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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3359268" data-attributes="member: 35788">The foursome sulked over lunch and a few ales.  It was clear that Bloodseeker had been waiting to strike against them.  It was actually clear to them that Bloodseeker had been specifically waiting for them to come into the Shrouded Tenor so that he could use the place against them in the same manner as they had used the tavern against him.Ischarus lightly bounced his fist against the top of the table when he was finished with his meal.  “I just don’t like being played, that’s all.”Semeion chuckled at Ischarus’ response.  “Even though we clearly played Bloodseeker in the same manner and started it?  You know what they say.  If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.”Ischarus glared at Semeion.  It was quite clear the comment wasn’t welcome at the present time.  Rhema saw Ischarus’ foul mood and intervened.  “Listen, guys.  Either way, arguing amongst ourselves only gives Bloodseeker what he wants.  If we let ourselves get bothered by having the tables turned then we are letting him win.  It’s as simple as that.”The two men locked glances as if to signal a truth.  Their expressions lacked any sign of an apology, but they did note that Rhema had been heard and understood.  Semeion leaned back in his chair and breathed deeply.Charis nibbled on a callus just to the left of one of her fingernails as she spoke.  She wanted to take the opportunity Rhema had given to her and continue to change the angle of the conversation.  “You see, the thing that bothers me most of all is that Bloodseeker knew when we would be here.  From his perspective, I think it was reasonably predictable that we would return some day.  But Bloodseeker was ready for us today at this time.  So either he was watching the tavern all day or there is an informant in here.”Rhema nodded and spoke quickly so as to keep the men from talking until they had more of a chance to cool their tempers and their tongues.  “Yeah.  I think that it is pretty reasonable to think that there is an informant within the tavern.  After all, that’s precisely what we were hoping for when we came in here the first time.  Someone took our original message back to Bloodseeker and informed him of our message.  “Charis continued to speak with a smirk towards Rhema.  “Good point.  It’d be reasonable to think that if there was an informant here on the day we came that Bloodseeker would have the informant in here again waiting for us.”Semeion spoke before Rhema could take the reigns once more.  He had noted the exchange of expressions between Charis and Rhema earlier and their ploy made him smile.  “Yeah, but there wasn’t much time from when we entered the tavern to when we saw Bloodseeker outside.  I don’t know if that was enough time to summon Bloodseeker unless he was really close at hand.”Charis turned to Semeion and looked innocently upon her husband.  “Or, perhaps Bloodseeker knows magic like you do?  If Bloodseeker can master the magic of teleportation, then I am pretty sure that Bloodseeer could master the magic of scrying and magical messaging.”Ischarus nodded in partial agreement.  “Yeah, I suppose that is certainly possible.  But if Bloodseeker was powerful enough to master the magic of teleportation, why would he risk retreating through the woods the other day?  No offense, Semeion, but most mages are reasonably frail.  Their mental tasks prevent them from developing too physically.  If he could master teleportation and scrying magic, he shouldn’t have been surprised at all to show up at the villa and find us waiting for him.”Rhema nodded in complete agreement with her husband.  “That is definitely true.  If Bloodseeker was a true master of magic, then he sure played the other day poorly, at least tactically speaking.”Semeion picked up the conversation next.  He smiled as he realized that since he had last spoken the conversation had worked its way counterclockwise around the table.  He would continue the trend.  “Yeah, I doubt Bloodseeker knows great magic.  It doesn’t fit the experience we’ve had so far.  However, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Bloodseeker knew a bit of magic.  Our experiences have always included something strange.”Semeion’s mind began to turn under this new realization.  The party sat silent for a few moments before Charis spoke.  “Well, we’re done with our meal.  What’s say we go get our horses and head out?  If Bloodseeker has a spy in here, we best not say too much too loudly.”They exchanged a few more words and left the tavern.  Rhema paid the bill and exchanged a few pleasantries with Wolf.  She indicated that his food was good and to help make up for their earlier trouble they would return and bring business to his door.  The party headed to their horses and began to ride them through Fingerdale.Before they could reach the city gates, the party came upon a small gathering of people.  There were harried voices calling out through the crowd.  The random exclamations informed the party that the city guard had already been summoned, there was some kind of physical exchange occurring further down the alley, and a few people were placing bets as to the outcome.Ischarus spun his horse to face the alley and stood in his saddle.  “Move, people!  We can help and separate them!”Rhema rolled her eyes.  She spoke softly to herself. “By the gods, here we go again.” She shouted a little louder to Ischarus, who was preparing to wade through the crowd atop Elistra.  “Don’t you dare draw a weapon, Ischarus!  I’ll not have you held and questioned by the city guard again!”Ischarus smiled at Rhema’s words.  Sometimes doing the right thing meant putting himself in jeopardy.  He looked down and noted that the crowds began to slowly part in front of him.  