NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haraash Saan" data-source="post: 4575627" data-attributes="member: 46615">Chapter 10 – Fun and Games   The shrill chirping of birds outside my shuttered window roused me from my sleep. Melinda lay beside me her breathing deep with slumber. A smile of affection crept across my face at the sight of her hidden under the bed sheets.    I rose quietly and took my usual care to dress prepare myself for the day before I snuck from my room and down the stairs to join my comrades.     “Where’s Gerard?” queried Morgan in annoyance. “He should hear this.”    “Good morning!” I said cheerfully to one and all. “Here I am. Now what is it that you wish me to hear?”    “Tell ya story again Moxy.” grumbled Argonne. Obviously he had not had the blissful evening I had, but with a face like his it was not surprising.    I turned my attention to Moxadder. The purple bloated bags resting beneath his bloodshot eyes made him look somewhat more haggard than usual. He pushed himself from his seat and leant forward over the table.    “I got me some news.” He rasped as he stared intently at me.    I cocked an eyebrow to encourage him to continue.     “Dat poison we heard about last night, the stuff Daregushi supplied those weird women?” he punctuated his words with a particularly horrendous hacking cough. “Well it’s to be used tonight at the banquet.”    He raised a hand to placate the question that rose to my lips and continued, “I couldn’t find out who it was for. But my guess is that with the amount of stuff they had that it will probably be used to poison everyone, regardless of the target.”    Moxadder had indeed been busy last night. After stalking away from his murder of Vrsork he had used his vast array of disreputable villains and scum to piece together the story he had briefly relayed to me.     He had also discovered that the guards had been bribed to be stationed away from the banquet festivities that celebrated the commencement of the Games.     It was obvious to all that the assassins plot could poison everyone attending the feast, including ourselves. The Duchess, Prince Brand (no great loss) and a hundred other nobles could all be struck down leaving Halfast in even more chaos than it was accustomed.     We quickly decided to notify the priests of Laster about the scheme. They would be best positioned to act as they were the ones that actually presided over and run the Games.    Argonne and I had no luck at the Convent of the Doves; all the priests were busy in the city preparing for the Games. We were told to speak to one Father Hendus who was to be found at the registration desk.    We hurried through the ever increasing crowds. It was nearing midday and the place was abuzz with excitement.     “Place your wagers with one-eyed Casto!” bellowed a well dressed man with a beaming smile and a patch over one eye.    I noticed the thin old man from the Inn at the End of the Road, complete with his personal walking mountain, limp past Casto and offer his competition an evil glare and his potential patrons some free advice.    “Don’t let Casto trick you into one of his famous ‘safe’ bets. Do yourself a favour and see me, Fentoon for an honest bet.”     Elsewhere were the usual suspects of Cassavary   Square. Merchants spruiked their wares. Zealots preached their scriptures. Even the old priest who had been calling all to praise Gerech when I had first come to Halfast was still there. He looked just as he done then, and even now the odd fresh vegetable was thrown in his direction.     Argonne and I found Father Hendus and carefully explained our discoveries. He was unperturbed.    “I hear the same thing every year.” He said in a bored tone. “Poison, murder, cheating. It’s all the same. We always find out the truth and stop anything from impacting the Games. Tonight will be no different. Laster will look over us all.”    There was no convincing the fool. He refused to listen and quite rudely sent us on our way.     My bright morning mood had ebbed somewhat to be one of slow burning anger. Why did the priest fail to see reason? Why had he not taken us seriously? I was Gerard d’Mowbray after all and I would not lie! Priest or no the man was an idiot!    On our way back to the inn I called in to Absquith to warn him of the peril that awaited us at the banquet. He had heard Vrsork the previous evening and was wary enough to ensure that the Massive Hand, Five Kinds of Death and the brothers Martigan would be told of the plot.    Morgan met us back at the tavern with some interesting news of his own. He had been to visit Petuvary and Ship’s Cat to check on her progress. She was conscious but rather groggy and she looked dreadful, but she was over the worst of her ordeal.    Ship’s Cat had said, in her lucid moments, her primary tormentors had been Daregushi, two robed men that had a sulphurous odour about them and a third cowled man that smelt of the sewers. They had thought that she knew about the plot to poison the banquet, but she had denied the claim with all honesty. She even maintained to Morgan that she knew nothing of it.    “She’s a resourceful one!” said Morgan. “Even as they tortured her she managed to somehow slip a ring off one of the sulphurous smelling men.”    As he said this he opened his palm. Within it sat the partner of the ring Prince Brand had idly thrown me. It had the crest of the splintered dagger.    So the young prince was further implicated in the dastardly plan.    Another quick discussion saw us dismiss any further thoughts of getting any authority to pay our warning any heed. Instead we decided to be ever vigilant that evening and ensure that nothing untoward would occur.    That afternoon the Hydra officially registered to compete it the Halfast Games, as did each of its members for the individual tourney. Thankfully Father Hendus was not taking registrations when we arrived.    I spent the remaining hours before the banquet sourcing some berries that I had overheard some fellow competitors talking about that apparently gave their consumer prodigious strength. Those berries were certainly something that I could use to my advantage in the Games!    </blockquote>

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