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"Murder, Lies and Civic Duty."
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<blockquote data-quote="Kidjake" data-source="post: 6764670" data-attributes="member: 6776876"><p>Kavos spends the next few days ensuring that the town is ready to go; he even takes the opportunity to invite the dwarves to the Keep along with the rest of the town, even relaxing his 'no weapons' policy, ensuring that their supply line from East Bank remains open despite the move.</p><p></p><p>Eadric still hasn't returned from his investigation, though Kavos hasn't started to worry yet; the kobold often disappears for stretches of time and considering his plans for West Bank he'd prefer to have Eadric's inquisitive nature elsewhere for the moment anyway.</p><p></p><p>The day finally comes and Hezrael appears by Kavos's side in time to warn him of an approaching column of nearly sixty savages a little over two hours from town. Kavos smiles and pops open his last unpacked bottle of wine, taking a moment to offer a toast to West Bank's memory.</p><p></p><p>Once his wine is finished, Kavos takes to the street and feigns panic. Claiming that Pelor has given him a vision of imminent catastrophe and insisting that the townspeople abandon their homes and take what they can. Under the watchful eye of Longarm and his remaining deputies, the citizens of West Bank form an orderly caravan of loaded wagons and being their exodus to Blackstone Keep.</p><p></p><p>No sooner has the caravan began its journey than the sound of rhythmic drumming can be heard coming from around the tree line, accompanied by drunken whooping and rowdy cheers.</p><p></p><p>"Our enemies come against us, but Pelor has already forewarned us!" Kavos shouts to the fleeing citizens. "We SHALL be protected this day!"</p><p></p><p>"What a coincidence." Longarm scoffs as he passes Kavos, shouting for laggers to get their asses in gear.</p><p></p><p>The mercenaries have trained just over 40 militiamen and Lark has trained another dozen bowmen by this point; all of who want to charge their attackers head on. Luckily cooler heads prevail and the West Bank militia instead does what it can assist and lead the caravan away; trying their best not to look at their now burning homes.</p><p></p><p>Rather than pursue as Kavos expected; the barbaric bandits stop to plunder the empty town, looking for forgotten loot in the growing ruins. This gives the wagon train ample opportunity to pull away and put some distance between them.</p><p></p><p>The caravan speeds away silently until the mountain path which will lead them to the Keep and their new home comes into view, and only the black smoke of their former town is visible on the horizon. The first set of wagons begin ascending the trail when their horses buck violently and the first flips; blocking the trail completely.</p><p></p><p>The horses of three more freak out similarly an break free of their reigns; several seem to collapse and take their wagon down with them. Fearful questions spread through their ranks as they attempt to make sense of the situation and Kavos curses to himself before calling for the militia to get the road unblocked NOW.</p><p></p><p>Four of the militia break off from their ranks to try to right one of the toppled wagons, when suddenly one of them spins on his heels and lands in a pool of growing blood. Kavos rushes forward and drops to his knees next to the man, only to discover a handcrafted wooden bolt buried in the man's heart.</p><p></p><p>Before Kavos has time to even shout a warning a second man goes down, a bolt piercing his throat. Shouts of surprise and panick ring out through the caravan and everyone drops behind their wagons for cover; with the exception of Lark and his rangers who press themselves against the mountain itself since it's closer to their position.</p><p></p><p>Huddled down behind one of the fallen wagons, Kavos casts Obscuring Mist over the caravan behind him; obscuring the sniper's view of the civilians while he thinks of something better to do.</p><p></p><p>"Tick. Tock." a gruff, monotone voice whispers in Kavos's ear.</p><p></p><p>"Show yourself!" Kavos shouts before sending Hezrael a telepathic message to find out what the hell's going on.</p><p></p><p>"Not my style." the gravelly voice responds quietly. "Dolph may have been foolish enough to believe he could take on a whole town and win, but I'm not. Besides, all I've got to do is wait here and let the bandits come and collect my bounty for me."</p><p></p><p>"You must be the one that Dolph called 'incompetent and rash'." Kavos bluffs, lowering his voice experimentally.