Splitting Up

JP with Winteroak and Omni

Splitting up, and going in opposite ways allowed Malacost time with his thoughts. He desperately needed to send a message back to Ostiarium, hopefully to the Purger himself. Something was happening in this city. Something important. Something that was going to affect the Gate City, sooner or later. The Arbiter's presence had been a boon, but could also prove problematic. He had after pretty much sentenced two of her friends to a life of servitude and likely death. She would not be to happy if she ever discovered it. Although, he wondered if she has known the girl was a witch. Maybe that could be his leverage if it happened. That and that strange going man she seemed so found of. He needed to get rid of that one quickly. Thoughts for another time.

He noticed that despite the run down aspect of the building, its walls were solid and mostly intact and compact with few entrances and high windows, obviously chosen because it would be easy for a small group to hold against a larger one.

He caught glimpses of sentries with bows and spears. All wore the Dark Robes. He had to be honest he had not paid much attention to them before until last night. To him all these heathens looked the same.

He thought of the witch and her cry of pain when the holy blade of the Arbiter cut into her alabaster flesh. And her blood. He wondered what it would taste like... He shook his head, keeping his mind in the task at hand.

The streets were mostly empty save for the occasional stray cat and the tiny dust devils that danced in the alcoves when a sudden summer gust came through.

Voah walked slowly through the alley behind the dark robes den, scoping for anything of note including: back doors, secret entrances, open windows, balconies, and ledges or lattices to scale.

She only noticed a few guards and as she approached as closely as possible, she couldn’t hear much noise from inside. Her consensus was that there were significantly less of the dark robes currently occupying the building than the last time she was here.

If she hadn’t already noticed Gonyaul trying to be stealthy, she would have been very concerned about the scuffing boots that she heard a few times trailing her. For now she let him think he was unseen.

It was comforting to know he was nearby, even if he didn’t agree to what they were doing, but these dark robes were up to something nefarious and she knew it. That map of Ostiarium was important enough for the white-eyed “hound” to come sniffing her out and attack her. She got the sense from that fight, however, that he wouldn’t have killed her outright, likely preferring to capture and interrogate her first. Funny… she would have preferred to do the same to him.

She wondered about what Gonyaul had said about stopping the witch from killing Alcuin and learning both sides. Was that even a possibility? Also… could she have just had a conversation with the hound there in that alley? Or with a Helian witch? They were not like the Arcadians. Weren’t they true heretics that deliberately defied and shunned the Pillars?

She didn’t think Gonyaul’s idea would have worked in that particular instance, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. She was compelled to know her story and the story of these dark robes. She already had Alcuin’s story. Speaking of Alcuin, she rounded the block and passed him with just a nod and a slight smirk.