[IC] Dogs of War: Old World Mercenaries

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic covered Camilla with his muscled form, halting the table and debris from hitting her. He wasn't coddling her, at least to his mind. It was an instinctual reaction, much like a loyal hounds. But when his wits came back to him, he heard her cry and he saw Ricardo knocked to the ground under the foot of a huge Middenlander. Cyrdic was just about to step toward them when a punch struck him in the jaw, sending him staggering.

In a bestial reaction, Cyrdic kicked low, taking the Kislevite who had punched him on the shin. The man screeched in pain, and Cyrdic yanked the Kislevite's head down into the Ostlander's knee, knocking him back with shattered teeth.

"Cyrdic! Ricardo!" he heard Camilla cry, but Cyrdic was already on it. He stretched his jaw by mock chewing to make sure it wasn't broken from the punch, and grabbed another chair before brandishing it as a club, slamming it onto the Middenlander's back. With a shove, the man fell to the side, dazed. Cyrdic knelt down and helped Ricardo up, the Tilean looking like an annoyed snake.

"Questi nordori," Ricardo spat, before letting out a Tilean curse and pressing past Cyrdic, the Tilean's tan arms knocking aside a Knife aimed for Cyrdic.

The Ostlander didn't have time to thank him, punching a Middenlander comrade of the first one and bowling him over with his forearm. "Camilla! Upstairs!" he called. It was at that moment that Cyrdic realized he and Ricardo stood just where the otherwordly beauty had sat earlier, but she was nowhere to be seen...
@Penny

[Penny]

Camilla scrambled away, leaping up over the bar to find some protection from the brawl, she colided with the inkeepers wife as she came out of the back room. The woman held a blunderbuss across her chest and squawked as Camilla crashed into her bearing her to the ground in a heap. The gun went off with a roar that left Camilla's ears ringing even as dust and plaster fell from the ceiling in a dirty haze. The porcine woman snarled and shoved Camilla off her, struggling to her feet as a Kislivite hit the bar infront of her. With obvious zeal the Innkeeper's wife bought the butt of the smoking blunderbuss down on the tough's head with a meaty thunk. She turned and glared at the former courtesan, mayhem in her eyes, but Camilla put her hand on the butt of one of her own loaded pistols and the woman turned away with a snarl.

Sighing with relief Camilla scrambled up and leaped over the corner of the bar to the stairs. Ricardo followed her lead, using the bar for cover, but as he leaped over the bar a throwing knife sailed from the crowd and stuck the Tilean in the back. Ricardo let out something between a snarl and a screech and fell behind the bar. Having reached the stairs Camilla spun and watched the brawl. From the slight height of the stairs she could see that Ricardo was still moving and that Cydric was giving a good account of himself.

“Cydric!” Camilla shouted through cupped hands, signalling that she had made it to the relative safety of the stairs. The brawl was beginning to turn ugly. What had began as more or less playful shoving was devolving rapidly into something much more dangerous as naked steel winked in the fists of a few of the fighters. A Middenlander slashed at a pair of Kislivte’s who had pushed him into a corner, sending one reeling back, a bloody gash on his arm. The fellows companion drew a much larger knife from his boot and grinned a piratical grin. Across the floor the blond Middenlander stalked towards the bar. Camilla saw that he had a small pistol tucked in close against his leg. Suddenly she realized that the fellow wasn’t just a particularly vicious brawler. For some reason he was intent on killing Richardo, it had been his knife that had struck her friend.

“Cydric!” she shouted, trying in vain to make herslf heard of the mass of swearing, screaming men. She pulled her own pistol from her belt. Firing it now would turn this into a bloodbath but she wasn’t going to let Ricardo or Cydric be knifed to death to avoid a little bloodshed.

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic sent a Reiklander mercenary reeling, the man's weight smashing into one of the tables and upending drinks and mutton. The barkeeper's shouts behind Cyrdic had gone unnoticed by everyone, and Cyrdic would have to follow suit if he wanted to be alert on all sides. A movement to his left caught his attention, and he ducked as a man sailed over him to land onto a second table. Cyrdic was in awe at the feat of strength of whoever had just done that. Cyrdic could do it, granted. But he wasn't used to others being able to. He tried to gauge the source, and saw the burly longbeard with the runic hammer wiping his hands together as if to say 'good riddance.'

The Osltlander had very little time to look, almost immediately being caught within the Kislevites as they tried to bowl the rest of the patrons over through sheer force of numbers. It was almost comical seeing their odd, horse-riding gaits as they waved around makeshift crudgels and their curved horse swords. A few had been fully engrossed in the brawl, but it seemed the second half of the group had decided to go with a more disciplined approach, now fully gutting or braining anyone that got within their way.

"_Cyrdic!"

He knocked aside a saber with his shield, his sword still in its sheath and a chair leg within his hand now. He could have sworn he had heard his name, but the crack of weapon on weapon, and weapon on bone, filled the air. As did the shouts and curses in Kislevite.

"Cyrdic!"

He recognized Camilla's voice. He couldn't help but glance over to the stairway to see her in the relative safety of the high ground, but that cost him his own safety and the Kislevites charged, knocking Cyrdic back as he hefted his shield up in defense on his soldier's instincts.

He hit the bar next to Ricardo, unknowingly getting in the way of the handgun now cocked and aimed. The assassin fired, his bullet punching through Cyrdic's shield and into his shoulder. The Ostlander's eyes went wide and he cried out in pain, falling into a kneeling position. The crack of the gunpowder weapon caused everyone to halt for a mere moment, the silence defeaning.

Until someone threw another chair and steel was drawn by all. Ricardo spat a curse in Tilean, and raised the bloodied knife that had been lodged within his back, sending it end over end to take the would-be killer in the throat. Blood fountained out of the wound, the man's eyes bulging in disbelief.

