Magnus approaches the man slowly, not expecting a confrontation so quickly, his rumbling baritone doesn't seem to have the brass behind it that Magnus had intended.

Nicolai does not flinch.  Instead, his face contorts in rage and he closes the distance with a few steps too, his voice high and shrill and on the verge of shouting.

"I say again, why do you follow me?  Tell me now or leave me be!"

Magnus notes that the man's hand drops to his hip where a wide-bladed axe hangs from his belt, though he does not make any move to retrieve it yet.

"You know damn well why." Magnus shot back. "There's three dead men and a bunch of other trouble that you need to answer for." he continued, not slowing, although he did bring his satchel around to the front to give him easier access to his weapon after he saw the man clear his own for action.

Then it occurred to him, if he could provoke the engaged man into attacking first, he could claim self defense. It was messy, but it was what he had to work with, and he was thinking on the fly.

"Curses, consulting with familiar spirits. These locals may not know a witch when they see it, but I sure as hell do."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:32, Sat 29 May 2021.

"BASTARD!"  Nicolai screams, tearing his sword from his scabbard with his right hand as his left hand reaches about his chest, gripping at something under his shirt.

Passersby squeal as the blade is unleashed, one man's voice shouts, "Call the guard!"  While another yells, "Good God man!"

"You will die for your insults, beast!  You abomination!"  Nicolai steps forwards, one hand still hanging about his chest while the other is choked up to the hilt of his blade, pointing it Magnus as he slowly closes the gap.

OOC:  You are 5 yards away from Nicolai, who has a ready sword in his right hand and is taking step maneuvers to close the gap with you.  Assume you can draw your mace in one turn.  Roll 3d6 labeled 'Reaction' with your normal negative modifiers.

Magnus knew the folly of a duel, some three feet of sharp steel against his own magically charged weapon. Neither combatant seeming to wear armor, in a Raphael street no less.

This would be over in a few seconds, whatever way it went at least. The first blow likely the last.

He felt his blood quicken in that familiar way, and unceremoniously drew out his ancient mace to meet the threat.

By God it never went easy, that was not the way of things for him.

Nicolai had the range, but Magnus obviously had the strength. If he could close to well within the arc of that lethal blade, he might have a good chance, but much would depend on that moment.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:14, Sat 05 June 2021.

Not entirely ready for things to go to blows, and highly conscious of the fact that the two combatants are surrounded by an increasing number of spectators, Magnus never the less pulls the ancient mace from his sack, brandishing the weapon defensively as he steps forward.

But before Nicolai charges or swings his weapon, something else happens that takes Magnus by surprise.

A monster.  A thing hardly larger than Nicolai's head, though it is hunched and bent forward like a cat preparing to strike, blinks into being perched on Nicolai's shoulder.  The thing is all upper body and arms, with squat, legs and ears that fly out like bat wings.  The thing grins a wicked smile of razor sharp teeth before it launches itself clear, landing on all fours.  Its spindled fingers stretch out upon the ground and its claws scratch the stone of the walk.

Magnus had known that the crowd would not support him, although perhaps, they would not tolerate Nicolai either.

"Necromancy!"  A man in the crowd shouts, though his voice is cut off by yet another and louder scream, "GUARDS!"

Magnus swivels his head and steps to the side, attempting to keep both of his foes in front of him as the monster circles.

"MURDER!"  A woman screams from the front of the crowd.

OOC:  Yup, that was not a good reaction roll.  No action quite yet.  You are at range 3 to Nicolai, who is still slowly stepping forward.  The monster makes a sort of equilateral triangle, also about 3 yards away from each of you, and seems to be trying to circle around to your rear.  I'll get a combat map up next time to make things a little more clear.  None of the crowd are close enough that you need to worry about them getting involved (yet anyway).

Magnus had not woken up that day spoiling for a fight. He had planned to collect information, to confirm his target, maybe to strike an opportune blow should the chance arise.

