Searching the Streets

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:29 am

Time slowed, the air seemed to thicken, and Kamar exulted. Only one as confident in their skills as Kamar would even dream of putting themselves in this situation. And of those few with that confidence, Kamar was the only one who would willingly do so. Or that he was aware of, anyways.

Impact. A flash of lightning touched down not far from the town, lighting the streets as the thunderstorm on the southern horizon reached the town. A crash of thunder shook the very air as Kamar hit Lanya's right shoulder with his own, tensing all his muscles at impact, managing to keep most of his wind. They fell in a heap and rolled across the ground, Kamar already jockeying for his position on her back. Waves of pain and nausea rolled through him as they rolled across the ground. His left arm wasn't working properly, and the pain would have been nearly crippling for almost anyone but Kamar. Ritual torture, a prerequisite to joining his particular assassin's guild, had allowed him to continue what needed to be done despite the pain.

They stopped rolling, Kamar on top, Lanya facing him. His right hand was holding Lanya's shirt at the base of her neck. Even as she began to recognize her surroundings again, Kamar was moving, rolling her to one side as he slipped to his right. She suddenly began struggling, raking at him with her fingernails, tearing a line down his left cheek. His right hand remained clamped to the shirt at the base of her neck, holding her close to him.

Sudden pain exploded through Kamar's shoulder again, nearly causing him to black out. By rolling off Lanya, he had unwittingly spared himself a kick to the head, instead having his dislocated shoulder relocated by a hard kick from Lucian. Movement and life returned to his left arm again as the pain suddenly subsided. Through the pain, his right hand had reflexively remained closed.

Kamar turned back towards the flailing Lanya, choosing to ignore the kicker for the moment. He pulled with his right hand to bring her close to him, his eyes fixing on Wolfhound as he landed in the street not far away, a knife already leaving his hand. Something joined the rain that was falling on him, something with a sharp smell to it.

The spice mixed with the rain, running into his nostrils, eyes, and even down his throat, causing it to constrict. His vision blurred, his breathing came in rasps, and his nostrils burned, but Kamar would not stop. She was his, and this -would- end in his favor.

Kamar pulled harder, attempting to use Lanya to partially shield himself from the knife throw as well as whatever was coming down with the rain as he scooted a little closer to her.

As all of this happened, Kamar's left hand had already begun what seemed a long, slow arc from behind his back, something that seemed half shadow, half metal glinting in the occasional patch of light as it plunged towards Lanya's throat.

"Stop."

Kamar did so.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:52 am

Orion had time to muse that time seemed to slow down, at least in his own mind, at points of conflict. As he ran closer to the struggling quartet in the middle of the road not far from the bridge Orion could make out more and more of the detail around him, the people, their clothing and their expressions. The raindrops seemed to slow down, and his own movements felt almost sluggish compared to the rate at which his mind sped to feed his need for stimulation.

Kamar jumped. He fell fast at first but began to slow down in his descent. The constant tap of the raindrops against his face slowed down in tandem--as the pressure built around the events centered on the foursome everything began to become compressed in his mind. Kamar landed on Lanya. The unknown man attempted to kick Kamar off to no avail. Orion was getting close. His footsteps which in real life were just as fast as before seemed to echo an eternity before the next one sounded. Kamar raised a knife high above Lanya. Wolfshound dove for Kamar. There was a flash of lightning and then:

"Stop."

For what seemed a single second everything came to a standstill. Orion saw Kamar, Lanya, and Wolfshound in the middle of his strike. His eyes shifted to each frozen face of the bystanders around him. And then that second was over and abruptly the world returned to normal.

Orion, having frozen mid-stride of a full out sprint, tripped hard. His body arced slightly before crashing to the pavement. He fell hard on his side although he tried to roll with the fall best he could. The speed of his sprint was such that he rolled on the pavement a few yards, putting him just a few feet behind where Wolfshound originally landed from the rooftop. His sabre clattered to the floor and stopped only inches away from his face. The enchanted guitar however slid far in the wet pavement, and came to a stop only when it lightly bumped into the top of Lanya's head.

