Private Tales Finesse

[Trix]

"Then why were you fighting with him?"

The art of interrogation wasn't to ask a lot of questions but to ask the right ones. The right ones allowed a person to talk and share all the information you might have asked from ten. It worked better on the Cortosi who loved to talk, but she had to remind herself that their gift - such as it was - was usually used in the arts of deception and trickery. She couldn't trust everything he said though what he had said so far seemed plausible. Gold hadn't been the aim which left revenge of some description, or that gold was not the most important thing the man had possessed.

Had simply knowing something got him killed?

 

[Rafael]

"For some strange reason he was under the impression that I was cheating at cards." An abhorrent accusation that he had of course declined vehemently. The two of them had gone back and forth in argument until eventually the Cortosi had taken his winnings and left. A departure which the victim, had of course, not accepted.

"The man was drunk! And apparently the coin he had was less generous when he was losing at the table." Raf said with a shrug. "He followed me into the barn, where I intended to just take a light nap, and began to shout at me."

Rafael frowned as he caught something intermixed with the scent. His lips turning ever so slightly.

"Next thing I know, I get bonked on the head, see a figure step out and…" He looked at Trix almost pleadingly. He was the real victim in all of this.

Rafael continued to follow the subtle scent, moving down the alleyway. Tulio moved right alongside him of course, but seemed to slow in his steps. A caution carrying through the hound suddenly.

The Cortosi came to a stop. "What we are looking for is close, but…"

He trailed off as he spoke, not being able to put the feeling into words. It was an almost innate and animalistic sense. The bestial side of him crying out that something was wrong, off. Like what lay ahead in the alleyway could only be bad.

 

[Trix]

Trix gave a soft snort that might have been missed when Raf once again attempted to paint himself as the blameless victim in the whole affair. A firmer picture was taking place in the Dreadlords mind, however. It was simply about sifting the truth from the lie, for every good lie contained an essence of truth to make it believable. She was about to ask more about the figure which captured her attention when the sudden mood between the lad and his dog changed. Tulio even bared his teeth and his hackles rose.

"It's a shame the dog can't tell us what kind of bad," she said softly and drew her blade with a silent whisper. "It may be best if you stand behind me, the Commander would kill me if I got you killed before trial," not that she trusted them really at her back either. They could run but then she would track them and there would be no amount of sweet words that would get him out of that trouble.

 

[Rafael]

It was in that moment that Rafael wished he had his Rapier.

Though the thought had crossed his mind, upon his exit from the prison the Cortosi had not taken any of his things. Hoping that it would at least frame him as simply trying to make his way to proving his innocence. Yet now with the feeling he couldn't help but think the decision was a stupid one.

He wasn't helpless, but what made him not helpless would more than likely be a death sentence from the Anirians.

If he had to change out here, he would heave to leave Tulio behind.

At the thought he almost instantly looked down at the little dog who immediately greeted him with a look. Pleading flickered through the Hounds expression, though probably not for the same reason as was going through Rafael's mind. "I think it best if w-"

Before he could finish his sentence the wooden wall of the alleyway suddenly seemed to explode.

A strange, nightmarish creature burst out from the wall. Rafael would have called it a werewolf, but the thing had no fur. Instead it seemed wreathed in shadow, eyes bright red, and it had no ears or snout. It's whole form seemed to flicker with black flames as it stood there. Gaze narrowing at the two intruders.

 

[Trix]

Trix had seen many horrors in her time at the Academy, none worse than the Proctors themselves many of her fellow Dreadlords would argue. So it was not with fear that she greeted the creature that turned its dark eyes towards them but a low whistle of appreciation. No living creature born to this world looked like that she knew of. Creatures born of magic, however...

With upmost calm she put her sword away; it was pointless in this fight.

"I would suggest running," she said with the same such calmness. Her hands raised and beneath their feet the ground trembled before suddenly great vines erupted from between the cobbles. The creature let out a sudden roar from what she thought might have been an imitation of a mouth. It lunged forward and Trix's vines rushed to attempt to meet it.

 

[Rafael]

Whatever the thing before them was, Rafael had most certainly never seen it before.

Again he wished for his rapier, but as Trix spoke he took a few slow steps backwards. That inane animalistic sense of self-preservation taking over. Tulio quickly followed suit of course, moving alongside his master as though stepping in tandem.

Then the creature bounded forward.

Vines shot from the ground, reaching in an attempt to strangle the beast before it could catch the two humans. It's claws swiped, and it's whole body seemed to shift in an unnatural and inhuman way. Melting to the side and away from the vines, it's sheer black claws cutting through the foliage.

Yet the movement caused it to fall short, half crashing into the ground just a few steps away from Trix.

