As promised, Rilien was waiting for his two companions behind a pillar in the Hightown Market, which he stepped from behind as soon as they became visible. Little had changed from earlier that day, save that he now had a pair of elbow-blades strapped to his arms. Nodding to them both, he did not waste his time or his breath in explaining things they already knew, instead gesturing for them to follow him as he wound his way past the Chantry and up a staircase, to the Hightown Estates district. All was quiet here, as it was long past the time of night when any self-respecting lordling would be abed and asleep. The rest would be at the Blooming Rose, like as not, and occupied for some time yet, hence the window he had chosen. Whichever type Gascard was (and ārecluseā suggested the former), he would not bother them if they remained discreet.
There were no guards posted out front, as clearly the man assumed that none would be so bold as to simply walk into his house through the front door. It was, however, the best way to get in, as the windows Rilien could open without noise were not on the first floor, and there were no cellars he could reach through Darktown. Taking a knee, the Tranquil drew a thin piece of steel from his belt and slid it into the large lock on the door. Placing his ear close to the mechanism, he fiddled delicately for a few seconds, then pulled away as the lock gave with a soft click.
āI know little of what waits inside,ā he said simply. āRemain cautious, and if I ask you to hide, hide.ā He said this not because he thought that either of them was much the hiding from danger sort, but because he would be the most likely to notice incoming people first, given his training and history of subterfuge. Pushing on the door, the Tranquil opened it silently, slipping in and allowing the others to follow.
The inside of the DuPuis estate resembled similar buildings in Kirkwall. A large front room, tiled in slate, led to a double staircase, at the top of which were several doors. A door flanked each side of the entrance as well. A long table stood at the end of the room, against the sides of the staircases, what looked to be several pieces of paper strewn about its surface. They were no more than a few steps into the place, however, when shades suddenly sprang from the floor on each side, a few more spilling out from the doors, among these a pair of firey rage demons. Rilien didnāt hesitate, darting forward to slash at the first shade in range with his right blade, opening up a long, diagonal rent in the creature. That left five, plus the two demons.
If heād entertained any doubts that Gascard was up to something untoward, those had disappeared.
Lucien was willing enough to defer to his friendās judgement on exactly when remaining undetected was best, but he cracked a smile anyway, rather unsure that he would be able to hide himself, all things considered. He supposed he might be able to stand behind some drapes if it was really necessary, but you didnāt grow to six feet and four and expect to go unseen anywhere.
It was actually a little odd, watching Rilien work; he supposed this must be quite a bit like what heād used to do, back when he was still a Bard. The stealth, the lockpickingāand that had looked like a much more formidable lock than it apparently wasāthe seeking information that someone was unwilling to part with. It was a bit of a study in how to do such things, maybe, and he supposed if there was anyone to learn these matters from, it would be the absolutely precise Tranquil.
Rilienās mechanical expertise granted them access, and Lucien stepped in just behind the elf, hand going to the haft of his axe mostly on reflex. It was a good reflex to have, though, as when the creatures sprang from the ground and burst out of the doors, he was half-ready, bringing his axe round and over his shoulder to slam into the ground, the tremor effect rocking the floor beneath them and drawing the attention of the majority of the remaining foes. As it should beāRilien could take good advantage of being unseen, and Aurora unaccosted. A satisfied hm escaped him; he did not much care for subterfuge, but an honest fight was something he took to with relish.
The first sweeping blow of his axe knocked several back into a cluster and outright slew one of the shades, forcing it to disappear from this plane and go he knew not where. Importantly, it was no longer here. The rage demons were a bit tougher, but that was to be expected.
The shudder in the veil clued Aurora in that this would be no ordinary cloak and dagger affair, and the appearance of demons only proved that she was right. Eyes went wide as shade demons poured from the floor, though she quickly settled into her trained stance, raising her hands, palms upward and brushing what surprise she might have had away. Instead, the only thing that was left was the disciplined mage. She had yet to face a real fight with her new training-- wayward bandits in Lowtown not counting. They were certainly no demons.
