The Opening Act | Corruption of Lani

A small bit of smoke escaped from his lips, curling up into the air before being whisked away by the mid-afternoon breeze. The gnome had a lot on his mind and the pipe helped him think. He dipped his head around the edge of the chimney to make sure he hadn’t lost the tail, before going back to his thoughts. Why were they here? They were acting like tourists, going to the shops, wandering through the various towns. But tourists didn’t wear armour or carry greatswords.

The elf was dangerous, keen eyes on that one. The gnome was certain he had been spotted near the Lowertown pass, but the elf had said nothing and continued along. Almost baiting him to come out. Kade had been more careful after that, but then again, it was easier to get over the walls in the other towns than that awkward one at the edge of Lowertown. He had always hated how exposed you were at that pass, but there was a reason the city kept it that way.

Slipping along the rooftop, silent as a mouse, the gnome scurried to the edge and then leapt to the next building over, landing with the soft touch of years of training. Kade knew where every loose tile or board was in Lowertown, but up here near the tower, that was a different story. The folks here regularly repaired everything and some of the rooftops here had arcane protections on them to prevent wear and tear. Uppertown housing was expensive but it came with a certain sense of comfort and safety.

A safety that was threatened by this group of armed thugs. At first, the gnome had assumed the large minotaur would have been the leader, but he seemed content to follow along, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. There were nine of them in total, a large armed party all arriving together on the same transport. Kade was surprised when one of his spies had reported the arrival of the small band of armed warriors, and Kade didn’t much like surprises.

While they had made a show of shopping, Kade had trailed them through the streets for hours and not seen a single purchase. They weren’t making any obvious moves of aggression, but it was curious that they had taken so much time and effort to keep up the ruse. The gnome didn’t trust them at all and now that they were in Uppertown his interest was piqued. Nine armed warriors travelling as a pack in the wealthiest part of the city was enough to be curious about.

Kade watched them as they approached the tower and read the signage that indicated the Great Library and the Tower were closed. There seemed to be some discussion as to what to do next and it was clear that some of them were eyeing for other ways into the building during off-hours. The gnome approached cautiously, trying to get into listening range without being seen.

“C’mon, whose up for a little light break and enter, huh?” the halfling was saying to his companions. “Let’s rob the place!”

His companions seemed to be shutting down the idea but this didn’t exactly put Kade at ease. The old halfling could have been joking, but the serious looks on the faces of the armed guards at their backs didn’t suggest a light mood. The group split up, with that eagle-eyed elf heading back towards Midtown. The gnome knew he wouldn’t be able to follow them all, so decided to follow the the elf back down the streets to see why this one was breaking away from the others.

An hour later, it had all been for nothing. Shopping. They were shopping. The elf had spent enough coin in that store to feed a family for a year, and when Kade trailed him back to the others it seemed the others were gathering up new equipment as well. Weapons, magic, armor… they were gearing themselves up for a fight, and a big one.

“Who are you after?” the gnome thought to himself, eyeing the large goliath who was testing out the weight of some new steel javelins.

Looking up at the sky, Kade noticed that the sun was beginning to lower, meaning evening was approaching. Soon the shops would be closing and the crowds would start their daily migrations home. This group was moving against the grain, heading down from Uppertown and past the quiet residential quarters of Midtown. Tailing this way was harder, forcing the gnome back to the rooftops to keep a vantage point. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to find the group with a minotaur, a goliath, and a dragonborn towering above the other townsfolk. It helped also that the crowds tended to part wherever these bandits went, partially due to the size of their troupe, and partly due to the imposing and unusual presence of their visible weaponry.

There was going to be trouble tonight. And Kade Shadowstep already had a full dance card.

The Immaculate Arrow

It was a long walk back to Lowertown and the hike built up an appetite in most of the crew. By now, most of the Midtown bakeries and such were closed, but Brylla was fairly certain they would find their best options in Lowertown. Besides, they were planning on being in Lowertown later tonight so it made sense to grab a meal there.

Brylla wasn’t used to this many people filling the streets like this. It was slow-going to move through the crowds as folks travelled on their way home and the overwhelming smell of many people in close quarters was more than a little off-putting. Ahead of them stood the arched passage that indicated they were about to reach Lowertown, it’s stone structure extending off in both directions as a sort of wall between the regions of Pua. Brylla noticed that the stonework was still solid, even though it had clearly been placed there many eons ago. She liked to imagine it might be dwarven craftsmanship, but without closer inspection it would be difficult to tell. Whatever purpose it might have served in millennia gone by was lost to the ages. There were no guards standing watch, no gates to be closed, no inspections as people passed in both directions. Just a single chokepoint that forced all of the masses of people flowing through to be slowed down and squeezed through.