It's head turned upwards, and in a low growl and seemed to speak. "Dreadlord."

The word sounded more like an accusation than anything else, and Rafael look at the woman standing besides him. Something like mock horror painted the young Cortosi's features, and he placed a hand on his chest as if he couldn't believe what he'd said.

"A Dreadlord!?" He demanded. "You mean you're one of the most dangerous people in this territory and you never mentioned to me? Belle, the betrayal! How da-AH!"

Before he could finish, the creature once again launched itself forward. Darting at Trix with a swift swipe of it's black oozing claws.

Tulio began barking wildly, threatening as the creature neared.

 

[Trix]

There was a certain type of thrill to being potentially killed, especially by a creature like this one. It was both a puzzle and an enemy, two things Trix liked to finish quickly. How to fight a being of shadows where the plants she could control simply slipped through it? She shot Rafael a scowl when he began to prattle on, breaking her concentration on this rather delectable problem, then with a curse shoved him out of the way of the creatures swinging claws.

Saving him cost her. The claw was far more solid when attacking and sent her flying into the brick wall of the alley. She groaned - more with irritation than pain - and then cursed as the creature lunged forward again.

If it had to be solid to hurt her...

She pushed herself off the wall before his fist made short work of her and rolled to lessen the impact on her knees.

"I said GO!" she shouted at the boy and his dog. She'd find them. If she survived. She had to pick the right attack to have ready... Trix didn't think it would fall for her plan twice.

 

[Rafael]

Tulio's wild barking echoed through the small alleyway, echoing and resounding.

The Shadow seemed to flicker for a second, it's body stopping as Trix shouted over the din. Urging the Cortosi and his hound to flee. The creatures head turned, gaze coming to focus on Rafael. It's dark eyes seeming to narrow.

Rafael took a slow step back as he met the creature's gaze.

Then he caught it's scent.

It was a curious thing. Still monstrous, still wrong, and yet this close he made out something more. The smell from the barn, the fabric, and the distinct smell of...human. At least in part, Rafael frowned for a moment, his head tilting even as Tulio continued to bellow. "What...are you..."

He whispered the words so quiet it was near impossible to hear them.

The shadowed beast growled, it's flaming jowls pulled back as it looked down at Trix.

"Dreadlord. Not done."​

It spoke, though the words were guttural. More like a rasp than any true speech. Rafael expected it to jump, to pounce on Trix and slash her across the throat. Yet instead the shadow seemed to shift, and then melt into the air. Exploding backward and suddenly streaming away as though it were a sheet caught in the wind.

Rafael was left standing there, Tulio still barking, Trix nearby, and a giant hole in the building besides them.

Another corpse laying on the ground within. "I did tell you I did not do it, no?"

The Cortosi asked, looking at Trix.

 

[Trix]

"Fuck," Trix cursed and then kicked a nearby rock out of frustration which went skittering down the alleyway. Who knew where that thing would go?

Not done...

The fuck did that mean? Had it killed Rafael's poor choice of gambling buddy? Was it going to kill again? Under whose orders? That thing had been intelligent enough to speak but she very much doubted it was smart enough to be planning out these attacks. She glanced back to the Cortosi and grimaced.

"A shadow won't get you off the hanging list, certainly with no proof for us to go back with."

 

[Rafael]

Tulio let out a few more strong barks, letting the fleeing shadow know just how tough he was before his attention drew towards Rafael. The hound nosed him up and down for a moment, and then quickly trotted over towards Trix to do the same.

Gently pressing his cold snout against her leg as if checking her injuries. "Well, no..."

Rafael admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But it proves there is a killer on the loose!" Though it hardly made him appear innocent. For all the Anirians would claim he was working with this creature, might have actually brought it here in the first place. "That has to buy me some rope, eh?"

He waved towards the shattered wall. "And look! A crime scene to investigate."

Rafael smiled happily.

"I can see the glint curiosity in your eye, Belle." His smile turned into a grin. "Tell me you do not wish to know the truth behind all this."

 

[Trix]

The annoying thing was that he was right. With a sigh Trix ran her fingers through the dogs fur and gave him a good scratch behind the ear to reassure him. She would have some fine bruises but it was nowhere near the pain the Academy had trained her to endure. Not yet.

"My name is Trix," she said instead of admitting anything about her true feelings and brushed past him to step through the large chunk of missing wall and into the freshly made crime scene.

"This is where the creature came from," she murmured more to herself than Rafael, but it made her look a little less insane than talking to herself. Inside the room was dark and only the light from the newly made window illuminated it. Murmuring a basic spell Trix created a weak globe of light to illuminate more of the space.

 

[Rafael]

"Ah! What a lovely name it is. The sound of it is like songbirds trilling on a fresh summer morn." He said with a bright, beaming smile though he did take a small step to the side and away from her as she did more of that...magic.