But he had not planned at all on brawling in the street, much less unarmored, much less two against one. Numbers made all the difference as he well knew, and while he had single handedly taken on three men a few days before, he had been stabbed in the process, and he had been defending Daneel.

Now there was nobody to defend but himself, and his enemy had revealed himself, publicly.

It was time to go.

The Minotaur glanced to the small creature, recognized its intent, and turned on one hoof before he fled at a full sprint in the opposite direction. Nicolai may be a mage, and he may have help, but he did not look especially strong or fast, and Magnus had been conditioned by his life on the road.

He was far more confident in his ability to outrun both of them, then to stand toe to toe in a fight.

Without even a second thought, Magnus turns on his hoof to flee.

Nicolai seems to gather his intent and charges forward, the sword slashing out wildly, though Magnus sees the blow coming and swivels his body as he turns, the blade missing his still raw side by a few inches.

And then the Minotaur is gone.  His hooves churn under him in the speed of a full charge.  A spectator gasps and jumps out of his way, a look of horror on his face at seeing the monster come straight at him, horns on full display and mace in hand.

But in another moment, the man is behind him and Magnus is sprinting down the length of the main street.

"See!"  Nicolai's voice shouts hysterically behind him.  "The Monster flees with his pet!  We must chase him, we must kill him!..."  Nicolai's voice seems to rise in tone as it fades, replaced only by the sounds of hooves striking the cobbles underfoot.

Magnus continues to run full tilt, his nostrils flaring from exertion.  Ahead, the foot traffic of the morning continues to stare at him in astonishment, fleeing to the sides of the road, looks of confusion and fear washed across their faces.

OOC:  Nicolai managed to take a swipe at you as you turned and fled, though you successfully dodged the blow and seem to be outdistancing him, at least by the sound of his voice.  This represents about 30 seconds of running and about 200 yards of distance down the main street.  Make 3 rolls vs. HT for fatigue, each failure will cost 1 FP.  Also make a roll vs. Perception please.

It was like a nightmare....

A god damn nightmare...

Running, running for all he was worth, but feeling slow. Feeling tired. Feeling scared, outnumbered, and up against forces that didn't make any sense.

How did he know? How did he know that Magnus was terrified of being swarmed by a mob? Was he just clever? Did he have some kind of mind reading powers?

What would he do now?

Edging closer to panic despite his best efforts, Magnus continued to run for his life down the streets of Raphael.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Sat 19 June 2021.

Magnus's hooves churn the cobbles underfoot, his breaths coming in raking gasps as he runs as fast as he can remember.

A woman ahead of him screams, though Magnus ignores them as he continues.

What would he do now?  Had he failed?  What would happen to Daneel?  What would happen to him?

As if to punctuate the farsighted folly of these thoughts, Magnus feels a dull thud against his shoulder blade that off-balances him for a moment before he catches himself in stride.  But as he slows and turns his head, he feels the long, thin fingers that flex around his left side and on to his collar bone.

The thing was on him, and Magnus could see its face and teeth pointed towards him and spiked with malice.

OOC:  This represents one turn of slowing down (done to regain your balance).  You may opt to slow to a stop where you are or keep running at full speed if you wish.  You are grappled by the little monster, though it doesn't seem that he is doing anything to slow you down apart from just weighing you down a little.  Let's do combat rounds here.  If you wish to slow to a stop to take normal attack maneuvers, you need to take one "move" maneuver in order to slow down to a pace where you can just step.  You have your mace still ready in your right hand and your left hand is empty.  Let's do 2 combat rounds to start, although if you have something other than combat in mind, feel free to post general intentions and I'll take things as far as seems sensible.

Magnus was pulled from his somewhat fatalistic thoughts by the bodily impact of the creature latching onto him.

Magnus slowed to a plodding jog, shifted the mace onto his off hand as he did so, and then reached up with his right hand in an attempt to snatch the creature from where it sat, his big, calloused, fur backed hands lunging up, over and behind his broad head.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:25, Sun 11 July 2021.