Unlike their Tranquil friend, Aurora chose to let the first shade come to her. She planted her feet and patiently awaited its arrival. Thanks to Lucien's tremor, she had enough time to bite off a single comment. "Imagine this is evidence enough?" She said, stepping back out of the range of its claws. At least this wasn't another Pride demon. Just as fast she stepped back, she stepped forward again slamming an uncountable amount of punches into a localized area within the demon's main trunk. While she was no mighty warrior in the same vein of Lucien, she more than made up for it in raw speed. Feeling the fade-skin under her hands weaken, she stopped, and flicked her wrist extending her wristblade, which she then plunged into the weakened spot and ripped out sideways.
To finish, she wheeled her arms back, drawing the blade back into her wrist, and thrust forward with both, connecting simultaneously, and throwing the demon back across the veil. To be quite honest, the attack was almost carthartic. With her foe slain, she turned toward the grouping of shades and rage demons, noting the tight cluster. An idea formed, though she'd need help in order to perform it. "Hey Luce, how about a boost?" She called, dipping into her reserves of magic. There were no Templars here, only demons-- and even then, not for long.
āWith pleasure,ā the mercenary replied, taking advantage of the momentary stunning of his foes to wheel around with far too much grace for someone of his size. āHold on,ā was the only warning Aurora would receive that the Chevalier did not intend to cease pivoting, and there was a dull thunk as his forearm connected with hers, his grip immediately tightening around her bracer just below the elbow. Using his axe as a counterbalance in his other hand, he kept spinning, taking the lightweight Aurora off her feet, gathering enough centripetal force so that, with a full-body toss and a grunt of effort, he launched her high into the air, right over the still-reeling cluster of shades and one rage demon.
Righting himself, he shook off the slight dizziness and regained a two-handed grip on his axe, though he did not move to interfere with whatever she had planned.
The immediacy was surprising, though she adapted well enough. She grabbed ahold with her other hand, and when he let go, so did she. Aurora did not expect to go so high, and she had almost forgotten the plan she had formulated. Almost. The demons would never be so fortunate. She was sent into a mid-air forward roll, and though everything happened so fast, she managed to jerk her magic to the forefront of her mind. It was a familiar feeling, though one she had not felt in a while, to bare witness to such power. She minded herself with it though, and too much attachment to the power would spell disaster.
Halfway in her forward roll, sparking lightning began to wreath around her, crackling upon contact with the air. Fire would do no good against rage demons, and ice nor stone would be as widely effective. Besides, lightning was an old friend, and it was nice to welcome him back. Once she had completed the roll, she straightened herself and began to descend on the middle-most shade. The lightning that had wreathed her tucked now focused solely in her legs and feet. Like a lightning bolt, she fell from the air and dove into the shade, sending arcs of lightning flickering across the ground to all those surrounding it, both damaging and stunning the demons.
She had landed squarely on the demon, driving it into the ground and using its body as a conduit for the magical lightning. Stunned as it was, it took little effort to drive her wristblade into the area where it's face should have been. It wavered for only a moment, and then it too was banished across the veil, leaving Aurora to drop the foot or so back to the floor, where then she begun to slowly stand again. Concentrated lightning magic now popped menacingly in her hands.
The chain lightning had bounced from it initial target to the two remaining shades and the rage demon in the group, weakening all three. Grinning like a madman, Lucien obligingly swung for the one currently positioned behind Aurora, the force of the horizontal blow enough to be felt as a passing breeze by both she and the two standing foes. It would not be felt by the one it was aimed for, as instead, the axeblade cleaved through the elongated neck of the creature, slicing it neatly in two. That shade disappeared. āDo remind me not to upset you in the future,ā Lucien quipped, though the humor was evident in his tone. It was an interesting mix of elements, that style she used, but it did seem quite effective, to take advantage of her talents in such a seamless fashion. He wondered if it was something sheād come to on her own.
She rolled her shoulders and darted in tune with Lucien's axe, arriving at the last shade at the same time he cleaved through the second. Though stunned, it still tried to lash out with its claws. An action that would soon prove to be a mistake. Aurora dodged under the first swipe, but came back up before the second. A step forward brought her inside its guard where she then caught its elongated arm between her own. She held it in a vice between her hand and the dragonhide bracer where she slowly began to turn it. Once she was satisfied with the leverage applied to it, she reeled back her hand and sent a fist into the weakened joint, shocking and breaking the appendage.