Lanya Caliope · Post by **Lanya Caliope** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:11 am

They were a tangle as he jostled her and tried to turn her. She had no idea what his plans were, and she didn't care in the least. She just wanted to resist him every step of the way.

She hadn't expected the newest male to stop and turn, to make an effort to defend her. And she couldn't see a damn thing either way - tears of pain and fear blinded her completely, and she had to rely on hearing and touch to try and estimate the assassin's every move. She wasn't doing too well, finding herself flailing, but she used this to her advantage and tried to be as squirmy and otherwise random as possible. She remembered how she'd driven her brothers insane with her constant motion, so that they never could get a solid hold on her. The assassin was strengthened by his intent to kill, and didn't care if he hurt her, which was a disadvantage. But she fought, regardless.

Lucian threw the powder then, and Lanya couldn't see this move. It landed on her face and upper neck, further muddying the woman with filth, and bits of it went into her mouth and nose. She found herself coughing as irritants raced into her lungs. Burning irritants. Her struggles jolted with each hacking cough and sob.

Today was a terrible day.

The assassin was pulling her, roughly, and she struggled to get her feet under her, trying to balance herself and throw him off his balance at the same time. Sudden, mind-blowing pain shot through her leg and she screamed and fell back as a dead weight. Something was wrong with her knee. Something was wrong with it, and my God it's too much pain, I can't focus, I can't...

"Stop."

The command plunged into her thoughts, demanding complete silence and stillness. She froze while reaching down to clasp her shattered knee, tears still streaming unchecked. The moment blinked - once, twice - then jolted into action again, and Lanya fell back against the ground in a stupor. Magic. Was it magic? Something so...invasive. God how she hated it.

She heard a man's voice, laying claim to her. So many males surrounding her, fighting over her. Was she really worth all this? She wiped her eyes lazily, as her weariness settled on her brain, giving her the bill for her broken sleeping habits and the entire day's worth of exertion. She could just fall asleep where she was, without a thought, and damned to the consequences. Just let the horses trample me, soldier boy. I'm ready to give in now.

If the predator hovering mere inches above her looked, he'd see the moment every predator waits for: the moment the prey gives up. He'd know what the glassy eyes meant, what the relaxed muscles said. I'm tired now. You win.

And with so many witnesses, he couldn't take advantage of it. It would drive any predator insane, wouldn't it?

Something tapped against her head, and she blinked, and the moment was gone. She once again rose from her inner abyss, prepared to fight again. She twisted her neck and saw the length of wood stretching out above her. Of course it was here. She was surprised the damn thing hadn't hitched a carriage by itself.

Greenfyre had its own life, in a sense, and its life was dedicated to protecting her from all threats. Now it had manoeuvered itself, propelled itself where it belonged in the world - watching over her. And now a string uncoiled, the eerie creaking as its length slackened the only sound for a few moments. Lanya knew that sound. She'd only heard it once before.

She did the most insane thing she'd ever done.

"Stop moving."

She whispered, almost like a conspirator, and looked at the assassin who held her death in his hands. She knew what would happen if he kept on, if he pressed his luck. Now that she wasn't blind, she saw what he held. If he moved more, those strings...God, all that blood...

"Don't move, don't. Move.. It'll kill you. Just please, for God's sake...don't...move..."

Lucian · Post by **Lucian** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:51 pm

This situation had become much more complicated than Lucian had possibly imagined it could.

His kick had missed its intended target, the damn spice wasn't nearly as effective as he had been hoping it would be (that is, inducing screaming, flailing, and general inability to be dangerous). He had underestimated his opponent and overestimated his own resources.

And then, of course the situation compounded itself.

His perception of time momentarily froze as he took it all in.

The solider- the one Lucian was positive he didn't want to get involved in a melee with- was charging down at them, sword in hand. The gypsy had no idea what his intentions were, but the sword was more than enough of a statement for him that the solider was prepared to kill something.

Then his vision, beyond any provocation or thought of his own, focused past the charging solider, at the two horsemen pounding down the road toward them at a gallop, armor and weapons standing out to his trained and enchanted eyes. Obviously powerful, the people scattering before them like chaff.

