Vincent was currently walking through the ruins of the house he had just sent his pack of undead minions into to attempt to capture the enemy agents, with admittedly mixed results. He stopped over the dead man, who had died brutally but fortunately quickly, with one stab to his hear and a slash to his throat and his thigh opening his arteries, he would have died near instantly.
He heard a gulp of breath and distressed and sickening sounds coming from behind him, a distressed and sickened Elaina standing there, one hand leaning against the wall.
“Elaina! You should wait outside, you don't have to see this.”
“I already DID see it when it was happening... That I could handle. The smell though.”
Vincent, nose long inured to the scent of death, was suddenly shocked back into identifying the familiar scents oozing from the body. “Yeah... they tend to void themselves on death, and punctured organs tend to give off a very specific kind of odor...”
“I'm going to need to get used to it, so I may as well start now.” Elaina stated matter of factly.
Vincent frowned, and muttered. “You shouldn't have to get used to it.”
Elaina did a good job of pretending she hadn't heard.
Vincent began going through the dead man's pockets, laying out what he found beside the body.
“looks like... three different sets of papers, two of them identify him as a merchant, one Mitchel Dorrek, one Bradley Neil... the other claim he lives in this city... Milton Ivanovich... has his place of residence as well...”
“Vincent...” Elaina asked.
“If we hurry we can go check it out before nightfall.”
“Vincent!” Elaina shouted at him.
Vincent turned and focused on her.
“Could we please, just... get to the manor. Let the guards take care of locking down the place, and we'll check it out in the morning.
Vincent took a moment to look over at Elaina, and could see that she looked... Run down. The excitement of the end of their journey had taken it's toll, and Elaina was beginning to wilt.
Vincent nodded. “Okay. I'll get the head of the town guard to meet us at the Manor.”
Elaina nodded and seemed to try to steady herself, but only appeared to sink more into the wall.
Vincent got up from where he was doing his investigations and moved over to her, reaching out to grasp her arms before sliding his hands into hers. “Let's go.”
He lead her outside, helping her avoid tripping hazards in her way.
Silently he cursed himself for not noticing earlier, she had been pushing herself hard with her divination, and was paying the price, she was likely nearly blind, and would remain so until her body sorted itself out. He was considering getting her a potion but... Those could be hard on people used to them. For someone who was not it would flatten her.
Outside the building was now being surrounded by a growing crowd of guards. Several of them turned to him with questioning looks as he lead Elaina to the carriage.
“What's going on here?” a loud voice blustered through the crowd.
Vincent turned and saw a man with a far more ornate uniform, and several decorations on it for various military service, push his way to the front of the crowd. Vincent had never seen him before.
“What's going on here?” The man shouted as Elaina got into the carriage.
Vincent turned to face him “What is happening is I just caught two spies communicating with their master in the empire. I need you to...”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“What do you mean two spies from the empire, preposterous, I demand to know why you are sir! You, guardsman! Arrest him!” The man pointed at one of the guardsmen milling about, however this particular guardsmen was one who had seen the carriage Vincent had arrived in, and had drawn the appropriate conclusion, and so this guardsman just looked back and forth between His lord and his boss, who had just told him to apprehend his lord.
Vincent's gaze locked on the man in the ornate guard uniform.
“What is your name.” Vincent stated coldly.
The man blustered. “ I am Mikhael Eberry, lord mayor of this town and I demand this man be placed under arrest!”
All of a sudden a large circle had formed around Lord Mayor Mikhael Eberry, everyone staring at him in disbelief.
Vincent narrowed his eyes and stepped towards him.
“What happened to Mayor Franz?”
Mikhael stepped back. “What do you...”
“Where is Mayor Franz.”
Vincent drew the short blade at his hip, the steel rasping on the sheathe.
“I am Lord Vincent Umbral, Lord of these lands, and you will answer me. Where is Mayor Franz Smith, my close friend who I put in charge of the day to day running of this city.” Vincent extended his sword, pointing it directly at the throat of 'Mayor' Mikhael Eberry
“M..My lord! I apologize! I did not recognize you! I had heard that your visit was postponed due to your injuries!” The erstwhile Mayor looked Vincent up and down while raising his hands.
“Answer my question Mayor or I will challenge you and kill you here and now!” Vincent said, snarling, making Elaina step back at the dramatic change in personality from the calm and often funny Vincent she knew.
The mayor had paled and tried to step back, but Vincent followed him, the point of his sword hovering inches from the mayors throat, following all the way until the mayor's back hit a brick wall. The guardsmen surrounding them all stared dispassionately, their gazes sitting icily on the mayor.
“My predecessor was tragically killed in a duel! Some six months back!”
“A duel? Where is the duelmaster who presided over it. A death during a duel needs to be properly recorded and reported and I have heard NOTHING.” Vincent's voice had lowered to a savage hiss by the end of his sentence, but his sword never wavered.
“I... it was a private duel, at night. The duelmaster was found dead the next morning, a mugging gone wrong.”
“How convenient.” Vincent said in the same low tone, his eyes narrowing. The guards around him were backing off, only his own 'guard' holding their ground. Smokey black wisps seemed to be steaming off of him.
“And just HOW did you become mayor. With the winner of the duel dead the lord, myself, should have been informed to select a new one, with the old headman taking charge until then. Is Kyle dead as well? In an even more contrived incident perhaps?” the black smoke surrounding vincent was crrawling along the ground, little vicious claws of dark mist hauling it along to the mayor, who was shaking in place against the wall.
“He... he declined to take over! Lord Blackwell nominated me as a replacement until you could be contacted, alas, you did not reply to any of our letters...” The mayor's smarm began to reassert itself.
“I did not RECEIVE any letters. I have received no communication at all from this territory or any other under my control for nearly a year, despite my demands for updates and reports!”
“We... We did not receive any such requests!”
Vincent's eyes narrowed, and he moved his blade to press up against the mayor's gut, the blade sinking an inch deep into the mayor's blubberous frame.
A whisper passed Vincent's lips 'Castigate', and the black fumes surrounding him darted into the wound Vincent had opened in his guts.
Immediately the mayor flinched, his arms coming up to grab the naked blade penetrating his body.
“What... what did you just do to me.”
“Try again. What happened to the letters I sent.”
“I told you, we never receivAAAAGH!” The mayor screamed until he ran out of air, and then he kept trying to scream, his face going pale and blue.
A few moments later, that to the mayor must have seemed like hours, and the Mayor was able to take a breath.
“What did you do to me?!?” The mayor gasped.
“I cursed you, you will suffer increasing pain every time you tell a lie. Tell enough lies, and the curse will kill you.” Vincent stated.