The sun getting low in the sky signaled that it was time for the torches to be lit and the celebration to begin. The muscle angel and his crew of part-timers had finished setting up the main food table, several kegs of alcohol, and several other tables in both the courtyard of the property and on the street outside. The doors were now fully opened. The rope, which had held taut despite all best efforts, had gone slack when the funeral urn had been returned. It made sense that Nath had been responsible for that as well. It was the main gate; holding it shut made sense since he wanted to keep people out of his resting place.

The denizens of Scythefell Street were incredibly varied. So much so that Alvec quickly found that he wasn't the only Tiefling on the street, which made him feel much better. Had this property been located east of the river, the gang would have had a much harder time blending in with the upper crust of society. None, but perhaps Illaria could have blended into that life. There were, however, no other Goblins. He knew they were nomadic, at least partially, but he still thought he'd see the occasional Goblin.

Alvec wasted little time introducing himself to the other tieflings on scythefell street. A young couple from further down the road, closer to the church, consisted of a seamstress, a dock worker, and their two young children. Their skin colors were far more exotic than Alvec's. The man named Kranir was a lovely shade of purple, not unlike amethyst, and his wife Sienna was a vibrant shade of orange citrine. Their horns were also different than his own. Kranir had a single black horn that jutted straight out of his skull.

"Neither of you has perhaps met another Tiefling by the name of Tyir, have you?" Alvec asked. The couple shook their heads no.

"Should we have?" Kranir asked.

"Not particularly," Alvec said.

"Is this Tyir, someone important to you?" Sienna asked.

"No, just trying to do right by the dead," Alvec replied.

"Care to explain?" Kranir asked. Alvec did so, leaving out the oddities of the case. Ignoring the journal altogether and subbing in a bear as the vicious monster that did the traveler in.

"Traveling on their own alone and strong enough to at least hold a bear off, you say? Sounds like a sentinel to me," Kranir said.

"Oh?" Alvec asked, encouraging him to tell them more.

"They say they report directly to Ageneon himself. Rumor has it a few of them were recruited from the Banners," Kranir said.

"Some are sent around just to see how the countryside is doing. They say Cellocht thought up the idea, so I wouldn't be surprised if a few traveling bards reported to Ageneon." The three of them talked a little more about Sha-Lial. A few local Tiefling-run businesses were recommended to Alvec. After a while, he politely excused himself to continue mingling with the crowds.

The residents of the boarding house next door had joined in early. Edis, in particular, was making the rounds; his wife Nora had found a quiet spot and taken a chair there. Praha mainly stood apart from the rest of the group in her academy uniform. Ij mingled with anyone who would listen to him. Alvec found his fashion sense was a little questionable. He wore bright pink pants and a partially buttoned-up cream-colored shirt with oversized flowing sleeves. He spoke the way Alvec saw some wizards cast, with big sweeping hand motions.

Sarbie and Hoc arrived a bit later, still in their regular outfits. Sarbie had clearly put a little effort into dolling up her hair. Hoc, however, looked as if he had fought with the wood stain and lost; his clothing splattered with stains. Alvec flitted through the crowd, introducing himself to everyone. He spent a little extra time with the Tieflings of Scythefell Street.

Mavec had acquired a small plate of food and some mild drink. It was still a bit too soon to enact his master plan. People were still arriving, and it wasn't quite dark enough. Instead, he made a bee-line to Praha, who seemed annoyed to be here. "Hey, glad to see you."

She nodded at him. "Edis insisted we all come. I don't have any formal wear, so I figured the academy's outfit would be best. Seems like I'd have been out of place if I had worn anything fancier. Nora tried to insist I wear a dress; boy, am I glad I said no to that."

"Yeah, we didn't want to restrict people on what to wear. This is a block party, not an opulent ball hosted by the Emperor," Mavec replied.

"Good, I wouldn't really fit in."

"Enjoying the music?" He asked, trying to shift the subject.

"It's nice enough. The only problem is Ij trying to make small talk. I can't stand the way he speaks. If I have to hear one more complaint about how people don't really 'Get' art," she paused to scrunch her nose at the words. "I think I'll throw a drink at him."

"Ya know, I'd let you. I've talked with him once, and my brain's felt like they might just ooze out of my skull," said Mavec

"He has that effect on people," sighed Praha. "At least on any smart people. Edis and Nora are just smitten with him. They indulge his rants and snobbery as if he's some expert. You want to know the most frustrating part?"

