RP: Scouting Gone Askew

Part of the Saurian Onslaught Arc

Summary: Kasyr is tasked with some simple recon in Trist'oth and decides this is the perfect opportunity to teach the apprentices a thing or two. Unfortunately, it is Quintessa who answers his call and not one of the more level-headed members on the Mage's Guild. As usual, Quintessa goes off-script but this time things do not work out. She flees Trist'oth with a message; The liberation of the Drow city needs to be moved up immediately!

Andon d'Chath

Rising up from the subgrade elevation, well into the darkness beyond your vision is a massive pillar of carved stone looming directly ahead; its dark and barren surface interrupted only by the faint luminescence provide by the moss which grows in patches o'er the stone. A truncated pyramid of ghroundium, sparkling with the glint of chaos shards, serves as a firm and solid foundation for this symbolic obelisk. The ritual location, where the city's chosen mage sets alight the fire of Trist'oth at the stroke of midnight, renews the spire's daily progression of heat from bottom to apex. Those with the innate vision of a deep dwelling creature will be capable of noting the infrared emanations of this time bearing structure which marks the passing of hours for denizens of the deep as the ring of warmth climbs upward to the tower's peak. The barely tangible ripples of energy reside over every window and outcropping - indicating the existence of the vast wards which guard this city.

Kasyr is not quite looking like himself today- but then, it's a relatively sound precaution to take when you've been potentially spotted meandering in and out of house D'artes. Whilst the kensai's hair is normally tousled, today it's been slicked back with grease, and coloured in with charcoal- masking the more peculiar highlights that normally stand out so prominently. Honestly, it's a pretty grimey feeling, especially around his ears, which are more or less cemented underneath the hair- but the real work was done on his forearms and face. His time in the assassins guild had made him a bit familiar with topical ointments that could be applied to the skin to change one's appearance - such as making one appear paler than usual. Factor in a bit of grime, some shabbier clothes, a dinged up backpack containing some esoteric odds and ends, and a collar bearing the insignia of House D'l'Sel D'issan- and the Kensai looks for all the world like a Slave. Doesn't hurt that he's applied some black Kohl to highlight the bags under his eyes, to really help sell the 'Really tired and done with life' look that would seem pretty central to Slaves. Prepared as such, Kasyr starts making his way towards the Clock Tower, only occasionally glancing about to see if there was any signs of his apprentices. He'd have figured the mention of 'Extra Credit' would have snagged at least one of them. But then, Inwardly, he's not going to be surprised if Karasu is busy wrangling an Owlbear Cub, and Quintessa is serial murdering someone right now. It'd just be par for the course, at this point.

Quintessa is not out serial murdering anybody, not today, at least. Even as word about the Vailkrin Slayer spreads around Lithrydel the hex blade is careful not to draw attention to herself. As fun as it was, if she wanted a long career as a faceless killer she would need to lay low every now and then and let the authorities relax before striking again. Besides, there was much work to be done in preparation on the liberation of Trist'oth, and the moment Kasyr had requested her assistance she dropped everything and made this scouting mission her top priority. Quintessa, however, was not very good at disguising herself. Even in Vailkrin a simple mask was all she had worn to conceal her identity. She wasn't as popular as the Kensai, though, and most won't recognize her unless they were in the social circles that spread rumors about her. In fact, down her in the darkness of Trist'oth she was practically unknown. She at least has the foresight not to wear her Mage Guild robes down here, opting for a sleeveless turtleneck sweater and simple leather pants under her greater rune-jaguar invisibility cloak. Invisibility made her journey easy enough, the Razurath were famously inept when it came to magic, and even the slaves they used to cast magic for them were easy to avoid. She waits patiently under her veil at the foot of the clocktower, mismatched eyes darting back and forth looking for Kasyr or anyone else she might recognize. Admittedly, she didn't know what to look for, and the Kensai's disguised self was unassuming enough not to be noticed by her immediately, although anyone loitering her for too long would invoke the changeling's suspicion rather quickly and she would sneak over to them to get a closer look.

