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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 855505" data-attributes="member: 9255">UNDER A DARKSUNSEGMENT 057“Crossing the Line”Mania staggers out of the tavern.  The club dragging and thudding alone on the ground behind him.  It was all he could do to walk.  Being kinetically controlled by someone was not his definition of fun, even if it was for fun.He was growing tired of being used and manipulated.  And always by women.  Was he that easy?He took a deep breath and grits his teeth.  He staggered back to the Greene building and retrieved his own magical club.  He looked for anything that could help him otherwise but only found a few arrows and a bow.  He had little experience with one but had seen Dutch practice with one.  It was more than point and shot but that’s all he felt he was up for today.He went back out onto the streets.  It was fairly quiet.  Maybe too quiet.  In time he found a group of jumpy Templars.  Rookies based on their ages.  They were huddled over the body of an elder templar.  She was mortally injured.  Mania looked briefly.  He only saw one wound…a sword slash.  Someone saw an opportunity of advancement and took it he thought to himself.  The girls gave him a look that reminded him they had the power here…not him.  He wisely moved onward.The creatures had killed only a few people.  Most were killed by being trampled or by “friendly” fire.  It appeared the templars killed as many people as the bloated blobs of infernal flesh.  It was sickly to think about.  Something had to be done.  He was becoming more convinced that he HAD to do something.  If only because he could and no one would…except for the Veiled Alliance.  The V A.  “Vicious Attackers” as he once heard Keela refer to them as.  Mania saw it the other way around.The carnage seemed worse towards the nobles’ section of the city.  Moving there he saw more bodies, humanoid and infernal.  Then he saw something and reacted to it by instinct only.Two thugs were holding a thin older man while a templar slapped and scratched him.  So caught up in the fun they didn’t see the club until it was to late.  The club hit one man in the back of the head launching him forward.  Mania’s swing ended as he struck the other thug squarely sending him into the alley.  The old man dropped to the ground in a heap.  The templar cried for help.  She was maybe all of 14 years old.  She drew a knife anyway.  Mania hits her hard across the hand holding the templar medallion.  He did not want to be the subject of any templar magic just now.  The girl dropped the knife and held her broken hand.  She was stunned that someone would not only defy her of her fun also strike her.  She turned and ran.  Mania saw no need to strike a fleeing girl in the back.  Besides, the old man needed help. As Mania hefted him up a pouch fell out of his robes.  He picked it absent-mindedly and placed it onto his own belt and left for a secure place.  Mania felt Greene would disapprove of bringing him to the compound.  Instead Mania brought him to the tavern.  There was still no one inside.  The bodies of the creatures were dissolving in a putrid heap.  Mania didn’t know if that was the natural thing or a reaction to the heat.  He didn’t care either.The old man’s head rolled badly as he was placed into a chair.  Mania looked for water for the man to drink but only found Kank nectar.  It would have to do for now.  He got most of it on the man’s shirt and robe instead of in his mouth.  The man coughed and gagged…”smooth” the man, said weakly with a weak smile.  He heard voices outside.  The voices were female and had authority and arrogance in them.  Templars were outside.  He moved the man to behind the bar.  Staying still and quiet and placing a hand over the man’s mouth he pantomimed to be quiet.  The man nodded slowly.The two templars looked inside but did not enter.  They moved on.  Whether they were searching for the old man or himself he was unsure.  Then he heard it.  A low angry growl.  He knew what it was before he saw it.  It was the thing he struck hard earlier.  It was taking refuge here to heal also.  It was hiding within the clay and glass bottles overhead.  It began to push bottles off of the high shelf onto Mania and the man.  The old man rolled onto his side and covered his head.  Mania tried to shield him and swing at the same time.  He missed the dretch barely but took away its ammunition.  It jumped down and tried to claw at him.  It missed then received a strong 2-handed magically enhanced greatclub uppercut.  The creature was set through the air and struck the wall.  It’s legs hung out of the hole in the mortar while a thick dark smoke cloud escaped from it.Mania turned back to the old man and found him missing.  “Oh great”</blockquote>

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