Name: Charisse Race: Human

Ht: 5’6, Wt: 130, Sex: Female,

Archetype: Rogue

HP: 7 / 7 Mana: 0 / 0

Stats:

Physical: 2, Moxie : 3, Spiritual: 2, Luck : 3,

Agility : 3, Magic : 2, Mental : 2, Energy : 2.

Relevant Skills: Agility - Dodge, Archetype - Opportunistic Strike, Archetype - Awareness, Melee - Knife, Physical – Kick, Physical - Run

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"Before we go in, do you have anything that'll help?" Charisse said as she alternated between looking at the door and looking back at Reggie.

"Na, everything is rituals or such that take hours of prep," Reggie sighed. "Clerics are great but only with time to prep."

"Ok, if nothing else, keep yourself alive, then go back to the group and pick me up. If there is a choice between saving me or defeating this bitch, go for her first."

"Alright, but it…." Reggie was interrupted by a hand from Charisse. He quieted quickly, and she lowered her hand. "They are going to expect us," he whispered.

Charisse nodded her head and glanced around the area to spot any spectators.

She spotted someone on a roof far away; she was unsure if that person was some random rogue prowling or someone in the lady's employ. Instead of focusing on the lone watcher, she turned her attention back to the door. Reaching in her backpack, she brought a flask of oil she'd stuffed in there days ago. As her hand clasped over an item, she thanked the gods the S&D system had a horrible way of dealing with encumbrance.

Uncorking the flask, she sprayed oil along the base of the door and worked some of it into the door's cracks. As Reggie started to protest, she held up a hand to quiet him. Once the flask was empty, she grabbed an unlit torch, then with a piece of flint and steel, she lit the torch. Dropping the flaming stick onto the oil gave her a brief second to step back before the liquid caught fire.

As the fire spread, consuming the oil first and working its way onto the wood, Charisse lifted her foot and kicked the door's handle.

The door shuddered as she kicked it but stayed shut. She kicked a second time, aiming more for the wooden frame. Again the door shuddered but held, the frame taking most of the impact.

"You gotta," Reggie said, but Charisse interrupted him with a look and a slight shake of her head.

She grabbed Reggie's hand and pulled him away from the door. Then, with a slight jerk, she pulled him over to the left as she made her way around the building. She was fighting the urge to sneak as Reggie plodded along behind her.

"What is the plan?" Reggie whispered. Soft enough that Charisse barely heard him.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Hoping fire distracts while we try to find another way in," Charisse said.

"Why don't we wait till we get Mark, and just nuke it?"

"Cause they won't be here tomorrow," Charisse said.

"Is this more important than getting back home?" Reggie said. This time he reached out and rested a hand on Charisse's shoulder.

She almost said yes immediately. The answer was immediate, but she held it back behind clenched teeth. Then, mulling it over, she struggled before submitting to her truth.

"Yes," Charisse said. Turning around, she looked Reggie in the eyes. "Even if this is not real, I can't let her continue to prey upon people."

Without waiting for a response from Reggie, Charisse turned and continued working her way around the building. Then, after rounding another corner, putting her in what she hoped was the rear of the building, she carefully peered around a window sill and peeked inside.

The room had a lit candle on a small table or nightstand near the window. Bunk beds lined the walls to the left and right, but further details were harder to see with the candle. Faintly in the back, Charisse caught a man looking right at her, his face twisted as if he was trying to concentrate in a way that reminded her of Mark.

"Down!" Charisse said as she dove to the left. A large ball of fire burst through the window, shattering the glass as the blast lit up the night. Charisse's dive saved her from taking the brunt, but her back felt like it was flayed, then ice cold. As she hit the ground, the nerves that were still functioning started screaming. Or it was Charisse screaming as she lay upon the soft grass.

"Got one," A voice yelled from inside the house.

Charisse clamped her mouth shut as she lept back up to her feet with a dagger in her hand. She immediately threw it through the charred hole where the window used to be.

Throwing the blade, it rotated once before sinking into the right shoulder of the mage. Without looking to see if the strike was lethal, Charisse dove back down, this time turning so any responding spell would not hit her already scored back.

A small ball of fire flew out of the window, crossing the yard and the street, hitting the fence of a neighbor. The explosion bathed the road in light for a brief moment.

Charisse didn't see anyone in the brief moment of light, but she did see a few human-shaped shadows behind some trees and other objects. Then, night crashed down, and briefly, she was almost blind as her eyes readjusted.

Another dagger in her hand, she popped up and threw it into the room, aiming at the first humanoid shape.

The dagger flew true and sank into the chest of a man lying on the floor in the room. Blood was already pooling on the floor. Charisse was already dropping back to the ground as she processed the sight. Once she hit the ground, she pulled another dagger and stood up. The man wasn't moving. she scraped what remained on the window sill with her blade, brushing hot embers to the side, then climbed into the room.

Burnt shelves smoldered to her left and right. Bits of paper fluttered in the air. Charisse moved closer to the body and jabbed a dagger into the ear. The unmoving body twitched a little before lying still again. Then, snagging all three blades and wiping them off on the body, she reached for the door leading out of the room.

"Charisse, time to go," Reggie said outside the window.

"We got this," Charisse said as she tried listening to see what was on the other side of the door.

"No, we don't," Henderson said between heavy breaths.

Charisse looked to the window; she could see Reggie standing with a hand resting on Henderson's shoulder. Henderson was covered in blood, the coppery smell permeating the air. Charisse stifled a curse as she stepped over the body to move to the window. Henderson moved out of sight, and the sounds of steel against steel rang through the night. Reggie stepped away as she crawled through the hole.

"Samson?" Charisse said.

"Safe, for now," Reggie said.

With a nod to Reggie, Charisse looked over to Henderson.

Henderson was parrying two armed foes. Both were wearing chain armor that covered them from head to toe. One was armed with a sword, the other with an axe. Henderson skillfully blocked the sword, deflecting its momentum toward the other swordsman. He also used the building to help make sure they couldn't flank him.

The swordsmen threw a glance over to Reggie before stepping a few feet away from Henderson. The man reached down to a crossbow strapped to his back, pulled it around in a smooth motion, and fired it, aiming for Reggie. Reggie barely managed to dodge the bolt.

Charisse threw a dagger at the swordsmen. Her blade skipped off the chainmail armor. Henderson backed up and placed himself in front of Reggie.

"I got an idea!" Reggie said. He moved a dozen feet away from the guards and stared at the axe for a second. "The lady is your foe, not us!" he yelled.

The axe-wielding guard held back on a swing and stepped back from Henderson. The guard bolted into the night when Henderson didn't close the gap. The guard with a sword turned his head to watch his partner take off.

Charisse's dagger struck the guardsman, the blade somehow finding a loose link or a hole, pierced the chainmail, then sank into his chest. The guard took several steps back, one shaky hand keeping the sword up to block any strikes, the other grasping the dagger and trying to stanch the wound.

Henderson took a step forward, then four back until he was next to Charisse.

"Run!" Charisse said. She took a few steps back before turning and running.

Focusing on the street ahead, she hoped the echoing steps behind her were Reggie and Henderson. Ahead as she tried to see through the dark and gloom of night, she prayed she wasn't leading them into a trap. Even without seeing them, she was certain wherever they ran, it would be noted and sold to the highest bidder in the morning.