Kasyr should probably get a proper inventory on what his two pupils have at their disposal. He was at least aware that Karasu had a nifty cloak, but as for Quintessa's personal armory . . . Which actually makes it a little bit bewildering for the Kensai, since at this point, he's at least able to pick out that Quintessa's close by through his empathy. That said, he's already committed himself to his advance towards the tower, so beyond a casual glance around the area as he moves forward- he can't spare the time to better pinpoint her location. The more overt approach -towards- the pair of red scaled Razurath guarding the obelisks entrance helped anyways, given that the house he'd chosen as his smoke screen was currently on the chopping block. Or had it already been chopped? Semantics aside, getting ganked by Gevurahs goons was not on the Kas' list of things to do today. As he continues stepping towards the massive stone structure, he watches the postures of those reptilian guards tense up, and he does his best to provide a genuinely tired smile. The tired part's accurate, at least, " Here to do the maintainance on the spell work." There's a gesture towards the fairy flames up top, "That, and once I'm done, I needed to ask about that whole, process- given, well." He points at the insignia on his slave collar. Honestly, whether they're keeping abreast of the very blatant and violent nature of Trist'oth politics, or not- a house getting annihilated recently is pretty hard to miss. Hopefully it lends a little credence to his lack of overt hostility.

Quintessa is close enough to hear the conversation of the reds, and she skulks silently over to hear what the slave was saying to them. Maintenance? Of course, there were many runes and enchantments down here that required constant attention, and the Razurath would need a way to do that now that they had taken over the city. An empath would be able to sense Quintessa's dreadful aura, but the scaled beasts would not, so she takes her opportunity to slip inside unnoticed. Perhaps she would be able to ambush this slave and disguise herself as him. Were the Razurath that stupid? Perhaps that would fool the reds, but the conversation she had with Redlceth was still fresh in her mind. Some of these lizards were smarter than the average dino and would know the difference between humanoid sexual dimorphism. Still, she could maybe try to recruit this slave with the promise of freedom. And if he refused? Well, she still had a pair of daggers she could silence him with before he got away. With her spell sill hiding her movement, Quintessa moves near the fairy fire and lies in wait for this individual, hoping they trusted him to go alone.

Kasyr is doing his best to keep a grudgingly civil smile on his face, even as the two Razurath confer between each other. It's a bit harder to maintain any sort of cheer, however, when one of them leans forward, and flicks their tongue alongside the Kensai's head- tasting the air for any obvious signs of a threat. "Are you carrying any weapons?" Kasyr had been expecting some sort of lisp, admittedly. Still, he doesn't hesitate in providing his best sarcastic look to the guard, "Normally, I would be. It -es- Tristoth." One of the guards gives him a rather pointed (was it, though, Kas?), and then turns to confer with his co-worker again, before they both abruptly step forward towards the swordsman. It takes every iota of his being not to match the movement, and even then, he only manages to stay his ground for a moment before it kicks in that he should maybe cower a little. Thankfully, whatever bit of damage that does to his pride is short lived, as they rather promptly grasp hold of him and begin frisking. Smart alec remarks aside, Kasyr isn't actually carrying any weapons currently, though, when they start to rifle into his bag. "Ffffft." That wasn't Kas making that noise- but rather the snow white cat which puffs out from the sack, chomping down on one of their hands before promptly darting down to the ground and zipping around the corner. "...Um, are we done. I'm sort of attached to her, et all." The mutual look of annoyance he gets and the disgusted way they shoo him in seems to indicate that despite the scent, he's free to go, though the one that licked the air doesn't seem entirely at ease, tasting a few more times as it tries to get a grasp of the odd foresty scent which seems to cling to it's tongue.

Quintessa stops in her tracks when she hears hint of his accent. Et? He definitely said et. She spins around just in time to see them grab him up and a sense of dread fills her being. That is no slave! That is Master Kasyr! Pale fingers slowly reach for her twin daggers hiding just under her cloak, drawing them both silently as stands there. Her emotions battle with each other. Should she attack them? That would almost certainly give them away, so she waits, her fighting instinct screaming at her to kill them before they hurt Kasyr. They never do. Watching the cat scurry away, the changeling drifts backwards away from the Razurath duo, not sure if they could sense her or not but at the same time knowing better to test it. She would wait until they were alone before she would show herself to him.

