TSW - Chapter 6: The Past (1) - Questions

With Danton and Raneaux of the way, Xera let Coe into his lab. He had been a little self conscious about the state  it was in after it had been ransacked but Coe didn't seem to mind. In fact ,the way he was eyeing everything over made it more like he was studying rather than glancing. After a few minutes of perusing the chaos, Coe found a spot on a side bench to settle down. With both arms he swept everything off, papers, vials, instruments and all to the floor. Xera presumed that Coe had through this was how he naturally kept his lab and the extra mess he had just made was now just another thing he had to clean up and tidy away. After the day Xera had, all he wanted to do was rest but his bed sheet and lumpy pillows were buried under a mountain of papers and books and found the idea of clearing up more of a hassle. He thought this might be the best time to question Coe while Coe set up his own equipment from his apothecary bag, while he would have to tidy up around him.

The first question was a fishing question of sorts, trying to lure out any underlying information. He asked him what he knew about the word Acardaeum, which he professed to know little. He knew that from just hearing the word made him feel giddy at the prospect of experimenting with unlimited resources, time and away from prying eyes to perfect his craft. To Xera the word had a similar meaning, although far less about experimenting on people, but understanding the true nature of reality. It was curious thing, that the world meant different things to both of them, but he kept his idea of the Acardaeum to himself. He then brought up the next question, which was on the symbol he had found on a scrap of paper in his room after the ransacking.

Coe half looked over at the design before carrying on with setting up his workspace. He candidly said to Xera that he had seen the design on Danton's necklace but Danton had not explained why he was so secretive about possessing it. Xera cursed to the air. A little taken aback, Coe asked him what was the matter with him. Xera tried to explain that the design was personal, something key to his history lost in fragments of blotted memories and sighed. If Danton knew more than he was telling, then there had to be a reason and possibly it could be to manipulate him into doing what Danton wanted him to do. Another curse left his lips directed at Danton before he settled down. Coe told him that any information he learned from Danton in the morning would be relayed as quickly as he could.  Xera smiled, he had no idea why Coe believed in him or followed his pursuits but he was comforted by the support. He thought to himself that even though Danton had brought him into the fold, Xera knew that perhaps one day, Coe would on his side.

An hour or two later Coe had managed to create a nest for himself under the desk and had fallen soundly asleep. Xera, on the other hand, was kept up by his racing mind. The image of his mother's ring, the scrap of parchment on the floor and Danton's necklace could not be separate instances to him. There had to be some connection he wasn't seeing or just couldn't remember. He grunted in frustration. From the shadows near the door, Umbra stepped out and startled Xera. He told him that he had been there for most of the night and thought it was only appropriate that he came to talk to Xera now, before Coe awoke. He made small talk about what had happened in the ranch, how Coe hated mutants and how he had told Raneaux to drug him.

Xera nodded along only half listening. Umbra was playing with a deck of cards, practicing sleight of hand and tricks to keep his dexterity sharpened. Umbra could see that Xera wasn't interested in how dangerous Coe could prove to be to the Steadfast and pulled out an embroidered pouch to put his cards away in. It was a small black cloth, far too small for the cards with dark purple embroidery. He slipped the cards entirely into the pouch amazing Xera. He asked what it was, to which Umbra shrugged his shoulders. He explained he had been given it by a fellow Hawk who had explained they had got it from a old woman who said it was cursed. This intrigued Xera and that only deepened when Umbra explained that the design on it; the same design from the ring, the paper and the necklace, was the reason why.

 Xera nearly sprang to his feet. He didn't believe in the natural confluence of events. Something must be here and he could not grasp at it, no matter how much his mind desperately tried. It felt as if the world was teasing him, mocking him for near blank past. He desperately asked Umbra where the old woman had found it. There was a  few moments pause before Umbra remembered a detail. He said that the woman may have said it from a lost temple although he wasn't sure. The details on the exact place were a little hazy but he remembered that one detail had stuck in his fellow Hawk's mind, it was place like a mirage, out of step with the universe, an unchanging sentinel. The last word had stuck in Xera's mind, it was odd to him that the place had been described as both a temple and a sentinel, a building ever watchful, ever observing.  He asked one last question, if Umbra knew what the Acardaeum was. He said he had never heard of the world before tonight, but he somehow knew it was a place of safety, tranquillity, a place where he was understood and accepted. He knew now that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, he was far too frustrated and now even more confused. There were no real answers and the responses he got were more confounding that the question. There was one thing for certain, Danton was hiding something from him which meant he couldn't be trusted.

