Amelia had just finished tucking the last of her things into her coat, and at the Priestess' offer, she looked over at Tilly and shrugged, “I think we should take all the help we can get.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Tilly said as she smoothed out some wrinkles in her coat and moved forward to stand next to Tilly before the Elder Priestess.
“Except for the cool-down, it is a very simple blessing. It lasts for 6 hours and will give you divine insight into your surroundings. Providence will guide your steps.” She said smiling.
“A week cool-down for that-?” Tilly blurted before receiving a sharp elbow in the ribs from Amelia.
The Mother Superior smiled, and began to chant, pulling her hands from her voluminous sleeves and waving them in esoteric patterns. No light emitted from her blessing like Tilly had seen with other Priestesses, but Tilly could feel something settling over his body, like a warm blanket.
The priestess’s eyes flashed and she finished with, “Light protect you and guide you.” before collapsing. Mateus barely kept her from hitting the floor as she fell and Tilly rushed forward in concern. But the Steward waved him away with his free hand, “This is only because she, like you, has pushed herself far beyond her limits these last days. Now go, the blessing will make itself known to you as you move. May the Light shine upon you.” He intoned as he and one of the guards moved to support the Priestess and carried her over to one of the same cots they used for the sick.
“Thanks for everything guys, I won't forget you, and if we make it out of this, I'll be in touch,” Tilly said nodding to the steward and the guards.
“No, it is us who must thank you. Your arrival was nothing short of miraculous. The Light always finds a way.” Ulnas said seriously, his fierce smile filled with gratitude.
“Mateus, a pleasure. I have always appreciated the work you do here and I am glad to have been a part of it in the city’s last days.” Amelia said solemnly to the steward as he fussed over the Elder Priestess' prone form. He smiled in reply and shooed them away.
"Don't worry about us. Our order reserves the right to revoke this Temple. It has a high cost, but if needed, we can all be called back to the Isle in a moment."
With that, they both turned and headed toward the exit of the building. When they emerged from the large front entryway they found a line of grim guards standing at attention on the steps facing out into a city bathed in morning light. What would have been a somewhat peaceful vista was marred by the sound of distant screaming and the general roar of upraised voices from the populace.
Tilly’s eyes were immediately drawn to a pillar of black smoke rising in the distance over another part of the city, old instinct drawing him towards the fire even as he tried to remember which way the Teleportation Hub was.
Amelia moved past the guards who saluted before returning to their grim vigil and then paused at the bottom of the steps as if in indecision.
“What are you thinking? Should we find where the Lapin contingent is setting up and see what Lord Hiro is planning?” Tilly asked, coming up behind her.
“That is precisely what I was going to do, which would require us to move that way,” she pointed toward the city center with a thoughtful expression, “But I feel something pulling me in a different direction. I believe it is the blessing of the Mother Superior… But how far do we trust something like this? Does it take into account our own goals, or does it prioritize our survival above all else?” She pondered, tapping her foot and looking in the direction she had pointed.
“Well… If this is a powerful Ability, then I’m sure it will turn out to be more than just a ‘danger compass’. Let's move in the direction you know we need to go as fast as we can, and if either of us feels anything change, we will let the other know.” Tilly said slowly, as he too felt a slight tug away from the direction they needed to go.
“If it is warning us of immediate danger, it's best to be prepared,” Amelia said as she reached into her main right-hand pocket and pulled out a full staff, Mary Poppins style. It looked like a simple length of grayish wood whose only distinct feature was a sprig of budding growth at its top. With her other hand, she fished out a bundle of something. Tilly pulled out his hatchets, following Amelia as she moved down the street with a purposeful stride, staff at the ready.
Tilly’s Health and Mana were both at 100% but he still had two Debuffs remaining from the night before:
Potion Toxicity: 4 hours remaining
Mana Exhaustion: 8 hours ({Partially Resisted}, {Localized}) remaining
He didn't really understand the second one, but he imagined it had something to do with the faint pins and needles sensations he felt in his lungs and throat every time he exhaled. He was happy to see the blessing also up on his HUD below the Debuffs:
Light's Blessing of Insight: 6 hours remaining.
Temple Way was more or less abandoned, with only a few other edifices showing a guard presence at the front entrance, the others being shut up or left abandoned. Only a few of these factions seemed to think they could weather the invasion, but Tilly didn't imagine the Nagas would be very friendly to other deities.
Amelia took a turn down a side street that pointed more directly toward the center of the city and she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Tilly felt a slightly more urgent tug back toward the Temple of Light as he walked up next to her.
The side street looked abandoned, but they both looked at each other as the pull of the blessing redoubled in strength, urging them not to head down the street.
“We continue, I would rather face this ready than be surprised by it later,” Amelia muttered under her breath dropping her cloth sack at their feet and then moving forward at a more cautious pace. Tilly jogged in front of Amelia, keeping his hatchets at the ready, “Unless I miss my guess, you are more of a back-line combatant, so let me take the lead, alright?” He said through the side of his mouth as he continued. She nodded, scanning the suspiciously empty streets.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Tilly wished the Priestess had given them more information before passing out, but then again, he doubted something like this functioned the same way every time it was cast. The tugging grew even more insistent until it felt like someone was pulling the back of his jacket. He was about to give in and suggest a longer route when the sound of clapping echoed up and down the street. Tilly’s Head snapped up to the source and found an ornately dressed Satyr with two giant thugs in house guard uniforms emerging from a shadowed doorway a little further down the street.
Tilly’s face grew hot, and he felt the phantom dribble of spit slide down the side of his face as he once again took in the sight of the smug Marcellus family scion.