Kasyr is starting to skitter after his cat, Casper, when a particular thought crosses his mind. After all, whilst they seemed exasperated enough to let him go for now. "Er, if one of t- you could come with me- just to let me know where I shouldn't be going while I do my work. ...and find my cat." Kas can't help but look a little bit feisty, despite himself, "I'd appreciate it. Whilst I'd like to make sure the clock's on time here- I'm not wanting to tread on any toes." A pause, and he glances down at the Razuraths foot, " . . . Digits? ...Claws. Definitely claws." The Razurath that had been busy eyeing the surroundings is looking thoroughly exasperated at this point, it's throat swelling a bit as it holds back some choice words. It had the distinct impression this particular monkey was intentionally being obtuse, and yet, it did seem daft enough to be harmless. "Fine. I will lead." Is the irritated response- Kasyr offering what he hopes is an inspipid enough clap of appreciation, before the Kensai helpfully adds, "But could you lead in that direction- my cat went there. Et, well, I think it's fairly on par with where I need to be?" There's a moment where the swordman rummages up a map, which has had some helpful markings put on it for areas that need checking out- and some doodles of cats. The razurath, at this point has it's opinion of Kas being an idiot cemented, and decides there's no harm in playing tour guide and keeping this idiot savant repairman out of the way. The other Razurath left at the door simply face palms, and decides to do their best to look disinterested, so they don't get pulled into this stupidity.

Quintessa smirks to herself as the Razurath split up and she knows an opportunity has shown itself. She waits until they are out of sight before she reaches into her coin purse to pull out a single copper piece and tosses it to her right. The metallic -ting- alerts the remaining Razurath and he cranes his neck to look back in the direction of the sound. "Is somebody there?" He asks, gripping his spear as he walks over by the stack of crates where she tossed the coin. Silent footsteps of the hex blade close the distance between her and the big lizard, both daggers already brought out offensively. The red is just peeking behind the boxes when Quintessa strikes, totally unknown by him in her invisible form. Her left dagger slices into his armpit before her lithe form dances under and in front of him, and she swiftly jams the right blade right through his lower jaw and into the base of his skull. He still stands after the assault, twitching a little bit before she pulls his face down to her level. He's still fighting, clinging to life up until the point Quintessa snaps his long neck, using her dagger as leverage to do so. As his massive body collapses, she does her best to drag him around the edge of the crates and out of plain sight. It would be a shame to waste this opportunity by being sloppy. Content that he wouldn't be discovered until the shift change, the changeling leaves his dead body behind to track down Kasyr and the other red that chaperoned him. Maybe she'd be able to sneak attack that one too.

Kasyr rather diligently follows his impromptu tour guide, alternating between dutiful calls of "Casper! Where are you?" and more grudging yet professional inspections of Andon D'chaths interior. Which is both more and less creepy than what the Kensai was inspecting. On one hand, it's decor strays away from the more gaudy examples of evil architecture that can be found across Lithrydel, in favour of more functional corridors. That said, there's a distinct uncanniness to the building at large, which rests tied to the peculiar energies that Kasyr can feel running through the stone work- something different from the tainted energies emanating from the chaos shards which festoon the exterior, or the spell work which courses through the obelisk itself. Every now and then as the Kensai passes a segment of the wall, he can feel distinctly poignant bits of empathic resonance- echoes of rage and despair which seem to have soaked into the very stones themselves. He can't help but pause in front of one such patch, his hands reaching out to the wall to start furtively tracing against the stone, his mind drifting away from the more physical reality to the threads of emotion that linger in this place- trying his best to discern their source. "The damnest thing... Wait." Whilst the disquieting discovery that there's hubs of emotional energy moored in the very walls of the obelisk, the more nerve wracking discovery is that one of the guards at the door ... -isn't. The patch of disquiet, tension and ennuie that was roiling at that location was just -gone-, and the Kensai couldn't imagine the hatchery was left unguarded for any good reason. It didn't help that his current antics were making his reptilian chaperone antsy. It's inquiry is anything but warm, "Is this what you needed to do?" Kasyr blinks back into focus, then sheepishly knocks at the wall for show, before turning his attention towards the Saurian, "Tied to it. I understand you've been trying to keep things up and running, but this really does need more frequent maintenance. While it's not immediately dangerous, could you take me... " Kasyr points at a pair of spots on the map, one of which waas notably close to where he felt a whole lot of presences. The response is immediate and sharp, a hissed out, "No." before the red scaled Razurath, exhales, and adds slightly less hotly, "Not at this time. Do you need to see both today?" Kasyr shakes his head, "No, no. The other will suffice, for now."