TSW - Chapter 5: The Live Drop (8) - Calm Seas

Danton quickly cut short Coe's admirations, time was ticking and now he had the poisoner in his pocket, it was about time for a plan to right. He told Umbra to stay outside and keep a watch for the arrival of Dehart's courier and to relay to Raneaux. Danton had asked Coe if he would take the role of an intermediate for the live drop but he refused. He did not consider himself working for Danton, rather than working with him and his previous arrangements with Moma were now void, and so was his role in the transaction. He looked around the room and saw Coe had now wandered off with Xera while Raneaux was idly twiddling her thumbs. He told her he needed her hep but first they needed to clean their robes as so not to raise any more suspicion. Raneaux with full abandon shrugged the robes off of her and dipped them into the a pale of water near the hearth while Danton carefully removed his. One of Coe's eyes was on the conversation while the other was drawn to Danton. His overly careful behaviour meant one thing to Coe, he was hiding something. Although he wasn't sure, the glimpse of a necklace that was hastily shoved back under his clothes was most likley the cause.

Both of the robes were left to dry by the fire but the only problem was that although the blood washed out of Danton's robes, the stains were too stubborn for Raneaux's. A little disgruntled, Danton pressed forward with the new plan. He looked up to the rafters of the room to see if he could get a clear shot down to the door. He saw a possible way up, but faulted after the first attempt. Raneaux on the other hand clambered up with ease and smiled back as his surprised face. He shook his head. He realised now that he would have take the role of Coe and of Moma's lackey's while Raneaux provided back up. He knew he risked getting recognised but he knew he wasn't as agile as her. Fate had again forced his hand. He shook his body down and ran his hands across his face. He thought back to the shack and how Moma's guards spoke and then to the way Coe carried himself. He practised the movements and the voice much to Coe's amusement. He was interrupted by Raneaux telling him that Umbra had  had spotted a guard with a large flat object and a strong box, both carried on a floating plate.

Danton stood next to the door awaiting the knock. It turned into a odd pattern of knocks that he presumed we some sort of code. He looked at Coe for advice but he had hidden himself away with Xera. He made sure the hood of his robe covered his eyes and slowly opened the door. Xera had a flash of inspiration and threw the cacophony shoes out to the corner of the room away from view. The light and sounds they created gave a convincing teleportation effect which he hoped would buy Danton a little more credence to his story. The man outside was dressed in a similar robe to that he had seen on Dehart, although much less ornate and badly maintained. Danton could see the man was tired and form the way he was slightly stooping, had obviously walked from Auspar. He let the man speak first in hopes to gain a clue as to what he should reply with. He asked for a password which Danton assumed might be the case but he didn't know the answer. For a second Danton concentrated on the currier and he was somehow able to skim a thought from his mind. Acardaeum.

Dehart's lackey  handed both items to Danton, although he seemed not to care much for what was the items were or how valuable they would be. Danton tried to gain a little more information but the man held his hand up to stop him and stormed off, struggling to pulling floating plate behind him in the dark. Somehow the transaction had gone off without a hitch which stunned Danton. Raneaux leapt down from the rafters and cuddled up to her new windrider. Coe placed his hand on Danton's shoulder, waking him from his daze. He said he and Xera were headed for his lab and presumed he, the girl and the mutant would follow suit. He nodded but before they left Danton wanted to hide their trail. He took the pot of green paint and called over Raneaux. He lightly scratched into the surface of the door the symbol of a long standing rival of House Ethis from another part of the Steadfast, Velthos and smiled. He let Raneaux to cover the markings with pain with her finger as the brush. She wiped the paint off on her bloodstained robe and they quickly left.