“Did you hear that?” came Tanthalas’ voice from behind her, eyes focused on an alley near the stone wall. A cat came scurrying out, but otherwise there seemed to be nobody there. “Somebody has been watching us and I’m certain I heard something.”

Brylla followed the others as they investigated but even her keen eyesight didn’t spot anything in the shadows. Something was scrabbling over the wall, though. Something small.

“How rude” piped up Flynver with a mock tone of annoyance. “They won’t even answer to strange voices in their head!”

Brylla gave the wizard an odd look, trying to gauge his meaning, only to have the halfling tap the side of his head and smile. Ah, a wizard trick. Her diminutive companion was certainly one for theatrics, that was certain.

With nothing to follow, they returned to the archway to enter Lowertown and make their way to the Immaculate Arrow, a pub they had passed on their way up from the docks. Packed with friendly locals and a few drunk travelers, the Immaculate Arrow had been named the best pub in Lowertown several times in a row, a fact that all guests were reminded of by the plentiful signage around the establishment.

“Enjoy your meal” the minotaur spoke up, hesitating near the threshold of the restaurant. “We will head for the outskirts of Lowertown to rest the evening.”

“We were going to rent some rooms here for the night” Brylla offered. “Please, Bleg, join us for the meal and we’ll continue in the morning.”

“No thank you, lady Brylla” he said politely, with a slight bow of his head. “These old eyes would prefer the stars overhead tonight. Signal for us if you need our help. We will come.”

With that, Bleg motioned to his crew and left the party to their meal at the Immaculate Arrow. The minotaur was a strange one, very quiet, and while they knew he did not exactly wish to be on this mission he had never complained or grumbled about the assignment. He had a duty to his friends, those in his charge, and to his tribe, but there was always something hidden away in the minotaur’s eyes. It was a look that spoke of things that would have been better left unseen. He had joined them in the streets without question, but thinking on it now Brylla realized that Bleg had never joined them in any of the shops they had visited today, here in Pua. Even in Balderston, he had not gone down into the tunnels or inside the hotel or stores. The cleric wondered what invisible wound scarred the minotaur in this way. And if it could be healed.

Waving their goodbyes, Brylla and the others turned to enter the tavern and find themselves something to eat. It had likely been breakfast in Balderston when they’d last had a proper meal, and that had felt like a lifetime ago. The Immaculate Arrow was busy, families and friends gathered together at wooden long tables sharing stories and songs with each other. Folks were dressed plainly, likely peasants or middle class by their appearance, but none seemed to be morose here in this place. However, it did mean that Brylla and her friends stood out far more than was wise. Their size, armour, and weaponry were something that these folk did not have need of and it made the five of them instantly memorable and out of place.

6 figures sit at a table in a small medieval restaurant, dressed in peasant garb. Food and drink is on the table and a pig is roasting on the fire. In the background, waiters and waitresses move about to other rooms and a bartender pours drinks to a single long-haired individual who waits. It is well-lit, calm, and welcoming.

At a table in the common room near the bar, a group of young men were loudly enjoying themselves, flagons of mead and half-eaten meals before them. The waitress serving them attempted to refill one of the cups, though it seemed to be in constant motion. Her skill was such that very little spilled, but her face betrayed her annoyance at the lack of refinement the young men were showing. Spotting the newcomers, she approached and guided Tanthalas to a table in an adjoining room that still had open seats. The red-haired barmaid had little skill at concealing her interest in them as she eyed all the fine blades at their belts. One look from Al reminded her that it was impolite to stare and she switched over from gawking to taking orders with the smooth efficiency and energetic voice of a professional.

While they waited for their food, Brylla noticed that Flynver seemed to have gone missing. In his place, the elf’s tiny dragonling was curled up on the bench, seemingly resting on the warm spot left by the halfling wizard. Scanning the room, Brylla’s eyes found her missing companion approaching the main bar and whispering something to the owner. With the din of the place, the owner needed to bend over quite a ways in order to hear Flynver’s voice above the patrons’ conversations, but whatever the halfling had said seemed to bring a wry smile to the face of the Arrow’s proprietor. The halfling seemed quite pleased with himself as he returned to the table, shooing the tiny reptile out of the way as he sat down.