A flash in his peripheral vision and his eyes twitched upward to catch the sight of massive half-man half-wolf creature leaping off of the rooftops, toward them, releasing a spinning blade that flew straight in their direction.

All of this, centered around the female at his feet.

Who the hell was this woman?

Lucian quick-stepped forward in his trance, his attention focused with unerring precision that came with his primar. The blade was incredibly well-thrown considering it had been released in mid-air (powerful enemies, Lucian thought warily), spinning lazily end over end to his eyes, accuracy unwavering-

Until he reached out in a blurring swing and smacked it out of the air with his palm, sending the knife skidding and skipping away across the pavement. It was not an overly difficult thing, merely a matter of timing and quickness, two things at least that Lucian excelled at.

He felt his perception return to normal, and immediately realized that something had happened. He was feeling the world at regular time, but everyone around him had froze- like a dream. And then he felt it, like a chill elasticity over his skin. Magic. This was magic. Not the natural flowing embrace of the earth, power tapped from the world's heart, but cold and alien sorcery drawn from pieces of another realm that were left embedded and mingled with the earth.

Lucian hated it with every fiber of his being.

However, other than the sensation, he quickly gathered he had been unaffected by the spell, leading him to guess that it had been a command or some form of audible hypnotizism. The charging solider had tripped and fallen, the killer and the woman momentarily frozen, the killer holding a knife poised to cut out her throat- as had the two horsemen pounded ahead, the only other two who apparently had been unaffected.

The gypsy had no idea how long the spell would last.

But he had learned long ago that fairness was an illusion. That there was nothing honorable about fighting and death. He would likely be incapable of defeating the solider, and no chance against either of the horsemen. He vaguely caught himself wondering how far he could get, pursued by horsemen, as he prepared to bring his heel down on the momentarily immoblized assassin's spine in powerful kick, when a guitar came skidding in, lightly contacting the woman's head.

As if that were not odd enough, against all reason Lucian observed the strings uncoil, although there were no hands to loosen the pins.

And then he briefly saw the woman's lips moving, barely catching the last few words, "... for God's sake...don't...move..."

He had no idea who she was talking to, but he hesitated, his right leg coiled up beneath him in preparation to drive his heel downward into the killer, comfortable his his stork-like stance. Did she... was the demon-instrument under her control, perhaps?

The horsemen came on, in the stillness the gyspy felt the reverberating vibrations through the ground, but for a brief moment Lucian ignored them, his attention focused solely on the guitar, the woman, and the killer, still holding the jar of spice in his left hand.

Post by **Laz** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:22 am

Stop. The word echoed through Wolfhounds mind, he couldn't though. His body movements stopped, but he was in the air at that point, and there was no way to stop that. His frozen body sailed through the air, arms still outstreched. He saw Kamar stop, and Lanya...but not the unkwnown who swatted his blade away from Lanya...and here he was thinking he was going to help.

It could be seen that actually the spell helped Wolfhound, with Kamar frozen and Wolfhound about to crash into him, this way there was no way for Kamar to dodge, especially considering the distance to be travelled. Wolfhounds body crashed into Kamars, seperating Kamar and Lanya by distance enough to finish the fight.

Slowly as the spell dissapated, wolfhound felt the mucsles come back to life, bit by bit. He moved his fingers, tensed his muscles as he lay in the most awkward position streched out on the floor. He drew a knife out slowly, looked towards Kamar and attacked.

(OOC: If anyone has a problem with me hitting Kamar PM me, I just assumed that seeing as he was frozen, there was no way to dodge a flying object)

Camulous Smithson · Post by **Camulous Smithson** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:29 pm

As the spell wore off things became a lot better for the captain. Specifically, the people who were crowding the street and getting in his way immediately began to scatter after getting a second's reprieve to review the situation. Upon seeing the fight, and hearing Camulous' hefty yells of "MOVE!" they filtered into the alleys, taverns, stores, and wherever else took them away from the violence.

