Judoc had thought to seek out Deacon Samuel, though the text of the note keeps him rooted to his spot, his legs fixed to the kneeler, his hands clasped together in front of his face, his mind racing at a mile a minute on everything but prayer.

Meet me at the Cathedral.
Do not come to the college.
Do not speak to anyone.
Do not let anyone see you.
I will explain later.

      -Graves

This pittance of a welcome home, scrawled apparently in an abundance of haste, was pressed into Judoc's hand down at the pier by a young boy, no more than eight summers.  Judoc hadn't even been able to press the youth for more information for the child had scampered off before Judoc had even the chance to read the second line.

Judoc had done what he was told, he had come to the cathedral, his mind roiling with a thousand questions.

Was this to do with Agares?  Had Graves figured out Judoc had not killed Thresher?  Had something else happened while he had been gone?  Why in the fuck had Judoc even sent word ahead to Graves?  Sure, he was late for the beginning of term, but what was the difference of two days when he could have saved himself from all this anxiety?

He thought this while in the guise of prayer, not that he really had anyone to fool.  There was only one other man in the whole nave, a fellow who was positioned near the front in the same static prayer as Judoc pretended to be, covered from head to foot in the brown robes and hood of a monk so that the only thing showing were his pale hands clasped together above the pews.

The sounds of boots echoing off the flagstones brings Judoc's head around behind him, where he sees Baron Graves, dressed for comfort in doublet and leathers, walking up the aisle behind him.

"Read."

Graves says as he sits, thrusting a single sheet of folded paper into Judoc's hands as the student sits back onto the pew next to his Provost.

Baron,

I regret to inform you that your student, one Judoc of Megalos, has been killed on his expedition to root out the Necromancer near our border.  As I look over the details, the assistance given to this whole mission was perhaps shortsighted, I do not think enough credit was given to the threat and had we taken it seriously, I think even a fully fledged Templar Knight may have struggled to vanquish it unharmed.  I can say however, and I hope this instills great pride in your institution, that Judoc was successful in his mission, that the necromancer is no more.  Judoc has fulfilled a great service to his nation and to your school.  While this does not lessen the sadness at his loss, certainly it gives us faith that his sacrifice was not made in vain.

Kind regards,
Viscount Tenesworth
Written 24 May 2005

Judoc is not even done reading the letter when Graves is thrusting another folded sheet his way.

14 June 2005
Lord Provost,

Congratulations to you and to your school!  I write to inform you that your student, Juroc, has successfully completed a most harrowing mission to rid these lands of a necromancer!  He has undertaken risk well above his station and while I have rewarded him with an honorary membership to the mages guild of Craine, I would hope you see fit to do likewise through your institution.  Indeed, when I heard word of this expedition (for it was requested by the army through separate channels) and the assets that were sent to it, it had seemed to me a fool's errand or else a sure death warrant to those who participated!  Juroc showed me how wrong I was!  He was a pleasure to meet.  Again, the highest congratulations to you, your student, and your whole institution.

Yours in victory,
Duke Bran of Craine

"Almost there."  Graves shoves one last, smaller note into Judoc's fingers.  This one takes only a moment to read.

Graves,

Your student, Judoc, will be arriving within the week.  You will send him directly to me.

-Siegebreaker

Judoc looks up from the paper slowly.  The baron now is looking him back directly in the face, glaring in a cold expression, shallow pools of exhaustion beginning to well just underneath his eyes.  If Judoc is expecting an outburst however, all he gets from the baron is a single word.

"Explain."

The brevity however, does not seem to take away from his dead seriousness.

OOC:  It is 1000 on the 14th of September, 2005.

Judoc is weary. His trip back to the college in Azer has taken longer than he had anticipated after that business with the Watchman. And how is he now to return to classes after his battles against otherworldly evil? The young mage has looked forward to returning to his studies and the comparative rest they offer, but transitioning back to the life of a student may prove challenging.

