RP:Tongue-Tied
This is a Warrior's Guild RP.
Summary: Receiving an outsourced mission, Karasu embarks to the Sage Forest to take care of some pesky lycans, with Meri sent to assist. The fight takes an unusual turn when the conspiracy-laden Dobachi Enarc's past is revealed.
- Tongue-Tied
- Rank: D
- Suggested Complexity: One to two RP sessions, with or without a partner
- Location: Northern Sage Forest
- Immediate Reward: 2000 gold
- Description: World-weary retired Larketian officer Dobahci Enarc lives in a secluded forest home deep within the Northern Sage. And Enarc has a problem -- a sister-and-brother pair of young, arrogant werewolves named Lesnah and Leterg simply will not shut up about how they plan to eat him. Every night, Enarc can hear them boasting about his tasty flesh on their way to, well, wherever it is that werewolves go. Enarc would kill the duo himself if it weren't for a back injury he suffered during the Battle for the Bridge. Meet up with the old stalwart and you'll learn that he wishes for an adventurer like you to deliver him the tongues of Lesnah and Leterg as proof of their slaying.
- Bonus Chance: Diplomatically compel Lesnah and Leterg to stop prattling on about eating Enarc for an additional 250 gold.
Somewhere in Kelay-Sage
Despite the usually mild weather, a thick blanket of snow was blanketing the forests of Sage and Kelay. Outside the greased windows of the once-again-renovated tavern, a hooded woman watches as an elderly woman behind the counter of the small town drapes a scarf over the child of one of the store’s customers. Over a year had passed since Karasu Tsuji had fled the safety of Xalious and renounced her surname due to her father’s deceit, yet she was nowhere closer to solving the mystery of the mark that plagued her life, or what her father gained from his transfer and subsequent disappearance in the kingdom of Larket. A pencil, thoroughly chewed, taps idly on a parchment that so far reads “To whom it may concern.” Her blackouts due to the entity named Mhadxlyn had become frighteningly more frequent. This prompted the spellblade to beg her partner in crime Quintessa of the Black Pond to keep her locked in the cellar when she slept. The stench of decay in the small room from when her sister had used it for storing her undead puppets and unfinished meals, and some fledgling witch she only ever heard referred to as ‘Orange’ used for experimentation, was still prevalent despite its many cleanings in the time since, but Karasu did not mind it. In her bruised mind, it was a perfect punishment for Sven-knows-how-many civilians she had murdered, and the students of the Spellblade Corps she had failed. A movement in her peripheral draws her attention back to the parchment. A black handprint appears before fading away to reveal the details of an assignment, apparently referred to by the Warrior’s Guild. “I’m not in the mood to play with dogs, Magik.” The cranky girl growls aloud. Another set of words appear beneath, reading, ‘I’m not asking. Get some sunshine, mopey. Another member will meet you there for back-up.’ In the back of her mind, the entity gives a taunt of how Karasu should try to see if she can break his limbs with her bare hands. The intrusive thought is shaken away, and the paper now void of the Syndicate’s message is crumpled to the side before the half-feline departs.
Night begins to fall on the frozen forest. The feline had made the trek to Northern Sage to find that the person who had put out the request resided alarmingly close to the training grounds of the Unseen Hand. Some stray pups with a bone to pick could pose to be a very unnecessary risk; she could see why the Syndicate would give the group any attention. The person who had originally filed the request was… another story. “And that’s why the Ascendi never fell from grace! The blasted gem dragons never went extinct and have been controlling puppet governments in all the cities west of Xalious in a concerted and highly coordinated effort to keep the Ascendi imprisoned with their unnatural feline-lycan hybrids and schematics for complex potion-trails to turn the frogs--” Karasu sips slowly on her tea as Dobahci Enarc enters his second hour of conspiracy theory. It seemed the man had been petitioning the Warrior’s Guild for many months to take his claims seriously, and had at some point worn its shadow-stepping director down enough to post the complaint on the board along with the real threats. At this point, she was very much beginning to worry that there were no troublesome lycans at all. Had Karasu been just a hair younger, she would have had the energy to systematically debunk the wild claims of the retired Larketian officer with clearly too much time on his hands. Instead, she twirls the end of a ribbon with titanium baubles on the knots with one finger, glancing out the window whenever his back was turned to see if this supposed back-up or these supposed lycans were going to show themselves.
