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Message: <blockquote data-quote="drnuncheon" data-source="post: 312570" data-attributes="member: 96">Session Three, Part Three: "I always knew I'd regret not being able to kill him...""I cannot afford divided loyalties."  Her father's words hit Dru like a blow from Quooral's hammer. Choose between my only family and the life I've made for myself?  How can I?The older elf held up his hand. "It is not a decision to be made in haste.  When you have made it, you know where I may be found."  Neither Dru nor Di'Fier made any motion to stop him from leaving, and silence hung over the scene for several long moments.Finally, Dru spoke.  "I know you understood that, but...please. Don't say anything."Her partner nodded.The pair spread out and searched the area, finding no other clues to the identity of the murderer - or the motive.  As Di'Fier checked the back door - it was securely locked - a sound fron the front room caught his attention.  But Dru was checking the stairs...slowly he crept to the door and peered in.  Nothing had changed.Dru appeared at his shoulder. "What's wrong?""I heard something in the front room."Dru's hand went to her sword. "Invisible.  Cast your spell and we'll take care of it."  There was a long pause.  "Well?""I didn't prepare it today," the mage admitted."Then I guess we do it the old fashioned way."  Dru drew her sword and stepped into the room, methodically slicing through each patch of air - and listening for movement.If I cast detect magic I should be able to sense the invisibility spell, Di'Fier thought.  He uttered a single word, and began to concentrate - and then he heard the voice.It spoke in the harsh language of magic. "Svent kear, majak sverak!" And the room was plunged into utter black.A darkness spell? But that wasn't any darkness spell I know...there was something else... He felt motion beside him, and then the door closed. "It's me," said Dru.  "Can you get rid of this?""...no.  I didn't prepare a dispel either.""Why not?""I wanted to be able to cast spirit slayer...""I can't hear anything moving..."  Dru opened the door, and the pair slipped out into the hall - and out of the darkness.  As she closed the door, the sound of metal on metal caught her attention.  "Di'Fier! Down the hall!" She pulled a flask from her pouch and hurled it down the hall, the glass shattering on the door and splashing its contents everywhere.  She was rewarded with a hiss of pain.Di'Fier drew his sword and raised his left hand, calling forth a sphere of flame to guard the door - but to no avail.  The back door flew open."He's getting away!" Dru charged down the hallway towards the flames, diving over them and tumbling out the back door only to rise with her blade drawn. "Damnit! Where is he?"With a curse, Di'Fier dismissed the flaming sphere and ran to the alley himself.  No sight nor sound of the fleeing killer.  He jogged down the alley and listened again.  Nothing.  "He probably climbed the building!"Dru fitted her fingers into the thin gaps between the bricks and hauled herself upward, clinging tightly to the corner of the building.  Below her, Di'Fier pulled out a scroll and read from it, then swarmed up the side of the building at top speed.Once on the roof, they were confronted with a maze of buildings - and still no sign of the killer.  Di'Fier braced himself on the slanted surface and cast a second detect magic.  Slowly he scanned the area, as Dru leapt to another roof to investigate it."Nothing," he said with disgust.  "Not even registering.  I don't know where he went."<img src="http://www.io.com/~jeffj/b2sep.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Dru and Di'Fier wound their way through the streets of the Old City.  The rest of the SCU had failed to turn up any leads at the scene.  Di'Fier was deep in thought - and for once, so was Dru.The tall mage paused a moment.  "Remember when we were dealing with the vanilla beans and the royal jelly? Your father didn't want that other organization to sell the contracts.  I wonder if Kenzil's behind this."Dru looked up, jolted out of her own thoughts. "It seems a bit far to go for some missing contracts," she said dubiously. "But I wouldn't put anything past him.  I always knew I'd regret not being able to kill him."  She sighed.  "My father has too many enemies. It's not a matter of who would do it, it's a matter of who has the ability.""And we know Kenzil does.  Invisibility, spider climb, changing his shape - all his old tricks.  But why the old woman? She was obviously someone your father respected.""...I'm not sure.""All right.  I'll see you tomorrow?"  For the first time in years, Di'Fier had to phrase it as a question."Yeah."  Dru turned and began to walk to her room.  She'd gotten about a block before Di'Fier's shouts drew her back.  Spinning, she bolted down the street, bursting through the door and drawing her blade as she charged up the stairs.The room was a shambles.  All of her partners' papers - books, scrolls, parchment - all was scattered around the room as it had been ransacked. Drawers from the desk had been pulled out and dumped, shelves moved or even toppled.  Someone had searched the place thoroughly.  "Is anything missing?""I don't think so.  They even left my spellbooks.  I guess they didn't find what they were looking for."They straightened up as best they could in a few minutes, and then went downstairs to talk to the landlady.  "Nobody's been up there but you, dear," she told him.The partners exchanged wary glances, and in moments, they were at the inn where Dru rented a room.  The landlady gave her a knowing wink as she entered with Di'Fier, but Dru ignored it as usual.  "Has anyone been in my room?""No, nobody but you.  You didn't find what you were looking for?"Looking for? But I haven't...The room was, as she had half expected, much the same as Di'Fier's - with less paper, naturally.  Kicking it aside, she saw the familiar jade statue that held the door, still in its accustomed place.  "They ignored your spellbooks and the Jade Serpent both," she said. "They must have been looking for something very specific.  And I have a feeling that I know what it was."<img src="http://www.io.com/~jeffj/b2sep.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Late that night, as Dru sat in an unfamiliar chair in an unfamiliar room, her mind rebelling against the very idea of trance, she replayed her father's words over and over.  I would have you by my side in this war, daughter.  But you must come back to the fold.  I cannot afford divided loyalties. She could amost see him in front of her, dissecting her with his gaze to peel away the outer layers and reveal the girl that had left so long ago. And then she realized something else.The killer had been in the room the entire time...and he had heard Tensin call her 'daughter'.- End of Session 3 -</blockquote>

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