Blades Story Thread

[Rail]

Matti's body cried out in protest as he sprinted toward the shattered boards once covering the window and looked out onto the half-cobbled street where his friend and the winded half-orc struggled to regain their feet in the mud and rain. Matti's sodden feet seemed like lead and sent sharp pains into his legs as warm blood began to return to the chilled limbs. Trudging around in the damp sewers did not agree well with the warrior. He was pretty sure he was catching a cold.

He gazed down at the window sill beyond the broken boards and the exterior wall, immediately looking to find some way down the non-descript building, some way to assist his friend. While the furnishings on the inside were as plush as any he'd seen in this part of the world, the outside was both plain and smooth, cracks diligently patched over and bare of any adornments. He should have expected as much from a thieves guild.

Besides, he had a mission to fulfill. He glanced back at the others, still fighting against the Hands in the other room. He stooped and picked up Connavar's sword dropped near where the two combatants broke through the wall. He turned back to the opening with the intent to toss his friend the weapon, but the whistle on his lips fell silent.

"Krullin be damned!" Matti swore.

Across the street in the shadows, two gleaming eyes shone firey red in the gloom of the dusty evening. He'd seen those eyes many evenings ago, following the fight with Saien's cleric friends and the demons. Matti closed his eyes briefly and reached out with the gift sense of his diety, the wonderous ability to feel the goodness and evils around him. Probing the shadows beyond the street, he felt the familiar taint which shadowed them after their previous battle. His eyes adjusted ever-so-slightly and he thought he could make out the form of a large cat or dog, slowly rearing back it's head. A howl suddenly erupted from the foul beast, a sound that pierced the soul more than the ears.

Both Connavar and the half-orc turned in the direction of bone-chilling sound. Two guards from the front of the building had come to investigate the crash, but the stopped in their tracks, unsure of what would create such a sound.

A similar sound was heard some blocks in the distance, a grim and mournful sound like a mother weeping for her broken children.

Matti didn't know what the howls meant, but he was certain they were nothing good. He whistled sharply to Connavar who turned in time to catch his heavy sword, even in the downpour. How the oaf could fight with that thing was beyond Matti, he thought with a smile. "Big trouble, Conn! Hurry!" With a look he hoped the larger man would understand, Matti turned back to the room.

The commotion had died down in the other room and he caught a glimpse of Nolan running through a door into yet another part of the complex. Saien was helping Bel get back to his feet. From the shocked look on the impulsive elf's face, he'd just received another healing spell from the surprising cleric. Healing was not always as pleasant as one would think. Saien turned to Matti and the gaping hole in the wall, but the paladin waved him onward. "Follow Nolan! Conn can take care of himself!"

Saien shrugged and even managed to smile under these conditions. "It wasn't that, I wanted you to help carry this crazy elf!"

Bel's breath came in heavy gasps as he began to get accustomed to flesh reknitted into it's proper place. He seemed not to notice Saien's remarks.

Matti nodded, but looked around the room. Bodies laid strewn about, some gasping their last breath and some still as a grave. He spied something out of the corner of his eye and leapt for it. This would neither be merciful nor kind, but it must do under these conditions, thought the warrior of Lathander as he grabbed the lantern and raised it over his head. He paused as he thought of his actions, but he remembered the pouring rain outside and the storm raging onward with no sign of letting up. It would not spread to other buildings. It must not!

Without another thought, he hurled the lantern full of oil on the wall and it burst into flames, spreading quickly up the wooden panel and onto the ceiling. He grabbed the remaining vial from the top of the desk and threw that onto the conflagration, spreading the hungry fire immensely. That would certainly do it. The flames began to bite deeply into the walls and ceiling, and soon would spread to other rooms.

Matti ran toward Saien who wore a questioning but trusting look as if to say "I hope you know what you're doing." The two quickly dragged the recovering elf from the room to follow Nolan, prepared as best they could for would come next.

[wolven86]

Bel staggered out into the street, outside the Hand base, as they carried on he began to collect his thoughts once more and groggilly began to stand on his own two feet without the aid of Matti or Saien. With a start he realised that the wizard was still in there, that wizard must pay he must not survive.

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Matti was glad that the elf was standing on his own two feet, the elf was damn heavy and he could do without that sort of burden. Witha a start he realized the elf was no longer with them. Looking round he saw the elf dive in through the doors back into the Hand base. With a curse he ran back after him.

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The doors were blazing now and Bel was cautious of going further, but he must death was too good for this kind of scum.
Matti came in the doors after him.

"Bel what the hell are you doing, I set the building on fire get out of here now!"

"Don't tell me what to do, he's still in there I have to get to him, if we let him live he will come back to haunt us I must finish it don't follow me through."

"Bel its suicide to go back in their are you insane."

"You just don't get it he killed Elthanor, that barstard killed my only remaining friend, so I must kill him"

With that said he crashed into the doors rolled through and ran through the room. The flames were everywhere jumping and rolling to avoid the dropping beams Bel slowly made his way across the hallway and towards the door to the wizards room. The heat was scorching and Bels skin was burning the heat was immense. Finnally he walked through the door and into relative coolness, the room was obviously protected by some enchantment to stop the fire, the wizard was leaning by the now open window his mouth speaking the words of some spell. With a crash Bel spun him round and punched him in the gut followed by a blow to the head the wizard recoiled bleeding, but Bel still had a hold of his shirt and wouldn't let go. Bel punched him a few more times and then asked him:

"Why the hell did you do it eh, why did you kill him?"

The wizard raised his face and replied "To get to you to find your location we tortured him then killed him, and now we know who you are, you are ours now."

"What the hell are you talking about, tell me i need answers."

"You think you can threaten me what can ou do to me that my master would not do ten times worse, you are pathetic you know that, you may kill me but even as you do forces have been set in motion that will end in you are your kin's destruction." and with that he laughed.

This sent Bel into a deep rage without pause he drew his dagger and reaching behind the laughing wizardhe neatly hamstrung him, the wizard screamed but Bel would not be pacified, he ripped his dagger up along the belly of the defenceless man of the floor and yanked out several yards of guts, picking him up bel kicked open the door and threw him bodily into the flames, the screams didn't die for some minutes. However Bel was oblivious, he had looked out the window and saw what the wizard had been looking at Connavar was surrounded the half orc and the gleaming red eyes were all around him.

With a shout Bel leapt from the window aiming to land on the back of the half orc, he misjudged the jump however and succeeded in landing flat on his face, as he hit the cobbled street he heard what he thought where the sound of several ribs cracking, he groaned on the floor before staggering to his feet and facing off against the enemy.....