Now it was feeling the pain-- though it didn't have the time to cry out. A flurry of lightning augmented punched landed in it's chest, and in finishing blow, she drove her wristblade in deep using the metal to focus the lightning into it's body. Like the others before it, it too vanished into a puff of smoke. That left only the remaining rage demon. "I'm hard to upset," she called, "Control, remember? Just... Don't be a demon," Aurora said with a grin.
"I think I can manage that," Lucien replied, tossing his axe to land casually on the line of his shoulders and turning, in sync with Aurora to face the remaining rage demon. The creature seemed to be disinclined to attack, however, perhaps some combination of the smiling Chevalier and the lightning-infused mage quelling the permanence of its violence, and indeed, with nothing but a cloud of ash in its wake, it disappeared back into the floor, and did not reemerge. Lucien blinked, raising both brows and tossing a sidelong look at Aurora. "I guess it didn't want to invoke your wrath, being a demon and all." She chuckled and added "Do you blame it?" Carthartic indeed.
With the tactical combination of the warrior and the mage, the rogue found himself with only one other foe to contend with: this the second of the rage demons. It suited him well enough, though it was made trickier by the fact that he tended to fight at very close proximity, and to touch such a creature was to be burned. He could ignore pain if he must, but injury was something he would rather avoid.
It sank beneath the ground, reappearing behind him, and Rilien whirled, blocking the first attempt at a lashing tendril of fire with the blade on his left elbow. This was a task better suited for his knives, however, and he drew the right one of these, the faint touch of frost along the blade an indication of just how heād chosen to enchant it. He did impeccable work for his clients, and what he did for himself was hardly any different in this respect. The blade slid through the creatureās arm, hypercooling the lava-flesh as it went, and the limb fell, turning to dust and disappearing before it hit the ground. Several more attacks followed, but Rilien nimbly ducked each, receiving little more than a singe on the side of his jaw when he didnāt move quite far enough.
The miscalculation was unfortunate, but produced no unbearable sensations of pain, and he retaliated at once, burying the ice-enchanted blade into the roof of the rage demonās mouth. Almost immediately, the thing ceased moving, the bright reds and oranges of its molten skin dulling to brown, cracks spiderwebbing from its head down and over its back and chest, and when the Tranquil withdrew the blade, the rest of it went the way of its arm, dissolving until nothing remained. Sheathing the knife behind him, Rilien straightened. From the looks of things, the other two had the rest of the matter well in hand. It was going to take more than a few low-level servitors to stop the likes of them.
There were no guards posted out front, as clearly the man assumed that none would be so bold as to simply walk into his house through the front door. It was, however, the best way to get in, as the windows Rilien could open without noise were not on the first floor, and there were no cellars he could reach through Darktown. Taking a knee, the Tranquil drew a thin piece of steel from his belt and slid it into the large lock on the door. Placing his ear close to the mechanism, he fiddled delicately for a few seconds, then pulled away as the lock gave with a soft click.
āI know little of what waits inside,ā he said simply. āRemain cautious, and if I ask you to hide, hide.ā He said this not because he thought that either of them was much the hiding from danger sort, but because he would be the most likely to notice incoming people first, given his training and history of subterfuge. Pushing on the door, the Tranquil opened it silently, slipping in and allowing the others to follow.
The inside of the DuPuis estate resembled similar buildings in Kirkwall. A large front room, tiled in slate, led to a double staircase, at the top of which were several doors. A door flanked each side of the entrance as well. A long table stood at the end of the room, against the sides of the staircases, what looked to be several pieces of paper strewn about its surface. They were no more than a few steps into the place, however, when shades suddenly sprang from the floor on each side, a few more spilling out from the doors, among these a pair of firey rage demons. Rilien didnāt hesitate, darting forward to slash at the first shade in range with his right blade, opening up a long, diagonal rent in the creature. That left five, plus the two demons.
If heād entertained any doubts that Gascard was up to something untoward, those had disappeared.
Lucien was willing enough to defer to his friendās judgement on exactly when remaining undetected was best, but he cracked a smile anyway, rather unsure that he would be able to hide himself, all things considered. He supposed he might be able to stand behind some drapes if it was really necessary, but you didnāt grow to six feet and four and expect to go unseen anywhere.
