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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 1007" data-attributes="member: 11">Sesssion #12 (part III)“Whu-what was that?” Martin said, when he realized that he could move and speak and the horror of the sight had begun to subside. “Come on, the King’s in danger,” Ratchis said, opening the trap door to allow Martin to go down first. Downstairs, Ratchis told the others about the fire at the gate and the dead guards on the tower, but Martin did went directly to the door Martin has pointed out as leading to the royal quarters and began to knock as loudly as he could. “Hello? This is Martin the Green. There is some kind of trouble! I think the king is in danger,” he called through the door, but there was no reply. Ratchis pushed Martin aside and kicked the door with all his might. The large oaken door, reinforced with slats of iron, shuddered but did not open. He tried and failed again. “Let me help,” said Kazrack. They slammed their shoulders against the door together, but the door held. “We will have to find a way to the Royal Quarters from downstairs,” said Martin. “I don’t think we should go wandering around castle,” said Jeremy. By this time most of the would-be Dragon-Hunters were wake and were spilling into the hall trying to see what was going on, tracking blood all over the place. “I don’t think we all should,” said Martin. “Beorth, would you stay here and watch over the others and make sure no one disturbs the storage room or tries to go through that door?” “Of course,” replied Beorth. “Ratchis and Kazrack, would you come with me?” Martin asked. “No way I am staying here when there is something to be done,” replied Kazrack. “I will stay here,” said Jana. “And I too shall stay, for this vision of loveliness, this diamond in the rough will need me to watch over her, though my excellent skills as a swordsman would be very useful to you if villainy is afoot, but even ones such as I need to make sacrifices,” said Arnold/Garcon. “Oh, gav it op!” said Chance. “Ya nut a bleedin’ swashbockler, but ah’ll stay with Jana and Beorth ta.” Kazrack and Ratchis looked to Jeremy. The blonde Neergaardian sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll go with you guys to keep you out of trouble,” he said. Jeremy went down the stairs first, followed by Kazrack, then Martin and Ratchis took up the rear. They made their way past the headless body on the stairs, and found the head a crunched up pulpy nearly unidentifiable thing at the base of the steps, not ten feet from the corpses of two other guards. “Looks like he was ravaged by an animal,” said Ratchis, he pointed to bloody bootprints that led towards the dining hall. They made their way through the back hall to the doors to the dining room. Kazrack pulled open the door, while Jeremy covered it with his crossbow. The dining room was silent and empty, wooden chairs piled atop the long now barren tables. Ratchis thought he heard something behind the large double doors which led to the Great Hall beyond, and rushed past Jeremy, pushing open the great doors hurriedly. Kazrack, Jeremy and Martin rushed after him. Ratchis paused. In the area beneath where the king had addressed the banquet from a balcony lay the body of another guard, and a second guard was being mauled by a huge brown bear. Ratchis knew it was too late for the guard and waited, but Jeremy took up a spot to the woodsman’s right and fired his crossbow, striking deep in the bear’s flank. The animal roared, and the four companions braced for it to charge, but it did not. Instead, the bear backed up to the single door across from the one they had come through and stood there, growling and watching the party. Martin hurried over to the guard to check for signs of life, while both Kazrack and Jeremy loaded their crossbows. The guard was certainly dead. Kazrack fired and missed, but Jeremy scored another hit, while Ratchis just waited to intercept the bear if it charged. Martin left the guard in the growing pool of blood, and taking out a handful of colored sand cast it at the bear and spoke some arcane words. The sand transformed into a explosion of multi-colored lights that enveloped the bear’s head. The beast shook his head and roared. “Damn!” said Martin. The bear got up on its hind legs and roared again. “Shoot it!” cried Ratchis. Jeremy and Kazrack who were busy reloading, both fired and hit. Kazrack’s went deep into it’s flank, but Jeremy’s disappeared into the bear’s neck. Blood gurgled forth and the animal swayed and began to tumble forward, but before it could it the ground it disappeared. “Where did it go?” Jeremy asked. “Magic?” said Kazrack. “It could have been an illusion, except these guards are really dead and the caster would have to be somewhere nearby, unless of course he is very very powerful,” Martin said. “Which way should we go?” asked Jeremy. “Well, we should be able to get to the Royal Quarters by way of the audience chamber or above through the balcony,” said Martin. Ratchis walked over and checked the doors to the audience chamber and they were locked. “The balcony it is then,” said Kazrack. “How do we get up there?” asked Martin. “Well, you could magic us up there or something,” said Jeremy. “I cannot, um, do that,” said Martin. “Heh,” replied Jeremy. “Then we’ll grab one of these long table and flip it over on the narrow end and use it as a ladder of sorts.” Kazrack, Jeremy and Ratchis worked together to flip the table over, but it immediately began to slide backward, so Ratchis held it in place as the others climbed up, and then Kazrack and Jeremy held the table legs in place while Ratchis came up. Kazrack and Ratchis stood to either side of the door, while Martin knocked. Jeremy was stuck holding the table up. “Hello?” called Martin. He knocked again and waited. They could clearly hear the sound of someone on the other side. “We can hear someone there,” said the Watch-Mage. “The King could be in danger. We’ve come to warn you.” “In the name of the King identify yourselves. None may enter the Royal Quarters without his majesty’s leave!” said a voice from the other side. “It is I, Martin the Green, and