"Oh?" Mavec asked between a quick sip of his ale.

"His paintings, they're actually good," she said, with a defeated sigh. "Both his abstract work and his portraits and landscapes. All of them are good. He wouldn't be so insufferable if he'd just shut up about essences and derivatives."

"Want to see a different type of art?" Mavec asked.

"If that's a pickup line, it's the worst I've ever heard," she said, laughing a bit.

"No, no. I've been planning a little surprise for tonight. I reckon it's dark enough now." He pressed a brass key into her hand and waved for her to follow him. The pair headed into the courtyard, and Mavec climbed a ladder up to the roof of the open-air pavilion. Praha followed behind, a bit hesitant. She arrived on the roof and found many tubes resting on wooden poles. She had seen this up close only once before. Fireworks. Better yet, and no doubt what he had been talking about, was the clockwork contraption beneath it with an apparent keyhole ready and waiting to be wound up. A closer look revealed a series of timed burners prepared to ignite when the key was turned. "Told you, a work of art," Mavec said. "You want to do the honors?" He asked, pointing towards the keyhole.

"I'd love to," she said as she knelt down and inserted the key he had handed her a few moments ago. She gave it a few cranks, and the clockwork mechanism began to flare to life. As the gears spun around, they slowly ignited the first fireworks.

The first one to launch into the sky was a brilliant red illuminating the street as it went off with a thunderous bang. A few cogs later, the second ignition flared into life; just as the first red was about to fade, a shimmering explosion of gold lit up the sky. Each time the colored light began to fade, a new rocket was already in the air, bathing the street in a new, vibrant color.

"This is the best part," Mavec said as several fuses lit simultaneously. Each launched off and exploded at almost the same time. Minor calculations had made it so that they were going off within seconds of each other, creating a dazzling final display of lights and sound over the sky.

"Alright, you're right; this is art," Praha admitted. The pair stayed up on the roof chatting for a while longer.

Naya found herself walking through the crowd, her arms pulled tight to her side, a mug of ale clutched a bit too tight in her hands. A gruff voice called out to her from a little further ahead. The owner of the bakery, Bandar, was standing near the snacks. He wasn't alone; a human woman nearly as plump as he was stood beside them. They both wore simple but sturdy clothing, and two children with pale green skin ran around them waving sparklers. Naya couldn't help but smile. "Glad you made it!" She said as she stood right before them.

"My wife insisted we be here. Something about it being a good opportunity to mingle with the community," he said as he smiled down at the red-haired woman with hair cut short close to her ears.

"Funny, that's not how I remember it, Bandar," the woman said, giving him a playful smile.

"I'll admit, I might have been a touch excited to see how you were doing and meet these friends of yours. They seem like fine enough folk. Alvec's already introduced himself to us. I haven't gotten to speak with the rest, but the Goblin and that Aasimar seem like a lively pair," Bandar said.

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"They thank you for the samples. Bait loves anything with cheese in it. If you want him to be a regular customer, make sure to carry anything with cheese," Naya said.

"And which ones did you like best?" the woman asked.

"Honestly, the bread. As delicious as all of the sweets were. There's just something that tastes like home in a nice rustic bread," Naya admitted.

"Well, if you ever need a good home-cooked meal, maybe you can stop by some evening," Bandar suggested.

"I couldn't impose. Really," Naya said, waving her hands before her, nearly spilling her drink.

"Dear, we've got two kids under the age of 12. You bring that wolf of yours, and I think we'll have the quietest meal we've ever had," Bandar's wife said.

"Oh, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm sure you already know, but I'm Naya, and your name is?" Naya asked, her face flushing red with embarrassment. This woman had been talking with her so casually, and she'd forgotten to ask her name.

"Ella," She replied, extending a hand to Naya enthusiastically. Naya returned the shake nervously.

"Alright, I'll be sure to stop by sometime," she agreed. The three of them spoke for a little while longer before Naya was called away.

Eventually, Bait and Naya found themselves in front of the beer kegs. As promised, the muscle angel had brought them a beer brewed with cheese, a specialty of Ben's from just over in Archer's Market. They had already had a glass each, and Naya was rallying everyone to join her in a drinking contest. "Come on, it'll be fun; let's see who can drink the most!" She shouted.

"Only if we use Cheese beer!" Bait shouted back to her.