Just before they entered Xera's lab, Coe pulled Danton to one side and questioned him on the necklace he had spotted. Danton shifted uncomfortably and deflected the question. He said he would tell him everything he needed to know in the morning but all he wanted to do now was rest. Suspicion was now rife in Coe's mind and he questioned if he had made the right decision. He turned back to the creator of the Blue Famine and sighed. He thought to himself this would probably be the only chance he would get to question one of the greatest prisoner he had ever known and knew he had to accept the baggage that came with it. Danton ruffled Raneaux hair a little praising her for how valuable she had been to him. She looked at him a little confused but smiled all the same. He then offered Umbra a room at the Drunken Tallon but he politely turned it down. There was something more pressing on his mind and told Danton they needed to talk about what he had promised to deliver to him in the Oraea in the morning.

TSW - Chapter 5: The Live Drop (7) - Coe

To Raneaux's understanding, as she passed over the darts, the man she had been conversing with was now most likely a master poisoner. The reason he had not reacted violently to her and Umbra was possibly due to the fact, she believed, that he could kill them all quickly, quietly and efficiently without much effort on his part. She tried to communicate her fear to Danton but she had never mentally linked with him and her desperate gaze never met his eyes. Instead, Danton was solely focused on the poisoner. He introduced himself as a colleague of Raneaux's but was corrected by the gentleman. He told Danton he was not her co-worker. In fact he knew exactly who he was, Danton Scalar of House Ethis. He mentioned that  Isadora had told him many things about Danton, although she had not mentioned his visit to Thaemor. Danton was taken aback by his immediate recognition and sternly looked down at Raneaux, who avoided his looks of disapproval. The man thanked Raneaux for her honesty and told Danton that she had used up the excuse of operating on a patient to explain his bloodstained robes. Raneaux shrunk into her chair.

Danton was indeed going to use the excuse but realised that Raneaux had not had his upbringing and did not fully comprehend the delicate nature of the truth. He presumed since she had told the poisoner of certain details, she had told him of Moma. He said to man that she worked for him although not in the capacity she may or may not have mentioned. She had been found in Darkperch as a vagrant and employed as a sentry of sorts to guard his own interests. Danton had business with Moma and it had worked in his favour. She had  fallen for a trap he had set and had managed to kill her. The poisoner bit his lip and opened his eyes a little, raising his brow. He was impressed that Danton had managed to even get close to her, let alone kill her.  He explained that had tried many times to gather samples to create some sort of protection against her, but he had never even gotten close to her. He considered this fact for a moment or two before needing evidence. If he had killed Moma and not her clone, then the scythe she had wielded would be functional, rather than a mere copy. Danton swallowed uncomfortably, trying to carefully hide his deception. The poisoner wanted Danton to go collect the scythe himself as proof of Moma's death but instead Danton told Raneaux to go. In his mind, if things were turn against them, it would be better that she and Xera remained safe outside, while he and Umbra fought off the poisoner.

Danton looked down at the table next to the poisoner and noticed the alchemy equipment on the and said that he may have something of interest.  He apologised profusely if Raneaux had been rude and asked for his name while he brought out a vial of blood. He replied that he was known as Coe and that he had not expected someone from House Ethis to show civility and decorum. Danton said that he was not like his sister and without hesitation threw the vial of Cursed Qui blood at Coe in hopes to poison him. To his dismay he saw Coe wipe the blood off his face with a handkerchief from his breast pocket while he tutted. He told him that Danton and whoever he was working with, now only had one chance left. Danton was about to freefall back into a panicked state but there was something recognisable within Coe. A similar desire to live without restriction, to live a lifestyle suitable to his interests and intrinsically valuing all forms of drugs. A few minutes passed as Coe observed Umbra and turned back towards analysing the Khatt-Nipp. From pursed lips and narrow eyes a compliment was given. The quality of the drug was better than Isadora's and Coe wanted the recipe. Danton said that he knew he was better than Isadora although, as he showed Coe his eyes, he needed a more potent form of Nastrond.