"Come! Come! We must go." Ricardo yelled over the calamity, before he hissed in Tilean. "Camilla mi ucciderà se tu muori." Cyrdic groaned in annoyance, his left arm now much weaker from the lead ball stuck in it. He stubbornly held onto his shield though, and he could still move. "Come!" Ricardo said, helping Cyrdic to his feet. Together, the two men's bulks managed to steamroll through the distracted mob to collapse at the stairwell.
@Penny

[Penny]

Camilla half carried both her companions up the stairs to the upper story. Choosing a room more or less at random she pulled open the door. THe small room held a bed and a window covered with glass so dusty it might have been stone. Below them came the sound of pounding feet and thumping staves. With the corner of a napkin Camilla rubbed at the glass, enough to see the black caped men of the Watch rush into the tavern. That was fast for a dive like the Taal's rest, suspiciously fast.

With quick efficiency she checked Cydric's shoulder. Fortunately it seemed that the ball had shed most of its force punching through his shield, and though the wound was bloody, the join't didn't appear to have been shattered. She laid a hand on the Ostlander's cheek in grateful relief and then checked over Ricardo. His wounds were more serious but not much more. The man wore a thick wollen undershirt beneath his finery and it had done much to soak up the force of the knife. The remeaining three inch cut was painful and bled more than Camilla would have liked but unless infections set in, she doubted it was mortal.

THe volume from below the stairs increased exponentially as the watchmen tore into the rioters with a vengeance. Camilla glanced at her two companions knowing that neither of them really ought to move but seeing no other choice.

"We need to get out of here," Camilla said, sparing a glance for the stairway.

"Plenty of people saw you throw that dagger and I doubt the Innkepper will have any qualms about naming us as scapegoats. Especially you pretty boy," she said sourly to Ricardo.

"Do you think you can both get out the window?"

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

"Pretty boy?" Cyrdic mumbled, then grimaced as Ricardo and Camilla helped him to his feet once more, letting out a seething rasp of pain. He knew it would dull soon, but the lead ball in his flesh bit at him terribly. "Yeah, we can jump," Cyrdic answered in a breath, keeping balance on his feet and shaking off the pain that had previously sucked away his strength. "Compared to a Dragon, this is nothing."

"Dragon?" Ricardo asked with incredulity.

Cyrdic lifted up a window with his good hand, and dropped the shield from his bad hand to fall onto the city street below. Using his good arm to hold the windowsill firmly, and using the bad one for a bit of support, he began to lower himself down the crevices and windows of the building. That is, until his foot slipped and he fell 8 feet, landing on his heels but still falling onto his rump with a grunt.

Inside, he could hear the noises of combat. Once Camilla had shimmied down, Cyrdic would comment that they had a knack for picking the worst places to stay at.
@Penny

[Penny]

Camilla was climbing out the window when Cydric made his comment about the dragon. She smirked at Ricardo's incredulous squwak.

"You almost had to have been there," she confided before she slid down the tiles, spreading her body wide to increase her surface area. She was almost at a stop when she reached the lip and dropped the remaining six feet into the street. A gasp went up from the crowd that had gathered to watch the entertaining spectacle of the black hats breaking up a brawl. With studied non challance she straightend up and brushed at her clothing. A few seconds later Cydric and Ricardo came down in a clatter of tiles and a shower of dust, the aging roof unable to support their weight. Camilla stooped and picked up Cydric's shield and passed it the mercenary. Then the three of them turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Marienburg, it seemed, did not have a large temple of Shyalla. Instead Camilla, Cydric and the increasingly pale Ricardo were directed to a small but well kept shop with white and red lances planted out front. The sign above the door read Pollonius Bosch - Physican, Surgeon, Barber, by appointment only. Camilla pushed her way into the store and was immediately caught by the almost physical smell of dozens of unfamiliar herbs, minerals and other substances she didn't care to think of. There was an underlying smell of decay and old blood that turned her stomach.

In the back of the room sat a small untidy man with an improbably fluffy mustache. He started when they came in and peered at them through red rimmed eyes.

"I'm by appointment..." the man began but Camilla cut him off.

"My friends are wounded and they need care," she said curtly. The small man, Bosch she presumed sized her up with an appraising glance.

"Even for a creature so divine as yourself, I'm afraid their must be an appo..." he trailed off as Camilla placed her hand on the butt of her pistol. Bosch forced himself to his feet with a hurt sigh and padded over towards Cydric. To her amazement Camilla realised he was wearing a dressing gown.

"Not very wise to threaten the doctor about to treat your friends my dear child," the man grumped, fluffing out his mustache in evident dissaproval.

"Oh I wasn't threatening you Doctor," Camilla said sweetly, "I just wanted to make sure you understood." He reached out and gently probed Cydric's shoulder with his pudgy fingers.

"Either they get well, or you get sick."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

The man digging the lead ball out of his shoulder wasn't what Cyrdic would call a pleasant experience. He grimaced, and shuddered in intense pain as the ball was yanked out of his muscle. If it hadn't had to go through his shield and clothing, it might have gone in much, much deeper. Thankfully, Sigmar and Ulric had been watching out for him. Perhaps they had been looking over poor Ricardo as well, the man surviving a knife in the back and having the shot meant for him hit the muscled target of Cyrdic instead.

The Ostlander nursed the wound by holding his hand to it gently after the bandaged had been wrapped around his shoulder. "Should be better in a few days," Cyrdic said aloud, making sure to keep his hurt arm limp. He now sat to the side next to Camilla while Borsch attended to the other patient.

"A few days? Ha!" the Doctor said as he bandaged up a very pale and sweating Ricardo, examining the Knife wound on the man's back. "It will take you five weeks to use it effectively, and you might always feel some pain."

"Trust me," he breathed, gripping his sword. "I'll be good in a few days." His words ended with a look to Camilla, letting her know he was fine.

The doctor had checked the back wound, announcing that it wasn't serious other than the blood loss. The Knife had not gone deep, or had hit any nerve or bone. The doctor placed a special salve on the wound, and wrapped a great bandage around the dashing Tilean's chest and back. "Drink plenty of food and eat a lot of water." He said absently, tying up the last bit of cloth.

"I wish we had money to give you, Herr doctor," Cyrdic said, lifting himself off the chair. His sword sheath was held in his good hand, and his upper body clothing was needing to be placed back on him by Camilla.

