Follow the Wolf
There's a cold mist clinging to the ground, blotting out the sky from easy sight. Everything looks gray, colorless, and faintly ethereal. There are places where the ground has turned into hazardous patches of ice, and the mist carries a thin veil of water in it leaving one feeling not just cold but wet as well. Zalgiman, the object of tonight's hunt is inside the Wayfarers Inn. With a roaring fire and the warmth of companionship to keep him company. Probably drinking, probably having a good time.
Dirk may prefer the forest, but he's still a dwarf, and still optimized for high altitudes and low temperatures. He hunkers in the gloom and the gray, thunderbelcher gripped in his meaty paws. His breath puffs steam from behind his beard as he sends a quietly simmerin death glare towards the inn. "Yer nae gettin' away -this- time, ye slimy fucker," he growls under his breath. "Run an' hide all ye like. We're goin' tae -find- ye."
"We ain't here to take him out, Dirk," Dolan hisses, quietly enough to avoid being noted by the locals. "We're here to find out where he's hiding, who his friends are, and who he's got. Might be some innocent people, and I'd rather he didn't know how much we know about him. Better if we aren't seen and he doesn't even realize we were ever here."
Patch has an indifferent glance upon her face as she sits in the shadows with Dirk and Dolan while watching the Inn. "He's slippery, Dirk. I got away with tracking them for a while, but they almost nabbed me when noticed." which is true, she just didn't walk into the trap. Sometimes she's smart. Sometimes. "He usually has friends with him, so I'd be wary he's traveling with a crowd."
"Should I go watch the back? I can use some magics so we can still speak." Patch suddenly says, canting her glance to Dolan. "Normally I'm alone when I do this kind of work." admitting her lacking in team work.
Dirk grumbles. "Aye, lad, I know," he says. "Still want tae kick 'is dozy arse up betwixt 'is scrawny shoulders. Hrmph." He looks up at his friends. "Gilead can grant me sight of 'im, nae matter where he tries tae hide. But the blessin' only lasts so long afore it fades. But if he heads forestways, I should be able take keep up with 'im, easy peasy." He turns his gaze back towards the inn. "But... once we find his bolt-hole... what then? Head back tae Alex, strap up our mates, an' come back guns blazin'?" A savage grin tugs up the old snowbeard's whiskers. "That -does- sound like fun, dunnit?"
Even as you discuss the matter, Zalgiman comes out the front door, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of another man. The second man is fairly nondescript, but seems to be of Alexandrian heritage. He looks slightly destitute, or at least his clothing suggests a desperate need for repair that hasn't happened. This man is wearing a huge grin and and his rosy cheeks suggest inebriation. The pair start for the woods without delay.
"Depends what he's got," Dolan mutters. "I've got a few tricks myself," he admits. "First step-" He stops short as the pair wander out of the inn, and pointedly turns his back on them, making quite sure that his face is not visible. "He's got someone," he mutters low. "His quarry's wasted, doubt he is. Be careful, if we're seen, that poor sod might just be the price."
Patch makes a quick gesture with her hand, invoking her messaging magic as she targets Dolan and Dirk with its touch. "Vaire, allow our words to be heard, and understood, even when the distance between us has grown great." she says. <Sylvan>
As Zalgiman and the man converse, the magical whispers from Patch's lips can be heard by the two in her party. “Just like him, luring in another one with false promises." her disdain for this trick seeming to pluck at her temper. "Always preying on the abused, and downtrodden." her cloak pulled tighter over her coat. She's not too cold, but the weather has made it perfect for layers. A cold night, and a hunt. Of sorts. "Did you know most his gold comes from running and importing alcohol from Stormguard? He's got connections and men from there, all of them part of this strange organization he's running I'd suspect." clearly having her opinions.
Dirk narrows his eyes as Zalgiman and his prey make their way out of the inn and start heading for the forest. "We'll have tae think o' some way tae separate 'em," he mutters, relying on Patch's messaging magic to keep them all in contact. "Right. I'll start tailin' 'em. You two follow as ye can." Hunkering low to the ground, he lets the terrain and waterlogged gray foliage mask his presence as he starts moving forward, quietly as he can manage.
GAME: Dirk rolls Stealth+4: (9)+15+4: 28 GAME: Dolan rolls perception: (1)+13: 14 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Dolan rolls perception: (16)+13: 29 GAME: Patch rolls stealth: (4)+8: 12 GAME: Patch rolls stealth: (7)+8: 15
Zalgiman leads the man, and the rest of you into the woods. The pair chat amicably as they walk about the weather being terrible even for this time of the year, and Zalgiman promises the man a warm fire to sit by in a little bit.
