1 Soul Bound
1.1 Finding her Feet
1.1.7 An Extreme Response
1.1.7.15 Together they fight crime
{Bedroom, show me the hunt for WraithLock, abbreviated version, duration 20 minutes. Summarise the less dramatic bits.}
She went back to lie comfortably on her side on the bier, and waited for the show to begin.
The lights lowered, a large screen appeared, and a female voice similar to Mary-Lynn’s started narrating:
“Hey, Kafana. You’ve picked a fun one. In the next 20 minutes you’ll see detective work, rooftop chases and daring acrobatics. Spoiler: we catch her.”
The centre of the screen filled with a film-like title:
Lelio & Vittoria
Together they fight crime!
{Bedroom, pause film. Can you summon the highest rated sugared popcorn from my Kitchen?}
A bowl of popcorn appeared next to her.
{Play.}
Narrator: “Our story starts with Captain Lelio receiving the news that WraithLock is in town, and gunning for a document pouch captured during the raid on Bel’s lair beneath Alto that Wellington recognises as being connected with the auction house.”
The Womble screens zip back to the correct time frame, as does the map showing current in-game positions of people. The womble screens start playing, muted, showing the viewpoints from all the Wombles or vessels. The main screen shows a composite, formed from those present.
Lelio: “So we’ve got an assassin with amazing stealth and deadly bow skills, who is watching us from somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to grab the documents?”
Wellington: “Columbina managed to take her down, but only just and with the aid of surprise, after getting into close range.”
Lelio: “So we need to lure her to a place she’s at a disadvantage, where we can surround her and she can’t use her stealth to escape.”
Isabella: “How about a muddy part of Basso? It will slow her down, mangle her stealth, there are no high rooftops to shoot from, and I’ve a guide who knows the whole place like the back of her hand”.
Ruffiana: “I can make sure she’ll regret it if she tries to hide in the sewers there.”
Lelio: “The lure would need to be someone carrying the document pouch or someone she hates.”
Vessel-Kafana: “How about both? Have Columbina appear to steal something from the Watch Tower and exit out of a side window. I can buff her in advance to give her an edge, and I’m sure there must be artifacts around that help defend against lightning arrows. If you like, send some loose-lipped guards to search for a thief and complain about the theft. She can make her way across the rooftops of Mercato and down into Basso where we’ve laid an ambush.”
Ruffiana: “Has anyone told you how similarly you think to Spirit Kafana?”
Vessel-Kafana frowned: “Is that a complaint?” a diadem with a yellow gem appeared from nowhere and Vessel-Kafana put it on. “Because I warn you, I will brook no wasting of time while Spirit-Kafana’s life is on the line.”
Nadine cheered out aloud and ate some popcorn, as Ruffiana’s mouth dropped open. Point to Vessel! The scene changed:
Narrator: “Vittoria was summoned and the plan was swiftly put into action.”
The screen showed a grinning Columbina sliding down a rope from a window at the back of the Watch Tower, to land nearly in a gondola. She held a leather document pouch in one hand, and used the other to blow a kiss at the tower, as the gondola moved towards Mercato. Guards burst out of the front gate and shook fists helplessly at the retreating figure.
Narrator: “WraithLock took the bait. She tried shooting Columbina as she ran along the top of the Old Wall, but Columbina deflected it with a decorative silver bracelet around her wrist.”
The screen showed a distant view of two figures running at top magic-boosted speed along a crumbling wall, leaping gaps the width of two cars without pause or hesitation.
Narrator: “Meanwhile our heroes prepared the ambush”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
The screen showed Vittoria and Lelio standing side by side in matching poses, Vittoria sending out hoards of children to hide on roof tops, Lelio sending out guards in pairs to conceal themselves in stables and chicken pens.
Narrator: “The bait arrives”
A muddy Columbina, no longer looking quite as pleased with herself, and holding a bleeding arm where she didn’t quite manage to dodge an arrow, bounced into the pre-agreed position and stood panting, leaning against a well, whose stone housing incidentally ensured WaithLock would have to get quite close before being able to shoot her.
Narrator: “but then disaster!”
WraithLock approaches cautiously and turns nearly invisible, detectable only by the shimmer where the background behind her doesn’t quite match up. Then Odo sneezes loudly and she stops and uses some sort of wand. A moment later she’s running full speed away from the area. Orphans shout warnings and guards pile out of houses, but WaithLock jumps or dodges them all, before disappearing towards the safety of Arsenal.
Narrator: “Reinforcements are needed. Bungo calls upon the Wombles and Alderney answers.”
The screen shows Alderney outside the 40 story high Mage Tower. She starts bouncing, higher and higher. 10 stories, 15 stories, on and on, until each landing leaves a crater in the grass and finally, after nearly two dozen bounces, she succeeds in landing on the roof where few people have ever been, and no non-mages have ever set foot.
