What now?

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

Kalena fought the Emerald Scarves' female leader in the middle of the street, their swords flying together and apart as fast as a dragonfly's wings. Sparks crackled along the blades as they duelled back and forth in a deadly dance where one slip of concentration meant death for one or the other. Kalena began to breathe harder and her shoulder and sword arm grew sore from deflecting the elf's lightning swift attacks, but still she pressed on, using every little trick and technique of swordsmanship in her repertoire to cope with the Drow woman's superior lightness and speed.

Suddenly a person ran up behind the elf and tackled her from behind. Kalena saw it was incredibly Lafayette, wrapping his arms around the Drow and slamming an egg shaped object into her chest. “What the hell,” she cried as a dull thump and smoke came from under the woman. She realized it had been some sort of incendiary device. The elf stumbled away, hurt and in pain, but far from dead.

"Soyez un cher and pop this back in place," Lafayette said dizzy with pain himself as he indicated his shoulder was dislocated from the crossbow bolt that had hit him.

Nodding, and relieved to see him alive, Kalena momentarily sheathed her sword and grabbed his arm and shoulder, giving it a hard jerk to slip it back into its socket. Lafayette groaned and nearly vomited, but soon looked ready enough to fight again.

"I apologize for the interruption," he said. "We are a team however and it would be my fault if I allowed you to lose."

"Who says I was losing?" Kalena asked with mock offense. "Not that I'm not obliged."

They were both about to go to Kline's assistance when Eliza's terrible screams rang out. What was she doing here? Kalena wondered angrily as she started immediately running to her aid. Eliza was no fighter! The fool girl should have stayed with the horses!

As it turned out though, Eliza was not such a liability and had managed to defeat a man on her own, brutally stabbing the Emerald Scarf to death in a hysterical rage. Knowing how formidable the Drow elves were it was quite an impressive feat. Putting something in his mouth and then bizarrely taking a swig from a small flask, Lafayette walked up to Eliza's remaining attacker and with an unbelievably large burst of flame spewing out of his mouth... immolated the Drow man!

Kalena goggled at the astonishing sight. She had seen fire breathers at carnivals and knew the general process behind how the trick was performed, but she'd never seen anything like that done before in a combat situation. As the screaming wretch flailed about to try to put the flames out and the sickening stench of burning flesh filled the air, Kalena drew her sabre and with a snap lunge neatly thrust him through the skull. It was more a show of impatience than one of mercy. The dead elf dropped to the street like a puppet with its strings cut, his still smouldering clothes sending up embers into the night sky.

“Come on, we have to help Kline!” Kalena urgently ran back toward the fight only to witness the surviving Emerald Scarves beating a fast retreat. “Cowards!” she called after them, ready to give chase.

“What now?” Froggy asked.

Kline looked around. “Herod and Froggy, get the wounded.” He pointed to Eliza, appearing alongside Lafayette. “You go with them, get them to a healer. Fast!” He spoke as if it was unquestionable who was in charge. “I guess the rest of us are going in there.”

Kalena looked down at the tall, forbidding building. “If something happens to those hounds the Queen will kill us, or at least me...”

“Careful, sir,” Froggy said looking at the place, a black shadow in the night. “Innocent blood, and magic, I can smell it, likely the hounds did too. It is like catnip to the infernal, and whatever they killed was holy as well.”

Kline looked around. “Anyone know enough magic to get around that door? I can only assume it was locked or something worse.”

“Magic is a bit out of my field,” Kalena said. “But Lafayette seems infinitely resourceful, and it so happens we also have a master blacksmith on hand, skilled in enchanting and smithing magic." She gave a nod to Gularzob. “Do either of you think you can get us inside? If not, I suppose I can send a man back to my home and see if Count Soldor is still there. He's quite a capable mage.”

<Tag – Kline, Lafayette, Gularzob, Eliza, and Chiren/Jack.>