Dolan wordlessly gestures Patch to follow, then starts off after them, leaving enough space to allow the sneaky people to be so. Armor is not meant for sneaking, and he knows it, choosing instead to trust in his comrades not to lose the trail. If need be, he is not himself wholly inexperienced at tracking, but as he starts out, he turns his head into the damp grayness, the layers of wool and leather protecting him but clinging to him as ice crystals settle into the fabric.
From the messages cantrip, the reply comes, quietly. "He has a second tail. I can't see him clearly. Not sure of intentions. Be careful."
Patch had been focused on Zalgiman, the mention of a second 'tail' has her wideyed. "Of course her would. He had two the last time." she says still weaving her messaging magic. That comment jogging her memory. "He didn't notice me following in the city, but when they got me out in the woods?" which they are now. "He had other men." this being something she likely should of mentioned earlier. Or so she thinks. "Sorry." being said as she tries to make herself shrink a bit as they track the man through the snow. "I'm all for marching and camping, but the skulking wolves in the dark? I can only do so much alone." eyes on Zalgiman, ears twitching as she wishes to know what he's going on about.
GAME: Patch rolls perform/sing: (2)+12: 14 GAME: Dirk rolls Perception+4: (20)+13+4: 37
Dirk's eyes sweep through the gloom as he hears that warning come from Dolan. His gaze alights upon the second party trailing after Zalgiman and his newfound friend, then get wide as teasaucers. "Dana defend me... it's -Kol-. Be wary friends, he'll charm yer socks right off of ye!" He grips his thunderbelcher a bit more closely and works to make himself even more stealthy than usual. Considering his heavyset build, he's not half bad a it.
It doesn't take long for them to reach their seeming destination. Which is a small clearing in the trees that Zalgiman looks around briefly and then helps his friend to a log. The man seems grateful to sit down, but confused as to what they're doing in the clearing. "We'll wait here a moment for another friend of mine, then we'll move on. Don't worry, he'll be along in a moment." He looks out into the darkness and stands beside the other man.
There's a sound of someone moving through the underbrush at a fair pace without care of making noise after a moment. It seems that Zalgiman wasn't lying.
"Kol?! The fucking /VAMPIRE/?" Patch's tone 'loud' in the magical message, but only a whisper as it leaves her lips. "Mikilos told me about him." her head shooting up a bit to try and get a look for herself. "He's some sort of what? A nuisance, a local legend?" she asks, not knowing much of anything about this situation as it changes. "Why would he be helping the wolves? If anything, every story I have heard has him messing with different dark forces." this being an answer enough as she puzzles it out. Yes, she's watching now.
"Dolan, Kol's supposed to be strong right?" Patch has to ask.
The name is enough to set Dolan's teeth on edge, and make him even more cautious. "Very," is his answer via the message. "We're outmatched. Let's learn what we can and try to get that guy out, but we've got to warn the city. Don't get caught."
Dirk is straining to keep from shivering. The cold isn't making it easy. His knuckles whiten around his thunderbelcher as he tries to collapse himself into an invisible particle. "Aye, we have tae help that poor lad," he whispers. He flicks his gaze back and forth, trying to keep both Zalgiman and Kol in view.
Zalgiman and the now-identified gentleman who was following him greet each other warmly, shaking hands and yet Kol's eyes never roam far from the man sitting on the log. It's clear to everyone, and anyone, that Kol is utterly bespelled by the Alexandrian man who is... well he himself is completely oblivious drunk as he is. Kol makes his way toward the man with slow easy strides that are nonetheless somehow off. It's as if he moves to the beat of a very strange drum. "Hello." His voice is smooth and even, accented with a dialect that is not immediately familiar. "I am Kol Demontry, and it is a _pleasure_ to meet you."
He extends a hand toward the man and the man unsteadily rises from the log to offer Kol his own hand in turn. "Oh. Yea. I'm Elden. Nice to meet you." His voice is slurred, and his gaze unsteady. He even stumbles slightly though he hasn't moved much, proving that he is exceedingly inebriated.