Of course, he would have been debriefed by Graves. Judoc had hated Loke at their first meeting, long before the student learned that Loke was a demon in disguise. And perhaps, though Judoc is loath to admit it, he had felt fear as well, but always there had been that cocky overconfidence that, prophetically, told Judoc he would eventually have his revenge.

But that fear was nothing compared to what Judoc feels for the provost. Graves is able to read Judoc's very thoughts, and the Templar student knows it is only a matter of time before his own duplicity regarding the Row and Thresher are discovered. Judoc had partnered with Finn,  a man Judoc knew was a Row operative. After much soul-searching, Judoc has decided not to betray Finn to Graves. When Graves learns that Judoc has betrayed him, there will be hell to pay.

But this - Judoc positively welcomes this disruption. He devours the first letter, noting Tenesworth's diction and syntax. ~These are messages, Aiah,~ he sends to the hawk currently perched on the pew on the other side of Judoc. ~From friends and enemies.~No mention of Perdition or the demon bird Sadda. Of course Tenesworth would cover up what had happened with the demon's malicious gate spell. But Judoc had been seen in Craine after the expedition. Had Tenesworth thought no word would come to Azer of Judoc's actions?

The second letter is confirmation. Duke Bran seemed a fool, either due to the attention needed elsewhere or the man's lack of imagination. But Bran had rewarded Judoc and his companions, and the duke had redeemed himself again in this letter, even if he had misspelled Judoc's name. At least he had sent word of Judoc's actions back to Azer.

And now the last. Judoc scans it in an instant. Jordan Siegebreaker? The commander of the Templars? God's broken bones! What the hell did Siegebreaker want with Judoc?

Judoc looks up at Graves, notes the exhaustion in the other man's face. Was there weakness there? In spite of himself, Judoc finds himself moved by something not entirely unlike understanding and even a touch of - compassion? Judoc too feels like he is tottering on the border of exhaustion.

"I fought Loke again," he says quietly. "Or, to be more precise, the demon Agares. He's dead now, but Tenesworth is one of them. Agares called Tenesworth Amon." Judoc takes a deep breath. How many details should he include? What did Graves need to know? "We successfully killed the necromancer. He was being influenced by another demon, one we also destroyed. Haj Umr was attempting to open an ancient prison, Perdition, where I suspect other demons are being held, though the place apparently guards ancient weapons as well."

"When our group returned to Craine, we were honored by Duke Bran. I met the viscount at the duke's reception, and Tenesworth offered to send me back to Azer via gate. I now realize this was a trap, meant to kill me. The new student who was accompanying me would have been collateral damage."

He pauses. How would he explain his own bizarre doubling? "Then, I found myself in a curious alchemist's shop in Craine, run by a man named Basharat. He told me it was the fourteenth of December. Somehow, I had lost six months. The alchemist had fashioned a number of different constructions that allowed one to travel backward or forward in time. I used one of these gates to travel six months into the past to the day when Tenesworth was to send me back to Azer. Invisible, I followed my younger self to a small chapel within the cathedral of Craine. There, Tenesworth had summoned a gate he claimed would send us back to Azer. But instead, it sent us to Hell."

Judoc pauses again. "Or more accurately, a place called the Path of Ancestors, the site of a battle between Elves and Orcs millennia ago. We were in a place that seemed like the Lake of Fire itself and fought demons to escape. We traveled up to near the surface, where we once again encountered Agares disguised as Loke. With my double's help, we slew the demon, though my double's mind was shattered by Agares's magic. When we returned to Craine, the alchemist offered to nurse the other Judoc back to health. I searched for Tenesworth, but he had left the city."

"As for Sir Jordan, I have no idea why he wants to see me. Are you certain he is the man he claims to be? Agares is dead, but Amon and seven others remain."

Judoc begins with the short version of all that has befallen him over the past nine months and he finds himself somewhat surprised as Baron Graves's facial muscles begin to go haywire.

He notices it first as he talks about the demon Agares.  A twitch in Graves's neck.  Judoc almost stops speaking entirely as it happens, fearing that he has upset the provost, though he goes on, and he notices more and more as he continues.

