Lady's Grace, cutters!

 

"No referee, no rules, no spells! Whoever stands at the end, wins!"
motto of the Blood Pit

 

First Lady Day of Retributus, 126 HR

Once it was clear that they would go to the Blood Pit via the Night Market to investigate the murders further, Kiyoshi nodded curtly. "Good. If that is where you want to go, honorable companions, then that is where we will go."

Jana thoughtfully eyed the young Harmonium soldier, who was all too inexperienced in Sigil. "I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore."

Sgillin raised his shoulders in his carefree manner, but loosened his bow as a precaution. Lereia stood beside him, a little unsure. "I have absolutely no idea what's coming," she sighed.

Naghûl was all too aware that this was not going to be an exciting but ultimately harmless walk. But he saw no point in worrying his companions and friends any more than they already were. "Just relax," he said in a good-humored tone. "I'm sure this will be an interesting experience."

"I've had more than enough of those already ..." Lereia replied resignedly. "But if it helps the investigation, of course I'll come with you."

Sgillin, on the other hand, raised his hands. "I am relaxed."

"We can't start a fight there," Jana warned, less relaxed. "There are not just simple thugs hanging out there, but ... well, I'd like to keep my head."

Naghûl sensed that it was time to get the group to move on before any more concerns arose that could potentially jeopardize the mission. "So, let's go," he therefore urged the others.

"Yes, let's go," Sgillin agreed, probably also getting tired of the back and forth.

So they set off, leaving the impressive entrance to the Gatehouse behind them and making their way back through the Hive. Here, too, the streets were barely paved and full of garbage and muddy puddles, which they deliberately avoided. There were numerous beggars, urchins, prostitutes, bubbers and armed lowlifes on every corner - the normal sight in the Hive. However, if one wasn't used to it, it could easily affect one's mood. Naghûl at least noticed this in Lereia, who moved bravely through the alleyways but seemed visibly uncomfortable. As usual, Kiyoshi kept a straight face, but in his new capacity as Sigil's guardian of order, he certainly didn't like some of the things he saw either.

After they had walked side by side in silence for a while, Jana turned to the young man from Kamigawa. "Can I ask you something, Kiyoshi? I ... we can assume that gladiator fights will take place in the Blood Pit ... some to the death. And that people are betting on it."

Sgillin turned a worried face to the Harmonium soldier, who immediately tightened. "That's against the law," he announced firmly.

Naghûl took a deep breath. That was when the trouble began ... "Well, not necessarily," he appeased. "Betting is not forbidden per se. And when it comes to fights, it depends ..."

Kiyoshi immediately nodded knowingly. "Unless these fights take place on the property of a private individual who has a K5 license. Which, of course, would have to be checked by me right off."

He had familiarized himself very well with the laws of Sigil already, Naghûl had to admit. If only he understood the general climate of the Cage as well … "Whatever it's called, but yes." The tiefling nodded. "Can't you just assume that this license exists?"

Kiyoshi was about to reply, but Jana stopped and crossed her arms vigorously. "How is that supposed to work, Naghûl? It can never work."

She nodded towards Kiyoshi and the Sensate sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, she was right, it wouldn't work. But he could hardly say that to the young soldier's face. "It will be fine," he replied instead, looking imploringly at Jana. "Let's go."

Sgillin seemed to understand and came to his aid, waving carelessly. "Yes, let's go."

"Good." Kiyoshi nodded in his military terse way and wanted to start moving again, but Jana didn't let up.

"No, it won't, unless you put the Hardhead to sleep or hex him somehow."

Kiyoshi remained calm, but gave Naghûl a meaningful look. It took the tiefling quite a bit of self-control not to react indignantly to Jana. "Let's all stay composed for now and just keep walking," he explained calmly. "We'll take the things as they come ... And I'll not dare to hurt him," he added in response to Kiyoshi's glance.

Jana huffed resignedly. "I wasn't serious ..."

Naghûl wasn't so sure about that, however. Support came from Lereia at that moment. "When the time comes, I can still go back with Kiyoshi and wait for you," she suggested.