</p><p></p><p>"Doubtful." the voice replies, unperturbed. "My name is Rosh, though usually I'm just called The Sniper, and I never rush. Because unlike you friend, I've got all the time in the world." </p><p></p><p>"You're making a mistake." Kavos hisses. "I'd check in with Salish before you take another shot, we've defused the situation. One more bolt and you'll have to answer to Samiel and Kuran."</p><p></p><p>"That's not how The 8 works." Rosh replies. "You die, or I die. Those are the terms we agree on when we join; if Salish told you differently then he's trying to get you killed."</p><p></p><p>"What do we do?" one of the militia members shouts from behind a fallen wagon, unaware of Kavos's silent conversation but knowing that the bandits can't be too far behind them.</p><p></p><p>"You've got a choice Rosh," Kavos says, holding a hand out to silence the militia. "Either you help me finish my initiation into The 8 and we pretend this never happened, or you will regret ever hearing my name."</p><p></p><p>The waiting militia man who called out suddenly drops to the ground with a bolt piercing his eye in answer.</p><p></p><p>"You know how I was initiated into The 8?" Rosh asks. "I killed my predecessor and took his place. So you understand how I'd rather not make your initiation any easier."</p><p></p><p>"Found him boss!" Hezrael's telepathic exclamation shouts in Kavos's head. "He's hiding behind the first sizable rock on the hill, I'm nearly on top of him and can barely see him; he's wearing some kind of camouflage."</p><p></p><p>Kavos smiles to himself. "In order to join, I have to find a place for myself AND another. We've already taken down Dolph, with you by our side taking down Farakim would be child's play."</p><p></p><p>Rosh scoffs. "So...you're saying I should pass up a contract that's about to resolve itself in order to help you kill one of my allies, who just so happens to be a mass murdering monster. I'm not seeing a net gain for me in there."</p><p></p><p>"Now!" Kavos sends his thoughts to Hezrael, who casts Grease beneath Rosh's position as Kavos, followed by four members of the militia rush up the hill at his location. Kavos ducks down on the opposite side of Rosh's hiding place while the militia men thrust their swords at the ground.</p><p></p><p>A magical hum fills the air and Kavos recognizes the sound as a Dimension Door going off. Kavos grits his teeth in irritation as one of his soldiers goes down with a bolt in the back of his head, landing in Rosh's old hiding spot.</p><p></p><p>Hezrael informs Kavos that he has no idea where Rosh is now, so Kavos uses Summon Monster IV to bring a pair of Cheetahs into the fray. The large cats sniff the air and charge up the hill with a growl. </p><p></p><p>The cats pounce Rosh's hiding place and the sniper responds by swiftly climbing up the mountain face, taking a few bites for his trouble and turning in his tracks to put one of the cheetahs down with a bolt to the face.</p><p></p><p>On the upside, Kavos can now actually see the outline of a thin dwarf scaling the mountain and unleashes a Blindness spell that sends Rosh cursing and groping at his eyes.</p><p></p><p>Upon seeing this, Lark and his recruits stand and ready their bows, before Kavos holds up a hand to delay them. </p><p></p><p>"Drop your weapon Rosh, I have a proposition." Kavos calls up.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, what's that?" Rosh shouts back.</p><p></p><p>"Weigh your situation Rosh. Do you really imagine this going well for you? You're blind, outnumbered and exposed. This is your last chance to see reason." Kavos shouts.</p><p></p><p>Rosh laughs darkly. "You really think this is the first time I've ran into bad luck on a job? I'm down, not out." he says, rubbing his useless eyes. "I'm going to retreat now, fix my eyes and then come back to murder you all." the sniper calls out matter of factly.</p><p></p><p>"Sorry you feel that way Rosh." Kavos replies, giving Lark the all clear. Before their arrows even leave their bows however, the outline of Rosh disappears as Dimension Door flares once more.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>As the militia rushes to clear the path of the mangled wagons, Kavos uses what little time the cheetah has remaining to find out that Rosh seems to be moving west; going by that he surmises that Rosh must be heading for the lake. He tells Hezrael as much and then sends the Imp ahead to stake the lake out as the sounds of drums begin growing closer.</p><p></p><p>Without Rosh impeding their efforts, the path is quickly cleared and the caravan surges forward up the mountain once more. Within moments the bandits come into view, though only around half their force seems to have shown up.</p><p></p><p>Kavos pulls a bolt out of one of his dead soldiers and urges the caravan to pick up its pace. </p><p></p><p>As the column of civilians finally begins approaching the Keep, they see a group of 25 tall, strapping men in black and red fullplate flying the banner of Asmodeus. The knights seem to be minding their own business, just meandering in the hills. As the caravan and bandits approach however, the knights all snatch their swords from their waists; though Kavos notices that only the leader manages to get his out on the first try.