"I wish I could say it was a pleasure doing business with you."
@Penny

[Penny]

Bosch made a non committal grunt and shuffled back into his corner and poured himself a glass of a clear liquor which Camilla couldn't identify beyond 'alcohol', and settled back down into his chair. Ricardo drew a gold Pavonan piastare from a pouch and laid it on the table, though he looked sour to be parting with the money.

"I think you had best tell us what you have found out so far," Camilla said in a quiet voice as they left the shop. The streets were growing darker as true night set in and it would be difficult to secure rooms. Ricardo noded in agreement.

"Yes but not here Amiga, we need to get to lodgings soon, this is not Altdorf, the streets, they are dangerous after dark no?" It was hard not to agree with that, although she imagined the streets of Altdorf too could be plenty dangerous. Already furtive eyes watched them from alleys and Camilla fancied she could hear the rustle of unseen observers. An old woman, blind in one eye, sat at the entrance of an alley with a beggars bowl in front of her. There were a few coins in the bowl but she made no effort to beg for more. Camilla realized she was a look out, probably for burglars on the roof of one of the buildings across the way.

"Well do you have somewhere in mind?" she asked as she followed the wounded Tilean. He laughed softly.

"As a matter of fact I do."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The House of Joy was understated as brothel's went. It had the look of a well to do tavern or eating club with livered bouncers in front of it. Although the men wore what the propretor must have fondly imagined was Altdorf fashion for servants, roughed sleeves and powdered wigs, the men themselves were muscled and unshaven. The contrast gave them a harlequin like aura which Camilla found uncomfortable. Neither of the two bruisers challenged Ricardo as he swaggered into the parlor of the place, though their eyes lingered longer on Camilla and Cydric, alternating appreciation and suspicion.

The interior consisted of a dozen or so plush couches and a large bar of dark polished wood. The couches were occupied by men, mostly well dressed, whom Camilla would have pegged as minor merchants or perhaps ships officers, perhaps even the odd member of the gentry, as such things went here in Marienburg anyway. Young women bought them glasses of chilled wine and ale and spoke quietly to them, laughing at the jokes and generally engaging them in pleasant conversation. They weren't naked but the style of clothing definitely ran towards the revealing. Here and there was a stolen kiss, but it seemed the real business was transacted in the back rooms. Camilla could hear the faint echos of the particularly enthusiastic or theatrical from beyond a thick curtain of dark blue velvet.

"Ricardo, you aren't collecting strays are you," called an aging but still attractive woman from behind the bar. Her hair had once been red but was now streaked with silver and faint wrinkles gathered at the corners of her eyes. She was dressed in a gown of pale grey silk and wore simple gold jewelry at her throat and wrists. It effected an elegance much more genuine than the gaudy clothing of many a wealthy woman.

"Hilde!" Ricardo called in obvious enthusiasm and kissed the woman once on each cheek in Tilean fashion.

"Not strays, Hilde dearest, friends," he made an expansive gesture to Camilla and Cydric.

"Camilla De La Trantio, and Cydric ..." Ricardo trailed off awkwardly having not gotten or not remembered Cydric's last name. Hilde was obviously too smooth to let such an oversight stop her however.

"Welcome to The House of Joy Herr Cydric," she simpered professionally.

"E per te Camilla," she added in accented but understandable Tilean. She stood and spread her arms wide and Camilla obediently greeted her with kisses to the cheeks. Her attention returned immediately to Cydric.

"Can I get you anything mine herr? Food? Drink... companionship?" she made a vague gesture at the bevy of attractive women and their conversation partners.

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic was an odd sight in the brothel, which was something he never thought he would experience. Both being in a brothel, and being the odd man in. Truth be told, many of his buddies from the southern regions had been in them, but his experiences in big cities were all before he had become a man. He'd only been with one or two girls and they'd essentially been short-term sweethearts (of course, the short term wasn't what he had intended). He'd never loved any like Camilla, though.

He kept himself upright, looking around him with a suspicious eye. It seemed other than Ricardo, no one in here had much in the way of rough living. Certainly they weren't all wealthy, but they seemed like well to do men. Buxom and slim women sashayed to and fro with trays of food and drink, giving honeyed words to the paying customers. A few whispered in men's ears, luring them behind closed doors to get an extra few coins out of the night.

Briefly Cyrdic remembered Camilla when she had been chaos induced, whispering into his ear and drawing him in with her words and touch. He was glad to sense no chaos taint here. Just women making their way in the world, and men desperate or gullible enough to take their time and pleasure if they had the coin.

Then again, if he had been born in a softer life he might see the appeal of it. Indeed a lot of his rougher friends had as well. He'd always been more preoccupied with not dying from an axe wound in the cold north.

Ricardo using this as a place to stay wasn't entirely stupid, and Cyrdic gave a nod to the women as she greeted him. "Cyrdic Becker," he said, his eyes shifting elsewhere when he saw the excaggerated movement of a particularly thick woman and a man waving a coin as if to tease her.

"Can I get you anything mine herr? Food? Drink... companionship?" she made a vague gesture at the bevy of attractive women and their conversation partners.

"Uh..." he began, clearing his throat and shaking his head vehemently. He stepped closer to Camilla, even drawing an arm around her. "We'll just have some food and water."
@Penny

[Penny]

The brothel mistress looked a little dissapointed both that Cydric declined her services and that he was clearly with Camilla but Ricardo was already nodding his head.

"Yes Hilde dearest, can you have it bought back to my room?" the Tilean asked. Camilla leaned slightly against Cydric, her eyes felt gritty from the long day of travel and the excitement back at the Taal's Rest.

"Of course I can," Hilde said, her expression brightening, "Ill add it to your tab."

Ricardo led them back behind the curtain and through a long hall. The corridor was lined with heavy wooden doors. The sounds of pleasure came faintly through some of them but it was clear to Camilla that they were using some sort of sound proofing. Brothel girls tended to be theatrical, it helped with tips if nothing else. To Camilla's relief Ricardo led them up a flight of stairs that led to another story above the main floor of the brothel. The elaborate veneer of faux civility fell away, and they were in a plain, if clean space. Camilla caught the scent of food and perfume as they passed more doorways and guessed that this must be primarily a storage area.