From her inventory space Alderney takes a complicated set of curved sheets and struts which she fits together with no movements wasted. Then she straps it on. From the base of the tower, Flavio looks up, ready to boost the wind for her if needed. She takes a run and does a bouncing jump off the edge, seeking thermals in the hot afternoon sun.
The view screen now changes to Alderney’s perspective, looking down upon the city as it rushes past below her. She turned on her Eagle Eyes skill.
Narrator: “The additional guidance is sufficient. Lelio, Columbina and Bungo catch WraithLock in a three-way pincer movement. She’s no option now, except to fight.”
Kafana sat on the edge of her bier, attention gripped, popcorn forgotten.
WraithLock easily evades Bungo and concentrates on the already wounded Columbina, figuring that if she can take her down quickly, she can out-run the other two. She jumps to a roof and runs in circles while charging up a lightning arrow which she releases at Columbina. Lelio, realising it could finish Columbina off, blocks it with his body. There’s a big explosion, Lelio takes a lot of damage and is stunned and Bungo is thrown back. WraithLock stalks forwards, produces a jagged knife and pulled Lelio’s head back by its hair to expose his throat so she can slit it.
And that’s when Vittoria, poor overlooked ex-orphan Vittoria, who also spent several years as the pupil of Ruffiana, takes action.
She just touches WraithLock’s hand but that is sufficient. WraithLock’s flesh starts to melt off her body, leaving her screaming. A minute later, and WraithLock is dead, just a pile of sludge in the mud.
The screen fades away, the last image a sobbing Vittoria bending over Lelio, caressing his cheek and healing him back to full, her eyes lost in his.
[Bedroom here. I hope you enjoyed the film. You are due in Clan Beresford’s Private Viewing room, in 4 minutes, to learn necromancy from Ruffiana, along with your Vessel.]
{Thank you Bedroom, something light hearted was just what I needed. Please change my avatar to my usual Burrow form and move me to the Viewing Room.}
Alderney and Mary-Lynn were in the Viewing Room when she arrived.
Kafana: “Alderney, you got your hang-gliding idea to work! When this is over, teach me, please. I want to have a go.”
Alderney looked sad: “Sorry Kafana. I could teach Nicolo, but you’re just too large. And really, the only reason I can do it safely is because if the glider packs up, I can use my boots to land rather than go ‘splat’. I think you’ll have to stick to flying ships. Perhaps we should ask your mentor to help us make one of our own? By the way, I think I’m going to soul bond them. I’d be so sad if they ended up on the feet of some PKer. Can you imagine Jincan using them?”
Kafana: “What are you both up to, and where are the others? I thought Bulgaria would be the one helping here, since it is his mentor and speciality. Though I was surprised by how reluctant he was last time, to let Vessel-Kafana read his mind.”
Mary-Lynn: “We’ve hit the technical section of the mainstream news. And the second showing of Bulgaria’s play has attracted some arlife art critics, who’ve found gamers to act as their proxies and are watching it through their eyes, experiencing what the gamers feel. Bulgaria is talking The Burrow up a storm, emphasizing the sharing spirit, and the empathy feature in the discussion boards, as being particularly useful for writers.”
Alderney: “I worked with Wellington on the Great Library idea you promoted. We added different emotional tinges in different book sections, so everyone has a place that feels library-like to them. There’s even a librarian’s cat, that detects writer’s block and wanders over to be scritched. Very therapeutic. He’s getting some sleep, but he’ll be back later.”
Mary-Lynn: “Bungo is still playing a key role in the man-hunt for Kullervo, acting as the interface between Lelio and all the information we’ve gathered in The Burrow, using expert systems to define search patterns. Nastya has gained a mount, and is looking fearsome shooting arrows while standing on its back. She’s out with the far perimeter of the search teams who blocked him off from his extraction route. By the way, don’t be too surprised at your reputation in the city, if you manage to respawn. Lady Pia Trinci is a big fan of yours, and as the wife of the Marquis di Torello, she’s got a lot of social status. Nobody wants to get on her bad side and get blacklisted from all the best social events. Carlo has been working night and day on a triptych at the Sanctum.”
Alderney: “Tomsk is busy with his day job. Whether he’ll be available at the end will depend upon the shooting schedule and how many takes they need to get it right.”
Kafana: “Work has to come first.”
Alderney: “First, last and always. It didn’t used to be like that. There once was a time when there were more jobs needing doing, than there were people alive on the planet. Can you believe it? Anyway, at least here and now, we have a scarcity of people. I’m the only one available, so I hope I’ll do. Time for me to flip over to the game and talk to Ruffiana. Jump into my stream, and if you want to ask questions, tell your tiara to tell mine which will tell me while I’m in-game. I’ll do the same to communicate back to you. Ok?”
Kafana: “Go for it. Go be spooky!”
Alderney disappeared, and she followed.
*flip*