The Night Hunters

-Dalen Capital, Lower Quarter. Night, 2 DSTR-

Lafayette looked to see Kalena petting the hell hound, a bit put off. "These hounds can smell souls?" he asked, a bit of skepticism to his voice.

“So Her Majesty told me,” Kalena replied, scratching one dog's dark furred muzzle. She loved animals, especially horses, but she was fond of dogs too. “They were bred and trained by powerful faerie-folk. Those from the great Fae kingdom of Kobroros.” It lay on a mystical isle somewhere in the Western Sea, but she'd never been there herself.

“A soul stolen?” The City Watch officer exclaimed a few feet away, appalled as he conferred with the shaken priest. “Necromancy most foul it is.”

"Necromancy? Isn't that punishable by death?" Lafayette asked.

“Aye lad, 'tis one of the highest crimes in the land,” the officer said gravely. “Whoever is responsible will pay, and I mean truly pay.”

“That they most assuredly will, but let me make something perfectly clear,” Kalena said sharply to the guardsmen. “Baron Lowson and I are taking charge of this matter. You in the City Watch can either help us, or stay the hell out of our way.”

“Understood, milady,” the officer replied, sounding admonished. He scratched his thin beard. “I wonder if this has anything to do with the business down in Radogast a couple of days ago. There was a necromancer among a group of outlaws being hunted by Commander Styliane. Rumour is one of her scouts had his soul stolen too by the man.”

“By the gods of light,” muttered the priest, shocked at such obscenity.

“Do these maniacs really think they won't be caught for such abominable crimes?” Kalena said rhetorically.

"What will we do once we catch them?" Lafayette asked. "We will interrogate them, correct? We won't just kill them, right? We do need answers after all."

“What answers do we need?” Kline said and looked at Lafayette. “They will talk, trust me, and then they will die.” He said in a dark voice. “They will talk, they will.” He growled out the words. "And we will bring the heads of them to the Queen and their families to show to those in the Kingdom you do not do this sort of thing. I am sure the Queen will be grateful for removing such cancers on our land."

“Yes, I'm quite sure that she will,” Kalena agreed, smiling in approval at Kline's tone, that left no doubt he meant serious business. She could see he was barely controlling his rage, and was glad he did not blame her in anyway for what had happened.

"Do remind me to stay on your good side," Lafayette said to Kline, swallowing hard.

Kline looked to his men. “Get your tools and get ready.”

As swift preparations were made to move out, Kalena ducked into her house and when she shortly returned she was no longer wearing her maroon evening gown and heels. She was now dressed all in black, black cloak, black metal cuirass strapped over a black linen tunic blouse, snug black leather leggings, and black boots. An ebony-coloured sabre and dagger hung from her belt and four small onyx-handled throwing knives were sheathed in a baldric across her breastplate, with several more hidden in her boots. On her back she wore a quiver of finely wrought arrows and a magnificent recurve bow of dark wood was slung about her slim shoulders.

Gularzob frowned with professional disdain at seeing Kalena clad in her old set of armour. He had not yet finished forging the superior replacement that she had commissioned from him. He'd wanted to show her the sample of his smithing work he had brought along to the party, but the present bustling courtyard was hardly the time or place. He stepped back, forgotten as Enyo was led out of the stables by Grunar; the great midnight black mare was clad in complete armour and looked fierce and ready to charge into battle.

Kalena grabbed the ornate saddlebow and sprang easily up onto the horse's back, her feet sliding into the stirrups and her hands taking up the reins with automatic ease. Some of the other horses were visibly unnerved by the massive hounds, but Enyo gave the pack an indifferent stare, having encountered them before on royal hunting trips with the Queen.

The fearsome dogs were soon given the scent of the blood on Van’s blade and then they started baying. Barking and shouting followed as they were set free to run. Kline took the lead on his large horse behind the hounds, and close behind him were the houndsmen, his own men, Lafayette, and Kalena. She looked around and saw in addition to a couple of crossbowmen in her own employ, the City Watch officer and two of his subordinates had also joined them, as well as Eliza surprisingly enough, who at some point had secured a spare horse from Grunar and was clutching a small knife in her hand as she rode along with them; Kalena thought the girl a foolish sight, especially in the snazzy fur-trimmed dress that left part of her back bare, yet nevertheless admired Eliza's spunk and determination. It was more than she could say for Chiren who had... mysteriously disappeared.

The mounted party rode down into the warren of the capital into the other districts where the houses were like a maze, a labyrinth of streets and alleyways. It soon became apparent the hounds were leading them out of the upper district, heading for the Lower Quarter. The Lower Quarter was a place of warehouses and workhouses, a place for the poor. Kalena had not had cause to venture into much of this area before, but the City Watch officers presumably knew it fairly well. She tilted her head upward as the Bone Arch came into view ahead of them. An arch that was crafted long ago to enter the Lower Quarter by those there, made of animal bones and held together with nails and iron scaffolding. It marked the entrance to that part of town, a sort of primitive warning much like the Orcs when they marked their territory. The hounds gave out a long call as they passed under it.

Kline paused, stopping his horse. He looked at those who joined them. “Are you both ready for this?” he said, and drew his sword.

"Yes, I am ready," Lafayette replied, pulling out his short sword.

“I'm more than ready to mete out some much-deserved vengeance,” Kalena said, and the armoured horse fidgeted beneath her, tossing its beautiful black mane and snorting with like eagerness to continue on.

"Just give me the orders," Lafayette said, and Kalena glanced over at the cocky ginger-haired foreigner. She knew he had not made a very good first impression on Kline, but she had to think he was really now proving himself to be a stand up bloke with a brave heart.

"It very much feels like we are being watched," Lafayette whispered to the Baron. "I realize I said your call on all of this, but perhaps we should be more on guard. If that is even possible."

“Begging your pardons, sirs and lady, but I have to agree with Mr. Le Renard here,” the army officer interjected. “This is a right dangerous area, there's no two ways about it. The City Watch leave it completely alone unless we're chasing some criminals. Whoever we're after now—this might be their home turf.”

“Pah!” Kalena said, curling her lip contemptuously. “We're more than a match for them, no matter how clever and cunning they were to breach my estate. As for the local riff-raff, I should think the cutthroats and back alley skull-sappers that infest these slums will give us a wide birth, especially the hounds.”

“Oi! We can't let them get too far ahead on us,” a royal houndsmen cried, gesturing at the big black dogs that were beginning to disappear in the shadowy distance.

<Tag – Kline, Lafayette, Eliza, and optionally Chiren/Jack and whoever else wishes to jump in.>