At the end of the hallway Ricardo opened a door and lead them into a small room. Old furniture including several couches were stacked neatly around the room. There was a bedroll rolled out in a clear corner and a table pushed up against the wall on which a variety of weapons were laid out along with several scrolls and some parchment and ink.

"Settling in I see," Camilla said archly. Ricardo turned with a smile, it was a little forced, his wound clearly still paining him.

"It isn't much, but its home," he said taking a seat on a high backed upholstered chair and gesturing to some more chairs. Camilla turned hers around so she could rest her folded arms on top of it.

"Alright, lets hear it," Camilla said, laying her chin on her folded arms. Ricardo sighed and nodded. He took a scroll from the table and unrolled it. On the paper was a charcoal rendering of what must have been an intricate golden beetle of some sort. The artist had been at pains to capture the shine of the metal as well as the faceting of a large central jewel in the middle of the things back, around which the wings folded artfully . It looked like it had been taken from a book.

"Did you draw that?" Camilla asked, suddenly reminded that Ricardo wasn't without artistic skill of his own. He nodded curtly.

"When I first came to work for the Countessa it was to catalog the collection," he confessed, "It is from my notes." Camilla nodded and glanced at Cydric. That explained why Ricardo was so afire to recover the thing, he would be the prime suspect. For a fleeting moment she wondered if he had stolen it, but quickly dismissed the idea. It wasn't that he was too virtuous or honest, he simply wasnt that stupid, the Countessa Di Riario had a famous temper.

"It dosen't look particularly Arabyian," Camilla said skeptically. The lines were all wrong, much to angular for the more graceful curves of Arabyian sensibilities. This was blockier, more primal some how. Ricardo nodded.

"Ze records, zey are not good, but they seem to suggest that it is from some expidtion one of the Caliphs made into the southern deserts." He shrugged his shoulders and winced as he did so.

"I'm not a historian Ucellina," he confided and went on.

"The Countess had a guest, the night before the thing was reported missing, an antique dealer from Marienburg. Marcellus Krolsh. Apparently he has a reputation among people who deal in such things. He had a... uhh... unimpeachable alibi though." Camilla slowly arched an eyebrow and Ricardo glowered.

"You must be slipping," she commented blandly.

"Common interest sometimes trumps good looks Ucellina," he said a trifle defensively.

"If you say so," she said with a wide grin. Ricardo made a rude gesture.

"Anyway Krolsh sailed for Marienburg the next morning and that afternoon the Contessa discovered the thing was missing. He operates out of the city but he dosen't seem to have a shop..." Ricardo trailed off as there was a timid knock at the door. A moment later it swung open and a stunning young woman, no more than eighteen and dressed as the girls downstairs had been carried in a tray piled high with cheese, sliced meat and olives. She laid it down on one of the couches and smiled a dazzling unabashed smile at the silent occupants of the room before slipping out without uttering a word.

"We need to find Krolsh and see what he can tell us. If we are lucky he will have the scarab with him," Ricardo concluded then stood up.

"Eat," he instructed, "There are no other spare rooms but Ill see if I can get a couple more bed rolls." With that the handsome Tilean slipped from the room. Camilla took the opportunity to lean in and kiss Cydric, savoring the first moment of privacy since they had reached the city.

"I was worried," she said simply touching his shoulder gently, "Does it hurt?"

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic sat down on the couch, setting his things next to the side of the door beforehand. He rolled his neck, and let out a breath as he surveyed the room. It looked spartan enough, and it was good to know Ricardo took the danger he was in seriously. After he set himself down, he nearly sank into the old cushions from his completely lax stance, and the weight of his muscled bulk. He cleared his throat, and drew himself up at attention as Ricardo explained what the hell was going on.

He felt like he had followed most of what the man had said, the accent making it a tad hard at times. He could understand Camilla as easily as another Ostlander, but a man with such an accent was different for some reason. Still, he got the gist of it. Find this Marcellus Krolsh and find this very valuable insect looking instrument. He wondered if it was made of pure gold, or maybe had some ritualistic significance. He knew Norscans wielded staffs with bone on them for purposes like that.

"Seems easy enough," He said, hoping to appear casual. He honest felt a tad stupid around the two of them. Not because they'd shown any articulate or profound insights that he wouldn't think of. But he was not used to politics or intrigue. If only there was a way to see this as a battlefield, he might get an idea...

The food that entered was very enticing. There was something about getting wounded that drew his appetite, and he gave Ricardo a nod as the man exited. Instead of food reaching his lips, Camilla's own did however. He blinked, and then drew her in further for a moment as he enjoyed it, before they parted.

"It does," he said humbly. "But I'll be ok. Especially after that kiss." His smile lit up his face, showing his teeth in a grin. Camilla's weight shifted under the old cushions, causing her to press against him lightly, which meant his shoulder was pressed into. Needless to say he let out a breath of air through clenched teeth, though he tried to hide it. "Sigmar..." he said, and chuckled despite himself. "It's always something else isn't it?" He asked her, gesturing to the strange room they were in.
@Penny

[Penny]

Camilla chuckled and looked around the store room. It was hardly a palace but it beat sleeping under a bush or beneath a wagon on the trail. Also Ricardo was clearly picking up the tab via whatever arrangement he had with the Madam of the place. She had to admit that was a clever ruse. People tended to watch inns and flop houses but who looked at a brothel and, if a man were to come and go at odd times or in secrecy? What could be more natural than a man wishing to keep his identity a secret while visiting a bordello? Unfortunately there wasn't a convenient way to modify it for female use.

"At least there are no beastmen," she said with a wry smile and they both laughed. Camilla felt her eye lids beginning to droop when Ricardo returned carrying a roll of bedding over each shoulder.

"Snug as a bug," he said in his accented Reikspeil and spread the bedding out on the floor.

"Plus," he went on, white teeth visible as his face split into a smile, "They have a bath."