Magnus slows down, swapping his mace to his off hand as he comes to a stop, thinking to bodily hurl the beast from his shoulder.

But even as Magnus gropes back with his hand, he feels the monster's grip shift to his neck, both spindly hands wrapping around, the dagger-like fingers meeting at the front near Magnus's larynx.  Magnus tenses his muscles, feeling the thing's grip tighten in an unsuccessful attempt to crush his windpipe.

Magnus's right hand finds one of the beasts's forearms, and though he strains to pull the thing off, its grip seems stronger to break than Magnus had expected...

OOC:  Ok, you have slowed to a stop, and managed to grapple the beast by the forearm.  However, your contest of ST to break free came up short.  It seems the beast is quite strong despite its diminutive size.  You are both grappling each other now, you with one hand on the forearm, him with two hands around the neck.

I have a feeling this combat could take quite a few combat turns with little changing.  If you want, you can give me your general intentions and I can set them in motion until something changes, or we can play out the combat using turns to keep your options open, over to you.  If you want to do turns, let's do at least 3 seconds.

The more Magnus struggled to comprehend how this little thing was still holding on, the more the Minotaur was convinced that he was simply not pulling hard enough.

It would come loose. He just needed to put his back into it.

But he also needed to keep a look out for the creatures master, and this he did, as he turned in place to watch his back, simultaneously trying to pry the creature off.

Magnus grips the thing's forearm, leveraging as much as he can of his upper body strength to try and rend the thing away from his neck and shoulder.  The fingers continue to squeeze though, and the jabbed end nails digging into the skin around Magnus's throat.

Despite his best efforts, Magnus has a hard time prying the thing off; it only seems to cling closer to his back and shoulders, digging in with its clawed toes to whatever flesh it can grab.

And so, several seconds play out.  Magnus trying to lever the beast away as the beast attempt to crush Magnus's windpipe, neither of them getting much in the way of an advantage.

Until at least, the beast attempts to shift his grip, his free hand shifting from Magnus's neck to his face, the stubby claws raking the flesh over his eyes.  With an enormous effort, Magnus rends the grappled arm free, throwing the beast bodily over his shoulder as the clawed fingers and toes scrape painfully at his eyebrows and side.

Still the beast is off!  Hurled down to the stone where he strikes with a single shoulder before pushing back up with his hands in an attempt to right himself.

OOC:  This represents 4 seconds worth of action.  Neither of you seemed to have an upper hand until the gremlin tried to switch up its tactics and go for an eye gouge.  You've taken superficial damage to the face and side, but are no longer grappled.  The monster is one hex away from you and looks like it is quickly recovering to his feet.  Your mace is ready in your off hand, switching will require another ready maneuver.

Magnus bled freely from the small, wicked cuts in the thick hide covering his face and neck, where they yawned pink and oozed, but not to a degree that would endanger him any time soon.

But the pain was a potent motivation, and as the little familiar tried to scramble to its feet, the Minotaur stepped back and loomed up, shifted his prized mace into his right hand, and then stepped forward with an expert over hand blow.

The weapon whirring through the air with an ominous sound as the head threatened the crack the very cobbles of the street, and to potentially obliterate anything it met along the way.

It was driven all the faster by a gutteral snort that flung flecks of spittle from Magnus's wide nostrils, his mouth hanging open slightly and his off hand clenched in a tight fist.

With a snort, Magnus shifts his weapon into his right hand and hurls it down towards the fallen imp, but the thing moves with obscene speed!  In a flash, the thing has pushed itself to its feet and skitters out of the way of Magnus's blow, which fall down on the cobbles, smashing the stones into pebbles and powder!

The thing for a moment lowers itself to all fours, then lunges again with its foreclaws outstretched!

Magnus has only an instant to react, though he manages to swing his body out of the way just in time, and the imp sails over his left shoulder.  Magnus continues his turn  to face the beast, and likewise the imp hits the ground a yard away, swinging its legs behind it as it turns to face Magnus, its pointed teeth bent into a gruesome snarl.