A slow understanding between the two had developed and Danton needed to tip the scales in his favour. His heart was now set on employing Coe as his own. The poisoner said that he was a mercenary of sorts who followed the trail of money and not empty promises. He had worked for Isadora, but that was due to her wealth which he assumed had come from her brother and siphoned from the royal treasury. He also said that he was not here under her orders, in fact Moma had employed him as a third party to make sure the transaction was to take place without a hitch. If he was to abandon his post Danton needed something substantial. He released that Raneaux had not returned and told Coe that he needed to send the mutant out to retrieve something far greater than the Scythe, the head of Moma.  Coe was now intrigued, he wasn't interested in the scythe she wielded but her flesh to experiment on and even though Danton maybe only offering a clone, it may be close enough to create something that could kill the original.

Within a couple of minutes of Umbra leaving he had returned stained with blood with Moma's head wrapped in layers of strips of bed sheet. He had not protested to decapitating her, in fact the summers breeze he heard in his mind made him care far less about anything he was doing. A blissful smile had never left his face from the moment he left, to the moment he returned. Within moments of the head being unveiled, Coe set to work taking samples almost oblivious to Danton and Umbra's existence. He did however mutter under his breath that the subject had been tainted, but it was something he could work with, pleased with the fact that Nastrond had affected her so violently. The fangs that had Danton had grown now protruded out of him gum line and his eyes narrowed and flickered with a second set of clear eyelids. He had captured his prey.

After the samples had been taken Coe agreed to work with Danton although he needed protection from her, her followers, and those that were part of her group. He offered a device that separated into three distinct modules that created an alarm field, or so he had been told but he had more to offer.  He shouted for Xera to come in and after a few awkward seconds Xera shuffled in keeping his eyes close to the ground. However as he turned the corner into the main hall he was rushed upon by Coe. He shook his hand vigorously and was almost out of breath as he talked. Streams of compliments of brilliance, ingenuity and the numbers of dead now because of him poured out. Xera looked up confused and dazed, he had been expecting for the man to have killed him, not idolizing him. Danton noticed that Coe had seemed to have turned a child idolising a Hawk-Eye from Auspar. Coe wanted to know how Xera had come up with such an ingenious, untraceable and deadly toxin as the Blue Famine. 

TSW - Chapter 5: The Live Drop (6) - Resistance

The bloodstains on her robes left little to the imagination. The man's well spoken tones were calm and collected, while highlighting that a girl of her age should perhaps take better care of her clothes. He asked politely what she was doing there and why she had woke him up. Raneaux fumbled over her words. He had not made a single move to attack and neither had he changed his relaxed posture, save for switching feet on the table he was now resting them on.  She called out in her mind to Xera, who replied that he had heard Danton mention something about surgery to the Oraea in explaining the blood. After the lie left her lips, the man sleepily rubbed his eyes and told her to try again. Taken aback she panicked and called for Umbra to help.

He wasn't as concealed as he liked and the light made it difficult for him to blend in. Regardless, he fired off a Khatt-Nipp laced dart which became lodged in ruffles of the man's clothing. He prayed it had pierced his target's skin. He plucked it out from his shirt, dismissed the design as crude and tossed it to the floor beside him. Raneaux took two steps back. He didn't mention that he had just been attacked but instead turned to Raneaux's intrusion. She decided that perhaps a little honesty would buy her some time. She told him that she was investigating a woman named Moma for an employer in Auspar. He cocked his head and tutted. He told her that as a Guldspar, they were not allowed to be influenced by external factors, such as private employment that could cloud their judgement. She had known some of the ways of monks but she hated them and in the past refused to learn anything more of them, which was now possibly a mistake. She said to him that her colleague in the investigation would soon arrive and he would perhaps settle the matter. The man shifted a little into a more comfortable position and faintly smiled.

Xera by now had made it across the festivities in the centre of the village with little effort. He had in fact on the way been offered sweet treats and a glass or two of wine to which both he resentfully declined . While Eryn was around he had felt freer but now with Danton in charge, the world felt as if it was closing in with each mistake Danton was making.  Raneaux's communications were brief. The situation hadn't spiralled out of control like it had in the shack but Raneaux's lies were tying her in knots and she needed someone to talk in her stead. Her description of the man, a broad shouldered merchant or noble with intimidating logic and an apparent resistance to Khatt-Nipp made one thing clear to Xera, he was not going inside.