"Oh, you young whipper snappers, I'll drink you both under the table. I used to be part of the Green Banner army, you know, and we sure could hold our liquor," Edis said while gently elbowing them.

"Alright, alright, I'll referee this," Illaria said as she approached the table. "Ladies, gentlemen, and Goblins. All those who want to participate, get over here and grab a mug." Illaria said, letting her voice boom over the crowd. Hoc walked forward, only for Sarbie to tap him on the shoulder and shake her head no. The boy looked disappointed but solemnly nodded his head in agreement. With all three contestants armed with a mug of cheese beer, Illaria signaled for them to begin. All three downed their beers with enthusiasm.

"Dis so good! Ben truly is cheese master!" Bait cried out. Naya and Edis didn't share Bait's devotion to Ben, but both easily emptied their mugs. There was a brief intermission while Illaria and Alvec filled up the next round of cheese beer for the three contestants to down.

There were murmurs through the crowd. "This can't end in anything but disaster, can it?" someone asked.

"Sure, but it will be a fun wreck to watch." Another partygoer replied.

The second round of beers was placed in front of the crowd, and Illaria signaled for them to drink again. Moments later, all the beer was drained from the mugs. Two beers deep, each of them was still raring and ready to go. Another round, and then another, left Naya and Bait both struggling. They tangoed with their pride and refused to concede, while Edis still took it like a champ. The fifth round of beer was placed in front of them. For Naya, this was a simple matter of pride; she couldn't admit defeat like this. No. She was a fighter; she had to be built of sterner stuff.

For Bait, it was more about the desire for more. Bait always wants more, more cheese, more beer, more cheese beer. It was the way of the world. Why should Bait's stomach object to more when he so badly wanted more? They both decided that it was worth doing one more drink. Both regretted it, tapping out immediately after the drink to lay down or vomit. Cheers rang through the crowd for Edis, who chugged another beer for good measure, standing up and flaunting that he had bested the two adventurers.

Alvec left them to their own devices and moved over to Sarbie and Hoc near the live music. The band was composed of a hodgepodge of races. A tiefling with sapphire skin and silvery curled horns, unlike his own, was playing the violin. A dwarf was belting out a chant, and a couple of halflings played flutes to accompany it.

He waved hello to both Hoc and Sarbie. "Pleasure to have you both here; we couldn't have done any of this without your help," Alvec said, praising them.

"No worries, it was the least we could do for you," Hoc said. "I mean, I had a blast talking with a ghost and then seeing him have his funeral urn restored. It was a good ending to a poor chapter in his unlife. I welcome the good we both brought into the world out of this. Our community is stronger for it."

"I'm also glad I could help. It is a nice feeling so needed," Sarbie said, shaking her head in agreement.

"Are you guys having fun?" Alvec asked.

"Certainly. Did you see that fireworks display?! Holy shit that Mavec knows how to impress a crowd," Hoc said.

"Yeah, caught me by surprise too. He didn't tell me he was cooking up anything quite that exciting," Alvec admitted.

The trio chatted while they enjoyed some snacks and the live music. Eventually, Sarbie indicated it was time to bow out, and Hoc went with her. The night wore on, with Illaria occasionally joined the band to belt out a new sea shanty. The event was a success, and most of the neighbors bowed out near the middle of the night. As the final round of people were exiting, there was another loud boom, this one more like a thunder crack than the fireworks from earlier. A wave of arcane energy rushed out over the mostly empty square. Alvec, having abstained from drinks, was alert enough to examine the spell. Teleportation, his eyes quickly traced to the road a few hundred feet away from himself.

A devil that reminded him of a minotaur with wings bellowed loudly into the night air. It unsheathed a colossal battle ax and charged forward. Alvec thanked his lucky stars that the creature had spawned far enough away to give him a few moments to cast. He quickly donned his arcane armor. The ghostly blue chainmail wrapped around him, providing a light mystical glow that outshone the torches. "Hey, we're celebrating here; if you could just be on your way, that would be great!" Alvec shouted in infernal. With two of his allies so drunk they could barely stand, this was not a fight that any of them wanted. Sure, Illaria, Mavec, and himself could probably handle one lone enemy... but it wasn't a great scenario by any measure.