GAME: Patch rolls perform/sing: (19)+12: 31
"Either we've walked in on the strangest scene from the Crimson Pen, or that vampire is about to eat poor Elden!" Patch says in a huff. She seems sure it's either of those two options, but her tone suggests the fang is more likely. "You two! Get ready to fight if we have too, but /now/ is the time." she says, her casting and spell coming next. "Vaire, hide me. Shield me from their eyes, and allow me to be your voice to deal with this disturbance to the hymn." she murmurs in <Sylvan>. It's almost immediate, a wink and bend of light, and she's gone. Invisible. Seems she's not going to let the vampire get off, or have a bite. IS she an Ex?
GAME: Patch casts Invisibility. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
Dolan sucks in a breath, as silently as he can manage, when Patch disappears. Reaching for the stylized dragon around his neck, he bows his head and forms words silently, in his mind alone, knowing full well what the price will be if they are heard or seen. _Daeus, Holy Sunlord. Your enemies stand before me, but they are beyond my strength alone. Guide me. Help me protect the innocent captive, and those who walk with me, that the city might be warned._
That done, he raises his head, eyes seeking out Dirk, and the innocent.
Dirk can't see the others, but their voices brought to him by Patch's message spell comfort the old ranger somewhat. He keeps his gaze riveted on the figures of Kol, Zalgiman, and Eldan. "Most Holy an' Blessed Dana, Green Mother of all the whole world," he mouths silently to himself. "If I'm taken tonight, bring me home tae Yer green glade." He draws a deep breath and lets it out. Silently, he lifts his thunderbelcher and trains it on Kol. With his left hand, he brushes his thumb over a loop on his bandolier. Softly twinkling jewels flick from green to silvery white light. As quietly as he can, he pulls back on the slide, loading a silvered round. If either Kol or Zalgiman go for Elden... he's got them in his sights.
As Dirk's prayer leaves his lips, it begins to rain. Not a light rain either, but a fairly dense fall of icy water from the sky. The men in the clearing affect to not notice the rain, but Elden stumbles another step forward and Kol neatly 'catches' him. Wrapping arms around the shorter man. Then like lightning he's got his teeth into Elden's neck and there's a sound... that thankfully the rain is washing away.
GAME: Dirk rolls Shoot: aliased to Ranged+1-3: (10)+12+1+-3: 20 GAME: Dirk rolls Shoot: aliased to Ranged+1-3: (9)+12+1+-3: 19
Dirk's eyes get wide as Kol goes in for the bite. Then they narrow. "Gilead, guide my hand," he whispers. He draws his bead and pulls back on the trigger. CHK-BOOM! BOOM! It was a good shot. He might have taken a fly's wings off with it. And yet, he fails to hit the vampire with either one. But he's a sturdy old dwarf, and he refuses to tuck tail and run while an innocent man is in danger. "LET 'IM GO, KOL!" he thunders. "YER GOIN' HUNGRY TONIGHT! AN' YOU, ZALGIMAN, I'D TUCK TAIL AN' RUN IF I WAS YOU!"
GAME: Dolan used a Holy Water. GAME: Dirk used a Silver Bullet. GAME: Dirk used a Silver Bullet. GAME: Dolan spends ONE use of JUDGMENT. GAME: Dolan rolls ranged+2: (15)+7+2: 24 GAME: Dolan rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: Patch casts Hideous Laughter. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+17: (11)+17: 28
Not for the first time, Dolan blesses the magic on the haversack he carries, as inspiration hits him. Even with icy fingers that quickly grow cold and wet, the vial he asks it for is quickly supplied to him when he rewaches into it, and he *flings* it for all he is worth, directly at the vampire's face.
"Grab him and run for it!" he shouts aloud. "Don't fuck with these guys! JUST FUCKING RUN FOR IT!"
Invisibility, an edge, all the opportunity seems to click into place, Patch's form appearing into view as she weaves a magic to try an incapacitate Zalgiman, her words echoing as she lets the magic flow forth. "How are vampires like wizards, Zalgiman?! They're neck-romancers!" her spell cast, but the punch line not landing. No, Zalgiman resist it, and it seems little was accomplished. "Oh, that's not good. Not even a chuckle."
The bullets whizz past Kol as he ducks his head down closer to Elden's neck. Almost as though he knew that the bullets were coming. The bottle of holy water flies and flies true. Oddly, Kol is... steaming. A thin mist rising off his face and hands that does not fade. He turns his head toward Dolan, releasing Elden, but not before giving him a solid look that has the man's gaze going off into the distance.
With that taken care of the vampire moves and... The shadows seem to swallow him. Revealing him to be not where he was a moment before, but now he's standing Dolan. Looking down at the man with a hungry expression. "You promised me a meal Zalgiman. You did not mention that it would be so... fruitful."