Rafael had never been much of a fan of the stuff.

In his experience mages of all sorts, not just Dreadlords, tended to take an interest in creatures like him. A fact that would be fine, except that interest more often than not ended up with creatures like him on a table being dissected.

A fate he was not at all interested in. "Well, it certainly seems like it!"

He agreed, stepping into the room and looking around, gently sniffing the air and following the trail of scent. Lips thinned for a moment as he noticed a door on the other side of the room. Noting the scent went in that direction and that the door was entirely unharmed.

"Why would a monster come into the room using a door...but leave it..." He glanced at the wall, frowning. "In my experience, creatures such as do not tend to use doorknobs."

 

[Trix]

"Perhaps it wasn't a monster when it entered the room," Trix said absentmindedly.

Once she had stepped into the room it wasn't the closed door that had interested her. It had been the signs of a struggle of sorts that had sent the desk and papers on top of it sprawling onto the floor. The chair was tipped back and had smashed as it hit the large stone slabs, and a glass had shattered recently for wine still dripped onto the floor. Aside from the desk area and a few paintings that were off kilter nothing else looked touched.

Curious, she knelt down beside the red liquor and drew her finger through it. Whilst her magic was related to that of the earth and plants in particular, Trix's twisted interests had led to a vast amount of knowledge in poisons and the sorts. She raised her fingers to her nose and sniffed.

"Ox's Tongue," she mused and then carefully tasted it before spitting to the side. "And Witches Fingers, probably something else too. Definitely some sort of potion slipped into the wine."

 

[Rafael]

Rafael looked down at Tulio, the dog looked back up at him. "A man turning into a monster?!"

He said, his voice entirely believable.

"Preposterous." Tulio seemed to nod at him. Nailed it. Then slowly he stepped forward into the room, looking around for a brief moment with a slight frown. He didn't sniff the poison, he knew better than to do that in front of Trix.

The girl seemed rather sharp, and although so far she hadn't quite questioned his eccentricities he wasn't about to push the envelope.

"Poison?" This time he sounded genuinely surprised. "Why? The thing could have ripped anything apart, and it clearly knew what it was doing. Otherwise it wouldn't have backed off when it recognized what you were."

So, the poison had not induced any sort of transformation. So what had it been for then? "Perhaps we interrupted something that was supposed to be more subtle..."

Raf suggested.

 

[Trix]

"I said a potion, not poison," Trix mused again. Though it could as easily be poison, she would have to study it more closely to truly know for certain. From her belt she took out a small vial and collected some of the liquid inside, making sure the stopper was pressed down securely. She put it away with every greater care and then made sure to clean the rest of it up when Tulio came sniffing over. The last thing they needed was the dog to be the test subject.

She gave him an affectionate pat and then righted the chair and sat down.

"And where is the owner of this space? Who was the owner?" she mused and began to flick through the papers. "Was the monster looking for them.... or... is the monster them?"

 

[Rafael]

Rafael gave a resounding shrug as an answer to the slew of question. "I think you are perhaps overlooking another very large question."

There was of course a slew of where, hows, and whose. All very important to eventually get an answer to, but if he knew one thing about solving any mystery it was the fact that the answer usually came down to one thing; why.

"We know." He paused, then corrected himself. "I know, you may perhaps half believe me, that the creature killed one man."

That much Raf was sure of. That monster had smelled exactly the same as the cloth. The scent had lead directly to it. "Why? What was the motive?"

As Rafael asked his own question, Trix would move aside one of the papers. There, just beneath was a coin, exactly the same make as those the man who had been killed was carrying.

 

[Trix]

Why was the final cornerstone question to the holy trinity of who and what.

Sadly she couldn't see any clues in the sheets she was thumbing through. Most of them were detailed lists of finances; invoices, taxes, receipts. Among them were a few long lists of book titles and numbers besides them that she assumed meant how many their victim had planned to order. They hadn't ventured into the rest of the building but she felt quietly confident they would find a bookshop front.

As she leafed through a few more bits the coin caught the light now filtering through the impromptu window. With a small frown she picked it up and held it up to the light.

"I don't recognise this writing."

 

[Rafael]

Rafael stepped over towards Trix, a frown touching his feature as he looked at the coin up in the glittering light. "It's Cahirian."

The Werebat said idly.

"Same gold the man who assaulted me had." Rafael continued to frame the entire incident in the correct way. Eventually the narrative would worm it's way into the Dreadlord's head, probably, hopefully.

He still needed a good word put in. "But...the monster didn't take the gold."

Raf pointed out, then suddenly thought of something.