</p><p></p><p>"Halt brigands!" the knight leader shouts, pointing his blade at the rapidly approaching group of thirty some heavily armed bandits whooping like mad men as the citizens flee. Several of his 'knights' mimic his motion and a few others seem to be studying their blades in wonder. Kavos is suddenly thankful for the full faced visors which hide the disguised lemures' vacant expressions.</p><p></p><p>The whole town seems nervous as the knights rush down the hill, mindless of the shifting stones beneath their feet, weapons at the ready. The town gives a collective sigh of relief as the knights slam directly into the whooping bandits.</p><p></p><p>"AID THE WARRIORS!" Kavos shouts and as one, the whole town finally turns on their pursuers.</p><p></p><p>The fighting is short since the bandits weren't actually expecting a fight and the savage thieves are cut down before they even realize what's happening. The militia cheer at their first actual taste of combat.</p><p></p><p>Kavos beckons their leader Barque, in the form of the tallest and strappingest of the knights.</p><p></p><p>"Well met travelers." Barque says cheerfully. "I trust these weren't friends of yours?" the disguised devil asks, playing his part.</p><p></p><p>""Anything but." Kavos replies, "They burned our town and chased us into the hills."</p><p></p><p>Barque dramatically shakes his head. "A sad day when thieves act so boldly."</p><p></p><p>Kavos agrees. "I am mayor Kavos Dasgrograv. How may we repay your men's bravery?"</p><p></p><p>Barque waves Kavos off. "We need no payment, we simply follow our lord's will...though if yonder Keep belongs to you, we would ask a night's lodging while we get our bearings."</p><p></p><p>Kavos beams. "Stay as long as you need, our home is open to you and your mean." he proclaims, ordering Longarm to find them a suitable barracks to fit their needs.</p><p></p><p>Longarm says nothing, but seems to have more of an idea as to what Kavos is playing at.</p><p></p><p>Kavos hangs back as everyone makes their way to the Keep and catches Lark issuing orders to his men. </p><p></p><p>"Jonathan," Kavos says, sidling up to the ranger. "Those hounds you recovered, can they track?"</p><p></p><p>Lark shakes his head. "They're little more than pups, though I'm a fair hand myself."</p><p></p><p>Kavos reveals the bolt he took off the murdered militiaman. "I have one of Rosh's bolts, it's all we have to go on. We need something that can catch his scent."</p><p></p><p>Jonathan nods and motions for his men to continue without him. "I have a trick or two up my sleeve. Let's backtrack and see if we can pick him up."</p><p></p><p>Kavos agrees and leaves word that Father Adrian is in charge in his absence, then he and the ranger disappear into the mountains in search of Rosh the Sniper.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Lark agrees that if Rosh is heading west he'll most likely stop by the lake, so they double time it in that direction. The whole trip takes just over two hours and the sun looks as though it may set at any time by the time they arrive.</p><p></p><p>Lark takes the bolt from Kavos and summons a hound with a few words. The summoned beast sniffs the bolt and then scans the area, searching for a sign of Rosh's passing. It takes the majority of the hound's available time just to point Lark back upstream towards the remains of West Bank.</p><p></p><p>"He doubled back." Lark says as the hound disappears. "We'll have to too, to catch his scent again."</p><p></p><p>Kavos nods and starts to follow Lark when Hezrael's voice appears in his mind. "You there boss? The sniper came to the lake like you figured, but uhh...he wasn't alone."</p><p></p><p>Kavos stops in his tracks.</p><p></p><p>Hezrael continues. "He met up with some wild looking elf and a bigass monkey. Think the elf might've broken your spell. Didn't seem to like you much boss, was pretty pissed at Rosh letting you get away."</p><p></p><p>Kavos goes pale. "Lark, hold up. Rosh isn't alone. I think...I think Ibaeli's with him."</p><p></p><p>Lark bristles at mention of an enemy druid aiding the sniper. "You sure?" he asks, not bothering to ask how Kavos could know such a thing.</p><p></p><p>"If...if you want to go back to the Keep, I'll understand Jonathan. This is gong to be dangerous." Kavos says. "I need to speak with Rosh though, I believe I can talk some sense into him."</p><p></p><p>"Or you can take a bolt to the eye." Lark responds. "Seems like it's 50/50 at best."</p><p></p><p>"One way or another, I have to handle this or we'll be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives." Kavos responds.