Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
Tauer took the dark tendrils from the ceiling, combining them into one as he pulled them towards him, and shot out his hands in the direction of the newly recovered invaders. The mass of shadows split in two before reaching the demon and surged towards the kids like a torrent of black water. Tauer couldn't let Piper get away. Not after he and his cronies had attacked him in his own house. He charged after the Cathian, taking two steps at a time. He couldn't let Piper reach the top floor. If he did, he would most likely use his wind magic to escape the tower.
((Moving this along as I don't want to tie up Tauer's home thread for anything else he may wish to do. Orp will be considered to be staying below fighting off the children in case he comes back before this ends. Tho it shouldn't take long.))
::Tauer flies up the stairs and throught the next door, only to trip over a pile of metal just inside the door...
It appears to have been the brace that was around Piper's leg. Piper is at the top of the next set of stairs that lead to the last floor, seemingly moving very well without the brace. He moves through the last door as it slams closed behind him, but Tauer knows its old warped wood and the lock is broken so it could not be locked against him... ::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
Tauer didn't have time to question why Piper had removed his leg brace. All that mattered was catching that darn cathian, and he was getting so close to escaping!
That couldn't happen. With a final burst of energy, the demon prince rushed to the last door and threw it open...
::Inside was the room at the top of the tower. It was mostly open and airy with windows ringing the wall all the way around. It was these windows, or more precisely what was IN the windows that caught Tauer's attention...
Nissa and Joff sat bound on the window ledges, fear clearly written on their faces above the gags that had kept them quiet. When they saw Tauer, they started to wiggle to get free, but this just set them to tottering and quickly had to stop to avoid falling over the edge...
In another window perched Piper, a sly smile spread across his face. When he spoke, all signs of the accent he always displayed were gone...::
"Well, well, Princeling. Seems you managed to spoil my plans and run me to ground, so to speak.
Shame I can't allow you to catch me today. See I think you only have enough magic in you to stop one fall, and I don't think it's going to be me..."
::As the last words come from his mouth, a wind blows across the room and Nissa and Joff fall backwards out the window. At the same time, Piper tips lazily back out his window and falls as well...::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
And there it was. The moment Tauer had to decide what was more important to him; saving the siblings or catching the Cathian. But there really was only one answer...
The demonkin darted for the window Nissa and Joff had vanished from - the sight of which had caused flashbacks of his brother's final moments - and, without thinking, poured everything he had into throwing a wave of shadow from his tower, to bundle the children in a dark blanket and have it act like a safety net.
::The shadow wraps about the falling children like a shroud and holds them dangling from the tower.
Tauer can just make out a flash of red hair in the darkness below the tower as it moves off into the woods and disappears from site.::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
::Orp had taken care of the last of the children that had been attacking him and was tending to his wounds.
Nissa and Joff were outside and very greatful when freed. Joff hugged Tauer tight, and even Nissa could not restrain herself from joining in.
"Thank you, Tauer.
I don't know what we'll do now, or where we'll go, but at least we are free of Piper."
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
Tauer hugged the kids right back, glad to finally be reunited.
"Well, you know, I have this tower all to myself. Perhaps you might want to...stick around? I know it's not much, and the security needs updating, but..."
:: Joff yelled, forgetting to let go of Tauer first so it went right in his ear.
Nissa nodded in approval, and had it not been for the darkness, Tauer might have seen the faint rise in color in her cheeks..::
((Spanned over two homesteads, 5 acclaim and 25 gp to all involved))
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
The prince of shadows grinned from ear to ear, despite Joff's yelling so close. It will be nice to have company in the tower; the children breathing life into the run-down, stone building. It will take time and effort to restore it to some form of suitable living space, but no doubt it would be home-from-home for the orphaned kids after living under Piper's rule, or even better.
"How about we go make up some beds for you two? I should probably talk to Uncle Orp, too..."
And so, Tauer and his new housemates headed back inside; not as hostages, not as fighters, but as family.
::Tauer wakes one morning, soon after accepting his new charges, to find them seated at a table eating a pie that had not been there the night before...::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]
::Joff spoke first, or tried to around a mouth full of pie...::
"Mit wuth ere en ee gah um!"
::Nissa shakes her head and makes only the briefest of eye contact with Tauer before looking away.::
"Joff! Don't talk with your mouth full. It rude!
It was here when woke, Tauer. Along with a note. We didn't know you took deliveries from the baker..."
::She hands the note over to Tauer, again with only a fleeting look at his face before blushing and turning to find something else to look at.::
Silent as a shadow on padded feet...
Tauer [M:150:160:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=540&page=1#18960][b]While the Light's away, the Shadows will play.[/b]