A facial spasm at Tenesworth's gate.  Eyes widening as he speaks of the Alchemist Basharat and going back in time.  He sees the forcible clench of Graves's jaw as Judoc speaks of his battle with Agares and the fate that had befallen his other self, and sudden, rapid movements of his eyes as Judoc suggests someone may be impersonating the Grand Master of the Templars...

Judoc had always seen the Baron as a cold and calculating man - Impossible to read and all knowing.  This new Graves... his emotion dancing so close to the surface...  Judoc wonders if this new incarnation of his provost is due to some change in Graves over the last nine months... or perhaps it is a change in Judoc himself.

"So, to summarize..."  Graves rests his head into his hand as Judoc finishes.  "After this Demon Lord, Loke was expelled from this school, he has targeted you directly, while the Templars have exercised unprecedented oversight of me at this school...  You have slain him using and encountering magic that is unheard of to earthly mages, and in the process found another senior Templar who is an apparent demon lord.  And now as you return, you are under the scrutiny of the Grand Master himself..."  Graves sighs forcefully.

"Or else someone who is playing him."  He adds after a moment.  Giving at least some weight to Judoc's suggestion.

Graves grits his jaw and looks up again, locking eyes with Judoc for a moment but then looking away.  "No.  That's not right.  I'm under his scrutiny.  He just wants to see you directly."  He shakes his head again.

"Tell me Judoc."  Graves says putting his head back up and leaning back against the pew.  "If I sent you to Megalos, would you go?  Or would you flee?"

Something seems wrong with Graves. The twitch, the spasm, the eyes widening. This is not a man in control of himself, not the Graves who Judoc feared, the man who seemed to effortlessly see through deception. What has happened here?

"Of course I would go, sir."

The response is immediate, natural. Judoc has changed in many ways of course. He has battled monsters and escaped demon lords' snares. His overblown cockiness has been tempered to a more easy confidence. But Graves - the signs all point to something being very wrong. "You know me, Lord Provost. I may be headstrong, but I am no coward." Is Graves still under assault? Is he even the same man? Or is Graves simply chafing under the Templars' greater oversight?

"Have you had any further strange events since I have been gone, sir?" He asks the question carefully, not wishing to antagonize the provost. "I had been looking forward to returning to the classroom. I have already missed a great deal, though I have grown these past nine months. But if Sir Jordan summons me and you send me, I will obey."

Nine demon lords. Judoc did a great deal of re-reading during the journey back to Azer, particularly The Lesser Keys of Solomon and The Many Planes of Hell, and he mentally recites the demons' names. Bael. Agares. Vassago. Samigina. Marbas. Valefor. Amon. Barbatos. Paimon. Part of Judoc wants to track the rest of them down and banish them from Yrth. Part of him hopes he never meets another demon in his life.

"When do you want me to depart? I have a few books I would like to leave in safe-keeping with Baron Raisalter. Oh, and I came across this in the Path of Ancestors." Judoc has not even had time to return to his room, and he rummages into his backpack to retrieve the circlet. "This provides some resistance against demonic spells. It is an evil-looking thing, but helpful when battling demons. Should I leave it here at the College in case this demon cabal attempts further incursions?"

Graves listens to Judoc through all of his discussion, quirking a small smile as Judoc produces the circlet and describes its properties.

"Oddly enough."  Graves reaches into the collar of his shirt, producing a thin gold chain with a brilliant sapphire.  "I have something quite like that.  Protects against demonic forces.  I had thought it something of an oddity until just recently, though I have come to believe that it has saved my life several times over."

Graves stuffs the bit of jewelry back down his neck and turns his body to face Judoc directly.

"I wonder if you knew, one of your fellow students asked to 'borrow' it from me some while back, before your confrontation with Loke.  He said that it could be used in some potion I believe, that Loke had given him the idea."  Graves laughs hollowly.  "At the time I had thought it bizzare in the extreme, I hadn't trusted it even remotely.  It is now clear to me that Loke had intended to remove the object.  That it stood in the way of his plans.  I believe that he has been working his influence here in the college quite a long time, doing what I know not, though I have no doubt that removing or bringing me under his thumb were part of his plan."