It was actually a little odd, watching Rilien work; he supposed this must be quite a bit like what heād used to do, back when he was still a Bard. The stealth, the lockpickingāand that had looked like a much more formidable lock than it apparently wasāthe seeking information that someone was unwilling to part with. It was a bit of a study in how to do such things, maybe, and he supposed if there was anyone to learn these matters from, it would be the absolutely precise Tranquil.
Rilienās mechanical expertise granted them access, and Lucien stepped in just behind the elf, hand going to the haft of his axe mostly on reflex. It was a good reflex to have, though, as when the creatures sprang from the ground and burst out of the doors, he was half-ready, bringing his axe round and over his shoulder to slam into the ground, the tremor effect rocking the floor beneath them and drawing the attention of the majority of the remaining foes. As it should beāRilien could take good advantage of being unseen, and Aurora unaccosted. A satisfied hm escaped him; he did not much care for subterfuge, but an honest fight was something he took to with relish.
The first sweeping blow of his axe knocked several back into a cluster and outright slew one of the shades, forcing it to disappear from this plane and go he knew not where. Importantly, it was no longer here. The rage demons were a bit tougher, but that was to be expected.
The shudder in the veil clued Aurora in that this would be no ordinary cloak and dagger affair, and the appearance of demons only proved that she was right. Eyes went wide as shade demons poured from the floor, though she quickly settled into her trained stance, raising her hands, palms upward and brushing what surprise she might have had away. Instead, the only thing that was left was the disciplined mage. She had yet to face a real fight with her new training-- wayward bandits in Lowtown not counting. They were certainly no demons.
Unlike their Tranquil friend, Aurora chose to let the first shade come to her. She planted her feet and patiently awaited its arrival. Thanks to Lucien's tremor, she had enough time to bite off a single comment. "Imagine this is evidence enough?" She said, stepping back out of the range of its claws. At least this wasn't another Pride demon. Just as fast she stepped back, she stepped forward again slamming an uncountable amount of punches into a localized area within the demon's main trunk. While she was no mighty warrior in the same vein of Lucien, she more than made up for it in raw speed. Feeling the fade-skin under her hands weaken, she stopped, and flicked her wrist extending her wristblade, which she then plunged into the weakened spot and ripped out sideways.
To finish, she wheeled her arms back, drawing the blade back into her wrist, and thrust forward with both, connecting simultaneously, and throwing the demon back across the veil. To be quite honest, the attack was almost carthartic. With her foe slain, she turned toward the grouping of shades and rage demons, noting the tight cluster. An idea formed, though she'd need help in order to perform it. "Hey Luce, how about a boost?" She called, dipping into her reserves of magic. There were no Templars here, only demons-- and even then, not for long.
āWith pleasure,ā the mercenary replied, taking advantage of the momentary stunning of his foes to wheel around with far too much grace for someone of his size. āHold on,ā was the only warning Aurora would receive that the Chevalier did not intend to cease pivoting, and there was a dull thunk as his forearm connected with hers, his grip immediately tightening around her bracer just below the elbow. Using his axe as a counterbalance in his other hand, he kept spinning, taking the lightweight Aurora off her feet, gathering enough centripetal force so that, with a full-body toss and a grunt of effort, he launched her high into the air, right over the still-reeling cluster of shades and one rage demon.
Righting himself, he shook off the slight dizziness and regained a two-handed grip on his axe, though he did not move to interfere with whatever she had planned.
The immediacy was surprising, though she adapted well enough. She grabbed ahold with her other hand, and when he let go, so did she. Aurora did not expect to go so high, and she had almost forgotten the plan she had formulated. Almost. The demons would never be so fortunate. She was sent into a mid-air forward roll, and though everything happened so fast, she managed to jerk her magic to the forefront of her mind. It was a familiar feeling, though one she had not felt in a while, to bare witness to such power. She minded herself with it though, and too much attachment to the power would spell disaster.
Halfway in her forward roll, sparking lightning began to wreath around her, crackling upon contact with the air. Fire would do no good against rage demons, and ice nor stone would be as widely effective. Besides, lightning was an old friend, and it was nice to welcome him back. Once she had completed the roll, she straightened herself and began to descend on the middle-most shade. The lightning that had wreathed her tucked now focused solely in her legs and feet. Like a lightning bolt, she fell from the air and dove into the shade, sending arcs of lightning flickering across the ground to all those surrounding it, both damaging and stunning the demons.