He saw Orion fall but there was no time to check if he was alright. The wolfman was already involved with Kamar and the witch again. The new guy, who he'd dismissed as a clueless bystander, was also fighting back to protect her. It angered the captain that this guy wasn't listening to his warnings.

Fuck it. To jail with the lot of them.

He galloped right up to where Lanya was on the road, getting dangerously close to trampling her with his horse, and then practically threw himself off the horse and into the fray. Getting his feet out of the stirrups ahead of time, he let himself fall out of his saddle right on top of the wolfman, hands poised to catch him by the shoulders and bring him down if possible.

Though the captain was the smaller of the two, he was not so much smaller that his weight meant nothing. With the added bulk of his armor, it would be hard to toss him around.

Lucas Hild · Post by **Lucas Hild** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 2:25 am

Lucas was still unable to close completely with his target, mostly thankful to the furred creature that had come out of seemingly nowhere and shoved him yards from his original location. Camulous had pulled ahead of him with his horse surging forward and then attacking the wolf thing. Lucas joined him a short while after on foot after violently shoving a man out of his way.

He was glad to see the resourcefulness of the guard captain in removing the furred abomination, an obstacle that was likely to put him in a very bad mood otherwise.

By now there were few good reasons to continue the charade that he was some kind of guard under Camulous's command. He dropped the facade that made him look to be wearing the guardsman's armor. If anyone there was familiar with Marn's lawkeeping rank-and-file they would recognize the crest he wore designated him as a battlemage. Regardless, a gradually enlarging group of onlookers clustering around the scene to gawk could be heard periodically muttering the word "battlemage" in an anxious way.

"I am taking this man, Samuel Dennison into my custody." He yelled sharply to no one in particular. "Do not interfere or I'll see that every one of you goes to the judges."

With that he brought his hands forward in a jabbing gesture. This was a focused magical attack directly into the assassin's brain, intended to inflict severe pain throughout his nervous system. It would magnify the pain of any existing wounds or injuries on his body. A less intelligent creature might believe it was actually being wounded by the pain. Again his use of magic had a dark quality to it, seeming to violate the barriers of the mind in order to send spirals of agony through the very core of his being.

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:14 am

Frozen, Kamar sensed rather than saw Lucian poised above him. Still his muscles would not work as he called upon them. He heard a skidding coming towards them, but was helpless to do anything. A small thud and the minute sound of a tapped guitar was heard, and dread shot through Kamar. Lanya whispered for him not to move, and Kamar, now once again able to move, had no intention of doing so.

And suddenly he was sailing through the air, flipping right over Lanya and skidding several feet away, jogging his shoulder again. The knife slipped from his grasp His right hand, which had still been clasped tightly to the back of Lanya's shirt through the tumble, let go as he landed and came immediately to his feet. Kamar's sharp eyes immediately found his knife, and he stooped, picking it up in his right hand. His left went to Lanya, grabbing at her left arm in order to bring it up behind her back to further immobilize her as well as to bring her to his chest and keep her between himself and the rest of those around. The dagger moved swiftly to hover at Lanya's throat in an obviously threatening manner.

Thanks to Wolfhound, Kamar was most of the way back towards the buildings, and no longer worried about being surrounded; he was also far enough away from the guitar and it's length of string to act as he wanted, though he did keep a wary eye on it. The clatter of hooves continued to grow louder as Kamar shot a quick glance towards Lucian to be sure of his whereabouts. His eyes darted to the upright and attacking Wolfhound just as the Captain's horse hove into view on the periphery of Kamar's vision. The Captain suddenly leapt at Wolfhound, and Kamar now had two less worries.

Kamar's eyes again darted around the scene, now alighting upon the approaching figure of a battlemage. Kamar knew the reputation, and the hard feelings between the battlemages and the guard, and was surprised that the Captain had brought this one.

All of this happened in a mere moment of time. And then:

"I am taking this man, Samuel Dennison into my custody. Do not interfere or I'll see that every one of you goes to the judges."

Kamar's irritation piqued, and his right hand jerked instinctively towards Lanya's throat to finish it, but he knew he needed her.

I need her to get me out. Perhaps a deal...?

