Open Chronicles Rats and Crowns

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh harumphed to himself quietly. He'd been looking forward to taunting his fellow Rous before he ultimately killed him.

"Can we at least show it to him first?" He said defeatedly. Kala raised a fair point and he knew she was right.

His mind filled with thoughts on how best to kill Knife-Back, but he shrugged. Kekrizh wasn't one for torture, he didn't play with his enemies. He killed. He was good at killing. There was no need to muddy the water by toying with a victim.

In the distance, screams rang out, and a guard shouted from inside the palace.

"Those damned mercenaries, a group of them have started attacking anything that moves." The sound of scurrying and boots scuffing stone was heard even hear in the kitchen. The guards were mobilising.

"Perfect, if our calculations are correct, our human patsies should be trying to get into the castle just about now as well." He snickered to himself, it was rare that a plan came together in a thieves line of work, but sometimes it did.

 

[Kala]

Kala nodded her head. "We absolutely can."

She assured Kek as the commotion began upstairs. At first she thought that someone might be coming down into the cellar, but the sound was too distant and the voice that echoed out quickly cut away that theory. A small sigh of relief passed her lips, and she glanced at her Rous companion.

"Those idiots are doomed." Kala chuckled.

The thieves they had employed had barely passed even the test of being patsies. Most of them were utter morons that would likely try to fight whatever guards caught them. That was the intent of course, the more that fought, the more would die and be unable to tell the story of what had happened.

Not that it mattered.

With a click of her tail Kala began to move back up the steps, finding an empty kitchen with several bowls laying around. She smiled, and then continued out into the hall so their real plan could commence.

 

[Kekrizh]

He snickered again. The thought of waving a prized possession in Knife-Back's face was a delectable one. He could almost smell the fear, the outrage, the indignation from his fellow Rous.

Kekrizh remained silent as they made their way back to the kitchen, his eyes following Kala's own and similarly he clocked on to the empty bowls of tainted food with a smile.

The duo made their way to the now deserted hall, and carefully descended up the central staircase. Carefully, he plucked a small Anirian crown from his pocket.

"Heads we nab the egg first, tails we get the crown." He smiled menacingly, tossing the coin up into the air and snatching it after several flips.

He passed it towards Kala for the reveal.

 

[Kala]

Kala took the coin with a single hand, then slowly unfurled it. "Griffin it is."

She said with a smile.

In truth, the idea of a little revenge sat just fine with her. Knife-back would pay one way or another, but it would be better if he knew just how badly he'd lost before they actually killed him. It would bring far more satisfaction that way. At least for her.

Besides, with all the chaos now erupting in the Palace they had more than enough to steal both.

"That way." The the plans they had were old, but Oban was a place of tradition. The gyffons had been in one section of the palace for as long as anyone could remember. One didn't even really need a map to know where the roosts were, the damned place was practically worshiped by the people.

 

[Kekrizh]

He smiled. Kekrizh had been hoping it would be the griffin first, the Rous had never seen the feathered creatures and was intrigued by their nature. Giant intelligent feathered creatures that seemed to bond themselves to a human. Strange.

He scurried on after her, his Katar dropping comfortably into his hand from seemingly nowhere. With the guard patrols and men in chaos and disarray, there was very little chance of the two of them being caught at the moment.

Kekrizh's nose twitched as they drew closer towards the griffin roost. He caught whiffs of something, something unfamiliar yet familiar all the same.

"Kala, stop." He spoke calm, yet his voice was hard.

"You're on a ward, don't move." Carefully the rous stuck his nose in the air and took several long inhalations before turning back to his comrade.

"I can smell lots of them here." Kekrizh would never admit to being magically inclined. Yet he possessed a variety of tricks and talents that seemed impossible would it not be for the existence of magic. One such talent, namely, was that he could smell magic.

 

[Kala]

"Ugh." Of course there was a wizard. There was always one poking around and doing their best to stop good and honest thieves. She scowled, and then slowly reached into the back of her satchel to pull out one of the cards she had stowed there earlier.

With a quick flick of her wrist she offered it to Kek.