Some of his neighbors who hadn't managed to get to their houses screamed for guards. Standing over seven feet tall, the muscular devil charged forward again, swinging his ax at Alvec. A flash of steel intercepted the blow. Illaria moved in front of him, parrying the blade to the side and scoring a deep gouge into the monster. Naya stumbled to her feet and pulled free both scimitars. She wobbled a bit before she tried to dash forward. She lurched a few feet before she found herself clutching at one of the tables to stay upright. Bait wasn't much better off than her. He got to his feet, his movements floaty and dramatic as he tried to compensate for how the world was spinning. He fired a shot that went horribly wide, blowing out a window in a neighboring house.

"Guys, if you can't stand, you can't fight!" Alvec shouted.

"What if Bait lay down? Then Bait shoot?" He asked as he belly-flopped onto the ground, maintaining a grip on his musket. From way up on the pavilion came a bolt of lightning which slammed square into the devil. Mavec was standing there, Praha still sitting beside him. "Let's finish this quickly; we've still got non-combatants here!" Mavec shouted down to the group.

"Believe you me, we're trying as hard as we can," Illaria said as she swung at the creature again, scoring another good slice that sprayed Alvec with its ruddy blood. "Naya, perhaps Echo can lend a hand?"

"Echo, protect Alvec," Naya muttered. Her loyal wolf obeyed; he lowered his head and growled before he charged in as she uttered the words of power, and he grew equally as large as the devil. He snapped at the beast's legs forcing it off balance, which gave Alvec an opportunity The ram’s horned teifling slammed his electric sheathed hand into its chest, sending another jolt of electricity through it.

It roared and swung twice at Illaria. She deftly dodged out of the way of the first one and expertly parried the second before once more drawing blood. Despite its ferocity, fear was building behind its eyes. It hadn't been able to land so much as a single swing on its prey, and they had been able to singe and slice him repeatedly. Thoughts of fleeing briefly entered its mind. It huffed air out of his nostrils and charged forward, slamming into Illaria. He pushed her clear out of the way. Echo tried to bite him but was a moment too slow. Alvec lashed out, drawing a dagger with his tail and tossing it to his open hand before slamming it into the fleeing devil. He buried the blade deep into the creature, who wrenched the dagger from Alvec's grip and continued its charge forward, dagger still buried in its back.

It thundered down the street, attempting to get away from them. Only to find that the red-haired Aasimar moved with the grace of her kin, the Azata, and the wolf, even enlarged by arcane magic, retained every ounce of speed and elegance of a deadly predator. There was no escape. Mavec scooped up Piccora, leaped off the building, and tried to keep running when he hit the ground, but he wasn't so lucky. He twisted his ankle bad and stumbled forward, using the last of his momentum to give Piccora a light toss. The rabbit bolted into the road beside Alvec. Mavec once more channeled a lightning bolt from Piccora's position. He trusted her to aim the magic and threw his arcane might behind it. The blue bolt dashed down the road, striking the creature again.

After the last bolt finished coursing through him, it looked downright maimed. Echo finally bit into him, his fangs catching him this time. After a brief struggle, the wolf brought the beast crashing to the ground. Pinned by the ferocious wolf, it was too easy for Illaria to hammer down the final sword stroke, a thrust right between its eyes. Illaria let out a momentary sigh as she cleaned her blade. It was about half a minute later when the guards started arriving. Illaria, Alvec, and Mavec were there to meet them, standing over the corpse. There was nothing valuable on the creature, just his ax.

No notes, marks, or indication of why it had arrived here. There wasn't anything Alvec or Mavec could find magically that shed any light on the situation. The best guess is that he was subject to a teleportation spell, but whoever teleported them only knew roughly where they wanted the creature to go. A worrying thought, as it meant that its true destination might have been either in the outlying lands of Sha-Laial or perhaps even somewhere in Sha-Laial itself. This devil might have aimed for the Child of Akrixi in the swamp. Still, Alvec couldn't imagine this thing being the sort to talk it out with the manifested spirit. No, whoever sent this thing meant it to be a foot soldier. A powerful one at that. Had Alvec, Illaria, and Mavec been drinking as much as the rest of the group... it might have killed them. If the monster had also appeared earlier in the night, many unprepared individuals would have been at risk. Alvec didn't like the feel of this.

"Hey, better us, right?" Mavec said before lighting up a cigarette while leaning over the corpse.

"Excuse me, but we'd like to have you all return to your home's courtyard. We'll have some questions for you shortly." The first guard said as he ushered the trio back inside. Bait and Naya had managed to take up positions inside the compound.