And then the pain struck. As intense as anything he had ever felt in the torture chambers, the pain shot through him from head to toe. It suddenly centered on the pain in his shoulder, intensifying it. Kamar slumped forward on the only support he had, Lanya. He jerked from the pain, his right hand shaking back and forth, dangerously close to Lanya's throat. Through the pain, Kamar was able to maintain his hold on his weapons, etc, still making him at least mildly dangerous.

Through clenched teeth, his lips spread back in a grimace, Kamar hissed, "Your l-life if you help m-me out of this."

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:13 am

Orion took a second to shake the disorientation from his head, and his hand shot out to grab his dropped sabre. He remained crouched defensively as he took stock of the situation. There seemed to be a great deal of activity all around him. When he saw the Captain and another man he immediately recognized as a battlemage Orion faded back into a supporting role. There was little space for him to act. He took a couple paces back and resheathed his sword. Instead of his sword he swung his loaded gun into place and readied himself to fire at a moment's notice to the nearest opening--whether it be Kamar, Wolfhound, or anyone else who may threaten either himself or his allies.

Lanya Caliope · Post by **Lanya Caliope** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:29 pm

For a moment, they were all frozen together, the assassin hovering over her and the newcomer hovering over him. It was a moment's pause as both men listened to her advice and didn't move, and she felt the most intense disbelief and surprise that for once, she'd managed to control something around her.

But a large object suddenly slammed into the assassin, and her vision twisted and swirled as she was jerked along for the ride. She screamed, and through her confusion felt the hint of hoarseness in her throat. Her voice would be scratchy now, and worse, her throat would be agony by tomorrow.

Motion stopped, and she groaned and started to sit up, to do anything that would reorient her again. But someone grabbed her and lifted her, turned her and twisted her left arm back and around. A cold metallic object settled just against her throat. The assassin's knife. She reached up, out of reflex, and grabbed his wrist. But her hand was still cut, and her grip was weak. Moreso, she was plain tired. There wasn't a damn thing she could do.

This day could only get better.

She hissed in pain and tried to straighten herself in his grip, the relieve some of the pressure on her arm, but she was one leg down and couldn't find the proper balance. She could see Wolfhound now, and though she felt relief that he was alright, the man was being attacked by the guardsman. Another guard with a strange metallic object stood to the side, pointing it into the fray. The newcomer was back where they'd been seconds ago, and Greenfyre remained in the road where it had landed, now too far away to do any damage. She was alone, injured, and terrified.

Lanya wasn't an easy screamer. She wasn't the type of woman to blubber and whimper uselessly in dire situations. She remained mute while the assassin's grip shifted as he took stock of their surroundings, just as she had. It was clear that she couldn't escape him. The knife hovered at her throat, and every time it shifted she winced. She closed her eyes, forcing yet more tears out, and waited to be killed. She wondered if drowning in your own blood was fast or slow, and marvelled at the irony of such a death. She wondered if it would hurt.

Suddenly the man behind her jerked and slumped forward, shuddering as though in pain. Her eyes shot open as she struggled not to fall forward; she was tired of being thrown to the ground, and worse, if she fell she would hit against her injured knee, which would make her black out, which would leave her at the mercy of fate. Even now, the ache that throbbed from where her kneecap should be kept a steady stream of tears running down her face. But he wasn't light, and she wasn't sturdy on her one leg. If he kept it up, they would fall.

And then the first miracle of the day happened: he asked for help. For her help. His voice strained and cracked through whatever pain was rolling through him, and she could feel that he was tensed from the power of it. She didn't answer him. Instead, she scanned the area again, wondering what might cause such a plea. Another man she hadn't noticed before stood to the side. She wasn't a native, and she didn't recognize his wardrobe, but she knew a pointing mage when she saw one. This must also be the source of the previous magic.

She didn't trust that one any more than the one bracing against her in agony. If he was willing to work magics like that without a thought to the consequences on the surrounding area, he didn't care about such things as liabilities.

The only potential X-factor was the newcomer, and she didn't know him well enough to judge. He'd already tried to help once. Maybe he would stick around. But she wasn't stupid enough to have blind faith in such hopes. This was between her and her murderer.