Everyone could agree on this, and so they ventured further into the maze of alleyways. As soon as they approached the notorious Night Market, the Hive became even darker than it already was. More and more scantily dressed prostitutes stood on the corners and hardly any of the shady folk here were unarmed. A smell of sulfur hung almost omnipresent in the air, due to the fact that there were significantly more fiends to be seen here than anyway in the Hive. Spinagons and rutterkins, alus and cambions, but also abishai, bulezau and every now and then a succubus or an erinyes were part of the normal street scene here. Lereia pulled her hood into her face, visibly uncomfortable. Jana also kept her eyes lowered and only looked at the others from time to time, not talking and hurrying on. Kiyoshi, on the other hand, was looking around particularly carefully now. When his eyes fell on a stall selling bottled pixies, Naghûl knew it was time ... He didn't like to do this sort of thing, nor did it lightly. But he knew they would never make it through the Night Market this way with Kiyoshi, who was still far too inexperienced in Sigil, but also overly dutiful. So the tiefling fell a bit short until he was walking behind the young soldier and nodded slightly to Sgillin. The half-elf understood immediately, pulled the cloak tighter around himself and placed a hand on the hip quiver underneath. Naghûl, however, fixed his gaze on Kiyoshi and conjured a spell ... Almost immediately, the young man sank to the ground as a glowing green fist struck him heartily on the back of the head. The tiefling would have chosen a sleep spell, but as a sorcerer he didn't have the wider repertoire of spells that a wizard did, so a magic fist had to do the trick. Sgillin stepped in to shield the scene a little with his cloak spread out.

"Oh no..." the Sensate stated dryly. "He fainted."

Lereia looked back at Naghûl. After the initial surprise, she immediately understood what was going on, picked up Kiyoshi's yari and covered it under her cloak. Jana nodded in satisfaction while Sgillin and Naghûl picked Kiyoshi up from the ground to carry him on. It may not have been particularly polite or elegant, but it was probably their best chance of getting to the Blood Pit without incident. As they walked on, even the smells changed. The stench of blood, strangely flavored smoke and chemical substances they couldn't classify hung in the air in addition to the sulfur. Again and again they saw figures that Naghûl classified as assassins, considering where they were. At one corner stood a man with no right arm and no left leg ... With a shudder, the group realized he was offering his body parts as he called after them to see if they wanted to buy the other arm. Sgillin pulled his hood lower over his face, Lereia retched and held a hand over her mouth. The sight, but above all the smells, seemed to hit her particularly hard with her predatory senses. To Naghûl's relief, Kiyoshi was still on the ropes, being dragged along by him and Sgillin. No one paid the slightest attention to the fact that an unconscious man was being carried around by two others. After all, that was one of the few advantages of this environment. At one corner, a succubus stood recruiting mercenaries for the Blood War. At another, they saw a wooden stage where slaves were being sold, apparently. Illegally, of course.

Sgillin tried to breathe as shallowly as possible. "You're lucky you don't see this, Yoshi," he muttered to the unconscious soldier.

Lereia lowered her head at the sight, and Jana also kept her eyes on the ground, moving very quietly and seeming to seek out rather than avoid the particularly dark parts of the alleyways, as if she was trying to hide from it all.

"This is ... too much," Lereia whispered, holding her cloak to her mouth as they heard a soft weeping from behind the slave sales stage.

Pain-filled cries could be heard again and again from further away. Naghûl kept an anxious eye on his companions. He himself had lived in the Hive for years, he knew this dark side of Sigil - which didn't mean that it didn't bother him. But Lereia in particular had never been in such an environment before, and he wanted to keep an eye on her in case everything became too much. At one point, a boy who looked to be barely twelve or thirteen years old plucked at her cloak. He was obviously offering himself to her for money. Dismayed, she gave him a few coins and then sent him on his way, and Naghûl could clearly see her horror.

Even the often rather jaded Sgillin was beginning to feel the effects of his surroundings. "By all the gods..." he muttered to himself.

Naghûl nodded in dismay. "This is Sigil too," he said quietly.