</p><p></p><p>Lark sighs, as if debating on leaving Kavos to his devices, but shakes his head. "I'll go with you, but if we find this guy we need to take him out. If he's allied with Ibaeli he's gotta be screwier than a s***house rat."</p><p></p><p>"If he was manipulated by Ibaeli, I'm sure I can talk him down." Kavos says.</p><p></p><p>"What if he wasn't manipulated? What if he was hired?" Lark suggests</p><p></p><p>It suddenly occurs to Kavos that The Duke might not be their only threat anymore... "Even better." Kavos replies. "That means we can make a deal."</p><p></p><p>Lark doesn't seem convinced, but still agrees that something needs to be done. Since only Kavos has a horse, he decides to ride ahead to see if he can catch up with their quarry while Lark sends an animal messenger to Longarm and catches up.</p><p></p><p>The ride to West Bank is short but nerve wracking and by the time Kavos shows up, the remains of the town are barely smoldering. The whole place is eerily quiet.</p><p></p><p>Several corpses lay in the street, which is strange considering there shouldn't have been any resistance. Rambalt's house is one of the few still standing, and a number of corpses are stuck directly to the side in coccoonlike webs.</p><p></p><p>Kavos suddenly regrets rushing ahead, but nevertheless dismounts and begins making his way towards Rambalt's home. He hears the skittering of legs, but sees nothing as the glances around.</p><p></p><p>Just before he reaches Rambalt's door darkness falls all around him and he stumbles backwards as the sound of something large slams down in front of him. Kavos backsteps as fast as he can until he leaves the unnatural darkness altogether.</p><p></p><p>"I always knew you'd lead this town to ruin." a sad, strangely familiar voice calls out from the darkness. There's an inhuman, chittering quality to it that makes it hard to place.</p><p></p><p>"Ruin?" Kavos shouts back. "This town is stronger than ever!"</p><p></p><p>"Is that what you and Adrian call burning rubble?!" the darkness demands angrily.</p><p></p><p>"West Bank was indefensible. Blackstone Keep is not." Kavos responds. "From these ashes, West Bank will prosper more than we could ever have imagined. It will rise like a phoenix."</p><p></p><p>"No, West Bank will not rise like a phoenix from the ashes, it will stagger like a rotting corpse! You destroyed these people's homes on your little power trip, how long until you destroy THEM as well?" the voice bellows.</p><p></p><p>Kavos scoffs. "Stick to what you know, go chase a unicorn or whatever it is you people do and leave the people to me, alright Ibaeli?"</p><p></p><p>Thick, spider-like legs step out from the darkness; revealing a black arachnid body larger than a horse with a human torso wielding a large two-handed sword.</p><p></p><p>Kavos's mouth gapes open and he stammers for words as he stumbles backwards over himself.</p><p></p><p>"Ibaeli?" the monstrously reincarnated form of Gandil asks in disgust. "You can't even keep your pawns straight anymore Kavos."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kidjake, post: 6764670, member: 6776876"] Kavos spends the next few days ensuring that the town is ready to go; he even takes the opportunity to invite the dwarves to the Keep along with the rest of the town, even relaxing his 'no weapons' policy, ensuring that their supply line from East Bank remains open despite the move. Eadric still hasn't returned from his investigation, though Kavos hasn't started to worry yet; the kobold often disappears for stretches of time and considering his plans for West Bank he'd prefer to have Eadric's inquisitive nature elsewhere for the moment anyway. The day finally comes and Hezrael appears by Kavos's side in time to warn him of an approaching column of nearly sixty savages a little over two hours from town. Kavos smiles and pops open his last unpacked bottle of wine, taking a moment to offer a toast to West Bank's memory. Once his wine is finished, Kavos takes to the street and feigns panic. Claiming that Pelor has given him a vision of imminent catastrophe and insisting that the townspeople abandon their homes and take what they can. Under the watchful eye of Longarm and his remaining deputies, the citizens of West Bank form an orderly caravan of loaded wagons and being their exodus to Blackstone Keep. No sooner has the caravan began its journey than the sound of rhythmic drumming can be heard coming from around the tree line, accompanied by drunken whooping and rowdy cheers. "Our enemies come against us, but Pelor has already forewarned us!" Kavos shouts to the fleeing citizens. "We SHALL be protected this day!" "What a coincidence." Longarm scoffs as he passes Kavos, shouting for laggers to get their asses in gear. The mercenaries have