a low voice. "Of a magical nature. I can probably dispel it, but I need to know where to look..."

***

The two guards that had gathered kept out of range of the creature that had descended onto the Bursar's grounds, swords drawn but remarkably ineffective as weapons. Another of their number had gone off to go get reinforcements, for creatures like this could pose a threat across the entire city, not just here.

But it was not the runner that came first, nor the Dynasts' guards that patrolled the city, a local garrison for the purpose of maintaining law and order within the heart of the realm. No, it was Orwain that came instead, sweeping round the bend of the garden path as though he owned the place, without a care in the world.

"Orwain!" one of the pair cried out, partly in relief and partly in concern. The man in question was tall for an Erdenian, but blade slender and of an indeterminate age. He wore a blade at his waist, as did any other of the Lady's bondsmen and women on these grounds and elsewhere. Dark hair, tied at the neck and flowing down his back, was shot through with silver. His eyes were hidden by the gloom.

He raised a hand in greeting, and then his head snapped to the harpy that was attacking the Lady's grounds. "...," he didn't say, and then muttered a syllable under his breath. The charged feel of magic being put to use made the air feel greasy, but it was only a momentary thing. The old mage attacked the illusion directly, not the apparent image but that which made it manifest. Such a specialized attack could only mean that the old mage had seen through the illusion, and now he was going to help everyone else see through it, too.

It faded in tattered shards as his own counter destroyed it.

The two guards stopped their fighting in mid swing, and looked to one another, bewildered.

"That," Orwain said, "was the work of someone who does not make magecraft their livelihood," he said in a smug tone of voice. It was, he knew, well-crafted enough to fool simple-minded sword-and-bows, but not someone with any actual arcane skill. He stood there as the other two rammed their weapons back into their scabbards, and seemed to be listening for something that no one else could hear.

"It might be best," he said finally, "if we had a look round the manor. Just to be safe."

 

[Kala]

Kala didn't speak this time, but she didn't grab the rope either.

The Tiefling took a few steps back, and then quickly took a running jump. Claw like nails dug into the mortar of the wall, pressing into the stone as she quickly scrambled up the wall.

She moved quickly, faster than she could have on the rope. No sound was made as she pulled herself up and over the ledge. Her feet touched the tiled roof, gaze flickering overt towards the Fae as she spoke of wards. Lips thinned, and she was about to make a comment when she decided it wasn't worth it.

From her satchel she pulled out a small playing card, decorated with a drawing of dozens of wires. "Stay back."

Kala told the woman as she tossed the card forward.

It flew through the air almost perfectly, rushing through the air as though carried by the breeze. Then suddenly it froze. As if caught by someone's hand the card stalled in the middle of the roof top. Then suddenly a wall appeared. Thousands of wires pierced through it, cutting the wall into ribbons as the ward was undone.

 

[Malphias]

Malphias stood watch for a moment longer before pulling himself up the rope behind the pair. His priority was on smoothing out his wrinkled jacket, adjusting his collar and dusting himself of any dust or debris. After ensuring his hair was in place and he was as immaculate as ever, he returned his attention to his companions, his lips twisting with a short shake of his head at Kala.

"You and you fucking card tricks." he muttered and looked to Lyssia. "I can't use a harpy illusion but that, that's alright with you?.." he gestured ahead of them. It worked, in fairness. He wasn't one for detecting magic, and so he decided it best to stay behind the pair in case there were any more wards ahead.

His shoulders rolled, and he gestured onward. "After you ladies." he repeated, and pulled up Kala's rope from the side of the building.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

She just blinked at the display. She would have called it overly flashy, needlessly wasteful...but it was effective. She said nothing to Malphias' comment, though; what could she say, really? She knew she would be of limited use to either of them during this little venture, but had never imagined she would be completely worthless to them.

In a way, it almost made her angry. Angry, and made her desire to show that she wasn't a complete waste of space. For her part, though, she remained silent. There was nothing she could say or do that would make her feel any less humiliated by her own ineffectiveness.

With the ward gone, the roof was open to them. There was indeed a trap door dead center, raised a little so that heavy rain would not enter the home. Likely leading into an attic, but the door itself was locked which was not surprising. She stared at it, and waited for the others to do the job she had clearly overpaid them to do.

 

[Kala]

Kala shrugged. "They're too busy fawning over your masterful magic to notice my little tricks."

The words were obvious sarcasm.

Kala followed after the Fae, stepping slowly along the tiles of the roof so she did not slip from them. Below she could hear talking, likely the guards in the courtyard deciding what they would do now that someone had clearly taken an interest in the manor.

She crouched down by the look, reaching into her satchel to pull out a small metal hook and pin. A few seconds later and there was a quiet click. Her head turned, and she motioned for Malphias.

Time to test the waters.