Again and again, they saw stalls offering the most ominous goods. On one table lay fresh humanoid organs, on another they thought they recognized a bloody Harmonium armor. What luck that Kiyoshi couldn't see it... Somewhere, two dark-clad priests were discussing something, and it sounded as if they were talking about the price of a living sacrifice.

Jana barely glanced at all of this, probably because she didn't want to further think about it. "We'll be right there," she explained quietly.

"I hope so..." Sgillin replied, uncharacteristically quiet and serious since they had entered the Night Market.

Fortunately, the group was spared any further trouble, as they didn't have to venture too far into the market before they reached the Blood Pit. It was a building made of dark gray stone, decorated with the typical Sigil metal blades under the gable. The roof was dome-shaped and covered in corroded brass tiles. Inside, they were immediately hit by the usual mix of smells associated with seedy taverns: cheap beer, sweat, smoke, overcooked meat and a hint of sulfur. Laughter, shouts and the clink of weapons could be heard from the back. Directly opposite the front door was a stone counter, behind which a young human woman was drying some not too clean-looking jugs.

"I ..." Jana looked around indecisively. "Should I ...? Well, I don't know much about pit fighting ..."

It was one of those moments when Naghûl was grateful for his past in the Hive and for the knowledge and experience that often unpleasant time had brought. "I'll do it," he offered. "Hold our friend."

"Thank you, Naghûl." Jana smiled with relief while Sgillin nodded. "All right, I'll hold him. I'm glad he took off his armor."

Lereia helped brace Kiyoshi from the other side while Naghûl lounged on the counter. "Hey there, sweetie!" he called to the woman working behind it.

"Hey, cutter," she greeted him without interrupting her activities.

"What fight's next?" the tiefling wanted to know, switching to the slurred, sloppy tone of the Hive. "And what are the odds?"

"Next one's between Grack the Cruel and Red Lara of the Tonoe," the barmaid explained. "It's two hours before anti peak. Ask about bets in the back."

Naghûl nodded. "Have a list of who else is on today?"

"List?" She laughed. "That was a good one."

"Just the one?" the tiefling probed, and she shook her head.

"No, but about the bloody list. We're not in the Festhall here, scribbling something on paper. Our boys regularly shout it through the streets, huh? Bloodhorn and Roshkor are still fighting, too, so to speak. Just practicing, ay?"

Of course, there were no lists. Naghûl realized that he had outgrown the Hive for longer and more thoroughly than he had known. "Sure, I see," he covered up his little slip. "Let's go and have a bet, then."

The woman nodded. "You can still get in for free." She didn't seem too surprised about the unconscious Kiyoshi either. One of the advantages of this environment.

"Ace," Naghûl replied and then turned his head to the others. "Hey, come on. And don't forget the drunk bum, otherwise he'll have to pay later." He walked over to Jana and pulled her along by the arm. "Come on, doll, I'll buy you a drink."

The others nodded, obviously relieved that Naghûl had resolved the situation without causing a stir. They walked through an open archway further into the back of the building. There, in the middle of the room, they could see two wide stone steps leading up to a large, round opening. From here they could hear the clanging of weapons, and a few spectators were chatting, drinking and cheering on the practicing fighters below. In several alcoves around the room stood stone tables with solid wooden chairs.

Naghûl nodded to one of them. "That one?"

Jana shook her head quickly, pointing at the nupperibo shuffling around nearby. "I'll be sick if I have to smell this all the time."

That was quite understandable, so the Sensate pointed to another table. "Here?"

Jana nodded. "Yes, that one's better."

This booth also had the advantage that, in addition to the wooden chairs, there was a fairly wide stone bench. Sgillin and Lereia dragged the still unconscious Kiyoshi to this bench and laid him down. Then they took a seat and looked around carefully. It was the typical rough, uncouth and not too clean environment of a Hive tavern. And yet, compared to the Night Market outside, they were relieved to be sitting here. Sgillin fetched a jug of Blood War Wine and one of Cage Beer from the bar and brought them both to the table along with a few mugs. As they poured themselves a drink, a conversation to their left caught Naghûl's attention. He knew those two guests: the chaos mage Quake Lavender and Mordrigaarz Antill, two well-known and influential members of the Xaositects. She was probably a fey-blooded half-elf, judging by her intensely purple hair, and he looked like a typical Hive thug: tall, muscular, clad in leather armor, and well-armed.