It would be a slow passage, and he certainly couldn’t use the strength of his horse to push people aside.  That would inevitably cause more trouble than he would desire.Ischarus also noted the sounds of the rest of the horses falling into line behind Elistra.  Charis brought Abijou first and was followed by Semeion atop Thana and Rhema atop Shauvry.  If they were going to get into trouble with the guard today, it would be a group effort this time.  Ischarus smiled cynically as he slowly urged Elistra through the crowd.When they had pushed the horses through the crowd and drew close enough to the confrontation they stared with wide eyes upon recognizing one of the combatants.  They were too far away to hear exactly what was being said between the pair of fighting men, but it was clear that one of the men was Bloodseeker.  Ischarus fought the urge to surge through the crowd upon recognizing Bloodseeker.  His eyes narrowed in focus upon the combat as he continued to slowly wade through the people.The pair of men fought with swords.  Bloodseeker fought with a short sword in one hand and left his second hand free for balance.  His opponent slashed at him with a pair of daggers.  They exchanged blows several times, each fighter parrying the blow of the other.Bloodseeker finally slashed out and struck a clean blow across his opponent’s right thigh.  It looked to be a strike of great opportunity at first.  However, Bloodseeker’s opponent quickly turned the blunder into a great opportunity.  Bloodseeker’s opponent revealed all too quickly that the opening in his defenses had been quite intentional.  He had opened himself up to draw Bloodseeker close.  Once Bloodseeker landed the anticipated strike, Bloodseeker’s opponent slashed forward with both daggers in a simultaneous strike at Bloodseeker’s chest.  The strike hit hard with both daggers digging deep into Bloodseeker’s chest.  The right dagger plunged gravely into the area where the heart would have been located.  Dark red blood ejected from the wound as the dagger was twisted and removed.  The second dagger plunged into the left area of the chest and surely punctured Bloodseeker’s lungs.Bloodseeker fell limply to the ground as his opponent stowed his daggers.  He heard the approaching horses and looked up to make eye contact with Ischarus.  Many of the people who had been gathered around the fight now surged back away from the bloody scene.  Bloodseeker’s opponent seemed to control a significant amount of fighting prowess.  The backward surge of the people would guarantee that Bloodseeker’s opponent would have all the time he needed.  With a simple motion he knelt beside Bloodseeker and mouthed a few words.  The commotion of the people and the distance separating Bloodseeker from Ischarus made the words impossible to hear.  In an instant, Bloodseeker and his opponent vanished into thin air.  Bloodseeker was surely dead, and there would be no body left to examine.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]The foursome sulked over lunch and a few ales. It was clear that Bloodseeker had been waiting to strike against them. It was actually clear to them that Bloodseeker had been specifically waiting for them to come into the Shrouded Tenor so that he could use the place against them in the same manner as they had used the tavern against him.Ischarus lightly bounced his fist against the top of the table when he was finished with his meal. “I just don’t like being played, that’s all.”Semeion chuckled at Ischarus’ response. “Even though we clearly played Bloodseeker in the same manner and started it? You know what they say. If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.”Ischarus glared at Semeion. It was quite clear the comment wasn’t welcome at the present time. Rhema saw Ischarus’ foul mood and intervened. “Listen, guys. Either way, arguing amongst ourselves only gives Bloodseeker what he wants. If we let ourselves get bothered by having the tables turned then we are letting him win. It’s as simple as that.”The two men locked glances as if to signal a truth. Their expressions lacked any sign of an apology, but they did note that Rhema had been heard and understood. Semeion leaned back in his chair and breathed deeply.Charis nibbled on a callus just to the left of one of her fingernails as she spoke. She wanted to take the opportunity Rhema had given to her and continue to change the angle of the conversation. “You see, the thing that bothers me most of all is that Bloodseeker knew when we would be here. From his perspective, I think it was reasonably predictable that we would return some day. But Bloodseeker was ready for us today at this time. So either he was watching the tavern all day or there is an informant in here.”Rhema nodded and spoke quickly so as to keep the men from talking until they had more of a chance to cool their tempers and their tongues. “Yeah. I think that it is pretty reasonable to think that there is an informant within the tavern. After all, that’s precisely what we were hoping for when we came in here the first time. Someone took our original message back to Bloodseeker and informed him of our message. “Charis continued to speak with a smirk towards Rhema. “Good point. It’d be reasonable to think that if there was an informant here on the day we came that Bloodseeker would have the informant in here again waiting for us.”Semeion spoke before Rhema could take the reigns once more. He had noted the exchange of expressions between Charis and Rhema earlier and their ploy made him smile. “Yeah, but there wasn’t much time from when we entered the tavern to when we saw Bloodseeker outside. I don’t know if that was enough time to summon Bloodseeker unless he was really close at hand.”Charis turned to Semeion and looked innocently upon her husband. “Or, perhaps