OOC:  The imp moves very quickly and managed to get to its feet while you were switching hands and managed to make its dodge against your attack.  Unfortunately, since you attacked, you cannot also use your mace to parry that turn so I elected to have you dodge, which you succeeded.  You are now at range 2 from the imp who is turning back towards you to set up for another attack.

Lets do another 2 seconds.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:29, Thu 15 July 2021.

Magnus felt confident that the thing would attack again. While he had no idea what it was, some sort of demon perhaps, it seemed persistent, malicious and aggressive.

And so he prepared for that assault, and as fast and as small as it was, he needed every edge he could get.

Could he strike it as it came in for the next attack? Would they be back to wrestling if he missed? And where was Nicolai?

Magnus hesitates for a moment, shifting his tactics to increase his chances of hitting the thing.  What he needed was a moment where the beast couldn't squirm out of the way of his mace... and the perfect moment seemed to be while the thing was launching himself forward for another grapple...  It would be a tricky hit for certain, but Magnus did not want to give the thing a chance to get another grip on him.

The thing lunges and Magnus swings.

Thunk!

Just barely the edge of the mace catches the monsters arm but the force of the blow sends him spinning off to the side some six feet away from where the Minotaur stands.  The monster hits its back and Magnus wastes no time stepping forward and bringing the mace down in another devastating blow.

Crunch!

The blow catches the monster in the chest before he is able to make his feet again.  Its skin buckles like a beetle's shell and it has its mouth open in a silent scream for a single moment before its body erupts in orange flame....

It only takes a moment to reassess the situation.  Three men and a woman stand at a distance to Magnus, watching in open-mouthed horror.  "He's here!"  One of the men shouts, pointing directly at Magnus.

OOC:  Nice change in tactic.  You barely made your parry with the feverish addition, but it caused enough damage knock the creature back a hex or two and put him on his back.  It seemed silly not to have you attack after that, so I went ahead and rolled a normal attack using your +1 for evaluate, which hit, and the monster's defense failed.  It seems the thing is 'dead'.

Roll vs. Hearing -4.  If you succeed, PM me before your next post.

Magnus let forth a rare grunt of satisfaction, a concession to his baser instincts, as the mace connected.

Anybody who had watched matches between trained pugilists would recognize the the mental process that the Minotaur went through upon realizing that his enemy was down. A half second, and the entire posture and momentum of his body changed, and the mace fell solidly , squarely, with an audible crack as it acted like the hammer to the anvil of the cobbled street.

Magnus felt the heat, and thought that he smelled something strange as the thing erupted into crackling flame.

It took another moment for his pointed ears to swivel like a horses might, and the Minotaur was once again trying to make himself appear less menacing than he was.

"It's alright" he told the onlookers as he slipped his mace back into his bag with clear and unhurried motions. "It's allllright..."

He turned and look at the three men and the one woman. "You saw what happened right? You'll tell them I killed it? Please?" he asked in his rumbling voice, his hands now splayed placatingly and to demonstrate that he was once again unarmed.

As the monstrous little beast burst into flame, Magnus puts his mace away in his bag, shifting his eyes to the four people watching.

He implores them... they saw what he had done, the good that he had brought, the evil that he had destroyed.  Of course, Magnus knew all too well that sometimes all people remembered was the evil.

One man stands staring wide-eyed at the charring pile of imp, crossing himself as he murmurs under his breath.  Another is looking at Magnus with his mouth agape.  The woman turns to flee as soon as she realizes Magnus's attention has shifted.  The last, the one who yelled, returns Magnus's look, his eyes fixed and jaw set, though he keeps his distance and makes no moves.

Behind him on the road, Magnus can hear hear the swelling shouts of a crowd.  Angry voices that cut across each other, muffling the noise into one incomprehensible din.

By God he hated cities...

Whatever was going on down the street, whatever was going on with Nicolai, Magnus knew he needed to stay away.