"I know, Quake," the blond man said just then, the conversation loud enough for them to understand clearly. "Hey, did you do that thing with the chairs in your shack?"

"I didn't do anything," the mage replied. "I decorated the walls ... Hey, I did it with the Baatorian blood pears."

"Really?" The man clapped his hands with a childlike enthusiasm that didn't really match his rather menacing appearance. "Great! 'Twas my idea, remember?"

"I do, Mordi." The half-elf patted him on the shoulder. "So, what have you found out now?"

Mordi raised his shoulders. "Yeah, nothing at all."

"Then find out something. Karan wants to know."

Naghûl nodded his head as inconspicuously as possible in the direction of the two Xaositects. "Distinguished visitors here ..." he remarked in a whisper. "That lady up there with the purple hair is a high-up among the Xaositects. Karan, the name that just came up, is their factol."

"Already have an idea," Mordi announced at Quake's prompting.

The half-elf nodded. "So?"

At that moment, Kiyoshi stirred and slowly sat up, looking around in surprise. Jana spoke to him quietly, explaining, as they had discussed, that he had unfortunately been hit on the head by a falling brick on the way to the Blood Pit. He nodded, still a little dazed, but to Naghûl's relief, there was no sign that he wasn't buying Jana's admittedly dubious story. So the tiefling focused back on the Xaositects' conversation.

"Well, I don't think they're from the Hive," Mordi just explained. "I'll beat up anyone who doesn't belong here. Then I'll get the right ones eventually."

"Great plan, Mordi," Quake replied sarcastically.

He nodded with enthusiasm."Yeah, good, right?"

"Mordi ...” The half-elf sighed resignedly. “That's utterly stupid."

"I think it's good." The man crossed his arms defiantly. "I'll do it like this."

"By the Lady..." Quake started, but then decided not to bother. "Well, whatever, find out something. Karan's interested in who's putting people in the book."

"Sure, I'll do it," Mordi promised. "And I've got another idea for the tables in your pub."

The half-elf raised her shoulders. "Krixxi wanted to do something, I think."

"Oh." Mordi grinned. "Sure with lots of steam and stuff?"

"Definitely." Quake laughed, then their conversation quieted and they turned to the pit to watch the training fight between the minotaur and the leonid below.

Lereia looked around. "The Xaositects are probably also looking for the murderer," she said in a lowered voice.

Kiyoshi, who had found his bearings again, nodded. "Of course," he explained somewhat precociously. "It is the crime."

Sgillin, meanwhile, rose and strolled over to the pit to get a better view of the training fight and perhaps pick up a thing or two from other conversations. At the same time, the discussion between Quake and Mordi grew louder again.

"Yes, let's," the man declared enthusiastically. "'Twas so much fun last time, doing something with the Barracks!"

Quake giggled. "I'm sure Sarin will get incredibly upset. Then we'll go to the Hall of Speakers and listen to him arguing with Karan."

"Oh yes! I'll do it!" Mordi rubbed his hands together, while Naghûl's gaze wandered anxiously to Kiyoshi, who unfortunately overheard the conversation.

"Nope," Quake replied energetically. "You do the murder research. I'll do it."

Kiyoshi now stared fixedly at the two Xaositects, while Mordi slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "Oh ... But I want to be there when it happens, yeah?"

"All right," the half-elf agreed. "I'll let you know in advance. I'll get everything ready." She strolled briskly towards the exit and Kiyoshi stood up.

"Kiyoshi ..." Lereia said quietly. "They haven't done anything yet."

Naghûl's tone was more forceful, more insistent. "Please stay seated, Kiyoshi."