Meri was in Cenril when she received word that there was work to be done, busy trying to settle back into the apartment above her gallery given recent unexpected life changes. It should be a priority to finish unpacking so that she can make the space a comfortable one for her daughter, but the promise of work was a welcome distraction. Meri would not refuse, but first…! She would have to locate a babysitter. And on short notice? Oh my. Any single parent knows the hit or miss struggle in this regard, and it really did not help that Cenril was currently being plagued with some weird illness. There are no complaints from the blonde, who just wanted out of the house and to put her mind on other things. Better ending up on a job instead of ending up in the bars, no? With a bit of luck and a considerable amount of gold, Meri manages to secure her freedom for the night. At least she promised the babysitter. It would just be for the night...and that she would be back in the morning. This is a detail that she is not going to slip to Karasu.
The note that was sent to Meri did not paint a clear picture of what they would be doing tonight, but she assumed that the initial few moments would begin as friendly. That backup would arrive, moving through the forests of Kelay with comfortable ease but making little effort to actually attempt to conceal her arrival. The glowing ember of the cigarette she is smoking while walking would be a dead give away. The approaching figure is clad in blacks, the details of the shadowy figure becoming more clear with each step taken toward the two. Meri has not seen fit to wear a stitch of armor, but she is definitely armed with both bow and bastard sword. Not in the mood to play with dogs, Karasu? One way or another it seems that was going to be happening tonight, for when that back-up comes in the form of a tall, blonde werewolf. Was Meri specifically selected because Magik has some sort of twisted sense of humor? Probably not, as first glances would not reveal that Meri is a lycan and she is the newest recruit to the Syndicate. Dobahci Enarc was of considerably less interest to Meri when compared to Karasu. Dobahci Enarc would earn a brief once over and a nod while Karasu is studied with more depth and consideration. It did not take Meri long to realize who was standing before her, Karasu could thank Quintessa’s sketchbook for that. A lopsided smile is briefly formed on her red lips, “I know you.” Some might go on to declare the individual’s name in a bid to prove that they did in fact have knowledge of who an individual might be? Meri does not, on purpose. Rogue habits were getting the better of her at this moment. Even with a half-smoked cigarette balanced between her lips, the stench of death surrounding Karasu did not escape Meri’s delicate senses, but she is non-reactive. At least there was a breeze. “So what are we doing?”
Despite being in her more humanoid form as to not alarm the old human, an ear twitches backwards towards the sound of crunching snowfall at the stranger’s arrival. Karasu and Dobahci turn at the same time to see the relatively tall blonde approach. Ruby eyes trail the lycan’s figure, trying to place her. Karasu was sure that she had seen the woman before, likely inside the Syndicate headquarters or loitering around Vailkrin. With the familiarity of her tone and the lack of reaction from the human, Karasu gives a dry smile. "Sir Enarc was just telling us about how the lycans that we have come to put an end to have begun to describe in detail how they will send an army of Fermin to eat their way through his cottage.” Though it is the first time the two shadows have conversed, Karasu’s tone conveys a slight hint of sarcasm that seems to go unnoticed by Dobahci. “Sir Enarc, this is my assistant.” The half-feline makes the introduction short as to not reveal that she does not know the shadow’s name. The human squints slightly, trying to compute how the dwarf-sized, baby-faced feline was the superior of Meri. Eventually he shakes his head and motions them to follow him inside. The moment his thumb presses down on the latch of the door, laughs ring out from around them. “How adorable, he got himself some playmates for the night!” A baritone voice echoes out. “Aww, are you jealous that the street girls run away when they see your face?” A lilting contralto joins in. Karasu calmly rests the teacup on the banister of the porch and puts her hand on her sword. “Typical lycans, all bark and no bite.” The girl taunts to the empty air as she unlatches the safety on her sword. The man, meanwhile, begins to scream obscenities into the night as he hobbles inside to grab a rusted sword for defense. “Et erit lux.” Karasu draws her sword, the handle of which has been wrapped by a distinctive branch of the Xalious tree, and aims it into the forest. Leaves begin to glow brightly in the moonlight, giving the hiding lycans less of a place to hide. A long sigh follows, with which Karasu wearily asks of Meri, “Think you can scare them out of hiding? I wanna see these brats’ faces.”