Quintessa is perhaps acting recklessly for one deep in hostile territory, and the foul Razurath blood on her blades would no doubt draw suspicion soon. It really showed how inexperienced the hex blade was when it came to stealthy things. She's much rather be blowing things up and cutting them down in swaths, but she knew she couldn't do it alone. The Razurath had padded their numbers greatly here, greater than she anticipated anyway. Already her plans for the assault had already adjusted to make up for it. It is all she can think about. How exciting it would be to finally be in the heat of a massive battle, her and her allies carving a path through the heart of the big lizards. She had killed many in the name of the mage's guild already and she was looking forward to putting the spell her and Gevurah developed to good use. Her excitement was practically overflowing from her at this point as she picked out good spots to hold the line and even better spots to take advantage of the unique architecture and landscape. Plotting her strategy and choosing the tactics she would employ was a lot more fun than she could have ever imagined. Finally, she caught up to Kasyr and the red that lead him and she ducked back into a hall way so she wasn't bumped into as she spied on them.

Kasyr is getting the very distinct impression that Quintessa’s drawing closer, which only manages to intensify the distinct sense of nervousness the former revenants feeling. He’s even able to pinpoint her direction, though he still can’t quite put his finger on her location- a testament that she was at least adhering to some rules of stealth. …Right? Probably. “You. Behave yourself!” He can’t quite look where she is, however- and he’s rather quick to add, “Casper. This really has been enough.” when the Razurath accompanying him turns to give him an appraising look. “What are you-?” Kasyr provides his best exasperated look, “What? Don’t you talk to your pets. They understand you, you know.” Here, the Kensai raises his voice for effect, calling down the hallway, “They Just don’t listen out of spiiiiite!” A distinctly self-satisfied “Purr-reow?!” comes from further down, which is met by the swordsman self assuredly nodding, as though this answered everything. “See. Simple. You should get yourself a cat. ..Or. ..I guess a non edible pet? Do you eat cats? Don’t eat my-” Right, well, that was probably pushing the idiot act a bit too far, given that Kasyr finds himself rather promptly grabbed by the collar of his grimy shirt and slammed against the wall hard enough to dislodge dust from the walls, winding him as the Razurath leans in and angrily hisses, “Do not talk down to me like this is some joke. You are allowed here because your work is . . . important?” Doubt is beginning to creep into those words, and the reptiles grip on the swordsman only tightens, coaxing a genuinely uneasy look as the situation grows markedly more unstable, “Now prove it. …Or perhaps It would be best if you spend some time in a jail cell.” Kasyr’s hands slowly raise up in a gesture of submission, as he offers up a quiet, “I’ll. I’ll behave. Promise. I just talk a lot when nervous. …You know?” Even when the grip starts to relax, the Razuraths voice remains as sharp, “No.”