Seemingly tired of Raneaux's excuses, he told his assailant to step out from the behind the corner. He was disgusted to find that the dart had come from a mutant. He complimented Umbra on his aim through gritted teeth. The man however was intrigued by what the dart had been laced with. With a yawn he picked up it up and placed the tip on his tongue and sucked the poison off. He complimented Raneaux on the taste but he couldn't quite place what it was. She now had absolute confirmation that the Khatt-Nipp had had no effect regardless of how it had got into his system. She knew the only way she would ever leave the room alive would be near utter honesty. She told him the name of the drug ,which he confirmed after a second taste and that she did work for a family in Auspar, Ethis. The man's eyes lit up for a second saying that he too was employed by House Ethis, although Isadora had never mentioned employing a Guldspar. Umbra started to panic, he now realised this encounter was swiftly plummeting at a rate he could not control. He shook his head for a second and closed his eyes trying to regain focus. As he opened them, he saw Raneaux dead on the floor, her body punctured with a thousand darts. He looked over the man who was now smoking a pipe, his eyes glaring at him in golden tones.

The gentleman sighed to Raneaux and told her this was why mutants should never be given the same rights as humans. He said that in the past, the mutants he had experimented on had provided some unique feedback against his own toxins but regardless if they survived the encounter they were all added to the foul pit at the bottom of the city where they belonged. Umbra was now ranting to himself and according to the man, he was now an unpleasant distraction. He handed over Raneaux the dart  and in a soft tone he told her to shut the mutant up. He went on further and said   that that if the dosing wasn't sufficient anymore, then she should use one of her mutant's own. She hesitated, saying sorry to Umbra in her mind over and over again before puncturing his neck with the dart. The horrific vision of Raneaux's death was soon given the sound of a summers breeze rustling through trees. The fact that she had died now seemed make him feel at peace.

The man now seemed pleased with Raneaux, even though her sudden appearance had yet to be substantially explained. He asked her to pass over a few of the darts from the mutant while removing equipment from the leather bag beneath him. He took his feet off the table and now laid out an alembic, a calcinator, a mortar & pestle and a retort. In addition he brought out a few vials of liquids, while some contained insects both living and dead. As Raneaux handed over the darts there was a knock at the door. Raneaux sighed in relief as she told her 'college' to come in.  As she turned her head it wasn't who she was expecting. Xera had stayed outside, just like he said and now in his place Danton walked in. 

TSW - Chapter 5: The Live Drop (5) - Uninvited

Danton was greeted by three Oraea monks, carrying a gift size bottle of what he presume to be some kind of alcohol and a small selection from the buffet from earlier. His bloodstained clothes and smeared face made them recoil and hesitant to even continue talking. Two of the monks were standing at the front, with one behind obviously meeker than the rest. It was he who was pulled forward by the other two to talk to Danton as they quickly stepped back.  His words stammered as he offered help for the injured if needed but Danton tried to convince them of another scenario. He told them that he was medical practitioner assisting an operation being overseen by an Aeon Priest from the Papal Spire. Due to the conditions in Auspar, those that needed medical attention outside the caldera were no longer allowed help from the Aeon Priests inside the city. He was here on a mission of mercy, helping the sick and injured of Thaemor and if the Oraea was any further of a distraction, the patient may lose her life.  The monks looked at each other and realised it was probably best if they left well alone and gingerly handed over the basket of gifts, offering more at the Oraea for after the surgery.  He nodded and thanked them then snatched the basket of goods out of the monk's hand and closed the door behind him. He let out a sigh, leaning against the door to make sure they had gone and wouldn't force their way in.