Bloodseeker knows magic like you do? If Bloodseeker can master the magic of teleportation, then I am pretty sure that Bloodseeer could master the magic of scrying and magical messaging.”Ischarus nodded in partial agreement. “Yeah, I suppose that is certainly possible. But if Bloodseeker was powerful enough to master the magic of teleportation, why would he risk retreating through the woods the other day? No offense, Semeion, but most mages are reasonably frail. Their mental tasks prevent them from developing too physically. If he could master teleportation and scrying magic, he shouldn’t have been surprised at all to show up at the villa and find us waiting for him.”Rhema nodded in complete agreement with her husband. “That is definitely true. If Bloodseeker was a true master of magic, then he sure played the other day poorly, at least tactically speaking.”Semeion picked up the conversation next. He smiled as he realized that since he had last spoken the conversation had worked its way counterclockwise around the table. He would continue the trend. “Yeah, I doubt Bloodseeker knows great magic. It doesn’t fit the experience we’ve had so far. However, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Bloodseeker knew a bit of magic. Our experiences have always included something strange.”Semeion’s mind began to turn under this new realization. The party sat silent for a few moments before Charis spoke. “Well, we’re done with our meal. What’s say we go get our horses and head out? If Bloodseeker has a spy in here, we best not say too much too loudly.”They exchanged a few more words and left the tavern. Rhema paid the bill and exchanged a few pleasantries with Wolf. She indicated that his food was good and to help make up for their earlier trouble they would return and bring business to his door. The party headed to their horses and began to ride them through Fingerdale.Before they could reach the city gates, the party came upon a small gathering of people. There were harried voices calling out through the crowd. The random exclamations informed the party that the city guard had already been summoned, there was some kind of physical exchange occurring further down the alley, and a few people were placing bets as to the outcome.Ischarus spun his horse to face the alley and stood in his saddle. “Move, people! We can help and separate them!”Rhema rolled her eyes. She spoke softly to herself. “By the gods, here we go again.” She shouted a little louder to Ischarus, who was preparing to wade through the crowd atop Elistra. “Don’t you dare draw a weapon, Ischarus! I’ll not have you held and questioned by the city guard again!”Ischarus smiled at Rhema’s words. Sometimes doing the right thing meant putting himself in jeopardy. He looked down and noted that the crowds began to slowly part in front of him. It would be a slow passage, and he certainly couldn’t use the strength of his horse to push people aside. That would inevitably cause more trouble than he would desire.Ischarus also noted the sounds of the rest of the horses falling into line behind Elistra. Charis brought Abijou first and was followed by Semeion atop Thana and Rhema atop Shauvry. If they were going to get into trouble with the guard today, it would be a group effort this time. Ischarus smiled cynically as he slowly urged Elistra through the crowd.When they had pushed the horses through the crowd and drew close enough to the confrontation they stared with wide eyes upon recognizing one of the combatants. They were too far away to hear exactly what was being said between the pair of fighting men, but it was clear that one of the men was Bloodseeker. Ischarus fought the urge to surge through the crowd upon recognizing Bloodseeker. His eyes narrowed in focus upon the combat as he continued to slowly wade through the people.The pair of men fought with swords. Bloodseeker fought with a short sword in one hand and left his second hand free for balance. His opponent slashed at him with a pair of daggers. They exchanged blows several times, each fighter parrying the blow of the other.Bloodseeker finally slashed out and struck a clean blow across his opponent’s right thigh. It looked to be a strike of great opportunity at first. However, Bloodseeker’s opponent quickly turned the blunder into a great opportunity. Bloodseeker’s opponent revealed all too quickly that the opening in his defenses had been quite intentional. He had opened himself up to draw Bloodseeker close. Once Bloodseeker landed the anticipated strike, Bloodseeker’s opponent slashed forward with both daggers in a simultaneous strike at Bloodseeker’s chest. The strike hit hard with both daggers digging deep into Bloodseeker’s chest. The right dagger plunged gravely into the area where the heart would have been located. Dark red blood ejected from the wound as the dagger was twisted and removed. The second dagger plunged into the left area of the chest and surely punctured Bloodseeker’s lungs.Bloodseeker fell limply to the ground as his opponent stowed his daggers. He heard the approaching horses and looked up to make eye contact with Ischarus. Many of the people who had been gathered around the fight now surged back away from the bloody scene. Bloodseeker’s opponent seemed to control a significant amount of fighting prowess. The backward surge of the people would guarantee that Bloodseeker’s opponent would have all the time he needed. With a simple motion he knelt beside Bloodseeker and mouthed a few words. The commotion of the people and the distance separating Bloodseeker from Ischarus made the words impossible to hear. In an instant, Bloodseeker and his opponent vanished into thin air. Bloodseeker was surely dead, and there would be no body left to examine. [/Sblock]</blockquote>

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