The thinking and analyzing helped to center the woman, to give her peace of mind and focus. She felt calmer, though she couldn't relax due to the pains shooting through her arm and leg. She knew this offer was some sort of game on the assassin's part at most, an opportunistic beg at least. He couldn't possibly give a damn about her. But the pain in his shaking voice made the maternal side of her come alive, and despite the knife and her own fear, she felt a pang of sympathy for the man. But was sympathy worth such a gamble?

And besides...

"I'm not sure what you think I can do." Her voice crackled from both pain and wear. God, she was so tired. She swayed forward, and her injured leg shot out to try and balance. The pain made her cry out and see stars for a moment, as she fought a dead faint. She wheezed with the effort of not collapsing. They wouldn't be upright much longer.

Lucian · Post by **Lucian** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:54 pm

When the wolfman had come flying in to plow into the killer, Lucian had instinctively jumped back, narrowly avoiding being taken down in the rush of the impact. It was a horrible jumble, the woman being jerked along with them, the steady rumble of approaching horse hooves.

Focus.

Lucian had taken two swift steps toward the killer and the woman, feeling his muscles tighten in readiness, before the former was on his feet and jerking the latter up as a shield before him. The unmistakable gleam of the knife at her throat brought the gypsy to a skidding stop.

Uncanny, these foes.

And so here it was. Stalemated. With the horsemen and guard and everything else coming down around him.

There was no doubt in his mind now that he was in over his head.

And then he saw a flash of agony in the killer's face, feeling that tenseness again at the same moment. The gypsy briefly glanced over at the second horseman, the first it seems, having tackled the wolfman. The second's hands were jabbed forward, and Lucian quickly drew the conclusion that he was casting again. No doubt the cause of the killer's suffering.

Just kill him already, the gypsy thought.

Then he saw the killer's lips move, fluttering in a slight stutter through teeth clenched in pain. But the words were discernable, if only barely.

He's making a deal with her?

The very notion was repulsive to Lucian. He had her at knife point. Had already tried to kill her. Now he wanted to bargain. Lucian shook his head, but sub-consciously commended the survival instinct. This one knew what was necessary to exist.

He read the woman's reply, and felt himself tense. She needed to breed the killer's confidence in her ability to get him out of here, or he would kill her then and there.

In a low rasp, Lucian spoke, confident in the killer's ability to hear him.

"There's no way out of this with her," Lucian said, staring straight at the killer. "That mage will break down your mind whether you kill her or not. If you run now, you might make it."

"Try to take a hostage..." Lucian did is best to shrug, but he was a little too tense for that.

Post by **Laz** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 10:33 pm

With Kamar taking Layna with him, wolfhounds plan, if it could be called that, wasn't going particulary well. Trying to take advantage he reached for a knife when he felt a crushing weight upon him. Wolfhound crashed to the floor, his hands by his side, keeping his face from slamming into the floor and so he was unable to reach for a dagger.

He struggled with the guard. A normal man Wolfhound would have been able to throw around like a rag doll due to his extra strength. However, just like a wolf's, Wolfhound exceeded in speed, not strength and so with this guard's armour he was having extreme difficulty shrugging him off. He grunted in pain, the weight of the captains armour almost crushing his body. Sweat dripped from his face and his arms shook with the strain of trying to keep himself off the ground. To someone else it looked like a man trying to do press ups with a huy in armour lying on his back.

Wolfhound began to lower himself, taking some of the strain away, before he snapped his arms upwards, using the last of his strength and flipped round so that Wolfhound was now on top. Quickly he rolled aside, flat on his back with his eyelids closed to protect his sensitive eyes from the glaring sun. He panted heavily, trying to recover some strength quick beofre the guard attacked again.

Camulous Smithson · Post by **Camulous Smithson** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:08 am

(( it's raining, btw Laz, so there's not much sun ))

Preferring to fight with a sword and shield, Camulous was not particularly adept at grappling and ground fighting. He knew how to take an untrained man down, but none of the tricks a martial artist would use to dislocate a shoulder or break an arm. In some areas, the Marn City Guard were just primitive even by the warped standards of Pal Tahrenor.