"Put it under my foot." He would be used to this. "It'll neutralize it."[/color

Kek had seen Kala's magic more than once before. The cards were almost like Rune Magic, though different in how they were created. Each one took hours to craft, all formed by Kala's magic and powerful impressions. It allowed her a massive amount of versatility magic wise, but it also limited her.

She could only have so many cards prepared, and there was never an indication of what she might need on any given day.

It just so happened she always carried one to neutralize magic. Hard to make, but very useful.

 

[Kekrizh]

His smile dropped and Kekrizh took a deep breath. He didn't particularly enjoy dealing with enemy magic - no one did - but it was just one of those things.

Carefully, he took hold of her card and dropped to the floor.

With his clawed hand clasping her ankle, Kekrizh left his weapon neatly beside him and slowly began to slip the card under her trapped foot. Inch by inch he worked, careful to move at a glacial pace.

A moment passed. The card - now covering the length of the invisible rune - popped and fizzled. Several small purplish sparks erupted from the figure and suddenly the rune illuminated - only to disarm itself almost immediately.

"Let me lead, I'll keep a nose out" He spoke matter-of-factly.

Retrieving his Katar, Kekrizh kept low and begun to lead the way through the corridor - his nose taking point.

You didn't become a high-level thief - or at least work with them - without learning a bit about rune magic. From his own limited knowledge, he knew the wizard they were dealing with was skilled. Not least because the place stank of small puffs of magic - the telltale sign for runic characters - but because they were all invisible.

Carefully, he led the two of them through the corridor. He knew Kala well enough to trust she'd step exactly where he did.

Eventually, they came to a very elegant door on the far end of one of the palace wings. Written in bold were the words 'Griffin Nursery'.

He smiled, turning to Kala.

 

[Kala]

The hallway behind them was littered with so much magic Kala would have guessed they were in Elbion. A scowl pulled on her lips as she looked back towards it, eyes settling on the doorway only after another minute.

"Any magic on the door?" She asked about as wearily as any thief could sound.

In the distance she could still hear the Chaos of the palace, fighting and shouting as some Guards lashed out in utter rage and others stumbled around in confusion. It would last for some time yet, but every time they were slowed down their mission grew a little longer.

They had to move fast.

When Kek answered that the door was not trapped, Kala quickly stepped forward and pulled out her lock kit. It took her only a few seconds to find the proper combination, and the door popped open as she gently pushed. "You go first."

Kek had always been the sneakier one, but that was mostly due to his size.

 

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh nodded, giving the door a deep sniff before he allowed Kala to get near it with her lockpicking. Carefully, the Rous pushed the door open and scurried in. The room before them was dark, only a few torches lined the walls and scattered runes of luminosity adorned the ceiling in no particular pattern.

It didn't really matter for either the thieves. They lived, breathed, died in darkness - they could see perfectly in these dim conditions.

Kekrizh found himself relieved to see this room was more of a holding area. The famed sentient Griffins that Oban kept were known to be ferocious creatures and he certainly wanted to avoid fighting one - or several - head-on if he could help it.

His thoughts were short-lived. At the far end of the room sat an Obanese Knight astride a beautiful snow-white griffin. They had been facing away from the door - looking down at the violence below through a large window - and had been unaware of his approach.

Kekrizh held his breath, he moved silently along the wall. In the centre of the room - in a well-lit spot - stood a nest containing a two dozen eggs, give or take.

He sighed, beckoning Kala to approach.

His hand was a flurry of movement. The pair had raided a drow complex a few years ago and picked up a book on Drow Sign Language - it had made their communication considerably easier in tight situations.

"Lots of wards on eggs. Don't want to fight Knight if we can help it. Ideas?"

 

[Kala]

Kala read the signs, frowning deeply for a moment.

There was no doubt in his mind that together they could kill both the Griffin and it's Rider, but...well the noise it would make would probably wake more of the damned beasts than either of them wanted. Her gaze flickered for a moment, and then an idea began to form.

"I have an idea." He told her. "How fast do you think you can get one of the eggs?"

She had another of the ward disabling cards, though it was her last one.

It would be worth it to get their prize, though very well might come back to bite them in the end. That was the trouble with thieves, greed always got the better of them.

Kala was no different.