_____________________________________________________________________________

By the time the morning sun climbed towards noon Camila was beginning to understand why Ricardo had been so eager to have them help him. "Antiques dealer" had an irritatingly broad definition in Marienburg, encompassing everyone from halflings peddling stolen and counterfeit artifacts, to official collectors from the Colleges of Magic. None of them it seemed answered to the name Krolsh or had ever heard of anyone who did. That surprised Camilla as Ricardo had said that he was well known in his circle, certainly well known enough to gain a favorable response from the Countessa Di Riario. It seemed to her that occasionally the people the asked looked away a little too quickly or seemed a little too nervous.

They met at a tavern by the docks known as the longshoreman for a lunch consisting of fried fish and potatoes. The tavern also served a dark black ale which Camilla found to be delicious once she got over her revulsion at the color.

"No one has heard of him," Ricardo snarled as he finished his fish, "No one knows where he is or even if he exists. Worse yet everyone looks like they have been caught with their neighbours wife when we ask!" He hit the table with his hand, rattling the cuttlery. Camilla swallowed a bite of the food and was momentarily struck with homesickness. Imperial food tended towards the bland and the boiled, back in Tilea she could have had pasta with... the thought trailed off and she froze with her hand to her mouth.

"Tilea," she said, following the logic to its conclusion.

"What about it?" Ricardo asked sullenly.

"They know we are from Tilea, someone must have known people might come after the scarrab and that those people would be from Tilea." Ricardo knitted his brows at the words.

"Son of a bitch," he breathed, "They have all been paid not to talk to us." Camilla nodded.

"And worse by now every antique peddler in the city knows we are asking." Richardo slumped in momentary defeat but Camilla's mind was still whirling.

"Did he have guards with him? Back in Tilea?" she asked, spearing a potato with her knife. Ricardo nodded.

"Yes of course, a pair of them, big armored imperials with black beards." Camilla looked at Cydric.

"Rather than asking around people who have been paid not to tell us, why dont you ask around local mercenaries?" Camilla said.

"We could just go back to some of those we asked and pull out their fingernails until they tell us," Ricardo said, still somewhat sulky. Camilla shook her head again. Her hair was getting long and would need to be trimmed soon.

"No, we should keep asking as though we aren't onto them, that way they won't know we have tumbled the scheme. We can keep their eyes on us until Cydric finds what we need."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic blinked, mouth full of food and his cheeks prominent as the two Tilean turned their gazes toward him. He had been listening, but the food was so good. He'd not had southern fish before. The meat was breaded! That coupled with the ale made for a very welcome meal. The past night was much better than trekking through the wilderness and sleeping on his muddied cloak, huddled for warmth. This city was still an oddity to him, but he supposed Mercs were his forte'. He'd fought next to more than a few, even if he was a new addition to their ranks.

"Watch the master at work," he said as he wiped his mouth with a cloth. Camilla's giggle was infectious though, and he smiled, unable to help himself. Ricardo shook his head. "We'll meet back at the brothel tonight." Cyrdic told them, placing down the money for the food, and outfitting himself. Just as he had foreseen, his arm already felt somewhat better, albeit very weak and ached with a vengeance. His sword really did effect him in more ways than chaos-slaying. As he winked at Camilla to ease her concerns over him, he found he hoped the sword helped keep her healthy as well.

With some advice from Ricardo on where to look, within 3 hours he found himself in the Suiddock. It was the Northernmost island near the Bruynwater canal. Apparently this was the very heart of the city, and judging from all of the cutthroats he had seen in the more respectable areas, that was a somewhat dangerous thought.

He passed a few rougher thugs down a cobbled street, eyeing him as to see if he was easy prey. It would be three against one, but Cyrdic carried himself as if he wasn't wounded, and he was well armed and armored. Even if they beat him, it would cause a stir and it wouldn't be without casualties, so they eventually told him to sod off, despite the fact he had never even looked their way.

While that was noted, he still felt a sense of danger as he turned the corner into a side street to use as a shortcut. He didn't know cities well, but he knew what it was like to be tracked. It was near the last second that he felt more than heard a figure landing gracefully behind him. Cyrdic felt a scraping on the shield strapped to his back, and the soldier grinned when he realized the man hadn't recognized the protection of the Norscan shield, as it was within the folds of his cloak.

Cyrdic kicked backward, taking his attacker by the knee. He heard a cry of pain, that was suddenly stifled as Cyrdic put a wirey Arabian in a headlock, the knife now clattered to the ground.

"Who are you?" Cyrdic asked curtly, not in the mood to play games. The man squirmed, but couldn't get out of the Ostland soldier's iron grip. He then tried to speak in his native tongue, but Cyrdic squeezed his neck harder. The man hacked, and sputtered in Reikspiel. "Ok! Ok!"

"Who are you?" He growled, and the man shook his head. "No one! Salim Dalib just wanted your purse!"

"Why not just take it off me?"

"You are wounded!" He said. Cyrdic was taken aback slightly. He guessed he hadn't thought he hid his weakness as well as he had hoped. At least to the trained eye. Cyrdic wondered what else this man could tell him. "Do you know of any antique dealers from Arabia in town? Ones that have hired Imperial mercenaries?"

"Are yo u asking me for a job!?" He sputtered incredulously, having halted his attempts at trying to escape but still squirming to loosen Cyrdic's the grip on his neck somewhat. The Arabian only needed another squeeze for him to see Cyrdic's way of things. "Salim Dalib know!" and he began to spill whatever knowledge he had before his eyes popped out of their sockets. It led him to his next destination.

An hour later, he found himself within the Tavern dubbed the 'Ironbull,' one of the rougher taverns in town. Though it was far more civil than the one that had nearly killed him the previous night. He'd planned on coming into a place like this to ask other Mercs about the two Imperials, but he'd heard that a few characters such as them frequented this bar. He had to see for himself.

It took 3 flagons of ale, the barkeep trying to hire his services as a bouncer, and a busty barmaid attempting to enamor him with a swaying of her hips before he saw two notable mercenaries walk into the bar. Black bearded just as he had heard, both in gambesons and wide brimmed hats favored by Tileans. It seemed they enjoyed playing the part. But their skin was as fair as his, though a bit less ruddy. One was tall, and the other was a bit paunchy but still hardened from years of combat.