 

[Malphias]

Malphias ran his tongue over his sharpened incisor as he grinned at Kala's sarcasm and turned his attention to picking a fleck of dust from his sleeve.. "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.. It suits you, Blue." he rumbled coyly as he waited for her to deal with the lock.

"Thieving is what she does for a living." he told Lyssia casually before covering the side of his mouth with the back of his hand to shield his words from Kala. "Not really a people person." he jerked a thumb at the other tiefling.

As he was called upon, he moved over toward the trap door and crouched, listening for a moment. His hand rose, about to weave another illusion to send in, but a muscle feathered in his jaw and he glanced to the fae. If he fell into a trap, it'd be her fault for making such a fuss about his use of magic, and he'd take it out on her tenfold. He huffed and cracked his neck before dropping down through the hatch himself, his crimson gaze narrowed with apprehension.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

She slipped down the exceptionally steep stairs that dropped away from the hatch into what was an attic. It was as dark as a cave in that space; she looked to Malphias with an unreadable expression as she seized upon the prim, and allowed the faintest, most feather-light trickle of it flow into the world as she wove it into a simple knot of elements. Hand held before her, a globe of ghostly pale light formed there, suspended inches above it. It cast an eerie light on the space, barely enough to illuminate anything closer than a few feet.

Crates and chests stood stacked this way and that, many of them with thick layers of dust on them. A narrow path cut away from the hatch, heading deeper into the attic and presumably to a way down to the manor proper. Lyssia had no knowledge of this space, and doubted anyone but House staff would, either. It did not appear as though anyone had been here in a long time.

She had nothing to say to Malphias. She had nothing to say to Kala, either; this was their work and they knew it far better than she did. Her unease at Malphias' use of magic was ebbing, at least; surely, if someone had felt that they would already have been upon them by now. Probably, anyway.

Taking the lead for the moment, she moved silently down the path. Nothing moved up here, and the path was straight as an arrow. She was not much further than fifteen feet along when she stopped, suddenly, her head snapping to the left. She stared hard at a chest, amethyst eyes narrowed.

"Just...a moment," she said softly, and stepped forward. She didn't quite touch the chest, feeling at the thing she had found, and the chest itself. No trap, no magic - at least, not beyond the item itself. She laid her hands upon the latches and lifted them, faintly surprised that this wasn't locked. But then, why would it be?

Old wardrobes lay neatly folded within, but sitting on top was a flattened stone, nearly circular. The thing played tricks on the eyes, shifting between colors and glittering like it was filled with glitter. She could feel subtle magic wafting from it, but had no idea what it was doing. She was fairly certain it did not belong here. She picked it up, and felt the quiet power within it, enigmatic and elusive.

"Anyway," she said, and stepped aside to let them take the lead. Another hatch with a folded ladder attached it it stood a scared dozen feet further on, and that would take them into the manner proper.

 

[Kala]

Kala followed behind quietly, not bothering to say anything. Her yellow eyes flickered through the hall, watching every angle and looking for traps.

She had always wondered by rich people didn't include more traps in their secret passageways. It always seemed to her to be a good idea, particularly if you could rig it so the traps only activated when you were heading into the building.

Perhaps when she tired of thieving she could help stop thieves.

The thought was a rather amusing one.

Kings would pay quite a large sum to stop people like her, at least she presumed so. A smile touched her lips as Lyssia played with some strange chest, Kala not bothering to take too close, instead peering around as she heard the quiet creak of someone moving in a wall above.

After a moment she shifted, and Lyssia continued onward. Kala followed, and then quickly motioned for Malphias. "Get ready to make me look like a statue or something."

With that she quickly gripped the folding later and pulled it open, quickly scampering up and into the manor.

 

[Malphias]

Malphias kept a close eye on the little fae, her use of magic thrumming over his skin like the tickle of a soft breeze. He shuddered silently, watching the little ball of fae light and pausing as she spoke up, his gaze following her to that chest. His eyes narrowed, thinking perhaps that touching it wasn't the best of ideas, but he was too curious and carefree to intervene. If she got herself into a scrape, he'd take the opportunity to up their bargain. If anything he damn well hoped she'd have need of further assistance from him before this night was through.

His head tilted as she picked up the shimmering stone, a slender brow arching.. "What've you found litt-- Lady Fae?.." he purred as he followed the pair onward. Kala's command was met with a coy smirk, a hand pressed against his chest as he bowed to the tiefling.

"I am at your disposal my blue friend.." he grinned, devilishly so, and followed.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

The hallway that the ladder dropped into was only dimly lit, lamps lit only often enough along the length to create strong enough illumination that no one would walk into the walls. The corridor was decidedly unimpressive, with plain walls and little in the way of finery; no hangings, no pictures, no bits of art. It was quite clearly a place designed for workmen and not for guests or the patron of the place.

Lyssia followed behind Kala, moving lightly enough. She could feel nothing awry here, at least; whatever wards there were were likely only going to be present in crucial places, or points of entry. The house seemed quiet, almost eerily so. It was late enough that it was likely that all had gone to sleep but the guards, which suited their purposes just fine.

