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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4591029" data-attributes="member: 3285">I Know Thee Brother: Part 1a – Rumblings of InsurrectionThere was a great commotion outside.  A large body of well-armed men shouted to the knights to open the city and let them out.  The angry mob had gone home, trading clubs and fists for the trademark arms and armor of Milandisian cantons: halberds and leather. Several of the men were obviously infected with the plague.  Facing them was a hopelessly outnumbered force of the Duke’s knights led by a bright-red ss’ressen female.“Return to your homesss!” she shouted.  “The rumorsss are falssse.  The duke isss an honorable and jussst man!”Hayden whirled on the crowd.  “My friends, can you not see that the Duke put a lizard in charge because he would not trust a Milandisian to slaughter his own countrymen?”The young ss’ressen knight seemed taken aback, as if that was the last thing she would have expected to hear. “I don’t see YOU with any signs of the plague!” shouted Hayden, extending a long, pockmarked arm.  “Doesn’t affect you, does it?”The ss’ressen took a step back.  She knew words wouldn’t help.Vlad closed his eyes for a moment and let out his breath with a deep sigh. “People are going to get seriously hurt.  We have to do something.”“Yeah, yeah.”  Kham shoved his way through the crowd towards Hayden.  “Hey, you!  Yeah I’m talking to you!”Hayden faced him down as he approached.  “You know, you don’t seem to have the plague either!”“Calm down.” Kham kept his hands at his sides, but pistols were in his hands.  “Vlad, say something that makes you sound important.”Vlad cleared his throat.  “I am Vlad Martell, Bailiff of Duke Adolphos val’Tensen, and I demand you stand down!”The crowd roared its disapproval.  Hayden jeered.  “Let us out!” he began shouting.  The crowd took up his chant.Kham put a pistol to Hayden’s head and fired.There was a blur of movement.  Hayden moved, impossibly fast, anticipating the attack before Kham had even formulated it.  It was an impulsive action, as all things were, but it was also a test of Hayden’s abilities.For a split second everyone froze, horrified at what they had just witnessed.  In the crowd’s eyes, the authorities had just fired the first shot.The gesture was so violent that Hayden’s lenses fell from his face. Kham got a good look at him.  The tanner’s pupils were pure white…just like Kham’s.“Son of a—” was all Kham got out before the angry mob surged towards the gate.</blockquote>

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