Here was one man who had followed him, hoping to get involved, hoping to accomplish something. That terrible, excitable instinct like a spark that threatened to spread.

But it was just the one for now. While Magnus was understandably disappointed that the others had forsaken him, at the least they were not looking to get involved. They were not egging each other on or advancing.

He could work with that.

"Well, I did." He shrugged and gestured to the smoldering pile. "I killed that demon, and you can see where he scratched up my neck and face while I was doin' it" he craned his neck a little to one side for emphasis.

"And now I'm gonna go tell Father Litle, because he should know what's happened." he added mostly to the one with the set expression.

Magnus was less concerned with informing Father Litle that he had killed the familiar and more concerned with getting to the Church. It was the one place he could think of where people's baser emotions would have trouble taking hold. The magnificent edifice, the symbols of Christ's suffering, the presence of the Clergy. They all helped to discourage the sort of street violent that sounded like it was breaking loose, or about to, just down the way.

Magnus really wanted to head back to the White Heart first thing to secure evidence, including anything that might condemn the Magistrate, but much depended on what the onlookers would do.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:00, Sun 25 July 2021.

For what it was worth, Magnus explained himself... quickly... and then fled.

He had many things to do...  things that would protect him from the Magistrate, he had to tell Daneel what had happened.  For the moment, however, he had no thought but to find some sanctuary from the shouting, frenzied mob.

Magnus's hooves churn on the cobbles again, headed this time towards church circle, though he took care not to brave the main thoroughfare but to take the side streets and alleys when he could.  Magnus was not thoroughly familiar with the city, but he knew enough by now, and it didn't hurt that the Cathedral was the biggest building in the city, set upon a small hill that made it seem to tower over everything else.  All the while, Magnus could feel the thrumming mob shouting and vibrating like a building tornado...

When Magnus makes the Cathedral, he finds himself not at the front, but at a side door which is marked as Saint Luke's Chapel.  Thankful to have made it without incident, Magnus pulls open the door to find himself in a much smaller space than the main sanctuary.  The room is dimly lit by a few stained glass windows near the door, though there is enough light to make out the main features of the room.

Several rows of doubled wooden pews sit at the back near the door.  A narrow carpet straddles the pews, leading up towards the altar at the front, which is adorned with thick candles and a single, massive tome.  A pair of doors are near the back of the chapel on either side.  Placed just ahead and below altar is a large, stone sarcophagus.  The top is carved in the shape of a man lain to receive his last rights, eyes closed and arms crossed with a thin baton laid over the center of his chest.

Just before the tomb, kneeling on the edge of the dais is father Litle.

The priest turns his head as the open door casts a massive glare upon the room, standing up and facing Magnus.

"Yes my son?  What can I do for you?"

OOC:  I know you didn't really specify direction to start off with, but in my head, you initially ran away from the Cathedral and the center of town when you were trying to get away from Nicolai, so if you were to run straight for the Cathedral, you'd have to do it on the main drag, straight back through the mob.  Therefore the whole discussion about side-streets, etc.  To the best of your knowledge the mob was not able to find/follow you to the cathedral, though you felt as if you could hear them the whole way there.

Do me a favor and specify what you want to tell Father Litle.

Magnus felt exhausted as he plodded the last few dozen feet to the door of Saint Luke's Chapel.

It was not the familiar fatigue of physical exertion, he knew all too well how to live alongside the constant discomfort of working in armor or in the heat, covering long miles on foot and otherwise enduring the long miserable hours all too familiar for a career soldier.

No, this was more mental. His stab wound ached and throbbed, the newer more shallow cuts itched and, scabbed and cracked again. A wide array of scenarios weighed on his troubled mind.

But most of all was the sound of the mob. He could hear the low collective roar that resounded off buildings and carried down streets. The cacophony of angry, excited, fervent voices. Magnus may have approached his violent profession from an eminently practical and even mundane mindset, but these people, laborers, shopkeeps, servants and craftsmen...this was a rare opportunity to indulge in the different.