Graves's sighs.

"Judoc.  I cannot claim to know why Seigebreaker is summoning you.  Or even if it is really Seigebreaker that has summoned you.  But I believe with all my heart that it would be foolish in the extreme to follow along blindly with whatever plot this is.  And if I were a betting man, I would put that crown upon your head permanently, no matter how absurd it made you look.  If you value your life, I would flee.  You are not safe here, and I do not believe I can protect you."

"Gotten there have we?"

The voice, feminine and poisonously sweet, brings Judoc head around so fast that his neck complains at the motion.  Graves too seems to nearly break his own neck with the chaotic movement.  But the tweak in his neck is nothing in comparison to the shock of the woman standing there next to him.

It's Mariana, dressed in monk's robes, the dark brown hood draped low over her forehead.

"Just making sure."  Mariana says playfully, her voice lilting up towards the end.  "You know, I figured that was my cue.  'your life is in danger' and all.  If you weren't there yet, I can wait."

Next to him, Judoc sees Grave's gritting jaw and reddening face, this was much more like the man he knew...

"Oh good, I'll take that to mean it's my turn."  Mariana smiles brightly.  "Good to see you again Judoc.  Just thought you'd like to know you were followed here by two men.  Well, marked might be a better word.  They were waiting for you on the pier, saw you get the letter.  Followed you up and have been waiting outside...  You know, the standard sneaky stuff."

OOC:  Good question.  You aren't 100% certain this is Graves, you don't really know the man that well.  He looks like him.  And as Mariana plays up his anger he's beginning to act slightly more like the man you know.

The woman is Mariana Bordeaux (now in the character list as Mary Brighton) your former classmate.  Last you had heard she was accidentally killed by Elliot Strange in a rather vocal disagreement.  You don't really know all the details.  Feel free to ask questions if you think it's pertinent.

As Judoc listens to Graves's words, the young student's face remains emotionless. Agares had told Judoc of Graves's necklace and of how the demon had manipulated Grobbik. Wear the crown permanently? What an awful, gaudy idea. But if it meant an edge over Amon and the rest...

He raises an eyebrow when Graves advises him not to trust Siegebreaker. His heart sinks. If the demons have clawed their way all the way up to Sir Jordan, then what hope do any of them have? Judoc is a marked man, no matter where he goes at this point.

And then, Judoc hears a ghost. And sees one. His mouth gapes. "Mariana?!" How could this be? Judoc stands to his feet in amazement. Elliot Strange had incinerated her, burned her to ash. Though Judoc had not been present at their duel, the entire castle had been ablaze with rumors afterward, of what had been between them, what had caused Elliot to kill his former friend and, some said, lover. And when Judoc had spoken to Elliot about the incident, Elliot revealed that the confrontation had been planned. Elliot and Mariana had rehearsed their fight, but things had gone horribly wrong.

Or had they? His composure recovered, Judoc looks more closely at Mariana. "It was all a play, to the very end, wasn't it? Elliot told me you two had staged it. God, Mariana, he still believes he murdered you!"

But what the fuck is she doing here, now? Graves seems none to pleased to see Mariana. Why? Had he known of her subterfuge? Was she some sort of agent for Graves now? Judoc swiftly accepts that Mariana had somehow faked her death, but for the life of him, Judoc cannot see why Mariana has chosen to reveal herself now.

At the mention of the two men, Judoc grits his teeth. "I should have known Amon would want to finish the job." If it was the demons. Who else could it be? Judoc finds himself almost suffocating under the weight of all his questions. He shoots a glance at Graves. "You would have me run, sir? I would fight! I've killed one demon lord. I can kill the other eight."

Though Graves's words still gives him pause. If a man such as Graves could not protect him here, then the only smart thing to do was run.