 

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh paused and glanced at Kala for a moment. His gaze drifted back towards the nest and the gears of his brain began to turn. The room they were in was large and the pair were set back from their target.

He knew he was fast. His training, his experience, his life had all worked to hone his body to the peak of Rous physicality. That said, he was faster without his weapon and without his weapon he would be at a big loss against the Knight.

"5 seconds, give or take." He paused. Considering his statement for another brief moment. "Maybe 6." His tone was not one of a braggart, nor was it one of overconfidence. Kekrizh spoke as a matter-of-factly. He may as well have been telling someone the sky was blue or water was wet. In his mind, it was simply the truth.

He smiled, pressing his Katar gently onto the ground and releasing his grip of it.

Without a second thought, and without even needing Kala to reveal her plan, Kekrizh moved into position. All four of his limbs touched the floor and the Rous seemed to coil up like a wound spring, ready to burst.

 

[Kala]

It was really difficult to put into words just how much she enjoyed working with someone that could read her as well as Kek could.

The two of them knew each other and trusted one another so we'll that they could act independently and still reach the desired outcome. Such a fact was almost unheard of with thieves and criminals in general. She smiled after the rous for a moment, and then reached slowly into her satchel.

From it she pulled out a single card.

Kala did not know much about Griffin, in fact she knew next to nothing save for the fact they were somewhat intelligent. That sliver of knowledge was enough however, and with a deep breath she readied herself.

With a single tapping signal Kala threw the card ahead of herself.

The moment she did the paper suddenly warped and then exploded outward into a massive dragon. Huge black scales, unspeakably red eyes, and wings thrice the size of the griffon appeared as though from nothing. It let out a deafening roar, and then suddenly jumped up into the air towards the open ceiling.

 

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh swiped the disarming card from Kala and waited, his muscles rippling visibly as he tensed up - ready to begin the plan.

Kala's card flew ahead, Kekrizh bolted - the Rous quickly lost shape and form and even to the trained eye looked little more than a small blur.

"1..." The Rous overtook the card, his body flat almost pressed against the floor as he shot forth towards the centre of the room. The various shadows and poor lighting, coupled with the rat's dark complexion made even the blur hard to detect.

"2..." The Rous grinned as the card erupted, he snatched a split-second glance at the light-show yet didn't falter as he propelled himself forward. The Griffin and her rider turned at the sudden display of lights, yet again mottling the Rous in darkness.

"3..." The Rous' hand extended - card first. It met resistance in the form of an invisible barrier, yet much like the earlier ward, the barrier fizzled and petered out into nothingness. Carefully, he snatched one of the eggs closest to him and spun - preparing the return journey.

"4..." The Rous' presence was undetected as his figure became visible, then darted back towards safety. The dragon was a hole that sucked in all attention - bar Kekrizh - and the Rous held the egg close to his chest. Even running on one less appendage seemed to do little to slow him.

"5..." The Rous ducked behind one of the pillars in the room pre-emptively. The Knight and the Griffin glanced away from the dragon momentarily - scanning the room for the source of the beast or checking the state of the eggs, he did not know. Kekrizh had given himself the extra second to hide.

"6..." The Rous shot forth from the pillar - the Knight and his steed's momentarily lapse of attention rectified and facing the dragon now. He reached Kala right on time and held the egg out to her, as the two remained almost invisible amongst the dancing shadows.

The dragon retreated, shooting up into the air. The knight answering back by following quickly in tow.

 

[Kala]

"Time to go." Kala said swiftly as she quickly took the egg and slipped it into her satchel.

Oddly, the moment that she did the odd bulbous shape did not seem to appear within her bag, instead it simply returned to it's original state. Kala did not explain of course, and instead simply began to move back towards the door they had come from.

She moved faster this time.

The Dragon would only last a few more seconds, and once it disappeared the fact that it was an illusion would be more than obvious to even a moron. Best to get as far away form the hatchery as possible.

Without any hesitation Kala broke through the door, practically pulling Kek along behind her and letting him once again take the lead. "Go go go."

She said quietly, knowing he had to find the way back through the minefield of wars.

"Let's get to the throne room." That was where they would find the crown.

 

[Kekrizh]

He knew Kala would take the egg. Safer that way. Most thieves - good ones at least - had a warded satchel, capable of breaking the laws of nature and hosting many times their size inside.

Without resistance he allowed himself to be tugged along by Kala, eventually making a break for it outside the room. Carefully, Kekrizh shut the door behind them.

That was a thing many thieves forgot. Open doors bring questions, shut ones seem normal. He grinned and took the pole position, his nose stuck up in the air as he inhaled the magic and led them through the corridor.

"Kala, why would they keep the crown in the throne room, unless the King is physically there wearing it. It'll be in his personal quarters somewhere" He grinned towards Kala. Kekrizh was full of stupid knowledge, he wasn't particularly sure where he acquired most of it - but it helped nonetheless.

"I think he stays in the opposite wing, so we need to make our way across the palace - I imagine the royal guard will be present here, so we need to be careful."

 

[Kala]

She frowned. "I guess that makes sense."

It seemed to her that it would be kept in the safest location, but the King of Oban did strike her as vain enough that he would want to sleep with the damned thing tucked underneath his pillow.

"We will." Kala told her friend. "I only have five cards left, and one of em is the Paths."

Kek would be one of the few people who knew what the Paths were. It was a place her magic had crafted, outside reality and a criss-crossing maze of dozens of different doorways that lead all over the world. Handy tool to escape, except for the fact that time in the Paths was utterly unpredictable. A single step in the place could take a month in reality.

Not exactly prudent when you had an exact time table. "Let's go old friend, carefully."

She said as she began down the hall.

 

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh sneered at the mention of the paths. It was an utterly unpredictable completely random place. On one particular occasion, he recalled re-appearing in front of a very alarmed and confused contingent of soldiers. He shuddered, that had been particularly messy.

"Rip it up now, we've got our escape route, I'm not fucking around with that stupid maze again Kala." His tone was only half-serious, the Rous knew it was always handy to have - although if only to inspire alternative means of escape.

He nodded and scurried along the hall, ducking between various patrols of guards. Apparently, judging from the half-whispers and conversational snippets, the Royal Guard and the mercenaries had descended into an all-out brawl.

He grinned, even more so when he discovered several random humans had been detained in the violence as well. The patsies.

Eventually, however, the corridor opened up and a huge oak door appeared - flanked by two guards in strange glowing armour.

"Hmm, we might be due some violence. The King's quarters are behind that door - it's completely separated from the rest of the palace. Only from the inside." He paused, his fingers flexing as he prepared himself.

 

[Kala]

Kala glanced down the hall for just a brief second, noting the two Guardsmen.

Both of them were wearing heavy armor, plate from the look of it. Kek could kill one of them easily, but she would have to take the other. Kala had never been one for a straight up fight, most trained warriors could best her without much effort.

That was why she had magic though. From her satchel she pulled out another card. There was a wisp of smoke displayed on the front, and she quickly showed it to Kek. "This will do?"

The card would create a mass of smoke within the hall.

It would not poison anyone, sadly, but it would obscure the entire length between them and the guard. Hopefully that would give them enough of an opening to slaughter the two men before they could call for reinforcements.

 

[Kekrizh]

"Possibly, look at their armour though. It's glowing." He paused, pointing at the guards that stood before them. Thankfully, for Kek and Kala, the lighting around them was dimmed and the Guards would be unable to see the two figures poking their heads out.

"Can't smell them from this distance, but..." He withdrew a beaten jewellers glass and placed it against one of his beady red eyes - casting a long glare towards the guards.

Kekrizh inhaled deeply. With the aid of his glass, he could see individual runes swirling about the guard's armour. Whoever these individuals were, they were significantly more dangerous than the common-o-garden guards they had encountered previously.

He passed the glass over to Kala and nodded towards them. "Have a look for yourself. Dunno the difference between wards and enchantments - maybe you can help."

 

[Kala]

A frown touched Kala's lips as Kek spoke of the slight sheen of light.

Had she missed it?

For a second the Tiefling lingered around the corner, and then she stole a quick glance. Her lips thinned into a deep frown, realizing that she had indeed not seen the full picture. Perhaps she was losing her touch. "Shit."

She said quietly, her hand wrapping around the glass that Kek offered her.

A sigh escaped her, and she couldn't help but wonder why the hell nothing could ever be easy. Fingers drummed on her thighs for a second, and then she poked around the corner and put the glass to her eye. The moment she did a breath sucked in between her teeth.

"Shit shit shit." Kala whispered as she pulled herself back around the corner. "Enchanted."

The Tiefling rolled her eyes. "Strong one too."

No telling for what effect though.

 

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh breathed and closed his eyes. His mind was swirling through the plans, blueprints and documents he had memorised to try and think of a way around this situation.

An idea came not long after. The Rous snickered to himself, almost a belly laugh - although even then the sound was muted - he was not careful.

"We send them on a trip Kala." He grinned, stealing another glance towards the warded and armoured duo, before nodding back to his comrade.

"I climb above them, stick slot your paths card into the door they're guarding. We trick them into entering. A one-way ticket to the Paths." His eyes flashed pride as he admired his stroke of genius. Additionally, not only did it get rid of the guards, but it also meant they would not have to rely on that godforsaken ability of hers.

 

[Kala]

She frowned.

The idea was a good one, and Kala had done something similar before. No one could get in or out of the Paths without her help. She was the only person with the magic capable of stepping there, but...using the card she made for it meant that they would have no way to escape in case of emergency.

Their fallback would be gone, and if something happened they would be stuck like rats in a maze. Lips thinned, but slowly she nodded her head.

"Alright." It was likely that the Guards would die within days. The Paths were impossible to navigate, thousands upon thousands of doors laying everywhere with walkways that fell into an endless Abyss.

Those she had sent there before had disappeared completely, not even their bones remaining. "Let's do it."

Kala said softly.

 

[Kekrizh]

He could sense the hesitation in Kala's voice, she liked to be prepared. Yet she knew it was for the best, this would be hard for her. Although, he reckoned, maybe not as hard as fighting two skilled and armoured magical behemoths.

"Remember, we still have a secret tunnel in the kitchen. Our way out is clear." He smiled, carefully snatching the paths card from her hand before she had time to reconsider.

The Rous pocketed his Katar and began to climb the vertical wall. Sticking to the shadows, he made short work of the journey and soon found himself hanging above the two enchanted guards below.

He grinned, his body swung until he was standing upright - upside down - on the ceiling.

With the paths card in hand, he slid it into the gap between the two large oaken doors.

Kekrizh hadn't quite worked out how they'd convince the guards to enter the, now trapped, doors - but he knew Kala would think of something.

He grinned, flicking his hand towards Kala - signalling he was ready.

 

[Kala]

Kala stepped out into the hallway. "Hello boys!"

The two Royal Guardsmen stiffened as soon as they spotted the Tiefling, one of them drawing his sword and the other quickly lowering the spear he had been holding in his grasp. Their voices called out to her, muffled by their helmets, but she ignored them.

"No time for that now!" She called out to them. "Your King needs you!"

The two Guards looked at one another, confused but clearly not yet ready to turn.

Yet the second of time was all that Kala needed.

Her fingers twitched, and the card Kek had jammed within the doorway kicked into life. Wooden doors slowly fell in upon themselves, rolling into a deep black roiling abyss that lead to the Paths. At the same time Kala flicked another card into the air.

As soon as it floated chest high a massively powerful gust of wind swept forward, pushing through the tunnel and pushing the two Guardsmen into the gate.

 

[Kekrizh]

Kekrizh buried his Katar deep into the ceiling. It required a little elbow grease, but the blade cut through the stone as a knife through warm butter once the force was behind it.

He grinned, bracing himself for the inevitable vortex that would precede the use of the paths. It came, less strong than he expected, and the Rous felt a slight tug as the paths tried to consume those nearby.

The exchange was relatively quiet - owing in part to Kala's swiftness and quick thinking.

Once content, Kekrizh dropped from the ceiling and landed carefully on all fours.

The Rous strode to the large - now unguarded - door and pressed it gently open with the flat of his palm.

"Ladies first." He winked, grinning towards his friend. Kek gestured towards the slightly ajar door, waiting for her to take the lead.