They were welcomed into the Tavern as if they were regulars, and were escorted into the back. Cyrdic thought that was a bit weird they weren't even going to sit down and have a drink. He was hoping to overhear them a bit. Much to his chagrin, that wasn't going to happen. But he had to figure out something.

"Can I get you anything else, handsome?" the barmaid asked. She tilted her head and looked at him with a roving gaze. It took him a moment to gather up the courage, but he decided to try something. "Got a few questions to ask you, if you have a private place we can talk?" He asked, holding up a coin.

"You don't need to pay me, shoulders. It's on the house..." she said, her smokey gaze implying she was taking the invitation the wrong way.

---

That night, Cyrdic made it back to the brothel with some new information, and a guilty conscience of pulling a woman off of him. He did have to pay her by the end of it, but he'd learned the names of the two men, and a confirmation of who their benefactor was. One of the wealthiest foreigners in town, who often conducted business behind closed doors. He let Camilla and Ricardo know as soon as he saw them at one of the tables.
@Penny

[Penny]

"Piere Du'Tremere," Ricardo said glumly when Cydric completed his recounting of what he had found. The all sat in the converted store room sipping wine from a couple of bottles that Ricardo had produced. It wasn't great wine but it was a respectable enough vintage, peppery and not to sweet the way Imperial wine often was.

"You know him?" Camilla asked with an arched eyebrow. Richardo took another pull from his bottle and made a sour face before sprining up from his chair.

"Know of him is more like," Ricardo grumbled rummaging around in his papers before withdrawing a large canvas chart and spreading it on the table. The chart appeared to the layman to be a confused tangle of lines and what markings that were legible were written in Tilean. Camilla recognized it as a map of the thieves roads of Marienburg. She hadn't seen such a map since her youth when she had been with a young member of the thieves guild. The lines didn't mark regular roads but rather the routes which could be taken by night and by stealth. Some of the markings denoted paths over the roofs, others through quiet alleys or canals.

"He is one of those merchants who when you ask 'what do they sell' no one seems to know," Ricardo went on.

"A smuggler?" Camilla questioned, squinting at the map.

"A fence at least," Ricardo conceded, "I'll go pay our friend from across the water a visit tonight..."

"Not alone you won't," Camilla interjected, a little more sharply than she had intended. Ricardo looked pain.

"Ucellina," Ricardo began reasonably, "you perhaps could do it but, well no disrespect to Cydric but he dosen't have the training for this type of thing, plus he is wounded." Camilla folded her arms beneath her breasts and arched any eyebrow.

"So are you," she pointed out, "and someone has already tried to murder you once since you came to town." Ricardo looked like he might have been going to argue the point further but instead he threw up his hands in defeat.

"Well lets hope we can find some clothes that fit."

______________________________________________________________________

An hour later the three of them were crossing the darkened roofs of Marienburg. Camilla was thankful that there was no moon and despite her earlier confidence, it had been years since she had been on a roof after dark. The had gotten onto the roof via a suspiciously convenient garret in the brothel and were making their way towards where Ricardo had told them the expensive town house of Piere Du'Tremere sat, over looking one of the larger canals. Camilla was in the lead scouting the way, Ricardo was in the rear with Cydric helping him with the unfamiliar task.

They made good time over the thieves highway. To her surprise Camilla found herself enjoying herself. So much of her life was about showing her self off and being conspicuous, it felt curiously liberating to slink across a dark rooftop under the light of the waning moon, the populace below oblivious to her passage. Suddenly she felt her skin tingle and she froze. For the briefest of moments she had a sense of uncomfortable scruitiny as though unseen eyes observed her and when she slowly turned her head she would have swore she caught a glimpse of a pale and beautiful face in a darkened window. By the time her mind registered the fact though the window as empty and the sensation of being observed retreated. Camilla let out a relived sigh, she was just being melodramatic.

Twenty paces behind her Ricardo crept along beside Cydric, his face unreadable as he watched Camilla worm her way forward past a particularly low roofline. They had dressed in black provided by the ever resourceful Hilde. Camilla's clothing was a little loose, and Cydric's a little tight but they managed.

"She is a marvel," Ricardo murmured as Camilla coiled her body and leaped over a short street, made narrow by the imperial custom of building above the footprint of a structure. His voice had an odd quality about it, part admiration, part wistfulness.

"She has a true talent for this, she could have been one of the best of us."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic bit into an apple, watching their exchange. He could understand Ricardo not wanting to see Camilla in harms way. But one of the reasons Camilla had caught his attention was that she got in and out of danger with the same flair he had come to expect. She was a warrior, whether she realized it or not.

"No arguing with her, eh?" Cyrdic asked Ricardo, biting into his apple again. His next words were muffled by the fruit. "Pick your battles."

---

The Imperial felt a bit of trepidation going onto these roofs in the cover of darkness. The sea was in the distance, the coastal breeze filling his nostrils as he stumbled about on the unfamiliar thatching of the Marienburg roofs. It reminded him of night raids he had conducted on Nordland shores, only he was far less sure-footed now than he had been, then. He tried to remind himself that Ricardo was his ally just as a fellow soldier was, but for some reason that was hard to convince himself of.

Cyrdic halted with the Tilean as Camilla's graceful and powerful form leaped across the street with a practiced ease. He marveled at her too, and he felt his heart warm at the woman he could call his lover. But when Ricardo spoke of it, he felt the heartstrings in his breast coil a bit too tightly, and he didn't enjoy the marvel in Ricardo's voice.

Visibly, he had to keep himself from saying anything out of turn. He had to remind his himself that Camilla trusted him, and the two of them needed all of the help they could get. But the lack of private time with her, and Ricardo's...familiarity with Camilla he had never asked about out of respect for her was bringing anxious thoughts to his head, and a certain jealousy gnawing at him.

"She's perfect where she is, I think." Cyrdic said, doing his best not to sound possessive. "We better catch up." He continued after a pause between them.
@Penny

[Penny]

Ricardo didn't respond and the awkward silence lengthened as he gazed into the darkness after Camilla. A few seconds later a rope sailed out of the darkness like an uncoiling serpent and landed at their feet. Ricardo belated picked up the rope and secured it with a complicated knot to one of the ceiling lintels.