~It looks like we're flying the nest, pretty bird. It's not safe here.~

"I had hoped to graduate here, sir, and strive to become a Templar," Judoc says, his voice wooden. "Fate, it seems, would disagree." There is still so much Judoc wanted to learn, and now, he is apparently being forced off, just as Giles and Elliot before him.

The Templar student looks back at Mariana. "So what's the play here, Lady Lazarus? Overpower the men outside to get some answers, or run like hell?"

"A play?"  Mariana's eyes roll at the words.

"Here I am, trying to save your skin and you return the favor by bringing up old wounds?  I needed to disappear Judoc.  For my benefit and for the benefit of others.  Which is something I thought you could understand, given you own history."

"She's a stooge of the Row."  Graves spits the words through gritted teeth, his eyes boring holes through the woman's head.

"Well, yes... there it is."  Mariana smiles, half quirking an eyebrow at Graves.  "It was becoming clearer by the moment that I was no longer safe, nor even useful, so I left... in a way that could buy me as much time as possible."

"So why come back now?"  Graves interjects.  "Why take the risk I won't skewer you through right now to settle things?

"Because,"  Mariana sighs the words in exasperation.  "You need help.  Both of you.  In turn, you can consider it the first step in an armistice.  You'll stop trying to ferret out our people, stop trying to rule over the fighter's and the mage's guild.  Which, by the way, it has become clearer by the moment that you can't do anyway..."

Judoc watches as a muscle pulses in Graves's neck.  Judoc begins to feel his own heart beating faster in anticipation.

"The play?"  Mariana asks in response to Judoc's question.  "Easy.  We get you out, slip the nest.  Flit away in the night."  Mariana wiggles her fingers slowly up and away as she widens her eyes.  "They're never the wiser.  You don't come back."

"No good."  Graves retorts, finally coming under control enough to add something real to the discussion.  "If they've been watching outside, they've seen me come in.  Anything but Judoc turning himself over now will be on me.  These two men die.  Or else I'll be fleeing with you."

Graves stands.  Mariana appraises the Baron, looking as if she is biting back a response.

Given his own history. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Judoc is burning to grill Mariana further, but then Graves exposes Mariana as a member of the Row.

Ah. Judoc can see the angle. Mariana infiltrates the College, learns what she can, recruits other students away from the Templars and to the Row. Was that what she had intended to do with him, Grobbik, Elliot, Giles, and Indrid? Or had she been just a spy? And because she is in the Row and was in the College, she probably knows about the hold the Row has over Judoc. But how the hell did she end up here, this morning? Had the Row been watching for him? Why? Judoc is hardly important in their struggle against Graves.

"I have about a million questions. But first things first. Brother Samuel will never forgive me if I spill blood on cathedral grounds. Can we capture these men, find out what they know, and then dispose of them?"

Judoc thinks for a moment. "We could set up an ambush away from the cathedral. Baron, you and Mariana could wait to waylay them. I prepare a delayed Invisibility spell and turn myself over to them. Then, when they're focused on me, I trigger the spell and run. They'll still be able to see my staff, so after a moment's surprise, they should start to follow me. I lead them to the ambush site, and then we surround them and take them out."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:20, Sat 13 May 2023.

Mariana raises an eyebrow at Graves's response but when Judoc seems to agree with him, she quickly shakes her head.

"No."  She says swiftly, putting both hands up in front of her, palms facing out.  "No way.  As much as it may seem fun to murder two people on the off chance that they may be thinking the same thing about you, to meee,"  She pulls her hands in, putting her fingertips on her chest.  "...It seems just a little over the top.  No need for bloodshed.  Confusion is best."

"No go."  Graves answers gruffly again.  "Judoc's got the right idea.  Distract them, squeeze whatever we can out of them, then send them to the bottom of the channel...  Actually, the port's the perfect place for an ambush... lots of distractions for onlookers, easy getaway, easy place to hide any evidence..."