Zalgiman laughs at Kol's words, his eyes hard as he looks around at the adventurers whom have attacked. "I'm not running anywhere dwarf. If I were you though... I'd at least consider it." He laughs again. "Have at them Kol! I'll keep your appetizer warm."
With those words he wraps an arm around Elden and smiles a daring smile at everyone.
Dirk's teeth grind and his beard bristles. He wants to help. He wants to make a difference. He wants to save this innocent man from a pair of monsters. But he can't. There's nothing he can do. "-Fuck-!" With a soft snarl, he wheels around and melts into the wood. He picks his way through the familiar countryside, letting instinct guide him. As he goes, he lifts his fist to his mouth and blows through it. Dolan and Patch both will hear the sound of an owl's hooting--a lifeline for them to follow.
GAME: Dolan rolls wisdom: (8)+3: 11
The loss of the innocent man will haunt Dolan's conscience for weeks, but right now, there's a bigger priority, and that's making sure he doesn't join him! Without hesitation, Dolan turns tail and run, taking care not to make eye contact with the vampire and dodging through trees and fog, desperately praying that the fog, the rain, and the trees are enough to lose the vampire's eyes. The hoots guide his way, when he finally hears them, but his heart pounds in his chest.
Patch isn't one to argue. Spells had failed. The holy water did little to the vampire. No, she runs with the other two. Again. Off into the night to zip through the snow and woods. "Now it's possible werewolves /and/ vampires?" she gets out, tsking at her luck and this situation. "Poor, Elden." she laments, but she already has suspected many deaths by those two hands and one more is not a shock, just a tally and score to get even for.
Faintly in the distance you can hear Zalgiman yelling for Kol. You don't know if the vampire obeys or not, but the dark seems suddenly filled with eyes. The weight of watchers. You're too far away to know for certain the fate of Elden, but you can guess at it. A score to get even for indeed.
Dirk is running on pure instinct at this point. Home. He has to get home. If he can get home, he'll be safe. He ducks and weaves through the undergrowth. Only muscle memory keeps his legs in motion. His lungs ache and his stomach churns, but he pushes on. He plants a hand on a fallen log and vaults over it, hitting the ground and rolling before springing back to his feet. By Gilead's grace, he leaves no trail to follow, but he does give another hoot-call, hoping that Patch and Dolan can hear him and will follow. His terrified gaze flits left and right. He can see Kol standing behind every tree. Looming out of every shadow. "Gilead... Dana... save me," he wheezes fearfully.
It takes a few long minutes to reach Dirk's small cabin in the woods, and by the time you reach it the rain is beginning to let up a little bit. The mist and dark however remain steady and dense. Thankfully they do not at any point part to reveal either a vampire nor a werewolf. You seem safe... for the moment.
When they do arrive, Dolan is absolutely exhausted and running on adrenaline alone, and when he does finally emerge into the clearing that is Dirk's home, he immediately bends over, hands on knees, panting. "Shit. Dirk, is this - *pant* - your place?" Pant, pant. "We don't - *pant* - we can't - stay here." Pant. His flesh and blood eye is wide with fear, the cold and wet forgotten. "I'm - *pant* - I can't stand against something like that. First - *pant* - rule of dealing with demons, there are things that are bigger than you are, and *pant* that's fucking one of them. And we just *pant* pissed it off. I don't *pant* know shit about vampires." *pant* "Let's get back to the city." Pant. "I need to talk to my temple."
"Wait, is he a demon, or a a vampire?" Patch gets out, having waited to catch /some/ breath as Dirk and Dolan discuss the talk of their refuge and the safety it offers. "Wouldn't it be quicker to head to Mictlan? Will the Makari not offer us shelter, and the holy place dissuade Kol?" she asks, Dolan's knowledge about this enough to perk her curiosity. "I know we need to make it to the city, but we need to survive first." her words ceasing as she thinks and catches breath. Thoughts, and stuff now in her mind. If Dolan says it's not safe, she's trusting it.
Dirk hurries Patch and Dolan through the door, and slams it shut. He throws the deadbolt and slumps against it. He's shaking head to toe, panting for breath. He looks up to Dolan and Patch with wide eyes, his face as white as his beard. "My house," he wheezes between gulps of air. "My house... he cannae... get in... unless I invite 'im..." He lurches away from the door and staggers over to his well-appointed kitchen. He scrabbles along the walls, where various herbs and vegetables are hung, and snatches the three fat bulbs of garlic cloves.