“I can’t wait to see what happens!” was all that Flynver offered by way of explanation. The wizard kept glancing over at the table of young men in the adjoining room, waiting for something to happen. Brylla hoped for all of their sakes that they would at least get a chance to eat their meals before being thrown out.

Come into my parlour

Al noticed him first, a small figure weaving through the crowd at the front door. Blowing smoke through a pipe, the little figure dressed all in black and very, very dark greys walked through the common room, seemingly unaware of them. If he was making an attempt to be casual and not be noticed, he was doing a terrible job. The dragonborn nudged his elven companion, only to find that Tanthalas was already beginning to stand. As they both began walking across the room to corner their shadow, the gnome purposefully strode towards a back room, just out of sight.

“This is a trap” Al said flatly, warning his elven companion. A shrug was the only reply from his companion as they both continued to advance.

They rounded the corner, ready for an ambush, only to notice a back door to an alley swinging closed, the gnome nowhere in sight. It was pretty clear that Al’s intuition had been correct and that excessive caution would be needed. Tanthalas cracked open the door, peering into the alley, seeing no sign of the little gnome and his pipe. Swinging the door open widely and looking around the other way, the elf noticed figures walking by in the street, but again no sign of their quarry.

Al tapped him on the shoulder, trying to get his attention silently, and pointed a clawed hand upward, one of his fingers held over his reptilian maw to indicate silence. Looking up, they saw the trailing end of a shadow, the slight sounds of padding reaching the roof. Whomever this gnome was, he was silent as a Sommer breeze and too fast.

“Enough of this” grunted the elf in disgust, closing the door firmly behind him. “Let’s have our meal and deal with him later.”

They returned to the table to find Flynver giggling to himself as he watched the table of young men in the adjoining common room. The owner of the establishment was atop the table, a large sailor’s hat upon his head, stomping about and singing as loudly as he could, wrapping up the show by slamming the hat down upon a shocked and embarrassed young man. His friends at the table were doubled over in laughter, enjoying in the irritation of their companion.

“My apologies for the jest, it was all in fun!” giggled the halfling, crossing the room to address the victim of his prank. “A round for you and your friends!”

This seemed to mollify the poor fellow who had become the brunt of the joke and brought loud cheering from the rest of the table. Flynver’s love for trickery seemed to know no bounds, a fact that might draw the attention of Loki one day if he were not careful.

Audak swallowed down his food quickly, starving after a full day of long hiking and no meals. The goliath was glad to finally have what felt like a safe place to relax and enjoy some food. The strange dark-dressed gnome aside, their visit to Pua so far had been calm and dull, a nice break from what had become the usual for this group. As they got up to leave, they thanked the owner and headed off into the evening streets.

Darkness had descended upon the streets of Lowertown and along with it had come a crowd of young locals enjoying the streets. Many were dressed in leather vests and coats, with dyed hair and chains in what had been referred to as Warehouse Fashion at one of the shops they had passed. Some were hanging about, chatting, or ambling along in groups without any apparent destination in mind. It seemed as if many were waiting for something and more than a few of them had the look of wealthy youths trying to fit in.

The Warehouse

Their destination this evening certainly lived up to its name. In the midst of an industrial area, the Warehouse was a rundown former storage facility that had not been updated in any way before being converted into an entertainment venue. The building stood between two and three stories tall with large, dull, and reinforced walls that rose above the street. A small row of windows were positioned just beneath the sheet metal roof, running along all four sides, allowing light in during the day and loud music to escape out during the night.

From outside, they could feel the thumping bass of the band’s music throbbing through the neighbourhood, accompanied by a rough mezzo-soprano voice being carried out of the high upper windows. A long line-up of would-be audience members were being checked by a pair of huge bouncers, each of which were even larger than Audak. They patted down everyone in line, checking for anything that might be classified as a dangerous weapon. A few kids lost their small knives or a safety baton, but most folks weren’t usually armed like the barbarian and his friends.

“We can’t go in that way” stated the elf, flatly. Audak’s ranger friend was already scanning the streets, looking for another way in.

“Over there” he suggested, pointing down an alley way where crew could be seen loading gear into the backstage area. There seemed to be a single figure hanging out by the back door, enjoying a pipe before returning back inside. They just needed a little distraction.