trained just over 40 militiamen and Lark has trained another dozen bowmen by this point; all of who want to charge their attackers head on. Luckily cooler heads prevail and the West Bank militia instead does what it can assist and lead the caravan away; trying their best not to look at their now burning homes. Rather than pursue as Kavos expected; the barbaric bandits stop to plunder the empty town, looking for forgotten loot in the growing ruins. This gives the wagon train ample opportunity to pull away and put some distance between them. The caravan speeds away silently until the mountain path which will lead them to the Keep and their new home comes into view, and only the black smoke of their former town is visible on the horizon. The first set of wagons begin ascending the trail when their horses buck violently and the first flips; blocking the trail completely. The horses of three more freak out similarly an break free of their reigns; several seem to collapse and take their wagon down with them. Fearful questions spread through their ranks as they attempt to make sense of the situation and Kavos curses to himself before calling for the militia to get the road unblocked NOW. Four of the militia break off from their ranks to try to right one of the toppled wagons, when suddenly one of them spins on his heels and lands in a pool of growing blood. Kavos rushes forward and drops to his knees next to the man, only to discover a handcrafted wooden bolt buried in the man's heart. Before Kavos has time to even shout a warning a second man goes down, a bolt piercing his throat. Shouts of surprise and panick ring out through the caravan and everyone drops behind their wagons for cover; with the exception of Lark and his rangers who press themselves against the mountain itself since it's closer to their position. Huddled down behind one of the fallen wagons, Kavos casts Obscuring Mist over the caravan behind him; obscuring the sniper's view of the civilians while he thinks of something better to do. "Tick. Tock." a gruff, monotone voice whispers in Kavos's ear. "Show yourself!" Kavos shouts before sending Hezrael a telepathic message to find out what the hell's going on. "Not my style." the gravelly voice responds quietly. "Dolph may have been foolish enough to believe he could take on a whole town and win, but I'm not. Besides, all I've got to do is wait here and let the bandits come and collect my bounty for me." "You must be the one that Dolph called 'incompetent and rash'." Kavos bluffs, lowering his voice experimentally. "Doubtful." the voice replies, unperturbed. "My name is Rosh, though usually I'm just called The Sniper, and I never rush. Because unlike you friend, I've got all the time in the world." "You're making a mistake." Kavos hisses. "I'd check in with Salish before you take another shot, we've defused the situation. One more bolt and you'll have to answer to Samiel and Kuran." "That's not how The 8 works." Rosh replies. "You die, or I die. Those are the terms we agree on when we join; if Salish told you differently then he's trying to get you killed." "What do we do?" one of the militia members shouts from behind a fallen wagon, unaware of Kavos's silent conversation but knowing that the bandits can't be too far behind them. "You've got a choice Rosh," Kavos says, holding a hand out to silence the militia. "Either you help me finish my initiation into The 8 and we pretend this never happened, or you will regret ever hearing my name." The waiting militia man who called out suddenly drops to the ground with a bolt piercing his eye in answer. "You know how I was initiated into The 8?" Rosh asks. "I killed my predecessor and took his place. So you understand how I'd rather not make your initiation any easier." "Found him boss!" Hezrael's telepathic exclamation shouts in Kavos's head. "He's hiding behind the first sizable rock on the hill, I'm nearly on top of him and can barely see him; he's wearing some kind of camouflage." Kavos smiles to himself. "In order to join, I have to find a place for myself AND another. We've already taken down Dolph, with you by our side taking down Farakim would be child's play." Rosh scoffs. "So...you're saying I should pass up a contract that's about to resolve itself in order to help you kill one of my allies, who just so happens to be a mass murdering monster. I'm not seeing a net gain for me in there." "Now!" Kavos sends his thoughts to Hezrael, who casts Grease beneath Rosh's position as Kavos, followed by four members of the militia rush up the hill at his location. Kavos ducks down on the opposite side of Rosh's hiding place while the militia men thrust their swords at the ground. A magical hum fills the air and Kavos recognizes the sound as a Dimension Door going off. Kavos grits his teeth in irritation as one of his soldiers