Of course he didn't take his seat again, the newly minted Hardhead. "But I could prevent an attack on our Barracks here," he explained. "Attacks on other factions are against the law."

"At most, they'll paint something," the tiefling softened.

"That's certainly considered anarchy," the young soldier insisted. "After all, it's punishable by death."

Lereia's face took on a stunned expression. "Painting something is punishable by death?"

The tiefling wondered if new Harmonium members were actually taught the laws of Sigil in such a twisted way, or if it was just Kiyoshi who was twisted. He shook his head reassuringly at Lereia's question and then gave the soldier a displeased look.

"Damn it, Kiyoshi, prioritize," he demanded sharply, slapping the table with the flat of his hand. Then he continued a little more quietly. "Either you go after the mad artists or we do what we're here to do: Solve murders."

"And find out more about ourselves," added Sgillin, who returned to the table at that very moment.

Kiyoshi was still standing, and his usual stoic calm now gave way to slight displeasure. "Forgive me, honorable Naghûl-san, but what have we done so far?" he asked. "Sitting at a table will not help us. I should at least send a message."

Naghûl took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. Hardhead and clueless, this really was a tough one. "Yes, Kiyoshi," he declared with barely suppressed impatience. "That's the first thing you'll do when you get back home. But for now, please cut it out."

Meanwhile, Sgillin had spoken quietly to Lereia, who had widened her eyes in surprise. "Was there anything noticeable before you swapped?" she asked.

When Naghûl turned to Sgillin, he could see that his friend was indeed a little pale around the nose. "Noticeable ... hm, I was talking to that alu."

"What happened?" Jana wanted to know.

Sgillin nodded his head in the direction of the fighting pit. "I just swapped bodies with the minotaur down there. I stood in the fighting pit for a few seconds. It was quite irritating. Maybe ... this alu fiend was the trigger?"

"What makes you think so?" Lereia asked.

The half-elf scratched his chin. "Because ... when Sgillin ... well, my body, moved away from her, the swap was reversed. But it's really just a vague assumption."

He fell silent and looked thoughtfully over to the fighting pit, which Kiyoshi apparently took as an invitation to turn the conversation back to the previous topic.

"Honorable Naghûl-san, I will not tell you how to do your faction duty, so do not try that with me."

The tiefling felt the last vestige of his self-composure begin to slip away. "But I'll tell you what you shouldn't do, especially if this is about my hide, too. You're not alone in ... this."

Jana leaned forward, propped her elbows on the table and looked thoughtfully at Kiyoshi. "Don't you think," she asked, "that Factol Sarin will consider our safety and our ... task as more important?"

"And what am I supposed to tell the honorable Factol Sarin-gensui when I come back and see that the Barracks have been blown up?" Kiyoshi replied adamantly. "That I couldn't warn them because something else was more important?"

Now Naghûl had enough and he stood up abruptly. "Fine, he doesn't listen. For whatever reason. You sort it out. I'll look around and grab the Xaositect. Maybe that will clear things up."

Without waiting for any replies, the Sensate made his way to the center of the room where Mordrigaarz had retreated. If he could at least elicit the information from the Xaositect that they weren't planning anything worse than a harmless prank, perhaps the Harmonium Hardhead would finally give up. So that they could get back to their actual task. Halfway there, however, he noticed that Lereia had followed him. Not to join him in dealing with the Xaositect, but to draw his attention to a group of people she had apparently already observed during the discussion with Kiyoshi: a half-elf dressed mostly in black and two male tieflings sitting off in a corner. Naghûl eyed them briefly and had to admit that Lereia had good instincts: The fact that the three of them were neither betting nor watching the training fight, not even drinking, was indeed conspicuous. And just as his friend had pointed them out to him, the half-elf stood up and moved towards the exit. Lereia made a sign to Naghûl that she would follow the man inconspicuously and he nodded. He did not necessarily feel comfortable leaving the young woman all alone in the Hive, especially so close to the Night Market. But on the other hand, he knew that she was very adept at blending in with the shadows and was therefore excellent at camouflaging herself. Not to mention the fact that she could transform into a strong white tiger if necessary. So she scurried away and Naghûl looked around again for the Xaositect. He was easy to spot and just as easy to convince to let the tiefling buy him a beer.