Quintessa is immediately filled with rage when she sees the red razurath grip up Kasyr and slam him into the wall. Was he compromised? She doesn't know. Panic mixes with possessive fury and she quickly leaves the safety of the corridor she's in to approach the two of them, her hood falling from her head as her invisibility cloak's enchantment wears off. Her arm winds back with her dagger held tightly by the blade, ready to throw it at him the moment she has his attention. "Hey, scales for brains!" the changeling heckles, and the large lizard grows at the insult before looking over. "Who said th-AHH!" Quintessa's dagger strikes true, lodging itself in his eye as he reels back in pain, letting Kasyr go as he directs his attention to what he assumes is the real threat. Wanting to capitalize, the hex blade rushes in with her other dagger, hoping to end this as quickly as the last but this Razurath is a bit tougher than his friend from before. At the last second, he spots Quintessa charging him and swings his polearm at her, catching her in her midsection and knocking the air from her lungs. The force is strong enough to slam her into the opposite wall that the Kensai is against, and the red dino turns his back on Kasyr to step up to the changeling as he other dagger clatters to the floor just out of reach. "You'll regret that," He hisses, bringing his weapon up in preparation to strike down at her.

Kasyr ’s head turns in unison with his ‘Tormentors’, the look of resignation he’d been displaying rather promptly exchanged for one that rapidly flickers between surprise, then panic, and finally a tired, yet grim sense of resignation. It had technically been a good idea, to introduce his student to the practical application of espionage in a situation that could only be described as live fire. On the -other- hand, it was becoming imminently apparent that both impulse control and subtlety were generally not on speaking terms with Quintessa. …Though, that -is- a nice invisibility clo- “Oh. Right.” As his student and the Razurath exchange swings and words alike, the Kensai -briefly- savors not being the center of a murder attempt, before he flicks his right hand forward, an acute charge of electricity flaring up along the tips of his fingers, causing the shadows in the corridor to dance crazily. It’s enough to cause the Razurath to falter in it’s swing, it’s body starting to pivot in an attempt to redirect the strike. But not quite fast enough to stop the Kensai from tapping it in the back with his fingers- sending that pulse of energy shocking through the lizard, blackening a patch of scales, constricting muscles, and then finally disrupting it’s very thoughts as it travels towards it’s target- the dagger lodged into it’s face. Perhaps the shock to it’s brain hinders it from contemplating the feeling of metal being inexonerably dragged through it’s skull and towards the swordsman behind it- or perhaps it feels every moment as the small weapon crunches through it’s eye socket, shreds through brain matter, and briefly lodges into the back of it’s skull before bursting through. Whatever the case, it doesn’t live long enough to feel the ground meet it’s face. Kasyr, for his part, simply sits there, awkwardly thumbing the still sparking dagger between his fingers, exchanging looks between the corpse and Qujntessa. “…Well. F--- . Time for Plan B.”

Quintessa is momentarily dazed by being smacked into the wall, but as mismatched eyes gaze up at the red lizard she only has hatred to show him. "Do it!" she growls, gnashing her pointed teeth at him. It isn't until the changeling sees the flicker of electricity does her expression shift from anger to adoration for the former revenant. She straightens up, a grin already on her face as she witnesses Kasyr take down the injured Razurath with ease. "You're so coooool!" She says, stars in her eyes as she hops to her feet before the dino can even hit the ground. The changeling skips over to other dagger and snatches it from the floor before turning back to the swordmaster. "It's about time," she begins, hurring over to him, "I thought you two were gonna wonder around forever!" Quintessa has absolutely no grasp at how dire this situation could become in a very short amount of time.