It is not the halls of the Syndicate headquarters that Meri knows Karasu from, nor is the woman prone to setting foot in Vailkrin without good reason. No, she recognizes Karasu from Quintessa’s sketchbooks, during a drunken night of show and tell. It is for this reason that Meri’s gaze lingers on Karasu in a rather studious manner, reminded of her intoxicated inspirations from that night. The blonde’s gaze remains on the feline until she feels Sir Enarc’s eyes upon her. At this point, the woman shifts her blue-eyed gaze to the male while simultaneously lifting a brow in a bid wordlessly communicate ‘what the heck are you looking at?’ via a look. He shakes his head shortly after and motions for them to follow him inside, but Meri does not. The reason for this is simple, the lycan is starting to pick up on the scents of others approaching and this detail is confirmed by the sound of laughter. The fact that Sir Enarc disappears indoors under the guise of getting a sword is of little concern to Meri, not with the way she is seeing him hobble off. The woman is quick with her assumptions on the man, he’s probably not going to be of much use to them. It’s better he stay indoors and out of the way. Karasu’s commentary about lycans earns the feline a wicked little grin, “Maybe you’re just hanging out with the wrong lycans.” Does Meri think that she can scare them out of hiding? This question causes the wicked grin held on Meri’s red lips to widen considerably, which is the closest thing to an answer that Kara is going to get. The glow summoned by Kara helps to illuminate the area, which proves to be a pleasant surprise to Meri. The tattooed blonde was banking on having to rely on her nose to suss out the offending werewolves, but the extra light would make it easier for Meri to pick out subtle movements in the shadows. It’s not her sword that Meri draws, instead opting to utilize her bow. Arrows pulled from the quiver upon her back, nocked, and then released one after another, using all of her heightened senses to piece together where in the forest these lycans may be hiding. The hope is that her shots will land dangerously close to their hiding places, causing them to feel uncomfortable and to want to relocate. Meri is more than happy to keep this up until her quiver is close to empty, and at some point in the process of doing this a scream could be heard from within the shadowy trees. Did Meri hit one of them? Or just give them a good spoke? It did not seem to matter to the blonde, who was not easing up on bombarding them with arrows. If Karasu is hoping to take the diplomatic approach, well...Meri would probably stand down if asked to. Otherwise? She would keep at it, and if the arrows were not enough to cause the lycans to reveal themselves? The psion had plenty of other tricks up her sleeve, she was really just getting warmed up.
The spellblade, meanwhile, allows an amused smile to grace her lips for a hair of a moment. So far, this seemed relatively simple. The woman was quick on her feet and quick with the bow. A shriek echoes out from a thicket to Karasu’s right, giving away the inexperience of the pair. “That hurts!” One whines, though the voice is so high-pitched that neither can tell which of the siblings had said this. A cloud of thick violet smoke erupts, carrying with it a sweet smell with sour undertones that is carried into the clearing by the winds. An eyebrow quirks as she pauses to wonder if their movement to that place had been intentional. A breath drawn in unconsciously makes the half-feline shudder, her limbs momentarily seizing. Alarm bells ring in her head, but moreso for the quick-footed woman who could be more sensitive to the gas. “Shadow, don’t breathe it in!” Karasu calls out to Meri, forcing herself to take a few steps back despite the paralysis threatening to make her fall over. From the bushes, a burly lycan shoots out, his face fitted with a purifying mask commonly seen among those who go into the mines. He is surprisingly unarmed, though the thick armor covering his body and fighting stance indicates that he may not need a weapon. Karasu steps back again and motions Meri to come down to her height so she can hurriedly whisper the following without being eavesdropped on, “Try to get the pair back to back and I can trap them both, but I can’t do the spell one at a time from this distance.” A battlecry cuts them off as a smaller woman wearing an identical mask leaps forward and across the field with two short-swords in hand. The way the pair of lycans have retaliated have made it so Karasu and Meri face back to back with each opponent, though which one each Shadow would take was yet to be seen.