When they returned to the table, Kiyoshi was addressing Jana. "Do I have your word, honorable Jana-san, that these Chaosmen will not endanger lives?"

Mordi leaned against the pillar next to the table and grinned broadly. "Hey ... Who's talking about endangering lives?" When Kiyoshi, Jana and Sgillin looked up in surprise, his grin deepened. "Just heard you rattling your bone boxes over us."

"You must have heard wrong," Jana immediately toned down, while Naghûl took a seat next to Sgillin again.

The burly Xaositect now grabbed his ears with both hands and twisted them a little. Then he shook his head. "My ears ... No, I don't have any turnips in them."

"Well, venerable stranger," Kiyoshi replied politely. "Rumor has it you were planning to blow up the Barracks."

Sgillin groaned softly and Naghûl buried his face in his hands for a moment. Jana looked almost pleadingly at Kiyoshi and formed an emphatic please with her lips before turning back to the Xaositect.

His eyes widened. "Who's telling?"

Kiyoshi did not fall out of character, but continued unperturbed. "I don't want to embarrass anyone, honorable stranger, so I don't want to mention any names."

"Blow up?" Mordrigaarz seemed to ponder. "Hmm, also a good idea perhaps. Do you have such powder? Then we could go and blow up something."

"No, we don't," Sgillin replied quickly.

Kiyoshi shook his head and replied very seriously and completely without irony: "I'm afraid I can't help you with that kind of powder, venerable stranger."

Jana stared at him in astonishment and Naghûl had to control himself not to let his head hit the tabletop.

"Oh, that's too bad." The Xaositect sighed. "I'll ask Krixxi, she often has stuff like that. But blowing up something ... Hm, no, we don't want to. But drinking, like the tiefling said? Drinking is always good." He sat down at the table between Jana and Kiyoshi and poured himself a beer from the still half-full mug. "Hey, so, last year for the New Cycle, do you know what we did?"

"Um, no, where from?" Jana asked cautiously.

"Hey, it was in all the papers! In SIGIS, in the Tempus and others! So, last year, right? Our sorcerers cast a spell on the Barracks. Then they looked like they were made of chaos matter!”

Sgillin let out a snort. "And how did the Hardheads react?"

Now the Xaositect looked a little disappointed. "I heard that Sarin didn't find it funny at all. That's a shame, really, I was hoping he'd find it funny."

Jana obviously relaxed a little and smiled briefly. "Have you ever met him, cutter? Believe me, he doesn't find anything funny."

"Really?" Mordi's eyes widened. "Can't be, sweetheart. Everyone finds something funny."

"Maybe," Jana admitted. "But chaos matter is certainly not his kind of humor."

Naghûl nodded in agreement and Mordi sighed. "Well, that's a real shame. I thought it was a great idea. It was from Quake, too!"

"Who is Quake?" Sgillin wanted to know.

"Quake is one of our high-ups. Has a tavern by the Hive."

Sgillin nodded. "Ah, sounds good. What does she serve? Does she have any good mead?"

"Sure," Mordi replied with a laugh.

"What's the name of the place?" Sgillin continued.

"Quake's Bar, cutter." The Xaositect raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "You really don't know?"

"No, not yet. Pretty girls there?"

"Sure! You have to visit. Quake always does wild magic, that's funny."

"Where exactly is that?" Jana joined in the conversation again. "In the Hive is not very precise."

Mordi shook his head. "Not in the Hive, right? By the Hive, the our-headquarters-the-Xaositects'-Hive."

Jana grinned briefly. "Hm, I'm prime."

"Oh, clueless?" Mordi laughed good-naturedly when Sgillin asked the next question.

"Can you kip down there too? I'd need somewhere to stay while murderers are up to mischief here."

"Only if you're on good terms with Quake," the Xaositect explained without going into the mention of the murders. "Bring her something nice for the interior, then she might like you."

