The Eye of Anubis: Book Eight

[lostboy]

All of a sudden there’s a commotion outside, a lot of neighing and stamping of hooves, all of which is accompanied by some very loud swearing in a mixture of Falkovnian, Mordentish and some unrecognisable tongue.

“Quiet you crazy animal!” The swearing gets louder as footsteps approach the stable door. A door that bangs violently against the wall as a mailed fist strikes it open, and the tall figure of the Knight strides into the room, dragging a none-too happy looking Kejser behind him.

Seeing the others he stops dead “You!” He shouts in a gruff voice. His eyes burn with a dangerous gleam, as he wipes away a trickle of blood from an angry looking wound on his forehead. Roughly he thrusts the reins at Charles “here take the ill-mannered beast before I really lose my temper”.

After handing the horse over Sascha looks hard at each of the others and the now empty room. “ So he has run, the cowardly snake who attacked me, I will have recompense for this insult from his hide. Where in the mists is he and that hulking scum with him!”

[DocBeard]

Tomas does the only thing prudent at this point, and turns to look expectantly at Charles and Andre.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I suggest, sir," Lia replies with a loud voice, "that you explain your words! We have only just awoken from an unnatural sleep of thirteen hours! What the deuce is going on around here? I must insist you tell me, for it looks as if we have been stranded in the monastery to live out our days!"

[yalenusveler]

"Upon further consideration of present evidence, you may resume your snit, Charles." Andre said, looking both a bit sheepish..and actually almost hurt. He had wanted to believe better of Samael. Ah well, thinking the worst of people means you can only be pleasantly surprised...

He then turned to look at the Vos "Explanations. Now. Please"

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles is torn--rejoice at having his horse miraculously restored, or thank the restorer? Or try to figure out what on earth he's talking about? No, wait, the last one is easy.

All right, first the horse. After the briefest decent interval of quieting Kejser (not easy, with everyone, including Charles, on edge, and the smell of blood still heavy in the air), Charles turns to the knight and bows. "Many thanks for bringing him, m'sieur, I feared he'd been absconded with. Who was it attacked you? Our former companions?"

[lostboy]

Sascha glares at them "You want explanations from me?" He asks increduously. " One of your friends struck me like a coward" he thrusts a hand angrily at the seeping wound on his head. "Tell me where the one you call Khalil is, I want the dog begging for my mercy."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"If we knew I think we'd be glad to tell you, m'sieur," Charles says calmly. "As best we can tell at present, a group of our erstwhile companions induced us to sleep--perhaps by poison--and made off with our supplies for our intended journey. Apparently they were so desperate to be desert us that they found it necessary to abuse the laws of hospitality and attack our hosts as well, to make good their escape."

[yalenusveler]

"I would say I'm surprised...but I'm really not." Andre muttered a short prayer, the area around flooding with a brief sensation of vigor, followed seconds after by another prayer, his hand coming to rest on the rather belligerent bearer of horses and bad news, his wound healing. "And I wouldn't say friend. More business associate."

Andre then stepped back, and looked in his pocket, carefully unfolding a small scrap of paper carefully and peering over it, before carefully refolding it and returning it to his pocket with a bit of a sigh. "Now..more information..if you would be so kind?"

OOC:Maximized Cure Moderate Wounds on Mr.Angry

[DocBeard]

Okay, fine. Tomas takes a step forward, resisting the sudden and utterly natural urge to stab this viking screaming about honor like he knows what the word means in the face. The others would complain.

"Schurkischer Schlingel von unsicheren Absichten..." Tomas mutters under his breath all the same, because he has to let some of the tension out if they are going to talk words to the Vosgaardi. "We do not know what happened to the other members of our expedition. Perhaps they got a case of Die Krankheit des Matrosen," Which is "polite" talk for the kind of murderous cabin fever being locked in a small space with the same people over harrowing lengths of time can cause, "I have not known Khalil to attack someone unjustly before, Herr Kaltermann. Perhaps you could be describing in the detail, ja?"

(OOC: Translations from Lamordian/Online Translator German; "Rascally scoundrel of uncertain intentions", 'Sailor's Sickness", and "Cold Man", respectively.)

[lostboy]

Sascha flinches as Andre approaches looking as though he's about to strike the impudent man. Feeling the wound heal he pauses staring hard instead.

"Very well I shall believe you, trust and honour are earned afterall." He adds his voice dropping a deciebel or two.

“Humph it appears you have been betrayed by a group of dishonourable dogs. I caught them stealing the camels in the dead of night, preparing to slip away like cowards, and they would have, if that beast hadn’t started screaming as if stuck with a spear. Surprisingly human-sounding” He adds the last in slightly softer voice.

Sascha shakes his head rubbing the now closed wound before continuing. “Two of them there were, the snake Khalil and another I did not see at first. They were busy trying to steal away your steed” He explains looking over at Charles. “Another’s business is their own, but I know a horse being stolen when I see one. I challenged him but before I could do anything the other grabbed me, tight as a bear, pinning me.”

The hard gleam comes back to Sascha’s eye as he speaks “I will not repeat the insult he gave me but the coward beat me senseless with the hilt of his weapon.” He grimaces again at the memory.

[yalenusveler]

"There was that murder back in Barovia. We had been willing to attribute it to magical compulsion..but honestly..rather simple to claim "A wizard did it". We didn't exactly hold him to evidenciary standards of a court of law." Andre said, almost as an aside.

[DocBeard]

Tomas's scowl deepens.

He LIKED Khalil. But this is...

And, okay, I guess the Vosmann is going to talk to the others. Works for Tomas. "Let's speak to that monk. We will not be learning anything new here. Once we have a rational hold on what we know happened, speculation can become fruitful."

[yalenusveler]

"Wait...the blood on the cut on your head doesn't match up in any way shape or form with the amount of blood here. By Kesjer certainly, but not in general..so then where are the bodies? Or at least the injured?" Andre said, looking like had just had one of those flashes of insight where afterwards, you invent fire, or diffuse magical theory. It was more likely just remote common sense catching up with the scholar.

"We need to find whomever was involved in this fight on the loosing end, and fast. They may have more information. If they aren't already dead."

[lostboy]

"Blood?" Sascha asks quizzically the pent up agression seemingly having drained away, "there was no other blood here that I recall."

"I came to only a short time ago, here on the floor where they left me, the snake was long gone."

"The horse had bolted but I could see him not far down the path, the beast seemed a fine specimin so I went after him. Unfortunatley he is less than cooperative to anyone but his master."

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan had remained remarkably silent during all of this. He stood off to the side and behind the others in a quiet rage. The only signs that he was actually aware of what the newcomer was saying were his clenched fists and the faint trembling of his shoulders.

"Dieter," he said softly finally, "Will you come with me? Let's check Edmund's things and see if everything he needs is there. Maybe...maybe he didn't betray us, too."

The priest's voice was strained, like he was trying to convince himself that not everyone was all bad. He wanted to believe not all of those godsforsaken monsters didn't abandon them just for greed. But the bloodbath and the fact that quite literally everything was gone didn't leave the priest much to have faith by.