goes down with a bolt in the back of his head, landing in Rosh's old hiding spot. Hezrael informs Kavos that he has no idea where Rosh is now, so Kavos uses Summon Monster IV to bring a pair of Cheetahs into the fray. The large cats sniff the air and charge up the hill with a growl. The cats pounce Rosh's hiding place and the sniper responds by swiftly climbing up the mountain face, taking a few bites for his trouble and turning in his tracks to put one of the cheetahs down with a bolt to the face. On the upside, Kavos can now actually see the outline of a thin dwarf scaling the mountain and unleashes a Blindness spell that sends Rosh cursing and groping at his eyes. Upon seeing this, Lark and his recruits stand and ready their bows, before Kavos holds up a hand to delay them. "Drop your weapon Rosh, I have a proposition." Kavos calls up. "Oh, what's that?" Rosh shouts back. "Weigh your situation Rosh. Do you really imagine this going well for you? You're blind, outnumbered and exposed. This is your last chance to see reason." Kavos shouts. Rosh laughs darkly. "You really think this is the first time I've ran into bad luck on a job? I'm down, not out." he says, rubbing his useless eyes. "I'm going to retreat now, fix my eyes and then come back to murder you all." the sniper calls out matter of factly. "Sorry you feel that way Rosh." Kavos replies, giving Lark the all clear. Before their arrows even leave their bows however, the outline of Rosh disappears as Dimension Door flares once more. As the militia rushes to clear the path of the mangled wagons, Kavos uses what little time the cheetah has remaining to find out that Rosh seems to be moving west; going by that he surmises that Rosh must be heading for the lake. He tells Hezrael as much and then sends the Imp ahead to stake the lake out as the sounds of drums begin growing closer. Without Rosh impeding their efforts, the path is quickly cleared and the caravan surges forward up the mountain once more. Within moments the bandits come into view, though only around half their force seems to have shown up. Kavos pulls a bolt out of one of his dead soldiers and urges the caravan to pick up its pace. As the column of civilians finally begins approaching the Keep, they see a group of 25 tall, strapping men in black and red fullplate flying the banner of Asmodeus. The knights seem to be minding their own business, just meandering in the hills. As the caravan and bandits approach however, the knights all snatch their swords from their waists; though Kavos notices that only the leader manages to get his out on the first try. "Halt brigands!" the knight leader shouts, pointing his blade at the rapidly approaching group of thirty some heavily armed bandits whooping like mad men as the citizens flee. Several of his 'knights' mimic his motion and a few others seem to be studying their blades in wonder. Kavos is suddenly thankful for the full faced visors which hide the disguised lemures' vacant expressions. The whole town seems nervous as the knights rush down the hill, mindless of the shifting stones beneath their feet, weapons at the ready. The town gives a collective sigh of relief as the knights slam directly into the whooping bandits. "AID THE WARRIORS!" Kavos shouts and as one, the whole town finally turns on their pursuers. The fighting is short since the bandits weren't actually expecting a fight and the savage thieves are cut down before they even realize what's happening. The militia cheer at their first actual taste of combat. Kavos beckons their leader Barque, in the form of the tallest and strappingest of the knights. "Well met travelers." Barque says cheerfully. "I trust these weren't friends of yours?" the disguised devil asks, playing his part. ""Anything but." Kavos replies, "They burned our town and chased us into the hills." Barque dramatically shakes his head. "A sad day when thieves act so boldly." Kavos agrees. "I am mayor Kavos Dasgrograv. How may we repay your men's bravery?" Barque waves Kavos off. "We need no payment, we simply follow our lord's will...though if yonder Keep belongs to you, we would ask a night's lodging while we get our bearings." Kavos beams. "Stay as long as you need, our home is open to you and your mean." he proclaims, ordering Longarm to find them a suitable barracks to fit their needs. Longarm says nothing, but seems to have more of an idea as to what Kavos is playing at. Kavos hangs back as everyone makes their way to the Keep and catches Lark issuing orders to his men. "Jonathan," Kavos says, sidling up to the ranger. "Those hounds you recovered, can they track?" Lark shakes his head. "They're little more than pups, though I'm a fair hand myself." Kavos reveals the bolt he took off the murdered militiaman. "I have one of Rosh's bolts, it's all we have to go on. We need something that