"What is something nice in Quake's eyes?" asked Naghûl, who was gripped by a certain Sensate curiosity at this point.

"Hm, you never really know," Mordi replied with a shrug. "Could be a valuable vase or an old painting as well as a glass jug with tricha claws, depending on her mood."

"Hm." Sgillin nodded. "I'll find something, I think."

At that moment, something seemed to occur to the Xaositect and he turned back to Kiyoshi. "Hey, what happened to the Barracks?"

"Forgive my ignorance," the young soldier replied. "But I wanted to ask if you could tell what this year's Surprise! is. Or should it remain secret?"

Mordi laughed. "Surely the Surprise! should remain a surprise! Otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise."

"I understand, venerable stranger. I just wondered if it would be worth seeing."

"Absolutely!" the Xaositect assured proudly. "We're having it built by the Godsmen!"

"By the Godsmen?" Kiyoshi asked. "Will they be able to do it?"

"Sure, they build incredible things. Fabulous things they cons … well, build in the Foundry."

"And where will all the fun take place?" Naghûl wanted to know.

"Well, all over Sigil!"

"Oh man, you're making me curious," Sgillin came to the tiefling's aid.

Mordi finished his drink and slammed his tankard down on the table. "I'll take your word for it! That's the way it should be! But now I have to get going. Got a few more good ideas for today. Well then, nice chatting, cutter. Have a good evening!"

"You too!" Sgillin called after him and then turned to Kiyoshi. "You see, no one wants to blow up your Barracks."

Naghûl just shook his head and was sure he couldn't hide his annoyed mood in any way. Kiyoshi, however, looked visibly satisfied. "But I've only known that since just now, honorable Sgillin-san."

The half-elf nodded in agreement, then looked around searchingly. "Where has Lereia gone?"

"She's doing something useful," the tiefling replied.

Sgillin took a large gulp of mead. "That's good, because so far our attempts here have been pretty useless. No one here seems to care about the murders. And apart from the fact that I swapped bodies with a minotaur and still don't know why, I haven't been able to find out anything. And you?"

"I only overheard one of their discussions." Naghûl nodded to his right, where the two tieflings and the dark-clad half-elf had been sitting. "One has left and Lereia is following him."

"Ah, that's why she's gone."

"Exactly." The Sensate nodded and then looked sourly at the young Harmonium soldier. "So Kiyoshi doesn't want to take a message to the Barracks?"

"No, honorable Naghûl-san," he replied. "I was able to find out that there are no lives endangered."

"Oh, surprise," Naghûl replied, annoyed. "Well, if you want to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs."

Sgillin had to laugh. "There is deep wisdom in your words, honorable Naghûl-san," he imitated Kiyoshi's way of speaking and bowed his head slightly towards Naghûl.

Kiyoshi, on the other hand, seemed more bothered by the Sensate's remark than by Sgillin's mimicking. "If you wish to insult me, honorable Naghûl-san, please do it elsewhere," he remarked stiffly. "I will not tell you how to fulfill your duty and you will not tell me how to fulfill mine."

"No," Naghûl replied irritably. "But if you believe a stranger more than you believe me, then things won't work out here."

"No one was willing to give me their word that these Chaosmen have nothing dangerous in mind," Kiyoshi countered. "What do you expect from me, honorable Naghûl-san? Apparently, I have to take care of myself, as the incident at the Night Market proved."

"How many times have I told you that nothing will happen to the Barracks?" Naghûl replied. "And another question: Did this absolutely insane Xaositect give his word?"

"No," Kiyoshi admitted. "But he was bragging about how funny it would be. And people who try to elevate themselves can be trusted in such matters."

For a moment, he actually didn't know what to respond. Then the tiefling waved it off indignantly. "I can't believe it, that's just plain stupid. We should say nothing to each other or I'll lose patience with you."

"As you wish, honorable Naghûl-san," Kiyoshi replied with a stony face.

"Nah, no more honorable," Naghûl retorted. "Because I am obviously not in your eyes, otherwise you would trust me. And please don't use the -san either."