His eyes drifted towards Moma, whose convulsions were now becoming violent. Her skin was erupting in scales and through the flickering of her eyelids, he could see a familiar mutation.  Xera had had difficulty keeping her still while the Oraea was outside the door but with Danton's return he let go of her, now only realising how much her body was fighting against him. The table that supported her started to rock with her movements, showing signs of giving way. Danton had never seen this type of reaction in his men but it had haunted his dreams. The total conversion of his body and mind stalked him, a serpentine creature of guilt, hatred and fear. It was the embodiment of losing own his identity and becoming a true son of House Ethis. He knew what Nastrond could do to a person and if Moma was receiving these mutations all at once, she would become a monster. There was no other outcome but to end another life by his hands. He justified his actions in his mind over and over again. His secrecy was too important, his investment in Xera was too important and ultimately, he himself, was too important to die.

In the ranch across the village, Raneaux had slumped against the wall by the door in hopes of resting before the drop. She glanced up at Umbra who was unable to blend into the dark due to the lit candles and a roaring fireplace.  It took her a few moments before this fact sunk in. It was the middle of the night, Dehart's guards had not made it to the drop point but the candles and fire meant that somebody had been here or perhaps still was. She told Umbra to search the room, while massaging her head. The pain felt as if a pick was trying to gain purchase in her skull. Her concerns to their seclusion were quickly confirmed as Umbra peeked around the corner that framed what seemed to be a small kitchen and noticed a sleeping man. He was surprising well groomed, his beard had been shaped and trimmed and his hair had been styled. The garments he was wearing seemed to Umbra to be deemed fashionable, or at the very least owned by a person with money but there were the tale-tale signs of armor underneath. His wrists were covered in thick hide and his neck was collared by metal plates on his jacket.  He seemed not much older than someone in his mid-thirties but the leather case he had between his feet was much older. It was made from an exotic hide, a scaly hue of dark purple tarnished by time and heavy use all held togehter by faded brass.  The top was almost a peak with a fraying handle in the same leather spaning its width. The two as a whole did not seem to fit.

Umbra knew that even from the man's sleeping figure, he was most likely dangerous. The only way to turn the tables was to snuff out the candles and provide himself shadows for him to work in. He asked if Raneaux would be able to help but she soon realised she was far too drained to provide assistance. She panicked a little, knowing that the rest she so deeply needed would have to wait and whatever was to happen next, she didn't have the strength to  get into a fight. Her mind reached out across Darkperch to Xera and pleaded for his help. He asked Danton if it would be better suited if Danton went in his stead but Danton shook his head and told him to go as requested, covering up the fact that he wasn't sure if Moma was truly dead. Xera grumbled under his breath again and wiped the specks of blood that he had accidently let slip past his precautions and careful eye. He left the room and slammed the door, not really knowing how he was going to help with someone that seemed to cause concern for even the Hawk-Eye. The last candles from Raneaux and Umbra's side of the room were snuffed out. This now left the fireplace casting light. Umbra approached the sleeping man's side of the room with caution, his eyes constantly trained on the figure. As he  passed the kitchen servery to snuff out the candle upon it, he had forgotten to wet his fingers in his overly concerned state. His slight reaction to the pain was enough to wake the gentleman up and in the few seconds it took for him to become fully alert, Umbra  had hid back around the corner near the door and Raneaux was shoved into the spotlight.  

TSW - Chapter 5: The Live Drop (4) - The Drunken Oraea

It dawned on Raneaux as they both left, that she the Hawk-Eye were covered in blood. Umbra however could disappear into the shadows of the night, while she would  most likely draw far too much attention, and possibly lead to her imprisonment. Not only that, but she didn't know how the Oraea would react to her wearing the robes, regardless of the stains. She decided to take a longer route around the edge of the village and to head down the path by the pond. She hoped that the monks would at least stay to the centre of the village, to which she soon was proved wrong.

Three monks were drinking by the edge of the pond, laughing and throwing scraps of metal and rocks into the water. The moon rippled on its surface and for a short time, seemed to enthral the them.  Raneaux had considered taking off the robes but time was slipping through her finger tips. She had to react fast. She asked Umbra for help, only to find the shadow of the sparse canopy he had disappeared  into, was now empty. She tried to contact him mentally and found that he was already by the main road, a good hundred feet from where she was now. There was nothing for it but to run. She was light on her feet and the dark material of the robes helped her in part to blend into the night and with panting breath, she made it to the edge of the main road and across to her shack.