"I'm out then."  Mariana squares her eyebrows and juts forward her jaw, crossing her arms out in front of her and glaring at the Baron.  "Good luck I suppose... though I guess this just shows why we were so at odds in the first place."

OOC:  We can get to general planning in a moment, but for now we need to clear up the teams.  Mariana seems entirely out with the Murdery plan (odd, seeing as she works for an organization called Murderer's Row, but I guess that's roleplaying) but Graves seems opposed to anything but.  So it seems that you pick your ally with the tactic.  Alternatively, feel free to try a social skill to convince Mariana (or else to convince Graves of the non-violent plan), or anything else you can think of, though I would have a backup plan in case that fails.

Of course Mariana would be opposed to bloodshed. That would be too easy. No, she has to go and make things more difficult. Just like a woman.

Judoc grits his teeth. "They've seen me and Baron Graves, Mariana. What do you propose we do to make them forget us? Hit them on the back of the head just hard enough to give them amnesia but not hard enough to kill them?" Of course, there were spells that could do the trick, but Judoc has not chosen to explore the Mind Control college. Perhaps Graves knows them, but they are draining.

The young Templar student - soon to be ex-student - rubs his chin. "Well, how about this? Why don't we take a page out of your playbook with Elliot? Have me run from the church, with you, sir," (here Judoc nods to Graves) "in pursuit. You attempt to capture me, but I trigger Hawk Flight and flee. Then I meet up with Mariana somewhere else and continue with whatever plan she's concocted."

Judoc looks to them both. Mariana gets her subterfuge play, and Graves gains plausible deniability. "Whoever those men are, Baron, if they question you, you can tell them you attempted to convince me to report to Sir Jordan, but I was paranoid and instead fled. And Mariana, this way we don't have to murder them. At least, not unless we're out of options and our backs are against the wall."

OOC: Judoc will use Diplomacy if he needs to. If Diplomacy isn't appropriate, then he'll make a Fast-Talk attempt.

"Who cares if they forget you if they can't find you."  Mariana responds to Judoc's question with a roll of her eyes.  "As for the Baron, perhaps it's worth it to him to gain a friend... or maybe at least lose an enemy as he seems to be collecting them these days..."

Graves stares at the girl through narrow eyes, though Mariana doesn't waver under the look.

"Fine."  Graves finally answers.  "We'll go with that plan then.  Judoc flees as I do my best impression of trying to reign him back in.  You two meet at the port..."

"East Gate."  Mariana interrupts.  "Too much talk about throwing bodies in the water for that to be the plan right off the bat."

"East Gate."  Graves says through gritted teeth.  "Meet at the East Gate at dusk.  I handle the talking if they stick around to try and find out what's happened."

Graves's eyes switch off to Judoc and he gestures a hand momentarily in a silent spell.

"You do your part and then I'll stay out of it."

Judoc too casts, one spell to fly as fast as his hawk, Aiah, and another to delay the first spell until he gives the signal, a double wink from one eye.

"Well, no time like the present then."  Graves stands ushering Judoc out from the pew.  "I suppose you have your own plan to escape here?"

"Oh, don't worry about me."  Mariana smiles as she flips the brown monk's hood back over her head.  "No one ever seems to notice me."

OOC:  Ok, I rolled for your hawk flight as well as your delay spell.  Both Graves and Mariana seem to be agreeable to the new plan.  I'm giving you a post for any other preparations, or else to give the general gist of how you want to exit.

"East Gate. Dusk. Got it."

Judoc runs a hand through Aiah's feathers. ~We have to fly away for now, pretty bird. Find a safe nest for now and meet me when the sun goes down.~ Judoc stows away his gear in his pack, slings his pack over his back, and picks up his staff.