At this moment, the discussion was fortunately interrupted when Lereia came back to the table, grumbling quietly to herself. She sat down with a dissatisfied expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Sgillin asked anxiously.

"I lost track of the half-elf because a dabus came up to me and wanted to tell me something," Lereia explained sullenly. "Unfortunately, this turned out to be unimportant. I'm sorry. However, I did find out that I lose a mental signature when the person is out of range. Unlike a real scent."

Jana leaned forward with interest. "What did he say, the dabus?"

"That he likes animals." Lereia scowled at the table. "By the time I understood what he was saying, far too much time had passed."

Sgillin laughed softly. "He told you that he likes animals?"

"I don't find that funny," Lereia replied. "I thought a dabus must want something important and now I've lost this man ..."

Sighing, Naghûl leaned back. "That great interrogation of Mordi was pointless too, so we have nothing at the moment."

"I'm so sorry," Lereia affirmed. "I misjudged it, I didn't mean to ignore a dabus."

Sgillin put a hand on her arm to comfort her. "Worse things happen at sea. If we hadn't followed the dabus last time ... ha, we wouldn't be sitting here now." He had to grin, and his well-placed self-mockery made Naghûl smile a little.

After the exchange of words with the tiefling, which was still hanging in the air, Kiyoshi now turned to the half-elf. "Forgive me, honorable Sgillin-san, but couldn't we make further inquiries at the tavern in the Hive? The one the minotaur mentioned at the Gatehouse?"

"Yes." Sgillin nodded. "That's our only ... well ... clue?"

The young soldier nodded and then looked at Lereia. "Since our companion no longer wishes to be addressed by me, would you please tell him, honorable Lereia-san, that I did not doubt his knowledge of this place, but rather acted out of a sense of duty, which is the only thing I was given here for guidance and which I was told had absolute priority?"

"Blah, blah, blah," Naghûl muttered.

Lereia sighed softly and stood up. "I think he understands. Let's go."

"Does anyone want to explain to Kiyoshi what he should maybe refrain from out there?" Naghûl asked as he stood up.

The situation seemed to be stressing Lereia out quite a bit, but she turned to the Harmonium soldier anyway. "It's not a nice environment out there. Let's just try to move through quickly and swiftly. Please don't start any discussions, it's bad here and I personally want to leave as soon as possible."

Everyone else could only agree with these words, and so they quickly left the Blood Pit just as the first fight between Grack the Cruel and Red Lara from the Tonoe was announced. It was about two hours before anti peak and very dark outside. The air felt clammy and cool and a light drizzle was falling.

Lereia instinctively pulled her cloak tighter around her. "The alleys are dark and dodgy and we're almost unarmed," she muttered.

Sgillin gave Kiyoshi a meaningful look. "So, if you want to get out of here alive, please do as we say."

"What Jana, Sgillin and Lereia say," Naghûl teased. "Or maybe some obscure Xaositect."

He didn't quite understand why he couldn't stop. But there was something about the situation that goaded him. And Kiyoshi confirmed his mood once again when he replied.

"If there happens to be a murder, a forbidden worship or a dangerous attack on a faction out there, I'll have to intervene. The other crimes are smaller for now."

"That's a start," Sgillin said quickly, but Kiyoshi immediately followed up. "Major crimes are another matter."

"First priority: return alive," Lereia said kindly but insistently. "If you want to clean up here, do it with reinforcements. We're not getting anywhere at the moment. I'm certainly in favor of letting the law prevail, but only if reason allows it."

"The law is not subject to reason," Kiyoshi disagreed. "It is very clear and must be upheld."

Naghûl facepalmed and Sgillin shook his head. Jana had obviously given up for some time, but Lereia put her hands to her sides. "How do you intend to enforce the law alone and unarmed? With reinforcements and in an orderly fashion it could succeed, but not at the moment. A knight does not charge alone against a horde of demons. He retreats, reports and sees what his king tells him."

"A samurai charges alone," Kiyoshi stated matter-of-factly.

Naghûl took a deep breath and mentally prepared for the summoning of another magical fist ...