She told Umbra that the ranch was closer to the centre of the village but there was a back entrance next to where the creatures were allowed out into their pen.  As they arrived, more the Oraea were getting drunk outside.  There was no way to sneak past this group and the torches they had erected all over town, dissipated all hope of Umbra hiding in the dark. Raneaux thought back to the many days she had been caving all over the Steadfast in search of lost treasures for House Narkonis. She remembered something that had saved her life from ravenous Elchins. Raneaux had covered a glowglobe in blood and the rolling sphere gave her just long enough time for her to escape while the creatures followed their new prey. The same principal, she believed, could apply here. The monks were inebriated and if they were react like the ones by the lake, they could be easily distracted in their drunken state. She sneaked round to the corner of the storehouse  that was on the road to Auspar and rolled a brightly lit glowglobe down the road towards them. At the same time she yelled at Umbra in her mind to silently pick the lock while they were hopefully distracted.

One of the monks had seen the light fly past but it was enough for him to try and convince the others of a ghostly apparition. A few considered the proposal before it was decided that the man in question had probably drunk a bit too much  and was taken back to the Oraea to sleep it off. Raneaux's heart was finally able to rest for a brief moment. Umbra told her that he had been able to infiltrate the building and was ready for her to arrive. She, however, was exhausted from the earlier fight. Her head was pounding and her receding heart beat revealed the aches and pains she had shrugged off earlier. She knew that at least if she was inside, she could have time to rest and recuperate before the drop.

Back at the blood soaked shack, Danton and Xera were cleaning up what they could of the slaughtering of Moma's guards. They had piled the bodies up  behind the bed and had torn rags from the bed sheet to mop up what they had caused. The carnage was overwhelming Danton and the thought that he was instrumental in it felt as if a poison was coursing through is veins. He scrunched his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face considering his next move. His thoughts were disrupted by Moma's drug induced babbling about a sanctum and a river before slipping out of consciousness again. He thought it was best if she was restrained, even if she was a clone. Before he could get to her, her body started to convulse. It was a very familiar reaction to Danton but the fact that she was starting to mutate after swallowing the pill rather than it a consequence of withdrawal ,made him hesitate to intervene. This was not natural, well as natural as the reaction could be. Her erratic  body movements contorted her and threw her off of the bed. She fell onto the bloody floor and soon she was tarnished by the same grisly brush  as Danton. He was now on edge, her reaction was unprecedented and he didn't know how far it would go before its grip was released.  A sudden knock on the door made him jump and he nearly slipped as he rained his footing.

Danton started to panic, nothing he had planned for had gone right. Dehart's men had shown up far too early and he couldn't persuade them to leave before Danton had one of them killed. Moma had shown up soon after and again by Danton's hand he swiftly had four more deaths his conscience. He grabbed Moma as best he could and with Xera's help dumped her onto the desk. He wiped his hands on his robe and tried to neaten his hair. The knocks were more forceful now, accompanied by a deep voice. There was worry and panic in the tones of the man's voice. He asked if everything was okay and if someone needed medical attention due to the blood that was seeping under the door. With no immediate response they shouted again and again, repeating if whoever was inside needed help.  The moment they offered to get assistance from the other monks, Danton scrambled to the door. He opened it a crack, before slipping out and shutting it behind him.

TSW - Chapter 5: The Live Drop (3) - The Ebb of Life

Before the guards could react, Umbra fired a dart at the clone of Moma just before Raneaux's shadow enveloped the room. Khatt-Nipp soon took a hold of Moma. She saw a mountain of artefacts and weaponry over by the bed in the corner and left the safety of her guards. Danton dodged back behind the desk, his serpentine eyes allowing him to see perfectly clear through Raneaux's darkness. He shouted to Umbra the guards' location and he lunged forward with his dagger, but it was deflected off his targets armor. Raneaux fired a arrow point blank at the group, who had now turned back to back for protection. She wasn't intending to pierce the armor, she instead used the force to knock over one of them and in turn, this caused the others to fall.