Don’t breathe it in. That was a tall order for Meri, especially after her little display with her bow. It got her blood pumping, which meant she was breathing deeper to compensate for this physical exertion. Meri might have proven that she was quick on her feet and quick with her bow, but if the psion really had a deeper understanding of her abilities then that fog would be no problem. The telekinetic woman’s inability to think through this problem in the heat of the moment means that the two women were easily herded into that back to back stance. There is a slight twitch of twisted amusement across Meri’s lips even though they are put into this more vulnerable position, and that it mirrored the plan that Karasu and Meri were attempting to lay out. It’s not a thought that Meri dwells on long, for soon her gaze is locked on a burly looking werewolf. He might have no weapon but Meri was not about to underestimate him. A brief glance is sent behind her toward Karasu, as if contemplating how the feline would handle herself against such an opponent. Her gut was telling her that Karasu would be more than able to hold her own, but there was also the realization that there were certain perks to being a lycan. Like being able to take a beating and then recovering from it faster than a human. Maybe a feline could as well? That battle cry ringing through the area cuts Meri’s thought process short and it is enough to inspire the blonde to stop dawdling and to finally take action. Her bow is abandoned to the ground while her free hand reaches behind her to withdraw her bastard sword from its metal scabbard. There is a distinct sound of metal sparking against metal, and as Meri’s blade is drawn it is also set ablaze. Temporarily. It’s not a fancy magic sword, and the blonde does not care to change that detail. A combustible substance is frequently polished onto the blade of her weapon and it will at some point burn out. Meri is still pretty determined to make the larger of the two visible opponents her own. But before she takes off to engage in that fight? She’s going to give the air-born and screaming lycan woman a rather rough landing, right in front of Karasu to try and give the feline the advantage in this battle. The creepiest part of Meri being psion is that all of her fancy telekinetic abilities are utilized with a thought, but even Meri has her limits and understands that each ‘thought’ was still draining. There was a limited reserve of what she could do, which is why these telekinetic abilities are not used on and Mr. Beefy. Her approach with him is straight forward, she attempts to close the gap between them with her sword drawn with the hope that maybe she’d be able to get a clean strike in. This is not what happens. Maybe she breathed in a bit of that fog? Maybe she just tripped over her own feet? But for a moment, Meri slips up long enough that the burly lycan is able to greet her with a fist to her face that knocks her clean on her rear end. Whoops.
As the sword-wielding lycan lurches forward, the lycaness catches sight of Meri’s flaming sword out of the corner of her field of vision from her gas mask. The inexperience shows in how the lycan attempts to parry the flaming sword with a single hand, only to have it knocked away. Karasu’s sword lashes out the moment she hits the ground. The blunt ends of the sword wrap around the swordwoman’s neck, eliciting a muffled screech from the woman. Karasu reaches out, ripping the gas-mask off. “No handicaps, bitch.” The half-feline snarls, thrusting the mask into Meri’s chest before she gets closer to the rugged lycan man. There was no sense in both of them fighting at a disadvantage. In that split moment that Karasu has her attention off of her opponent to pass the item, the lycan reaches out, kicking Karasu in the gut. At the cloudier edge of the field, the brother thunders forward bit by bit, eager for the fight. There is a clean crunch as fist meets face and Meri is sent backwards. “Shadow!” Karasu calls out in panic as she stumbles to her feet herself just in time to parry the swordswoman. The burly lycan closes the gap in only a few strides that leave muddy holes in the grounds where his footfalls land. With a grunt, he brings his knee up to his chest, his foot aimed for the center of Meri’s chest.