"Swing yourself across Imperial," he instructed and joged a few steps before grabbing the waist high rope and hopping across the chasm. Cydric followed a moment later and they joined Camilla in gazing down into a walled mansion of dark red stone. The whole thing was surrounded by a stone wall topped with intricate, but doubtlessly very sharp wrought iron spikes. There were no adjacent roofs they might leap from and several men in disgusting pink and puce livery were moving about with obvious weapons. No lights burned in the houses many windows though a small guard house did show a light.

"We could go over the wall," Camilla suggested dubiously.

"No good Ucellina," Ricardo said professionally and pointed to a few small out buildings. As she watched a large hound padded out of one, lifted its leg on a post and returned to its doubtlessly light napping. Human guards were easy enough to slip past in the dark but animals were another thing.

"Dobbiamo andare avanti," he said grimly.

"Non credo che possa," she responded turning to look at Cydric.

"We are going to need to climb over on a rope, do you think your shoulder can handle that?" she asked quietly. Ricardo was already taking a small but compact cross bow from his backpack and tying a lighter rope to one of the quarrels. He lifted the weapon, ran his fingers through the rope to make sure it played freely and fired. The whaang of the crossbow firing seemed loud in the night but Camilla knew that the city was much noiser at ground level. The quarrel flew across the intervening space and lodged into a support post next to one of the houses three chimneys.

"Me first, I'm lightest," Camilla said and unbuckled her weapons belt and handed it to Cydric. She gave him a reassuring squeeze and then waited for Ricardo to secure the rope.

"Ill go over," she explained to Cydric, "and secure the heavier rope, then you follow then Ricardo."

"Ucellina..." he began to protest. SHe held up a black gloved hand for silence.

"That is the way it has to be, you need to secure the rope and you are lighter than Cydric," she explained. WIthout another word she swung herself up beneath the rope, locking her ankles together around it and shimmying like a monkey across the line suspended nearly four stories in the air.

"Ranald tenerla al sicuro, proteggere i tuoi figli nel loro lavoro," Ricardo prayed in a quiet intense voice as Camilla moved across the dark night air. He didn't keep the rope perfectly tight but loosened and tightened it with her rythym to reduce the strain on the crossbow quarrels barbs. If it gave, or if the wood crumbled Camilla would very likely fall to her death. He let out an audible sigh of relief when she reached the other side.

"Have you ever seen anything like it," Richardo murmured in mute admiration. On the far roof Camilla pulled the rope towards her and secured it properly around the chimney. The rope grew significantly tighter as she knotted it. Ricardo turned to Cydric.

"Think you can manage it, you dont have to despite what she says, it will do no one any favors if you fall and break your neck, least of all her when the guards are alerted."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic tied the rope to his waist for extra security, scolding himself for letting his emotions get the better of him as Ricardo and Camilla's silhouettes stood together across the expanse. With a slight leap, he sailed forward. The feeling of his weight at the end of the rope on his waist and his arm wasn't a comfortable feeling. He wasn't a lumbering giant, but he was powerfully framed and larger than the Tileans. He let out an audible sigh as he landed next to them, unfastening the rope.

As they gazed down at the complex, Cyrdic snorted at the gaudy men walking around. Sigmar knew he didn't understand fashion, but even to him that was just an odd sight. The defenses looked well formed, however.

Once a plan was figured out, Cyrdic warmed at the squeeze from Camilla. "You got this," he said with a smile, and watched her shimmy over expertly. This time, he didn't comment when Ricardo marveled at her. He decided that was best, particularly during such a dangerous mission.

"I can manage," Cyrdic said bluntly. He might not be as nimble as them, nor as light. But he wasn't hefty either, his waist leaner than his chest. He could lift his body weight quite easily, and as long as he favored his less injured shoulder, he felt confident of it. "I'll go next." He said, making sure all of his weapons and gear were fastened tightly, before making his way onto the rope. Ignoring the sense of weight, and not looking down, Cyrdic was slow going.

But he was steady, and managed to crawl across the large expanse with ne'er a complaint, though the shifting of the rope in the wind was testing his reserve.
@Penny

[Penny]

Camilla breathed a sigh of relief as Cydric and Ricardo joined her on the steeply pitched roof. The wooden shingles had been painted with tar some time in the distant past to seal them against the damp and it had the added bonus of making the surface easier to grip. Ricardo jerked the crossbow quarrel free and then fitted it back into his small weapon, then tugged the rope twice in quick succession and then one more much more firmly. The rope began to go limp as the trick knot on the other end unraveled. They couldn't leave the line hanging in the air as the odds of someone seeing it, even in the dark grew too great overtime. Instead he fired the weapon back over the roof they had come from carrying the line away. It was possible that someone would find the rope, but even if they connected it with a burglary it would be far too late by the time they figured out which house. That was the theory anyway.

With infinite care Camilla made her way across the roof to the end of the building. Peering down she saw a large window several feet below her.

"Cydric," she breathed, "Hold my feet." With Cydric holding her she leaned down to the window. Dangling upside down from Cydric's grip she twisted the blade and the window began to open outward. Pausing she ran the blade around the window frame, trying to make sure there were no wires, bells or other alarms. Particularly paranoid people sometimes employed such methods and it always paid to be careful. Finding nothing to alarm her she pulled the window the rest of the way open and then took a firm grip of the frame.

"Ok let me go," she whispered. Cydric hesitated for a moment and Ricardo whispered something in his ear. Then he let her go and she twisted herself in through the window in a smooth fluid motion, landing softly on her feet. She found herself in a dark carpeted room with a large table and a huge four poster bed. She guessed it was some sort of bedroom for guests or perhaps visiting clients. By the dust clinging to the polished wooden furniture it hadn't been used in some time.

"All clear," she called up to Ricardo and Cydric. The Tilean didn't respond but a moment later a short length of rope, secured to one of the chimneys appeared in the window and he and Cydric climbed down into the house. Camilla smiled in the darkness, enjoying herself immensely inspite of the danger. Most thieves she knew, those that lived very long, loved the danger and the challenge, Ricardo's grin certainly showed that he too was enjoying himself.