uh…three of the other dragon-hunters. We have found castle guards dead and wild animals about and there is a fire at the front gate. There is some real trouble afoot, we think the fire is a distraction to allow someone to do harm to the king.” “You should not be wandering the castle at night, and none shall enter the Royal Quarters,” the guard on the other side said. “Well, perhaps if you could come and help us find the perpetrators, or send someone to help us,” suggested Martin. “None of the Royal Guard may leave their posts under any circumstances. The immediate protection of the king is our concern,” the voice said. “But, we are telling you the king is in danger!” cried Kazrack with frustration. “And I am telling you that the king is safe here with us, and no one shall get us to open this door short of the Captain himself,” said the guard. “It is he you should seek out if there is danger about in the castle.” “Um, guys,” said Jeremy in a strained voice. “Could you hurry up? This table is getting heavy.” “Well, could you bring the king to the door so we can talk to him?” asked Kazrack. The laughter from the other side of the door was clearer than the talking had been. “His majesty is not summoned by any man, least of all a stranger on the other side of a door in the dead of night when the castle has been attacked,” the guard said dismissively. “Argh,” cried Kazrack, upset with their failure. “There is no way they are going to let us in,” said Martin. “Should be head to the gate and try to find the Captain?” “We cannot risk not being believed or being delayed and whoever is in the castle with magic animals accomplishing whatever it is they are doing, if they haven’t already,” said Ratchis. “We could smash down this door, and make sure the king really is safe. Those guards on the other side of the door may be lying,” said Kazrack. “And get into a battle with the Royal Guards? I think not,” said Ratchis. “I think we should climb back down,” said Jeremy, sweat beading on his brow. “Yes, I think we should try the door the bear was in front of. I think it was strange it did not charge us, maybe it was just trying to delay us,” said Ratchis. “Well, it is either that or go out to the front gate and find the Captain, and that is exactly what someone may want us to do,” said Martin. Kazrack helped Jeremy hold the table as Ratchis climbed down and then he held the table from below as Martin climbed down, followed by Jeremy and finally Kazrack. The Great Hall was cold and spooky, the splattered blood of the guards and their bodies akimbo juxtaposed with the fine tapestries and the unattended instruments of the musicians left in the corner. The four of them went through the door that led to the east wing. “This is where the library and the trophy room are,” said Martin. Ratchis walked in first, peering into the dark with his darkvision, Martin followed with a lantern, then came Kazrack and Jeremy. Ratchis crept a bit ahead, a short hall connected to his right, and as he turned to note a spiral staircase going downward, his vision was obscured by the shadow of an animal that leapt up onto his head and shoulders. Martin stepped back as Ratchis struggled to detach the black and white furry animal that was furiously tearing at large man’s face. Kazrack ran up to his companion and shoved his halberd point right through the creature. It squealed as the broad blade burst its very body with sudden violence. However, the squeal ended abruptly as the animal disappeared. “That was a badger!” Jeremy laughed. “You got tore up by badger!” Ratchis growled dabbing at the deep scratches on face and neck with torn piece of cloth. “It came from that stairway,” Ratchis said, and led the way down. ----- Meanwhile, upstairs Beorth, Chance and Jana stood in the hall, keeping the others from coming out into the hall. Arnold/Garcon was out there with them. “Ah guess you were too busy talkin’ ta this guy to hear whut wess gunn on,” said Chance snottily. “You will address me as Arnold or Garcon, or you and I sir will have some words,” said Arnold/Garcon. “Arnold, be quiet,” Jana said, as Chance’s hands curled into fists. “And Chance, he was just bothering me, you know how he is.” “Oh, kind of like you looked sa bahthered when ya wuss dancing with yer boyfriend arlyer tonight,” said Chance. “My boyfriend? What are you talking about?” “I am more than a mere boyfriend,” said Arnold/Garcon. “I am the love of this woman’s- - - “ “Shut up, Garcon!” said Chance angrily. He turned back to Jana. “Aye! Ya know who ahm talkin’ `bout. Markle! Ah saw ya dahn-cin ahl clarse n’ ahl.” “Oh, Chance!” said Jana. “Come ahn, admit it!” ‘Whatever,” was Jana’s only reply. Beorth just looked at the both of them in wonder. ---- The spiral stone staircase came to a barren stone room with two doors. One door had a small barred window in it, the sound of air rushing through the window could be heard, and the cold air stirred in the room. The other door creaked in the wind. It was open. Kazrack cracked the door open a bit more, while Jeremy reloaded his crossbow. The dwarf peaked in. There were narrow steps leading down into a room filled with barrels, crates and kegs. Ratchis stepped past them and tried to throw the door open, but something heavy seemed to block it from opening more than a few inches. Jeremy, Ratchis and Kazrack all pushed together and the resistance quickly gave. There was the sound of something falling and bursting, followed by a dripping sound. Now that the door stood open Ratchis could see that the short stone stairway into the sunken room was covered in a black oily liquid. Ratchis leaned back and did a broad jump over the steps and down into the room, but misjudged landed badly. He was stretched painfully on steps, his back covered in the viscous substance. There was a sudden movement and sound in shadows of the room, Ratchis looked over as torch lit up and was tossed in his direction. He instinctively flinched, but the torch fell below him, and the oil all about burst aflame. Devon ran out of the shadow through a doorway in the opposite wall, “Somebody came through!”</blockquote>

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