"I do not know," Lyssia breathed to Malphias. The object seemed to tickle her attention every time she let her attention drift from it, but she truly had no idea what its purpose was. Which was, in and of itself, quite odd; she was nominally excellent at identifying magical objects, and the fact that this one eluded her was vexing. "It might be nothing...but things imbued with magic are seldom nothing," she whispered.

"I am sure these are the servants' quarters," Lyssia breathed to Kala. "We need to go down stai-"

A creak of wood, the sound of someone shifting somewhere. And then footsteps, padding along. It came from ahead of them and to the right, behind a closed door. A light flared under the door, casting a fan of yellow across the floor, and before anyone could react the door was opening, revealing a slender arm holding a candle.

Shit shit shit shit...

 

[Kala]

Fuck.

Kala had been about to comment on the fact that it was odd the passageway would lead to the Servant's Quarters, but as she did the flickering light of the candle began to cast out into the Hallway where all of them were standing.

The Tiefling offered one glance to Malphias, one to Lyssia, then she dashed forward.

She was not a killer. She was not a fighter, but she was a thief. There were few things in this world worse than someone finding a thief in their home. Especially for most nobles. As soon as the arm extended outwards she grabbed it, then with a powerful yank pulled it forward.

A young woman tumbled through the door, her eyes wide, her mouth open and readying to scream. Kala placed her metallic hand over the girl's lips, clamping down hard enough so that not even an echo could have passed through the strange alloy.

Then she spun the girl in her arms, wrapping her bicep around the girls throat so that she was facing away from Malphias and Lyssia. She didn't want her to get a good look at any of them,"Shhh."

Kala said, shushing the girl as she increased the pressure on her windpipe.

Within just a few seconds the girl's vision would go black, and then unconsciousness would take her.

 

[Malphias]

Malphias tensed at the sound of the footsteps, a long dagger slipped into his hand as though from nothing, a wisp of purple smoke dissipating around it for a moment. Kala however, seemed to have the mess handled, and as he waited he folded his arms and examined his fingernails as though to make a point to the blue tiefling, that death was swifter, not to mention significantly more fun.

He let out a droned huff as the girl slumped, and gestured the empty doorway to Lyssia. "Shall we?.." he asked and meandered over to peek his head around the doorway. The hallway was dark, not that it was a problem for him. "Three doors, and a staircase." he muttered, glancing back to the Fae.

"We'll take your lead, doll face." he winked.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

Kala did what Lyssia most certainly could not have done. There was only the briefest moment - a flash of terrified eyes as wide as they could go - before the servant was facing the other way. A handful of seconds passed, and then the young lady slumped in the arms of the thief. For a moment, Lyssia worried that she might have been killed...but the slow rise and fall of her chest after told that she would not.

Lyssia let out a breath she was not even aware she'd been holding. Trying not to seem to frantic, she rushed lightly to the side of the downed servant, and touched the girl on the forehead, pulling and sending a thin trickle of the prim into her skull. She stood up quickly. "She will sleep for a while," she said as the faint afterimage of her sorcery faded. Her lips tightened at Malphias comment, but she said nothing. Now was not the time.

She was not interested in anything in the attic and servants quarters. What she sought was in the main levels of the manor, where the people who had power would do their business. No one would trust a servant with anything that could be incriminating, and so she did not even waste her time with any of the doors, heading straight for the stairs. She was trying to get to a part of the estate she could recall, and blessedly once they had descended from the upper floor it was immediately - if faintly - recognizable.

The hallway below was certainly more opulent than anything upstairs had been. The carpet was more colorful and fine, the wall hangings well tended. On this level, there were two doors on either side and one at the end of the hall, oak things ornately carved and inlaid with gold and silver designs. The door at the end of the hall was flanked by staircases leading down. "One of these is her office," Lyssia said in a low voice. She was not entirely sure what the other rooms were, but she was very certain that on this level, at least, there would be no living quarters. She made for the door at the end of the hall as the most obvious one.

 

[Kala]

Kala glanced around the hall for a few moments, looking at some of the others doors and quietly motioning to Malphias. "Distract her when we're in there."

The Tiefling said quietly to her companion.

"Or, at least make sure she isn't looking at me." She didn't want Malphias to hurt the poor girl, or drool all over her either. Kala just didn't want to take any chances that Lyssia would see her pilfer whatever was glittering and gold within the office.

Before her companion could offer any objection Kala swept forward, her tail flicking just short of Malphias' nose. She quickly caught up with Lyssia, pulling two metal tabs from her best, flicking them over her fingers and crouching by the lock.

She looked up at Lyssia.

"There isn't any wards on this door." Kala asked as she slipped the picks into the lock. "Is there?"

It was a question she probably should have asked earlier.