“Ah, I should have known you two rats would find each other. I hear you have been getting involved in things far above your station Mrs. Cooper.” He sang, with a smile that oozed scorn, “And you,” he said turning his gaze upon Tilly, “the resources my family has wasted on you are unconscionable, you little cockroach. ” He spat, his smug mask cracking to reveal the mania that hovered just under the surface.
During Titus' short monologue, Tilly felt the Blessing cease its pulling backward, and he glanced behind them to see a couple more thuggish guards stepping into the mouth of the side street. They were trapped.
His Identify populated their levels and classes.,
Level 26-28 Marcellus House Guard Elite. X 4
Shit, way too much for him to handle, and no Corruption damage bonus either. He hoped that the Botanist Surveyor had some ass-kicking in her, because if not they were fucked.
“Run on my signal-” Amelia hissed through clenched teeth, obviously seething with fury at her mistake in ignoring the blessing's guidance.
Tilly's hands were itching to throw one of his hatchets, and he didn't want to leave her to handle this fight, even if she could.
“What are the little rats chattering about?” the Quaestor sniggered moving closer,
“I hope you aren't leaving our surprise party so soon! What about our guest of honor?” He gestured grandiosity at the other side of the street. There Marcellus House Steward emerged from an abandoned shop's doorway, holding a small squirming gnomish boy in his hand.
“I'm sorry Mrs. Amelia!” Cog cried pitifully,
“I left Miss Heras to try and find my family, and these smelly bastards caught me!” He snarled out through a sob, before receiving a sharp cuff across the head from the Steward, “You will speak with respect when referring to the master.”
The boy cried out in response, and Tilly’s fury grew cold and terrible as he noted the bruises already marking the boy's face and neck. Amelia hissed next to him,
“You slimy pile of auroch’s dung! You would hide behind a child?”
At that Titus Marcellus snorted with laughter, “This creature is no child, it is little better than an animal. Besides, we brought him for fun, not because we needed him. Steward, you may dispat-”
“Wait!” Tilly shouted, whipping his head around to drill his gaze into the Level 38 Quaestor. Panic and fury mingled in his chest as the situation rapidly devolved before his eyes.
“No one here has done as much damage to your name as me, and honestly I have loved every minute of it, traitor.” Tilly snarled, not having to fake any of the goading delight he felt at insulting the Satyr.
“Arn't you the Naga's errand boy? How does it feel to be a toy to the Scale Bellies?” Tilly continued, showing every one of his teeth in a fierce grin. A glimmer of a plan had formed in Tilly's mind that vaguely involved him starting a fight with the Quaestor and giving Amelia space to attempt a grab on Cog. But somewhere between giving a voice to his feigned fury and goading Titus, his blood began to boil. Something about his utter self-centeredness, even as the city pulled itself apart around him, drove Tilly up the wall.
He hated this piece of shit. The emerging plan sunk back down into Tilly's subconscious as his world zeroed in on Titus Marcellus.
The half smile half sneer fell from Titus’ face and was replaced by raw, teeth-grinding fury, “You hairless ape. You have no idea what your betters are doing, but I look forward to showing you just how far out of your depth you truly are.” He said, rolling up his sleeves,
“Stay back, I will take care of this buffoon myself.” he called to his guards before turning to Amelia, “ And don't even think of trying anything,”
“If you so much as twitch, Evander will stick the ugly little midget.” At his words the Steward made a knife appear in his hand as if by magic, placing it almost gently upon the boy's cheek, and Amelia gasped in dismay loudly, before muttering rapidly under her breath to Tilly,
“If you can distract them for even a few seconds, I can get him free and take care of the goons behind us,”
But he didn't respond. It seemed like he didn't hear the words at all. His attention was consumed by the tattoos revealed on the Quaestor's right arm. They seemed to bleed ink, just like the ones on the Shadow Hunters. They called to him and disturbed him at the same time.
The roaring throb began pounding in Tilly's ears, and his heart beat wildly as his mouth went dry. The Seed in his side began to writhe, its tendrils reaching hungrily for more. The veins in Titus’ right arm wriggled in response, like recognizing like, and the blood drained from Tilly’s face as his eyes met the Satyr’s grim smile.
'This fucker knows'
“I had wondered what this sensation was… I kept thinking that you felt familiar, yet I had no reason to know you. Then when I let the Shadow Hunters over the wall and I felt their Corruption, I finally discovered the source of our bond.”
Amelia's wary eyes left Steward, and looked over at the Quaestor in confusion, “What is he talking about?” She called, taking in the cursed tattoos covering the writhing skin of Titus’ arm. They had both seen similar eldritch movements hundreds of times by this point, and her expression fell as she put together what he was implying.
With dawning horror, she looked over at Tilly, "Jonathan, what is he talking about?” She asked again more urgently.
Tilly’s mind was sluggish, the sweet feeling of hatred sung in his veins, drowning out reason and shame. He was going to tell Amelia, he was going to tell Hiro, but not like this. Not from this pompous ass. His avoidance and his shame came roaring to the surface before being drowned in fury. This was all the stupid goat's fault…
His surroundings, Amelia and even little Cog fuzzed into the background as his breathing grew ragged and the color drained from his vision until everything was painted in shades of gray and black.
Titus Marcellus smiled warmly at Tilly, “You can hear its song, can’t you? It's an offering of freedom if only you let yourself go... Show us your true self, APE!” He finished with a high-pitched squealing laugh.
“Jonathan!” Amelia shouted.
Tilly heard none of it. Not the antagonizing of the Satyr, not Amelia's cry. He only heard the throbbing beats of his pounding heart and the roaring of his hatred.
He was going to chop this fucking goat into pieces.