Over by the bed, Moma's induced visions was getting her closer and closer to the body hidden underneath. Danton knew that the drug could blind people to reality  but he didn't know how she would react and she possibly could be able to see the corpse. He snuck up on her and gently whispered into her ear. He presented a pill of Nastrond and enticed her with it abilities to boost intelligence and power. In her easily influenced state, she demanded that she was given it and soon that too coursed through her veins.  The munitions that she had seen, soon turned into fuzzy neon lights that rose up and swirled around her, as if she had disturbed a kaleidoscope of butterflies. Her heart raced, her eyes shuddered side to side and soon she convulsed and passed out on the bed.

On the other side of the room, Umbra, now knowing that his weapon was useless against the guards' armor, took his inspiration from the laced darts and covered his dagger in Khatt-Nipp. Within a blink of an eye, another was infected and soon he too felt compelled to leave the safety of his companions. He leapt to his feet, convinced that Moma was in danger in a completely different part of the room.  The other guards soon reformed their standing position and launched their own attack. A glance slash cut Umbra' cheek along with a little of his pride. The darkness, on the other hand, allowed Raneaux and Danton to evade unharmed. The problem now was that no matter how hard they were trying, their attacks just couldn't penetrate.

Danton took a few seconds to himself to think of what he could do and a grim thought crossed his mind. If they couldn't attack the armor, then a softer area needed to be targeted. In the cover of the dark, he snuck up on the drugged guard and soon his life started to ebb from his throat. The drug had taken such a hold, that as the crimson ran down his chest plate, he seemed to feel nothing. Danton shouted to Umbra to infect another guard and soon the deed was done. However this guard didn't seem to see Moma or a mountain of weapons, instead he took both hands and gabbed Umbra' head on either side and soon their lips were locked. Raneaux had managed to use the dark to her advantage and had managed to grab hold of one of the guard and restrained him in hopes that either someone would intervene.

Danton went to the aid of Umbra but due to the intimacy, the cut wasn't clean and the cast off tarnished them and room.  Umbra kicked the guard away, allowing him to drain out.  He turned to Raneaux and soon the struggle to keep the guard restrained covered her in similar, lukewarm hues. The last was dispatched by Raneaux, although she had to jump to reach his throat. To Umbra, the fight was over, but for all the wrong reasons. His mutations had allowed him to blend with his surroundings but his mind had been inflicted with horrific visions. He stood alone, blood-soaked, with Raneaux, Danton, the guards and Moma bleeding out on the floor around him. He screamed and couldn't stop screaming. His visions blended reality and fantasy and couldn't see Raneaux and Danton in shock but very much alive.

Outside, Xera had dealt with Dehart's henchman. His trusted artefact had, bit by bit, turned the man into crystal. The problem had been that instead of using it to incapacitate so he could be taken out by martial means, the conversion had killed him. The last discharge of energy reverberated within the crystals and his body had shattered sending shards in Xera's direction which drew blood in the process. During the fight, he had tried to contact Raneaux but she hadn't replied in some time, although the sound of violence inside had now only just calmed down. However that was now replaced with Umbra' screaming. Xera tried to contact her again, worried about what was going on inside. She told him it was probably best that he didn't come in. Although she did not tell him why.

Raneaux had retracted her shadow, which revealed the extent of what had happened in the dim light of the glowglobe. The four guards were lifeless on the floor, with their blood running down every surface and fabric. She reached out over to Umbra, who jumped back at her touch. She told him through his mind they were fine, the fight was over, they were safe. He shook the vision out of mind's eye but the reality was as grim. The tepid smell of iron caused Raneaux to nearly vomit before she choked it down again.   Danton on the other hand seemed almost unaware of the carnage he had wrought. He was now rifling through the guards' personal belongings, pulling out coins with his bloodied hands. 

Xera had had enough of waiting outside and cracked the door open. The smell caused him to wince a little but he concocted far more rancid odours. Danton yelled at him to shut the door behind him, which he did, although he grumbled under his breath at the barked orders. Danton then turned to Raneaux and Umbra and told them that they needed to head over to the ranch in preparation for the live drop.  He reminded Raneaux that this wasn't just about the Rejuvenator, it was about her Windrider as well. She wiped her face as clean as she could with the sleeve of her cloak and motioned to Umbra  to follow her.