He attempted to get the man in a sleeper hold, with one arm sliding to the front of wolfhound's neck and his other poised for leverage, but found he was not quick enough for his inhuman opponent. Instead he failed to get the proper pressure with the metal on his arm before wolfhound rolled around so that camulous was now underneath.

His armor prevented him from feeling crushed at all, and so he never let go of wolfhound's neck. Again he tried to adjust his grip, pulling tightly against wolfhound's neck with his metal covered arm. He saw nothing of what was happening to Lanya and Kamar.

Lucas Hild · Post by **Lucas Hild** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:29 pm

At long last, Lucas was able to close with them. He did not particularly care about the woman, in part because he knew nothing about her. She was just a random element, and one that was presently in the way. And if the assassin killed her, it would be one more charge to bring before the judges.

He reached out and grasped the wrist of the arm that was forward, the one that held the knife. He could not prevent the man from jerking his arm and killing her. He could not stop any of that if that was what was to happen, but he would have his target, Samuel Dennison.

His touch brought with it a new layer of complications. Illusion magic was so very useful at fooling the senses. Lucas was capable of conjuring a wide range of illusions to fool any of the five senses in any number of ways. But these circumstances did not call for much imagination. Just as he could make the eyes see glints of light and fool one to think there was an itch where there wasn't, he could steal those very senses away by nullifying them.

It would start with the wrist he held, a spreading numbness going through his person, first the hand, then the arm, followed by the shoulder and spreading through the body, eventually making all of it numb, deadening the ears, blacking out the vision. He would feel isolated without any feedback from his environment. What Lucas did not steal away was purposefully left, intended to weaken the other man's resolve. The pain was the only remaining clue that he was still alive.

He could still move and talk, but he would not feel what he was touching or hear even his own voice speaking. It was quite cruel.

And so Lucas offered him some comfort by speaking in his mind.

If you cooperate and come quietly, the pain will be lessened. Relax your limbs. Release the woman.

There were many who gave up at this point. Occasionally they would fight. Lucas's magic did not prevent them from kicking, punching or flailing wildly, and occasionally did that as well. There was a limit to how effective that was. Sometimes Lucas let them tire themselves out. Sometimes he went to greater lengths to subdue them and restrain them. He thinly hoped that in this case, logic would win out. Random flailing would no doubt injure the woman and Dennison did still have a knife.

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:42 am

Kamar floated in a sea of pain. His concentration was on remaining upright, and keeping Lanya in front of him and as incapacitated as possible. The kid who had been running with Lanya was saying something, but Kamar was too intent on keeping his wits about him to hear or even understand.

Too late he saw the hand reach for his wrist, and tried to react. He twisted his wrist to slice at the hand, but the knife slipped harmlessly sideways, missing the hand as it clamped down on his wrist.

Instantly, he couldn't feel his hand. The knife was still there, he could see it, but he couldn't feel it. He seemed to have full use of his hand, he just couldn't feel what was happening to it. The feeling continued to leave his body, creeping slowly up his wrist and arm, reaching the shoulder. The pain remained.

Fury raged through Kamar, pushing the pain back and allowing him a few moments of lucidity. He ignored the deadening feeling, concentrating on the fact that he still held the knife, and that he could still use it. With an inarticulate grunt, he kicked at the back of Lanya's knee to take her down and get her out of his way.

The knife, hand and arm turned, and somewhere in the back of Kamar's mind he found it odd that they seemed so apart from him. Not dwelling on this fact, Kamar pushed forward, numbness seeping across his chest and back now. He threw himself forward, pushing past Lanya to get at the new threat, the battlemage that dared to put himself between Kamar and his intended prey. The knife, now turned so that it would plunge into Lucas' chest, was propelled forward by the force of Kamar's arm and the weight of his body as he drove towards Lucas.

His vision blurred, he couldn't feel much of his body, and still the pain remained. However, Kamar had again taken his fate into his own hands, and would kill this battlemage if he could.