She had landed squarely on the demon, driving it into the ground and using its body as a conduit for the magical lightning. Stunned as it was, it took little effort to drive her wristblade into the area where it's face should have been. It wavered for only a moment, and then it too was banished across the veil, leaving Aurora to drop the foot or so back to the floor, where then she begun to slowly stand again. Concentrated lightning magic now popped menacingly in her hands.
The chain lightning had bounced from it initial target to the two remaining shades and the rage demon in the group, weakening all three. Grinning like a madman, Lucien obligingly swung for the one currently positioned behind Aurora, the force of the horizontal blow enough to be felt as a passing breeze by both she and the two standing foes. It would not be felt by the one it was aimed for, as instead, the axeblade cleaved through the elongated neck of the creature, slicing it neatly in two. That shade disappeared. āDo remind me not to upset you in the future,ā Lucien quipped, though the humor was evident in his tone. It was an interesting mix of elements, that style she used, but it did seem quite effective, to take advantage of her talents in such a seamless fashion. He wondered if it was something sheād come to on her own.
She rolled her shoulders and darted in tune with Lucien's axe, arriving at the last shade at the same time he cleaved through the second. Though stunned, it still tried to lash out with its claws. An action that would soon prove to be a mistake. Aurora dodged under the first swipe, but came back up before the second. A step forward brought her inside its guard where she then caught its elongated arm between her own. She held it in a vice between her hand and the dragonhide bracer where she slowly began to turn it. Once she was satisfied with the leverage applied to it, she reeled back her hand and sent a fist into the weakened joint, shocking and breaking the appendage.
Now it was feeling the pain-- though it didn't have the time to cry out. A flurry of lightning augmented punched landed in it's chest, and in finishing blow, she drove her wristblade in deep using the metal to focus the lightning into it's body. Like the others before it, it too vanished into a puff of smoke. That left only the remaining rage demon. "I'm hard to upset," she called, "Control, remember? Just... Don't be a demon," Aurora said with a grin.
"I think I can manage that," Lucien replied, tossing his axe to land casually on the line of his shoulders and turning, in sync with Aurora to face the remaining rage demon. The creature seemed to be disinclined to attack, however, perhaps some combination of the smiling Chevalier and the lightning-infused mage quelling the permanence of its violence, and indeed, with nothing but a cloud of ash in its wake, it disappeared back into the floor, and did not reemerge. Lucien blinked, raising both brows and tossing a sidelong look at Aurora. "I guess it didn't want to invoke your wrath, being a demon and all." She chuckled and added "Do you blame it?" Carthartic indeed.
With the tactical combination of the warrior and the mage, the rogue found himself with only one other foe to contend with: this the second of the rage demons. It suited him well enough, though it was made trickier by the fact that he tended to fight at very close proximity, and to touch such a creature was to be burned. He could ignore pain if he must, but injury was something he would rather avoid.
It sank beneath the ground, reappearing behind him, and Rilien whirled, blocking the first attempt at a lashing tendril of fire with the blade on his left elbow. This was a task better suited for his knives, however, and he drew the right one of these, the faint touch of frost along the blade an indication of just how heād chosen to enchant it. He did impeccable work for his clients, and what he did for himself was hardly any different in this respect. The blade slid through the creatureās arm, hypercooling the lava-flesh as it went, and the limb fell, turning to dust and disappearing before it hit the ground. Several more attacks followed, but Rilien nimbly ducked each, receiving little more than a singe on the side of his jaw when he didnāt move quite far enough.
The miscalculation was unfortunate, but produced no unbearable sensations of pain, and he retaliated at once, burying the ice-enchanted blade into the roof of the rage demonās mouth. Almost immediately, the thing ceased moving, the bright reds and oranges of its molten skin dulling to brown, cracks spiderwebbing from its head down and over its back and chest, and when the Tranquil withdrew the blade, the rest of it went the way of its arm, dissolving until nothing remained. Sheathing the knife behind him, Rilien straightened. From the looks of things, the other two had the rest of the matter well in hand. It was going to take more than a few low-level servitors to stop the likes of them.