What Magnus felt was basically an excuse to express all the bottled up frustrations , frustrations aggravated no doubt by living in such a close packed, filthy, stinking, anxious collective.

The roar of the mob, that's what turned his stomach and made him feel so very tired. It haunted him.

Whatever was happening out there, it was bound to be ugly.

"Sorry to bother you again Father" Magnus greeted him, breathing heavily with his hands on his hips.

"So I mentioned that evil spirit last time I was here?" he paused to see if the man remembered. "Well, I was looking into things, and sure enough...I found the man I was looking for, a Witch, by the name of Nicolai."

His breathing slowed a bit as he continued his explanation. "I was not looking to confront him, but he spotted me in the street and called me out, I accused him, and before I knew it he drew a sword on me...and what's more, he had a demon with him, and he sicked it on me first thing."

Magnus held out a big calloused hand in a placating gesture. "Now I know Father, your flock probably sees a demon or imagines one every other day. But I've killed one before, and while I'm no expert, this thing sure looked like one...about yea high, pointed ears, sharp teeth and claws, all stooped over with big eyes...fast and vicious.".

Magnus licked his lips. "Well I ran, it being two against one, but that devil ran me down and jumped right on my back...cut me up" he stepped forward  into the light and craned his neck to display the injuries. "Strong...strong as a big grown man. But I pried him off and killed him, or sent him back, I don't know where those sorts of things go...but it burst into flames with this awful smell when it went down, sort of cracked like a big egg. I can't help but think that your blessing made all the difference."

Magnus shook his big shaggy head. "But while all that was goin' on, I heard all sorts of screaming coming from the way Nicolai went, and you'll forgive me Father but most people get real spooked when they see me comin' on a good day. Some looked downright scared when they saw me runnin' from that demon."

He pointed towards the door. "Well I don't know if they stoned him to death or what, but it sounds like a small army out there, and the first place I thought to go was here with you. Can I stay with you for a bit till things calm down out there?" He asked with a hopeful expression.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Tue 27 July 2021.

"It's what I'm here for."  Father Litle smiles as Magnus apologizes for the inconvenience.

He offers the minotaur a seat on the pew and listens as Magnus explains his story.

Father Litle is a good audience, nodding his head to show that he is following along, widening his eyes when Magnus shows him his scratches, and avoiding any interruptions or gestures of disbelief.  Still, Magnus cannot help feeling somewhat... patronized.  The man dons a knowing smile as soon as Magnus brings up the topic of demons.  One that seems to suggest that he may understand the matter as well or better than Magnus does himself.

Still, Magnus finishes his tale without straying, adding at the end a request to stay at the Cathedral for a short period of time.

"Of course!"  Father Litle replies quickly.  "Sanctuary is what the church provides, from all evils, including the passions of men.  Feel free to stay as long as you like."  Litle opens his arm up, gesturing towards the rest of the chapel, though the relatively small space and the dominating feature of the large sarcophagus perhaps does not offer the inviting scene to do Litle credit.

It matters little, for almost as soon as the priest gives Magnus offer of sanctuary, shouts can be heard from some other areas of the cathedral.  "Father Litle!  Father Litle!"

One of the back doors opens with a snap and a fire-haired youth of some fifteen years peers his head through the crease.

"Oh!  Pardon me sir!"  Magnus is somewhat surprised by the term, though the youth immediately shifts his attention to the priest beside Magnus.   "Father Litle, they caught the murderer!  T'was a witch father!  They're going straight to the Magistrate for a public execution!  They say they caught him in the act of Necromancy!"

OOC:  It is 0800 on the 9th of August.  Litle has granted your request of Santuary, and no one has bothered you for the length of your story, which has been something on the order of 10-20 minutes.

Even those few minutes at the Cathedral explaining himself had allowed Magnus to calm down quite a bit. Not only did Father Litle seem to believe him, but he did not seem especially surprised, and that gave the whole interaction an unexpected smoothness that left the Minotaur wondering if he was missing something.