“Allow me!” offered the little wizard, shuffling forward to a point out of sight of the backdoor stage hand. From where Audak stood, he could see the halfling moving his hands in an intricate pattern in the air, the wizard’s lips quickly moving as they chanted the arcane words required for the deception. Within seconds a flash of light arced between the wizard’s fingers and Audak gasped at the result. In the alley, a small urchin boy, not more than 9 or 10, suddenly began running away from the warehouse, apparently carrying off some sort of important device or cabling.

“Hey, get back here with that!” cried the stagehand, leaving his post to chase after the illusion. The barbarian noticed Flynver’s quiet chuckling as he waved forward the rest of them. The halfling definitely enjoyed this part of the job. They moved quickly, the others doing their best to walk confidently as if they were expected to be there. The tattooed goliath with a greataxe was not one to fit in, but after lifting up a heavy case of gear that was waiting to be loaded in, Audak figured he might be able to blend in with the others.

Inside, the music was much louder but still muffled. Whatever amplification magics were in play had been directed toward the audience, though the sheer volume of the music was enough to still make it distracting. The backstage was crawling with folks running about setting up gear, testing equipment, and generally trying to get things ready for the headliners.

“You made it!” shouted a voice over the noise from a row of equipment crates. Turning, Audak recognized the young woman that Flynver had been speaking with earlier in the day. Her purple hair seemed to have been touched up and she had changed outfits, but it was definitely the same girl. She seemed to still be listening to something with her star-shaped amulet, but with a touch of her hand the glow of the amulet stopped so she could hear them.

A girl with purple dyed hair sits on an equipment box backstage at a concert. She wears a black leather coat, black sneakers, purple tights with ripped knees, an amulet of some kind, and sports several tattoos. In the background are several stage crew that are working or waiting.

“You know, usually the audience heads in the front door” she said with a wink, before hopping down. The tall soles of her leather boots gave her a bit of extra height, but even fully drawn up she wouldn’t have even reached Audak’s chest. “Let me show you around!”

As Raven showed them the backstage, she explained that the headliners weren’t going to be on for a little while yet so most of the crew was just doing final checks and setup. Audak noticed that almost all of the crew wore the same sort of noise-cancelling devices that Raven had, clearly a necessity in this line of work. Apparently his elven friend had noticed as well since Tanthalas was scooping a few out of a nearby box to examine. The halfling was asking Raven some questions about the opening act so she took them over to watch the band from the wings.

At the front of the stage stood an air genasi with a massive lute, playing what was obviously considered to be music by the crowd here. At the edge of the stage was a small woman in a ripped shirt shouting into a device held in her hand. Her voice filled the Warehouse with a haunting quality, an edge mixed with beauty as well. She moved like a tornado of energy as she flew across the stage, drawing all eyes to her. In front of her were throngs of young people squeezed together inside the massive warehouse. Waving, jumping, and thrashing about. There was nothing out of the ordinary happening, just young people enjoying a concert, but the marking on the poster had hinted that it was likely about to get worse. Nearest to the edge of the backstage curtains was a goblin playing some sort of instrument with a long neck that looked very much like a lute, but with fewer strings. A large orc sat behind a percussion kit, slamming into them with full force as the beat of the song drove upward in a frenzy.

The technomancers operating the special lighting setup were creating a spectacle to see, alternately darkening and then blasting with light along to the swells in the music. It was a very professional setup and it was obvious why it drew a crowd. Audak could see that Brylla and Tanthalas remained suspicious. The dwarf and elf were taking position near the edge of the stage, just out of sight, their eyes firmly on the band playing and the crowd, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The rest of the backstage crew raised a few eyebrows at the armed individuals walking around so close to the stage, but Raven seemed to wave them off and nobody came over to ask them to leave. There would be only so much they could push their luck, though, before somebody decided to step in.

As the band moved through a softer, acoustic number named Ashes to Ashes, Al’s gaze was drawn upward as he noticed something strange up near the skylight windows. Some of the glass panes were quietly being swung open and shadowy figures were sliding inside at various points near the warehouse ceiling. The way the shapes moved felt familiar, an entry manoevre he had seen somewhere before, but couldn’t quite place. It didn’t feel right, though.

