Scene 7.3 - Thomas Sharp in Amber

[Nihilistic Mind]

The missive in Thomas' pocket had been delivered by a Royal Herald. In it, Lord Regent Caine asks that until further notice Thomas is to remain within a day's travel of Amber and to keep the Regency notified of his whereabouts. It contained no other prohibitions, directions or invitations.
Thomas was eating dinner at Bert's Tavern, known to be frequented by soldiers and a variety of mercenary groups working for the Crown in one fashion or another.
~~~
After sitting more or less incognito amongst young officers his own age and blowing off steam, Thomas begins a game of darts.

Happily ignored, Thomas notices the two members of different mercenary companies attempting to win over the dark-eyed dancer. Laila, they call her. Her mysterious charms have apparently overwhelmed both men quite thoroughly and before one of them can say 'get outta my way', a brawl ensues and things escalate rather quickly.

This wouldn't bother most patrons, but soon enough, a man is thrown onto Thomas' table, knocking over drinks and his thick, half-eaten steak. All around him, the various factions of mercenaries continue brawling.

When Thomas looks down at his wet hands in the dim light of the tavern, shortly after having knocked a man unconscious and having thrown him at the door, he realizes there's blood on them. Enough blood to suggest someone's been stabbed.

[Thomas]

First things first. Thomas looks down to be sure it wasn't him that was stabbed. Adrenaline can make a man's nerves do funny things. Then, he gets his back to a wall and looks around for someone with a bladed weapon. His own hands are empty, though a heavy knife hangs at his belt and another lines the inside of his right boot.

With his Imperial training, he immediately notes the position of every door into the room and whether there's anyone standing on the stairs. The nearest exit (also the nearest point of entry) is the kitchen door sixteen feet away, but beyond several brawlers. He also notes the position of the overturned chair to his left and the fire irons eight feet away to his right if he needs makeshift weapons. But mostly, his eyes scan the crowd, watching their hands.

If he doesn't spot a weapon, he'll kneel down to check on the unconscious guy at his feet.

[Nihilistic Mind]

Thomas isn't hit, he just picked up the unfortunate victim and threw him a few feet across the room.

The search begins immediately. Thomas catches the gleam in the eyes of the killer as he turns around to look at his fallen prey from across the room. A man with a black cloak and a small black hat.
The room has become a sea of brawlers and as Thomas has noticed the exit points of the tavern long ago, he knows where the exit closest to the suspicious man leads to: the back alley and service entrance, right past a pantry of some sort.

Thomas did not get a glimpse at the man's hands or if he had any weapon, but the look in his eyes revealed much of his intentions to him.

[Thomas]

Thomas frowns and quickly examines the injured man. Does he have a pulse? If so, Thomas will attempt to give him first aid. If not, he will pursue the man in black. Part of his mind considers the remote possibility that this is actually a ruse to lead him into a trap, and so he will seize up a makeshift weapon on the way out: a broken chair leg. He won't stop by the door, but will barrel across the alleyway in case someone is standing waiting for him.

Then he'll pursue the man in black, hoping to tail him into some darkened space where Thomas can take him quietly.

[Nihilistic Mind]

The man is dead, and most people brawling have not noticed.

The alley is dark, as Thomas expected, but he realizes quickly that there is no trap. Only a killer fleeing. The man is fast and he must know this part of town well. He may not have counted on Thomas being there after all, or may not have known how familiar Thomas is with this neighborhood too.

The chase begins, and the killer draws Thomas into smaller and smaller streets, smelling more like the dock district. A good opportunity presents itself to throw the broken chair leg and either stall him, or knock him out altogether, as he crosses one of the wide, brightly lit streets of the neighborhood.

[Thomas]

Thomas is a prince of the city, and doesn't need to hide his work from anyone. But he's less interested in legal consequences than in finding out the truth behind the murder. Why kill a man in a bar brawl when he could easily be waylaid on the way home? It doesn't smell like either casual murder or a simple act of revenge.

Either way, Thomas prefers to take down the man in black in private where some questions may be asked without the benefit of onlookers. He doesn't throw the club, but neither does he conceal it. He simply pursues the man into the shadows.

[Nihilistic Mind]

The man passes through the street and into another alleyway, where the sound of his footsteps stop.

Thomas can hear them. Four of them, and the killer. It is nearly pitch black here. A fine spot, but an expected ambush, as far as Thomas is concerned.

[Thomas]

Damn. Thomas comes up short at the end of the alley and puts his back to the wall, just outside its entrance. He opens his mind to the thoughts of others, trying with his psionic senses to determine the thoughts and possibly the positions of the men in the alley.

[Nihilistic Mind]

Thomas is able to locate at least three of them and it seems that the killer himself is slipping away quietly, past the first three. They are easier to sense because of their obvious intent, which, should they have their way, would come at the detriment of Thomas' ability to breathe and walk around, among other things.

The alley is shaped a bit like a funnel, with Thomas at the narrow end. Broken down crates, small garbage piles and small wooden boxes litter the corners and walls.

In his mind, Thomas can almost see the three men approaching. One with a dagger, the other two with tools akin to small clubs. They are about ten to twelve feet away, and probably would have seen his silhouette against the faint glow of the streets somewhere behind him, if he had not moved to the wall immediately. Thusly positioned, he could potentially trip the first two that came at him. The two armed with clubs.

As for the fourth would-be ambusher, he is either doing a fine job of closing his mind, or he is leaving quietly with the killer.

[Thomas]

"This is taking too long," thinks Michael, as he prepares to do something rash.

This is an ambush. That means the purpose of the murder was very likely to lure him here. These thugs probably know nothing, but perhaps the fourth man does.

Michael moves to trip the first two men who come through the alley, using their confusion to stomp on one of the downed men if he can. He curses himself for leaving home without a better weapon than a dagger and having acquired nothing better than a chair leg.

[Nihilistic Mind]

He trips the first two men easily, using his psionic abilities to anticipate their movements as necessary. The third man is upon him in an instant, thrusting his dagger forward where Thomas had been, stabbing through his coat sleeve and slashing through.

The killer and the fourth man can be heard running again, their footsteps leaving.

Thomas also hears what sounds like whispers or strong thoughts on the roofs above, and the quiet twang of a crossbow being loaded.

[Thomas]

Okay, this has just shifted from trying to move fast enough to catch the quarry to confirming that he -is- the quarry. But Thomas has no intention of running just yet.

He feints left and then, when the man with the knife takes the bait and lunges, Thomas steps inside his guard and grabs the man, whirling him to the side to interpose his body as a shield against the incoming crossbow bolt. Once that strikes home he drops the dead weight and looks for a rain gutter or a stack of crates he can climb to the roof.

Thomas figures that those on the roof expect him to die or to run. If he can come at them fast enough, he may be able to surprise them into panicking.

[Thomas]

Hello?