Everything had been so difficult over the last few days that to suddenly have something go easily was an unlooked for but not unwelcome change.

So much so that when the young man burst in as Magnus was proceeding into the larger chamber, it was almost a return to normalcy.

And Magnus struggled to keep a smile off his face. "Well...there ya go" he gestured with an open hand to the boy and looked to the Priest. As if to say that his story had been validated by the news.

But could he really be so fortunate? Had his bungled pursuit, his flight from the familiar spirit unwittingly solved his problem? Had Nickolai been so brash, so careless as to put himself into the very hands of the man he had vexed?

Oh, how he wished it would go well.

If Lord Alston could arrange for a summary execution, in theory that would wrap everything up more smoothly than Magnus could have hoped. Daneel is rid of his curse, the Magistrate is rid of the problem that he had introduced into the equation and Magnus would get his armor.

Margerie was still dead, tragically, and Magnus wondered if the fact that he had unraveled Lord Alston's secret would rankle him to the point where he might do something foolish, again. But that was a worry for another day.

After a brief consideration, Magnus decided that his attendance at the trial would cause nothing but trouble. No, now was the time to seek out his employer. To explain what he had learned, within reason, and to gather up his things.

If all went well he would have little reason to brave the streets of Raphael again for the next few weeks. He could stock up on food and help Daneel with the commission. If it went poorly, well, Magnus would have his things on hand whatever may come.

He thanked the boy and gave him a small coin for his trouble in his relief, and after waiting another twenty minutes or so in the safety and serenity of the Cathedral, he thanked Father Litle once more and began to make his way back towards the Angel Armory.

"Easy..."  Litle responds to the boy, who Magnus realizes is wearing robes of his own, all white though in contrast to the Father Litle who has both white and black, with the traditional priestly collar wrapped around his neck.

"Just not let ye be judged, John.  History tells of of many witches that have burned for sins they never committed.  Judgement is for God... and the magistrate if it comes to it... not for you or I."

The boy nods his head in a sort of staccato bob.  It seems he has more to say for a moment but he catches his tongue before whatever it is.  "Yes Father."  He answers as he hurries out of the room, but not before Magnus has had the chance to toss him a farthing in appreciation for the news.  Father Litle offers the minotaur goodbye as he recedes to the back of the chapel, following the boy back through the door.

The crowds dispersed, at least here, Magnus finds himself leaving the Cathedral and heading to his employer.  Much has happened which seems only to have helped his cause.  Magnus had not killed Nicolai, but he had forced the man to expose himself.

It was the best of both worlds.

Nicolai would be put to death by the law...  a much more civilized ending than Magnus crushing the man's bones with his mace in some wayward back alley.  It saved Magnus too...  no matter Nicolai's evil, Magnus had not been looking forward to murdering him in cold blood.

Now, all Magnus had to do to wait for Daneel's curse to clear was simply wait for fate to run its course, which seemed guaranteed to turn more quickly than the weather, as the stubborn clouds and dismal rain seemed to refuse to give up on its hold...

These thoughts carried Magnus all the way to Angel Armory and into the door and the emptied shop, and through on to the small living quarters behind.

Magnus has half started with his story, pushing himself into the room, before he stops in his tracks.  Though he had said goodbye to Daneel just that morning and the man, though weathered and pale, had looked no worse than when Magnus has met him.  Now Daneel was back to laying on his bed, his blanket pulled tight around his body, which was shaking in wracking shakes, though the summer morning is not cold.

It is a moment before Daneel realizes that Magnus is there at all.

"Seems I've caught a chill."  Daneel smiles wanly as he looks up at Magnus for a moment, though his pale features and his sunken eyes are all that Magnus can take in for the moment.

Daneel turns back over, wrapping the blanket ever tighter over his body as he continues to shiver...

OOC:  It is 0830 on the 9th of August.  Roll vs. First Aid.  On a success, it's clear that Daneel is doing very badly, though no immediate treatment comes to mind.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:41, Wed 04 Aug 2021.