Karasu’s sassy words are heard as clear as day, and despite being called a naughty name…! Meri is not offended. If anything she is greatly amused, and it was in that moment she came to understand why Quintessa was so enamored with this one. What spunk. What sass. Meri loved it. Except there is not much of a chance for these details to be revealed, they were currently in the middle of a fight, one where it seemed like they might be at a disadvantage. At least in the sense that both women have been caught by surprise. There is enough time for Meri to take the gas mask though, that was a blessing. The punch to the face that Meri just took serves only to anger the psion and bloody her face a bit, but she’s hardly down and out for the count. The sword that Meri was wielding falls to her side during the fall. Her eyes are watering up from the pain of a potentially broken nose, but her vision is not obscured so much that she does not see the foot coming straight for the chest. Both hands are raised just in time to catch the foot before it hits the center of her chest, with Meri straining against the momentum of the foot. Your average human would probably not have been able to defend this, given the bulk of the werewolf...But Meri really only needs to sustain her hold on the foot long enough to put her telekinetic abilities to use. A split second after Meri catches Tank’s foot, a disgusting cracking nose resonates through the area followed by a lot of screaming. It was like a blacksmith’s hammer was just brought down squarely upon the burly lycan’s kneecap with enough force that it is broken backwards. From there? Meri gives the limb a twist. The leg was already broken, but this action was sure to make it hurt more, with the added bonus of causing the lycan to lose his footing. He’d be on the ground right next to Meri, who was finding her way to her feet and collecting her weapon in the same motion. Their dear friend is not going to be given much of a chance to do much but writhe in pain before his death, as Meri is very intent on sticking her sword straight through his chest. He’d be a dead lycan soon, and Meri would turn her sights to her surroundings. Did anyone else want to have a taste of steel? Meri was happy to oblige…
“Adolbetique.” Karasu mutters the enchantment as the sword-wielding lycaness prepares to strike after a parry. The fragmented metal glows bright orange, then to a bright yellowish-white, giving the feline’s location away in the poisonous mist like a beacon. It would be an eerily beautiful sight to see from the edge of the fog, were it not for the lumbering lycan’s howls of pain from Meri’s attack, mixed with muffled curses. With a snarl, the woman dives in, prepared to slice at Karasu’s midsection, yet Karasu does not move from where she stands. The poison was slowly kicking in, and the shadow would need to hold back a bloody cough for this. Dual swords swing in from each direction, and Karasu flicks her wrist upwards. “Seorsus.” The fractures along the sword separate and elongate, still held together by a ghrondium chain serving as the skeleton of the weapon. The white-hot metal fans outwards in a semicircle. The dual swords make contact, but immediately sink into Karasu’s sword, the sudden heat juxtaposed to the frigid winter air being enough to shatter the cheap metal. With a swift sidestep, the path is cleared for the lycaness to continue her descent into the unforgiving ice, just in time for the ice to crack with the resounding thud of her partner nearby. Karasu has to bend over slightly to cough, speckling the snow with crimson and sweat from the effects of the area effect. She looks up to see that Meri has also conquered her foe, yet catches a glimpse of something silvery glinting in the window of Dobahci Enarc’s cabin directly behind her. Without even the time to call out, Karasu jumps forward to intercept the incoming attack. A silver-tipped arrow grazes deep into the spellblade’s shoulder, lessening the impact as the arrow continues forth and sinks into Meri’s side no further than a pushpin would. A yowl escapes her despite the burning sensation in her throat. “Are you stupid?!” Karasu screams at the cabin. Opening the window, Dobachi Enarc leans out, an old crossbow in his hands. “Sh-sh-she’s got the-- the mask, I thought she was the bad one!” He sputters, trying to excuse his interference. Enraged, Karasu marches around and kicks the lycaness on the ground in the stomach, sending her towards her brother, who still clutches his leg in agony. “Xalious defendat, praebueris tua magicae.” She croaks out before stabbing her sword into the ice. The blue fires of Xalious engulf the sword, then trail along the ground to form a ring around the brother-sister duo, trapping them within the walls. Wheezing slightly from the exertion, Karasu waves her good arm to catch Meri’s attention and motion for her to take the mask off the burly lycan for her to breathe with.
Meri was just about to stab that brother right in the chest…! Except an arrow hits her before her temper gets the better of her and puts an end to his life. Or was it her temper? There were certain areas that Meri was lacking morals, this might be one of them. Normally a shot from an arrow, especially one that barely sinks into her side, would not put a complete stop to Meri’s actions. This arrow is silver-tipped though. It doesn’t matter that it is only as deep as a push-pin, the chosen metal means that the injury is going to hurt a lot more than expected. In this case, this minor injury burns with such intensity that the pain temporarily brings Meri to her knees. She is down on her knees long enough for Karasu to scream at Dobachi Enarc and long enough for Karasu to sequester the brother and sister team within the ring of blue flames. Karasu’s instructions to take the gas mask off the burly lycan are only barely processed. It takes Meri a moment, but she eventually manages to push the burning sensation to the back of her mind. As Meri moves back to her feet, her sword is taken back up in one hand and the gas mask is taken off the lycan who is clutching his knee. Meri tosses the mask up and over the blue flames and toward Karasu. Now that Meri is back on her feet, the blonde stands guard over the trouble-making lycan duo, leaving Karasu to talk business with Dobachi Enarc. Presumably at least. Meri was secretly hoping that they would finish this without further incident, her side really hurt right now, but she would not project this feeling. Nope. She’s just trying to look all tough and menacing with her sword.
The half-feline takes a few gasping breaths with the mask on as the poisonous gas from whatever device they had used runs out of steam. With the lycans in containment, it seems that Dobachi Enarc is comfortable enough to come out from hiding as if he had actually contributed to the battle in any way. "Who sent you freaks?!" He hollers, hobbling over as the fighters all catch their breath. "Was it those Venturilians? They're blind to the truth, that's why I have to send those pamphlets--" Snapping upright, the half-feline rips off the gas mask and swings it at the old man's cane to knock it from his hand and render him immobile. Karasu points at the lycans to indicate that it's their turn to speak. "You're a disgrace to our tribe, traitor." Lesnah spits towards the retired soldier, though it disappears into the blue flames. This seems to trigger something, as the soldier stiffens. "My ties to any lycan clans died with Avery Amaruq. Finish them." Karasu obliges and throws the whip of her sword into the fires to wrap around the first lycan's neck when Leterg shouts incredulously, "You thought Mom was dead?!" Lesnah raises her head, accepting the blades around her neck. "Do it, I have no wish to speak to this liar of a human." Dobachi stumbles forward, falling without his cane, and Karasu quickly extinguishes the protective barrier before he comes into contact with the fire. "You... say that again..." The retired officer shakes as he rises to his knees, pointing at the burly male. "That is a cruel joke to make, you monster. Avery was killed by Coreliant before his ascension, I saw it!" This last part he shouts. Tears well up at Lesnah's eyes as she holds out her hand to reveal a blackened ring. "You were fooled by the Ascendi of Deception, then. Avery lived to bear us. Far too late, she died thinking you abandoned her." Dobachi Enarc stares at the ring in shock, slowly reaching out to engulf the lycaness' hand. "I proposed to Avery with this." He whispers. Karasu looks up at Meri and mouths 'what are they talking about?', which elicits a shrug from the Shadow. Dobachi motions for Karasu to stand down, and the feline obliges, sheathing her sword. "...Leave us." Dobachi Enarc orders. "We have much to discuss. Tell the redhead the matter has been resolved." With that, the two women of the Syndicate of Shadows are dismissed, their mission complete.