This moment feels like it marks a change in Judoc's life. Is he throwing away all his plans, all his ambitions? He wonders what his elder brother, Jeric, would say. No doubt the calvary officer would confront these men rather than fleeing, but Jeric always did favor the direct approach. It is a funny thing - right now Judoc feels his heart racing with adrenalin, but at the same time, he feels hollow inside, as if he were going to the gallows. Judoc cannot be certain why the men outside are waiting for him, or why Jordan Siegebreaker has summoned him. However, both Graves and Mariana seem to believe that the men have ill intentions, and Judoc is not a fool to reject good counsel. "Wheels within wheels," he murmurs.

Straightening up, he turns to Baron Graves. Judoc fears the Templar's power, but the young mage has chosen twice before to go against Graves. Despite the fear Judoc feels for Graves, he also, strangely, feels a sort of bond with the Templar. Perhaps it is because both of them were targets of Agares's. The enemy of my enemy, that kind of thing. Too, Judoc had his heart set on becoming a Templar himself. That seems unlikely now. "This feels like the end, sir, at least for now. But as long as those devils are out there, plotting, I will aid you as best as I can. Vaya con Dios."

Turning to Mariana, Judoc nods. "Au revoir, at least for now." And with that, Judoc breaks into a run for the cathedral's exit.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Wed 31 May 2023.

~You don't have to tell me twice!  Aiah thinks, lifting up off of Judoc's shoulder as she climbs up towards the high ceilings of the cathedral.  ~I'll wait here for the moment, at least until you make your way out.

Judoc's other goodbye's are much more brief.  Graves gives him a discerning look and not much more than a "Good Luck."  As for Mariana, the girl merely smiles before turning around and heading away towards the back of the cathedral.

"Don't look back."  Graves warns, just as Judoc takes off, starting off from a slow jog.

The open doors of the cathedral approach quickly and Judoc can hear Graves keeping pace with him behind.  Then, just as Judoc has broken out into a full run, he feels again the raw power of Graves's magic.

His skin prickles first, what feels like all of his hairs on every bit of his body are standing on end.  Then he hears the crackling premonition... he smells the acrid tang of ozone as his eardrums nearly burst in complaint as the door just next to him explodes into a cacophony of noise and char!

"You are a fool boy!"  Graves's shouts over the ringing in Judoc's ears.

Despite the stun, Judoc does not slow his run, but hurls himself towards the outside steps, taking them three at a time as he runs.

He isn't so out of it though that he misses the two men in monks robes who stand at the path some hundred feet ahead.

"Judoc!"  One of the men, a short cut blonde with sharp features, shouts.  "You are summoned by the Grandmaster for questioning in regard to your dealings at Solitude!  You shall come with us to Megalos immediately!"

OOC:  I've got your requests from the previous post, but I wanted to stop here regardless to let you decide how/when you want to cast your spell.  The two men are about 33 yards ahead, and are set on either side of the path blocking your way into the city.

A long time ago I had all of Azer drawn out for Finn's opening thread, I've long since lost that picture, but as I remember it, the Cathedral is on the north side of the city, though the college is still a few miles farther north.  Just south is the nobility district, just south of that is the port, and the eastern side of the city is the market and the workers district.  The east gate would be on the east side of the workers district, which is the poorest part of the city, but also likely the easiest to hide in due to the smaller and tighter nature of the buildings.

The sonic attack nearly deafens Judoc. Jesus, Graves, you really had to sell it, he thinks. Somehow, Judoc keeps his legs churning toward the door. For Graves's sake, Judoc has to sell this escape as authentic. The fact that Judoc cares about Graves's well-being comes as something of a surprise to the young mage, but he has no time to dwell on the thought.

Blocking the way ahead, two men stand along the path. For an instant, a wild thought occurs to Judoc. Why not go with these men? Surely Jordan Siegebreaker has not been compromised. The man is a legend, the mightiest of the Templars.

But Loke was replaced, as was Tenesworth. And too, Graves's warning sticks with Judoc. If Judoc could trust Graves, that is. Bloody hell. What Judoc needs now is a fucking demon detector.

"I've had enough of bloody demons!" Without slowing down, Judoc rapidly winks his left eye twice. They're going to call him Judoc the Craven after this, but he who winks and flies away lives to fight another day.