"Perhaps...it's searching for the whoever carries them?" He asked out loud. "The man who attacked me had been rather liberal with the coin, I would not be shocked if he had stolen it."

 

[Trix]

"Too many theories," Trix muttered quietly to herself and finally stood up causing the chair to scrape across the wooden floor. What they needed was more evidence. All they had currently that connected the two victims - if this target even was a victim - was a coin. Even then they were only assuming that having the same coin was an important part of the story. It could, in reality, be as significant as two men owning the same tie.

"We need to find out where these coins came from. Did your friend say anything to you about where he got those coins? A job, maybe?"

 

[Rafael]

"Perhaps, mon cher." Rafael said, stroking two fingers over his moustache. "But doubtful."

No, no, the man hadn't seemed the type. "More the sort to pilfer and plunder, if you get what I mean."

Tulio let out a low bark, as if being accusatory, and Rafael quickly put a hand in his face. He hushed the little hound, scraping a foot back and turning to fully look at Trixie. Leaning back against one of the rooms remaining support beams.

"Banditry, or thievery." Either or. "My guess is he ran with one of the local outfits."

Rafael hesitated a moment, and then slowly continued. "I might have an...acquaintance who might know."

 

[Trix]

"An acquaintance," Trix repeated in a flat tone that conveyed more than words could what exactly she thought that word really meant. Still, they had nothing else and Trixie still didn't trust this man enough to believe he wasn't leading her on a goose chase in order to keep her from dragging him back to his cell where he belonged. No doubt soon the rest of the guards would be out looking for him. They didn't have time.

"Fine, let us talk to this acquaintance," she looked at the coin again then tucked it into her pocket. "He might not have stolen it if he was bragging like you said. Maybe whoever paid him to steal something paid him with these."

 

[Rafael]

Rafael pointed at Trix. "Now that's an idea."

Thievin' for pay was a bit more honest than actual thievery, at least by the standards of most guilds anyway. He had never really understood the distinction, but then again he'd never been a thief. What Trix said though made sense.

"So." He said with a smile. "Then it becomes more about the person that he stole from."

Why else be tracking the coins. "The monster is trying to find the man who paid."

Which meant either the thief had stolen from the wrong person, or the thievery was entirely unrelated and it was simply a way of tracking whomever this coin originated from. Either theory was sound enough, and in the end didn't matter. You didn't need the beginning of a string to start tugging at it.

"We have a lead either way." Rafael said with a happy smile. "Now we just have to find who the coins belong to."

 

[Trix]

Trix patiently waited for Rafael to reason out what she already had and gave him an encouraging nod to seal the deal. As loathe as she was to admit it, for the moment she needed the could-be-murderer. Once she had this contact and it could lead her on to the next breadcrumb she would drop him back at the prison where he belonged. If she cleared his name then he would escape the executioners axe in the appropriate manner of the law.

With the prisoner apparently happy with the reasons why she wished to speak to this acquaintance they set off through the town once more. Trix couldn't help but finger her sword hilt and glare into shadows. More than a few ordinary folk going about their daily tasks wilted and hurried on when her gaze rested on them. It was almost like they could feel she was weighing their hidden secrets.

Eventually Raf and Tulio came to a stop and Trix raised an eyebrow at the building before them.

"Here?" she asked doubtfully.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael gestured to the building. "Well, you said you wanted to see the place where I met the man."

They still, after all, didn't know how the man who had first assaulted Rafael had even got the gold. Perhaps someone who was more sober would remember, or someone who had actually cared to listen.

"The place is a bit of a shit hole, but you'd be surprised at how good the ale tastes." The cortosi said, gesturing to the Vomiting Cockroach with quite a bright smile. The hanging sign of, well, a vomiting cockroach hanging just left of the door. "Come on."

Raf said as he pushed open the door.

Almost as soon as they stepped inside, the man behind the bar seemed to Perk up. A wide smile drew over his face. "Greggory! So nice to see you again!"

Rafael looked at Trix, then to the barman, then to Trix.

"Just go with it." He told her, and then put on a bright beaming smile.

 

[Trix]

Did he think such a place would make her give up? That was the first thought she had as she stared up at the building before them with disdain. It certainly wasn't the worst place she had ever been to, but since leaving the initiate life behind she had become accustomed to a certain level of comfort and had no intentions of swapping it when she could help it.

"It better be," she sighed but with a pat to the dogs head she followed Rafael inside.

The interior was no better than the exterior and it took effort to peel her feet off the floor with each step. A level of stickiness like that was almost a work of art; the staff here must have just used some kind of spirit to try and mop the ale up.

Greggory?

Trix raised a brow but said nothing, already getting a sinking feeling.

"And who's this?" the barkeep turned his smile to Trix. It wavered a little seeing her sword and smartly cut uniform.