"We need to find an office or somewhere he keeps records," Camilla said quietly as she slowly cracked open the door and looked out into a hallway. No lights burned and no one stirred.

"Probably there will be papers and a desk in the room we need."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Cyrdic did just that, easily holding her weight and gently lowering her down until she was close enough to do what she did best. Once that was concluded, she called to him to let her go. Just as he was about to do that, Ricardo whispered to him. "Let her go, Imperial." Cyrdic snapped his gaze at Ricardo as he let Camilla drop, about to comment the man didn't give him time to even respond to her. But he decided against it.

Once the three were in the office, Cyrdic knocked some dust off of himself. He didn't share their smile, instead his head up and alert like a wolf's. He did have a gleam in his eyes though. He always felt home in danger, despite this being a different kind than he was used to. He saw Camilla's happy visage, and he had to remind himself she was with him by choice, even if a voice in the back of his head whispered she'd be happier here.

Shut up.

"Got it," he whispered softly to Camilla after she had opened the door. He had slunk behind the courtesan sellsword, and decided to take point as he often did when they were entering somewhere dangerous. He didn't unfasten his shield, but his sword was out as he stepped lightly into the hallway. The lack of light wasn't too stifling, and in fact he must have gotten used to the dark across the rooftops. He could see the shape of the hallway and the figures of busts and paintings along the sides.

He felt the others behind him, and even a small grumble from Ricardo. Something in Tilean that seemed disapproving of what was going on, though Cyrdic didn't catch it. He waded over to a very ornate looking door. Or he believed that was how it looked, from the robust framework.

He tried to open the door knob, but it was locked. Cyrdic grimaced, and motioned for Camilla or Ricardo to come over the check the lock. As Camilla did so, Cyrdic heard the tiniest clinking as she worked. After a few moments, the sound was drowned out by footsteps coming from the eastern part of the hallway, and the dim glow of a distant torch that had not yet turned the stone hallway yet.

"Hurry," Cyrdic breathed, his entire body tensed.
@Penny

[Penny]

Camilla felt the faint stirring of panic as the footsteps came closer. She worked the small set of lock picks against the door, feeling for the tumblers in the dark with the small wire implements, the first one engaged with a small click and she fought hard to resit the urge to push too hard. It really ought to be Ricardo doing this, it had been years since she had worked on anything more complicated than a jewelery box, but there was no time for them to switch places now. Indeed, her old friend was stepping back and drawing his small crossbow from his bag in case she was too slow. A dead body wasn't the end of the world but it would complicate things and there was no assurance that Ricardo could take whoever it was down quietly. Worse yet what if it was a child out to get a glass of milk in the middle of the night. It didn't bare thinking about.

The final tumblr clicked into place and the door swung open. Camilla steeped through the doorway a moment head of her two companions and then closed the door as quietly as she could, resisting the urge to let out a breath of relief. Hurriedly she turned and surveyed the darkened room. Large bookshelves lined the walls and strange artefacts stood on carved stone pedestals. It was too dark for Camilla to recognize the items as more than indistinct masses however. At the end of the room stood a large table on which sat a mass of scrolls, a quill and an ink pot.

"Ucellina, he is slowing," Ricardo hissed and as he said it she realized that the unknown man out in the hallway was slowing his footsteps. That meant that he was coming here. Desperately she cast her eyes around. There was a large bench in one of the reading alcoves and she grabbed Cydric's hand and pulled him towards it pushing him down behind the bench before laying beside him. She couldn't see where Ricardo went but she knew he too was finding concealment.

The rattle of keys could be heard outside and the sound of voices. The door handle turned but didn't open. Camilla held her breath hoping however it was didn't find it odd that his door was unlocked. The key clicked again and the door swung open.

"I told you it is unnecessary," a strangely accented voice said as it moved down the center of the room.

"And I still say it is prudent. No questions will be asked if three bodies turn up floating in a canal."

"You dont thing that Riarao will be a little suspicious if her boy toy turns up with an acute case of stabbing? The woman can hold a grudge like no one else." The voices faded to a muted rumble and Camilla heard the clink of glassware, she presumed they were pouring drinks. She lay as quietly as she could beside Cydric as a light sprang into being at the head of the room, presumably a lamp on the table.

The conversation continued for several minutes, much of it unintelligible from here and then the light was extinguished and the two men departed, the key rattling as it locked the door behind them. Camilla breathed a sigh of relief but remained still for several more minutes. At last she stood slowly, stretching her muscles before helping Cydric to her feet.

Ricardo was already at the table evidently having decided the coast was clear a minute before she had. He was going through the papers and Camilla joined him while Cydric stood guard. The risked lighting a small lantern which they could shutter at need. It was more light than Camilla wanted to use but she didn't see any help for it. Ricardo picked up a particularly ornate looking document with a strange wax seal.

"It's Brettonian, do you read it?" Ricardo asked. Camilla smiled in the near darkness.

"Dosen't everybody?" she asked.

"We didn't all get the fancy school Ucellina," Ricado said with a roll of his eyes. She red the document.

"It is a note asking for the acquisition of a particular piece, the Scarab of Lahaima? It offers... something, something the agreed upon previously in exchange and it is signed by someone calling herself Lady Miroria? The Lady of Mirrors maybe?" She asked, her Brettonian not quite equal to the challenge afterall. There were directions to deliever the item to an estate out of town.

The sudden sound of hands clapping was as shocking as gunfire. Camilla spun around her dagger coming to her hands in an instant. A gentle mocking laughter filled the room. In the corner, where a moment ago Camilla would have bet her life no one was sitting, sat the beautiful blond woman in a pale blue dress. She was beyond lovely in the low light, artists would have wept to capture such a thing on canvas.

"Very well done my dear, I can see the Mistress was right about you," the woman said coming slowly to her feet. Camilla cast a side long glance at Cydric and Ricardo. Ricardo had his hand in his satchel though he hadn't actually drawn the little crossbow. She licked her nervous lips as the woman seemed to glide forward towards them.

@POOHEAD189