RO > call me out; a forever open RP post, version 2

[midvalley]

NEW OPEN RP POST

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[lasaghilan]

[ As the wolves stalk forward, one of the mages visibly recoils, though he's halted by the ice binding him to the ground. He eyes the wolves with apparent fear, and Solas watches him closely, counting down in his head until the man breaks.

And break he does after the span of at least ten heartbeats, with a startled cry when one of the mirages stares up at him, baring its teeth. ]

We have overtaken a villa fifty miles south. He's being held there! They have begun preparations for the ritual to alter his mind -- if you want him unharmed, you must leave now.

[wizardcop]

Thank you. [ Jacob waves his hand, and the Illusions break apart like mist. ] Solas?

[ It’s less a question, and more a go ahead for the mage to do with the three of them what he pleases. Fedora returns to his smoke form and vanishes while Jacob treks back to where they left the horses. ]

[lasaghilan]

[ Solas takes a step forward, and with the slightest tilt of his head, the ice cracks and gives way, allowing the mages to step free from their bonds. They sag, relieved, murmuring their thanks for Solas' mercy.

To which he responds quietly, ] I am not so forgiving.

[ He drives the bladed end of his staff into the ground just once, drawing down on the Veil and summoning through it the memory of lightning, which arcs and crackles as it splits the sky. It strikes the mages, and in the blink of an eye, they all fall over, dead.

Solas is not a monster, but neither will he allow those men to live. Not if it meant they would go on to enslave more men and women, to strip away their wills and force them into a life of servitude.

The elf turns, sliding his staff back into its harness at his back. When he reaches Jacob and the horses, he mounts his horse with ease, as if they hadn't been riding practically all day. ]

We'd best hurry.

[wizardcop]

[ Jacob is well-aware that, if left alive, these people could very well take more people like Andrew, but he just isn’t acclimated to the way they do things in Thedas. Objectively he realizes that this is, in essence, a war, and that the captured mages would be better off dead, but Jacob is a cop and there are certain rules by which he lives his life. He just can’t shoot someone in cold blood. Not now.

Maybe if he were here for months, like Charlie had been, he’d get used to the idea, to the laws of this world, but for now it’s better left in Solas’ hands.

Jacob is already perched atop his horse when Solas joins him. ]

To the south, correct? I’ll follow your lead.

[lasaghilan]

[ He nods curtly, pulling sharply on the reins to steer his mount in the proper direction. More than an hour of hard riding brings to them the villa in question, visible some distance away when they crest a hill; it's far from the main thoroughfares, secluded and hidden in a heavily forested area, making it an ideal location for a hideout. Evidently the Venatori were unconcerned about maintaining any sort of illusion to hide their presence, obvious due to the dozen or so men in sharp, angular-styled robes milling about the front garden, enclosed by a large wall. The main entrance is a wrought iron gate, currently chained shut. ]

We will have to be quick. [ he says it as he dismounts, bringing out his staff again. ] The ritual may very well have been a bluff, but I imagine neither of us would like to take that chance.

[wizardcop]

[ Jacob nods, slipping of his horse to stand next to Solas. The by-now familiar black smoke is coiling around him, and he quietly says, ] Can you find him?

[ In response, the smoke drifts off, sliding over the garden wall and vanishing. It makes Jacob feel more at ease, because the last thing he’d want to happen is to break the door down and for the Venatori to kill Andrew in a panic. (He doubts they’d outright kill their bargaining chip, but it never hurts to be safe.)

Though, speaking of… ] Do you want me to break the door down?

[lasaghilan]

Until we know the whereabouts of your friend, I don't believe we should act.

Unless you think we can eliminate these men quickly enough to avoid their raising an alarm.

[wizardcop]

Not all of them at once, no. Once I have word from Fedora, we can plan from there.

[lasaghilan]

[ he hums his agreement, nodding once, and he reaches behind him to pull his staff from its harness. ]

At the very least, we should ensure your friend is kept safe. Fedora should stay with him, if only to ensure they do not attempt to take him elsewhere during the of our attack.