Kasyr is a sucker for praise, sometimes, the weirdly addictive rush of endorphins that come with recognition for an often thankless job. This is not one of those times. As Quintessa moves to greet him, fondness in her eyes- Kasyr’s already in the process of closing the distance, if only so he can place a hand to her shoulder to push her back to the wall and pin her, like he’d been held just moments ago. There’s a fury carried in those red and amber flecked eyes, creeping into his voice and honing it to a steel edge, “What. Have. You. Done.” It’s so hard for him not to hurt her in this moment, a violent tension coursing through him, which is only held back by the simple knowledge of his own part in this. He’d involved his students. It was supposed to be educational. Now… “Now there’s a gap in the guards. He won’t be there to greet the change in shift. To report to his superior and let them know that -NOTHING- is wrong right now.” And that other emotional imprint snuffed. “You killed the other too- didn’t you?” His lips draw back into a grimace, before his riight canine slips over the lip and begins to wear at it, ever so easily due to it’s uncanny sharpness. He doesn’t even slow down, even as his teeth start to stain red. “How long do you think until they realize that their young are in danger now. Hours? Less, likely. Overly attached, was what Gevurah said.” He can’t help but bite down sharper, “The young are their -treasures-. I can’t imagine the shifts are long, to avoid -just- this. How long til a patrol wanders -here-.” The almost predatorial look the Kensai gives the hallway, before he relaxes just slightly, at least indicates it isn’t in that second. “We no longer have the leisure we did before.” It’s here the Revenant starts to center himself, at least slightly- the dagger clutching hand gestured towards Quintessa, “I need you to get a message out of here. Quickly.”

Quintessa gasps in a mix of surprise and pleasure when Kasyr pins her against the wall, a blush already burning at her cheeks. "W-what...?" Her heart is beating so fast in this moment. He was so strong, so scary, so in control, and this was happening all so suddenly. She submits to his hold, the hand holding her dagger trembling in expectation of some kind of kiss or something, but what comes next only causes embarrassment to replace any fantasies she might be having. "I- I-" Her mismatched eyes want to look at the floor but she can't pry them away from Kasyr's own. "I thought you were in trouble." She realizes now how stupid that sounds. Of course he had everything under control. "Their young?" The hex blade begins to understand the severity of what she's done, "Oh no," She grimaces as well, "Okay, I messed up," she admits, "But you should wait to punish me later," Something about that thought made her feel excited again, but she quickly buries those feelings deep down. "Y-yes, Master, what's the message? I won't stop until Gevurah herself hears my words."

Kasyr's brain is currently in the process of rioting in itself, courtesy of one simple fact- Quintessa’s proximity is making it incredibly easy for him not only to pick up on those empathic threads, feeding him a taste of her shame, of the dread realisation . . . and the more tantalizing prospects which lurk there. He needs a drink, or a smoke or… - both. “Definitely both.” The sound of his own voice snaps him back to reality, even as the desperate nature of the situation provides the clarity he needs. “You were overzealous. The mission was compromised. They are going to find out, so I’m advancing the timeline of the operation out of necessity. “ The Kensai takes in a deep breath, and then adds, “And the severity of the damage to the area, to ensure they have a grave reason to remain here as you gather forces. Will bide my time for as long as possible until discovery seems imminent or occurs.” The kensai’s empty hand moves up to his hair, and runs through it- coming away with a patchwork of charcoal coloured streaks as he fetches a bent cigarette from behind his ear. “ That’s it. I’ll deal with you after this, provided everyone doesn’t die. Dismissed.” With that said, he offers Quintessa’s shoulder one final squeeze, this one less harsh then the rest, before he draws away and gives her a tap towards the exit. Then the cigarettes placed to his lip, slowly staining red from his lips, even as he begins muttering a small cantrip. With a snaps his fingers, a small red flame flickers into life to light it, granting him whatever reprieve can be found in a drag of the smoke. It’s a bad habit that might kill him one day, but this mission was suddenly seeming like a far likelier suspect.

Quintessa winces each time Kasyr piles on about how bad she messed up everything. She feels like such an idiot, but she nods her head, hoping that passing this message on was enough to redeem herself in the eyes of him and the rest of her allies that were relying on the information from this reconnaissance mission. As soon as he says 'Dismissed,' she is already off, bowing her head low before she departs, "Yes, Master! I won't fail this time!" The changeling scampers down the hallway, pulling the hood of her invisibility cloak over her head before saying the incantation "Anweledig." to activate it. She disappears from view right before she rounds the corner, heading for the exit of the city. As promised, she wouldn't stop until she reached Gevurah to deliver the bad news. It seems like the liberation of Trist'oth would have to happen much sooner than expected. <ref>Insert footnote text here</ref>