can catch his scent." Jonathan nods and motions for his men to continue without him. "I have a trick or two up my sleeve. Let's backtrack and see if we can pick him up." Kavos agrees and leaves word that Father Adrian is in charge in his absence, then he and the ranger disappear into the mountains in search of Rosh the Sniper. Lark agrees that if Rosh is heading west he'll most likely stop by the lake, so they double time it in that direction. The whole trip takes just over two hours and the sun looks as though it may set at any time by the time they arrive. Lark takes the bolt from Kavos and summons a hound with a few words. The summoned beast sniffs the bolt and then scans the area, searching for a sign of Rosh's passing. It takes the majority of the hound's available time just to point Lark back upstream towards the remains of West Bank. "He doubled back." Lark says as the hound disappears. "We'll have to too, to catch his scent again." Kavos nods and starts to follow Lark when Hezrael's voice appears in his mind. "You there boss? The sniper came to the lake like you figured, but uhh...he wasn't alone." Kavos stops in his tracks. Hezrael continues. "He met up with some wild looking elf and a bigass monkey. Think the elf might've broken your spell. Didn't seem to like you much boss, was pretty pissed at Rosh letting you get away." Kavos goes pale. "Lark, hold up. Rosh isn't alone. I think...I think Ibaeli's with him." Lark bristles at mention of an enemy druid aiding the sniper. "You sure?" he asks, not bothering to ask how Kavos could know such a thing. "If...if you want to go back to the Keep, I'll understand Jonathan. This is gong to be dangerous." Kavos says. "I need to speak with Rosh though, I believe I can talk some sense into him." "Or you can take a bolt to the eye." Lark responds. "Seems like it's 50/50 at best." "One way or another, I have to handle this or we'll be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives." Kavos responds. Lark sighs, as if debating on leaving Kavos to his devices, but shakes his head. "I'll go with you, but if we find this guy we need to take him out. If he's allied with Ibaeli he's gotta be screwier than a s***house rat." "If he was manipulated by Ibaeli, I'm sure I can talk him down." Kavos says. "What if he wasn't manipulated? What if he was hired?" Lark suggests It suddenly occurs to Kavos that The Duke might not be their only threat anymore... "Even better." Kavos replies. "That means we can make a deal." Lark doesn't seem convinced, but still agrees that something needs to be done. Since only Kavos has a horse, he decides to ride ahead to see if he can catch up with their quarry while Lark sends an animal messenger to Longarm and catches up. The ride to West Bank is short but nerve wracking and by the time Kavos shows up, the remains of the town are barely smoldering. The whole place is eerily quiet. Several corpses lay in the street, which is strange considering there shouldn't have been any resistance. Rambalt's house is one of the few still standing, and a number of corpses are stuck directly to the side in coccoonlike webs. Kavos suddenly regrets rushing ahead, but nevertheless dismounts and begins making his way towards Rambalt's home. He hears the skittering of legs, but sees nothing as the glances around. Just before he reaches Rambalt's door darkness falls all around him and he stumbles backwards as the sound of something large slams down in front of him. Kavos backsteps as fast as he can until he leaves the unnatural darkness altogether. "I always knew you'd lead this town to ruin." a sad, strangely familiar voice calls out from the darkness. There's an inhuman, chittering quality to it that makes it hard to place. "Ruin?" Kavos shouts back. "This town is stronger than ever!" "Is that what you and Adrian call burning rubble?!" the darkness demands angrily. "West Bank was indefensible. Blackstone Keep is not." Kavos responds. "From these ashes, West Bank will prosper more than we could ever have imagined. It will rise like a phoenix." "No, West Bank will not rise like a phoenix from the ashes, it will stagger like a rotting corpse! You destroyed these people's homes on your little power trip, how long until you destroy THEM as well?" the voice bellows. Kavos scoffs. "Stick to what you know, go chase a unicorn or whatever it is you people do and leave the people to me, alright Ibaeli?" Thick, spider-like legs step out from the darkness; revealing a black arachnid body larger than a horse with a human torso wielding a large two-handed sword. Kavos's mouth gapes open and he stammers for words as he stumbles backwards over himself. "Ibaeli?" the monstrously reincarnated form of Gandil asks in disgust. "You can't even keep your pawns straight anymore Kavos." [/QUOTE]
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