Back into the living room, he rummages through the footlocker at the foot of his bed, and pulls out a roll of twine. "We cannae go out there. Not in the dark," he says. He starts tying loops of twine around the garlic and hanging them in the windows. "We have tae wait fer mornin'. Once Kol's asleep... then we stand a chance o' gettin' back tae Alex." He looks over to Patch, and looks fearfully back out the window. "I... I don't know. I've only been tae Mictlan the one time. Most of our friends are back in Alex..."
"He's a vampire." Dolan finds a pillar to lean against, his nerves shot, images of the past hour dancing four inches behind his eyes. "Same rules apply. Some things are bigger than you are." Now that he's not running, he's actively shaking. "Damn it. That poor man. Not a damn thing we can do. We've got to warn the city." He stares into the dark of the ceiling, chest still heaving.
"Okay, so we can't stay here?" Patch says about the surroundings, looking about the inside of the cabin as everyone takes a break. She even sits on something, any seat she can find. Yes, rest. Catch breath. "I don't know anyone in Mictlan. I just know they have some strong adventurers, and swiftclaws." this coming with a half-laugh. "I can hope for a ride, yeah?" she tries to joke meekly. "I'll follow wherever we go, but Dolan's right. The old Sunguard needs to know this."
Dirk goes over to his writing desk, where he keeps his ledger from his business in peddling furs and leathers, his home-grown tobacco and hand-carved pipes. He tears a strip of paper and fumbles the cap off his inkwell. With trembling fingers, he dips his pen and writes. 'Kol and Zalgiman have struck again. Me, Patch, Dolan safe at my cabin. Will come to Alex in morning. Dirk S.' Rolling up the paper into a tight little bundle, he lifts his fist and hoots through it. There's a fluttering of wings at the window, and Lulu perks her head in. "Hoo?" She hop-hop-hops along the windowsill, blinking worriedly up at her master. With another length of twine, Dirk gently ties the note to Lulu's leg. "Get this tae Telamon an' Cor'lana in Alexandria, Lulu. Ye remember, right? Where Pothy lives?" He presses a kiss to the top of Lulu's head and gently tosses her out the window. With a brave little hoot, she flaps her wings and vanishes into the night.
Dirk looks back to his friends. Quietly, he fetches down three wooden cups from his cupboard, and fills them from the pony keg of mead on his countertop. He passes them out, sitting himself down heavily. "Lulu will tell Telamon an' Cor'lana. An' they'll tell the rest of our friends. They'll know we're all right, an' that we're comin'." He tips back a lengthy gulp from his cup. "We just have tae hole up here 'til daybreak. Once the sun's in the sky, Kol won't be a threat, an' we can get back tae Alex." He turns his gaze to the window. "I just hope we can find someone who can help us."
GAME: Dolan rolls knowledge/religion: (2)+11: 13
Dolan's not even looking at either of them right now. He's staring into the dark of the ceiling rafters, chest still heaving, eyes wide with something only he can see. He doesn't answer jokes or reassurances.
"I knew people were disappearing." Patch says from her seat, sitting back and looking at the ceiling above. "When I followed him last time, he had two men with him, but I thought it was an ambush. Meeting them in the woods, ya know?" still processing what they saw back in the near dark and wet. "Cor'lana and Telamon will be interested, and good allies to have, but I have heard powerful people talk of Kol." just rambling, waiting.
Dirk fumbles his pipe and tobacco pouch out of his pocket. With trembling fingers, he tries to press a pinch of the fragrant herb into the bowl, but only manages to scatter it all over. With a low growl, he tries again, fighting to calm his shaking. With a strangled growl, he slaps his pipe down and curls his fingers into his hair. "I don't know what else tae -do-," he whimpers. "I'm so frightened. This... this is like nothin' I've ever fought afore."
Still, Dolan doesn't answer. He doesn't seem to be responding to anything said, the pupil of his flesh-and-blood eye wide and dark as he stares sightlessly into the dark of the ceiling rafters. His chest continues to heave with exertion that does not seem to be slowing appreciably, even as they rest.
"It's like I said at the temple. He's been guilty of harming others, and now someone saw the conspiring." A grin suddenly on Patch's features. "I remember Zalgiman teasing I had no witness or proof. Well, I didn't then." this being some 'good' news to the bard. "I know Elden getting taken is hard for all of us, but think of how many more they have done this to and not been caught?" this causing her to come to pause. "Zalgiman is not likely to forget this. We're all witnesses now, and a threat."
-End