The dragonborn pulled his hood up and headed for an access ladder that led up to the catwalk above. As he climbed noiselessly, he noticed the goliath watching him with interest, wondering what had grabbed Al’s attention. A silent nod of the head towards the rafters helped Audak see the glint of steel up above and the shadows taking positions. At the top of the ladder, Al carefully took a first step onto the metal catwalk that ran over the crowd below. Dozens of meters below him was the stage, the music, and the crowds. The loud music filled the rafters, the lighting casting occasional flashes upon the new arrivals before him. His eyes picked out six of them, mostly armed with crossbows and bows, all of them with their attention trained on the stage below. If they noticed him, they were making no obvious changes to their focus. By the uniform black and grey outfits, high quality weaponry, and the way they held their sights on their target, it was obvious this was a kill squad, and a practiced one at that. A familiar figure, short of stature, stood near the back line of the snipers with a pipe hanging from his mouth, gesturing silently to his companions.

And then all hell broke loose.

Little drummer boy

Drokh was in the groove now. After six songs of frenzy, the drummer had taken a break for the slow tune but the 7/8 rhythm on Take the Mirror always got the orc going. Flicker was grooving nearby, riffing on Drokh’s beat and occasionally dropping a slide in for dramatic effect. The final chorus was about to kick in and Drokh got ready for the massive crash cymbal strike. The orc closed his eyes and beat up the toms on the build-up, the crescendo blasting into the chorus as Elari switched keys to a major and let the lute ring out with a thick chord. The crowd was eating this up!

Nikki was doing her usual thing, playing the crowd, pumping a fist in the air as she belted the line “what are they good for?”, almost screaming the line. Aside from Flicker, they were all sweating profusely from the work for the show. The heat of the lights and the room didn’t mix well with the layers of leather outfits designed more for their look than their practicality of the stage. Mid-beat, Drokh ran the back of his sleeve across his forehead as sweat dripped down into his eyes, the salty taste on his lips. He wouldn’t trade it for the world!

The trickiest part was about to come. They had talked about how to pull off these final two songs a lot in the last few weeks, once they got the word that they were getting the opening slot. After the heavy blasting of Take the Mirror, they knew they had to go strong with their hardest numbers and not let up, but Eternal Rage was in a completely different time signature. Nikki was insistent they do a smooth transition between the tracks and they had practiced that transition over and over, trying to get the switch to flow. At one point, Flicker had simply walked out to go for an ale because he was fed up with the number of reps they were doing on this one part of the show. But Nikki was adamant, and what Nikki wanted, Nikki usually got. She was the star and everybody knew it. There was something about her that made you know that if you could keep up with her, you would be going places.

Flicker was close now as the outro was coming up, his little goblin eyebrows raised as if asking Drokh if he was ready for the transition. Tusks showing, the orc gave him a wide grin as he doubled up on the bass drum and rode a cymbal splash into the intro for Eternal Rage. A quick smile on Flicker’s face told the young drummer that he had done good and he leaned in to groove along with the beat.

As Nikki’s voice rang out with the opening verse, something was different. There was a new vibe to the vocals this time, but it sounded good, it sounded angry. Nikki was on fire tonight! Drokh turned back to give a nod to Flicker but his eyes went wide as a massive streak of flame raced across the stage. The drummer had little time to react as the pyrotechnics tore through Flicker, the older goblin’s face contorting in pain as he was burnt to a crisp in front of him. The kit helped Drokh be spared of a similar fate, though the flames still licked across much of his body, causing searing pain. He leapt out of his seat in terror, shuffling backward off of his stool.

In front of him, a massive cloud of fog suddenly appeared, obscuring the crowd so that the orc could only see the immediate stage around him. Flicker lay in a heap, the melted remains of his bass underneath his small body. A silent metal bolt flew through the air and through Nikki’s skull, the now silent singer briefly standing in place before slumping to the ground. Elari’s lute shattered on the impact from a crossbow bolt, but the genasi had no chance to react before an arrow pierced her chest and sent her reeling back.

Drokh’s survival instinct kicked in. Partially burned by the flames that had licked across his drums, the orc turned and ran for the back exit. He didn’t even pause to see if anybody was following him. Nikki had told him what to do if things went south, but he had never imagined it would be like this. Nothing like this.

Credits

Cover image: “Fear & Anger live at the Warehouse”, composited by Jason St-Cyr, from generated images by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
Inn image: “The Immaculate Arrow”, generatd by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
Poster image: “Fear & Anger show poster”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
Backstage image: “Raven backstage”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe