Fable - Ask Vice

[Jane]

Jane slid under the cart (in a move that normally would have been too damn graceful for her to ever pull off) and emerged on the other side. The horses at the front of the cart were agitated, thrashing their heads about and lifting their forelegs from the ground--they seemed ready to just bolt at any second. Jane stood by one of the front wheels, peeking up over the top of the cart when it became apparent that she had not been followed.

Men were coming. Guards, men-at-arms, what have you. Jane was in the clear to just run--this was her chance. She could even hop in the cart and give a nice snap of the reins and go hurtling down the street in the vehicle if she wanted. She had done it before, just running. Did it to one of her Sisters. Vel Anir forces were coming in, the raiding ship Jane was on was pulling away from the coast, and said Sister hadn't made it back in time. So Jane and the other Sisters on board left her. That was how it went. And it was the easiest thing in the world to leave her Sister behind on that beach, watching as Anirian infantry closed in around her.

Jane had done it before. But she wasn't going to do it now. Because it was Nate.

She didn't know how long werewolves stayed in that form. She didn't. But she knew that they shifted back out of it some time. And when that happened, what if he needed her help? Getting away from the local lawmen or vengeful townsfolk, or even just getting some new damn clothes to cover up and be inconspicuous? Yeah, he was killing innocent people. Fuck 'em. Jane killed plenty. What was Astra going to do? Slight her for helping out a friend? If that was the case, Astra could lick Jane's sweaty fe--

The memory of the Redeemer's hand, smothering her face, that white light, smothering her thoughts then and smothering her thoughts now.

Jane blinked rapidly and held her forehead with her uninjured hand. This, as the bowmen met their grisly ends. The shriek snapped her back to what was going on, and she muttered a quiet profanity as she ducked back down and squatted low under the cart.

The blood splattered where she could see it. And see it disappear in the curious puff of smoke.

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Another hiss escapes the beast as it steps onto the cart to walk over it. The cart creeks and moans as it puts its full weight onto it. It steps past Jane and fur starts to melt off its body onto the ground, followed by the nasty smell of dead flesh as it fell to the ground as well.

Nate collapses onto his knees (with his clothing still bc the dark ones aren’t savages). Blood had covered his hands and mouth with blood dripping from his nose and eyes, even his ears. His bones continued on snapping back into place while he takes deep trembling breathes. Nate’s eyes were glazed over in shock as he looked around. The tears started to well up as he looked at the carnage.

He’d look as Jane and stands up his leg now mostly healed for whatever reason. He’d take a few steps back from her trembling pointing at her injury, “Di-di-did I do all o-of... thi-is.” He asks this having been his first incident within a city. He felt better though at least!

Jane

 

[Jane]

When the cart creaked as werewolf Nate climbed aboard, Jane began to rethink her choice in hiding under it. Not the best. No, not the best. She could have stayed nearby in a slightly different, sturdier location--but the locked doors, though, like the last one. No guarantee. Ah, well, if only there were some more brave men of Minaris ready to step up. Jane could've Blessed one of them to take at least a swipe or two from Nate. Burn more time and more importantly be behind a literal meat shield.

A foot. A werewolf foot. Stepping down on the street in front of her. Get ready to run.

But something was happening. The fur was falling off--and what a stench. And out from that fleshy, fur-covered, werewolf-shaped egg came Nate. The Nate that Jane was more familiar with.

Jane crouch-walked out from underneath the cart. Stood slowly and carefully. Her right eye twitched and blinked as some of the blood running down from her forehead teased the inside corner of it. There were some shouts and wails in the distance, around building corners and echoing from intersecting streets and pathways ahead and behind them.

They needed to be gone. When nobody knew anything other than that a werewolf had struck and gone to who-the-fuck-knows-where.

Jane stepped up to Nate in a hurry. Slipped her uninjured hand into his hair and behind his head. She looked him right in the eyes. Something of a fanatical smile on her face.

"I'll kill this whole city if they come after you."

She had the strongest impulse to bite Nate's bottom lip. She loved doing that. But he had already been through enough. So she bit her own instead.

Then said hurriedly, "Let's avoid that. We've got to run. Are you good to run?"

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate just gives Jane a quick hug, mostly for his comfort sake. He never gave Jane a hug so this was new for him and probably her as well. Still looking shaken he looks at his leg, it was a good bit better and no longer look pissed at its own existence.

"Aye, I think I could run but not for long before the bones in it start to ache. We going to need to get new weapons and all that though." He grumbles spitting out some blood from his mouth before he would wipe the blood off of Jane's forehead. Definitely did not need her running around potentially going blind now.

"I'd rather no more people dying today." He tells Jane before turning and running towards the general direction out of the city and towards the portal stone. "Thank the gods we bough that key though!"

Jane

 

[Jane]

Jane hugged Nate back. It wasn't too foreign a gesture to her. She could get handsy when she was drunk--that she knew. And those were the times that she remembered. Astra only knew what she got up to when she was blacking out. That adventuring party she had been with before Guillotine, some of them might know too but they had kept their mouths shut about it. The partiers at the barn probably knew something too, but they were all too hungover themselves. What a night.

Nate spit blood on her.

And she shivered with delight before he cleaned it off.

What he'd said prior registered then. Oh, they probably didn't have to abandon their gear. Sure they didn't know who had seen what, but it certainly wasn't many people. Look at those lads who did see Nate--they only saw him in werewolf form (that was going to be delicious conversation later) and not what he looked like in human form. And they were all dead. The driver of the cart was dead, and those pedestrians on the street probably weren't paying all that much attention to either Nate or Jane or even the entire cart when it all happened. Jane knew something about plotting, thanks to her scheme to murder the Eunuch. It was all about control of information--who knew what, and what you could deny or lie about.

She could get back to The Minaris Respite. No problem. She was confident of that. A quick in and out like nothing was wrong, collect their gear, probably could even wave to the innkeeper on the way out. Because, honestly, she really needed her breastplate. For two big reasons. Three. The third being that it would be a pain in the ass to get a new one forged that was comfortable.

Jane ran beside Nate when he started off. Said low enough to be conspiratorial as they were fleeing, "Let's find somewhere quiet. Far away and quiet. Then we figure something out."

Just like in Thagretis, the walls would be a problem. But also just like in Thagretis--here's that control of information--the guards at the gates likely wouldn't know anything had even happened for a while yet.

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

There luckly was not a lot of major cities on the Isles of Sheketh that Nate knew of. It was mostly untamed land with a few towns breaking the endless cycle of wilderness. “Agreed, let’s just go get your shit.“

They’d manage to get to the inn and just get in an out. Nate would still pack up his armor, it was good to sell to a blacksmith for extra gold to exchange later. By now he was not really running but still moved with a purpose. Two strange people running through a city would raise some eyebrows after all. Particularly when word started to spread of an attack.

He felt that he might not have to explain stuff to Jane, but still he couldn’t help but feel some repercussions for his friend were up and coming. Particularly with her gods. They must have been watching with their jaws dropped to the floor. Heh, if only he was a fly on the wall for that.

”Jane what about your gods? I am sure they aren’t too happy right now.” He asks her while they walked through the center of the city.

Jane

 

[Jane]

Ahead of the wave of What the fuck just happened, Jane and Nate got back to the inn before anybody there had a notion of the transformation of a werewolf in the city and the brief but bloody rampage. Good thing Nate had decided to come with, because Jane needed help putting on her armor. Having only one truly functional hand was a nuisance, like when her ragged shoes as a slave were falling apart with holes in the soles and the Eunuch--pinching every coin he could--steadfastly refused to procure her a new pair until she was essentially bare foot. The joke was on him in the end. She rubbed her feet all over his face right before she finally allowed him to die. Oh it was so nice.

But they had their gear secured and left right as soon as somebody burst in through the front door of The Minaris Respite and told his version of what had happened only a few parallel streets away.

Now they were just two adventurers, wastrels, wanderers, vagrants, whatever didn't upset the locals and whatever made them practically invisible by way of lack of notice or attention. Just two people casually walking through the Minaris city center and on their way to the gate.

The Portal Stone Key was like a burning boulder in her belt pouch. She couldn't wait to use it. To get the immortal hell out of here. Jane enjoyed it, yes, her time spent with Nate in Minaris. Nice and delicious in a lot of ways. But when fun threatened self-interest, it was time to go.

Jane what about your gods? I am sure they aren’t too happy right now.

"Heh. Maybe they're never happy. That's alright."

A sly (perhaps rebellious) smirk crossed her face.

"But how can they be mad at me for acting like the Redeemer? He spared me. I spared you. He redeemed me, so maybe I can redeem you."

She gave him a knowing look, a knowing smile--trying to communicate something that she was wary of speaking aloud or even committing to conscious thought. It was the gesture of someone acutely aware that he or she was being watched.

And they walked along, as a couple of actual guardsmen ran past behind them and toward the site of the incident from earlier.

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate rolls his eyes, "Who knows what the gods think. After all, they left long ago." He'd move a bit out of the way as the guardsmen ran past them. "Just be careful where you tread for a while okay Jane?" He asks her fluffing up his hair with his hands and grabbing a few apples from a venture bitting into it before offering Jane one.

Whether she took it or not he didn't mind and would put it into his side pouch. They were still moving with speed as more people passed them. Some more guards, some church people, clerics, and a few just incredibly curious people who wanted to see where the guards were rushing to. Then again Nate was just a fast walker and he heard people bitch at him about that before.

"Who is this Redeemer guy anyway? I can't exactly remember if I asked you before or not right now."

Jane

 

[Jane]

Jane took the apple with her good left hand. "Hey, nice grab, Nate." She bit into it. Chewed and strolled along as casually as could be. Even though there were some other people running this way or that, best not to draw undue attention. Wouldn't it be a shame if they got into a fight and she couldn't use her sword, because, you know, fucked up sword-hand. Lefty sword-swinging could work. Leave her shield slung over her back and just swipe the blade around inelegantly. Might even hit Nate with those kind of wild strokes. Ooo, wouldn't that be fun. Nothing a good lick or two and a dirty cloth bandage couldn't fix.

Just be careful where you tread. Oh yeah, she was trying alright. And speaking of being careful, time to talk about the Redeemer. Fever must have squeezed Nate's memory.

"He's the paladin who made me a paladin," Jane said, taking another bite of her apple and talking with her mouth full. "Showed me the light, you could say. Spared me after slaying all of my fellow Sisters on the ship. Guess I got lucky, huh. Well, he trained me up, got me my armor and my weapon, and sent me on my way in Astra's name. Haven't seen him since."

Jane walked and swallowed and took another bite. Things would be just fine once they got clear of Minaris and left that werewolf mess behind them.

"Your family do anything like that?" Jane asked on a cheeky whim. "Kill a bunch of monsters or whatever, all except one, and then convert that one and make it join you?"

Nathanael McCallister