Solo Riotous Ruby's

[Alric Lysane]

42nd Winter - Ruby's Scarlet Sanctum “Really Alric darling, you spend all of your time rejecting my girls. Then you throw your sword in a scabbard from too rough around the edges. If my girls knew you’d have broken their hearts” “I told you already Ruby, she didn’t share my bed, she slept in it bec-“ “Ah! A confession of laying with the enemy, for shame my dear Alric, for shame!” “No, not like that! We were building the sandbag walls to protect the Sanctum from the floods. She was followed by a group of men – Dust dealers. She was captured, stuffed with drugs. I saved her and she slept it off in my bed” “Aha” “Alone” There was a silence for a while afterwards and he had noticed that the sword that had been present at the beginning had long since vanished, as had some of the guards. Ruby was smiling at him, not like last time as if wanting to bite his head off, instead it was one of amusement…and something else he couldn’t quite place. Either way he had started the meeting tense and concerned but now, as they had sparred back and forth, he was more relaxed and felt sure he wasn’t about to suffer – otherwise it’d have happened already. “Oh Alric, you are a delight,” Ruby clapped her hands, leaning back to look at him like a cat at a mouse, “you’ve changed. Last time you were so scared, it was almost pitiful to see. I’m glad I spared you, you’ve become quite the…strong…man. Perhaps I should see what strength you have myself?” “I am fairly sure I’d be a disappointment after…uh…all the experience you’ve had” “Oh, you never know. Most of the times it’s all routine. Special only comes along every so often” “I really don’t think that I co-“ “I could order you, I do so love giving orders. At some point you’ll have to show you’re more invested in us than you are in…butch guards at my…pitiful competit-“ “Alric! You need to come! Now!” “What’s going on Garth?” Ruby asked him with a touch of annoyance. “Bloody riot mistress. Come on!" “Go on Alric! Honestly!” With that he was up, his chair tumbling over with the speed at which he rose, turned and ran out of Ruby’s room. Even halfway down the corridor he could hear the screams of the Associates and the clattering of combat. There were no metallic sounds, weapons weren’t allowed in the Scarlet Sanctum, but as he made it into the central arena where the shows were presented he could see that the doors might not hold for long – several of Ruby’s guards were there, bracing the damned thing but there was a booming sound on the other side of it. “Garth! Where the petch are you?” “Here lad! Get ready, if we don’t get this room under control we’ll be petched when the door goes!” Garth appeared next to him, blood streaked across his face. “What started this?!” “Vantha” “We haven’t got any Vantha” “Tell the mob that!!” “Bloody petching syke” he hissed as he stepped forwards to begin the attempts at quelling the riot. The first attacker he stamped the back of their knee, collapsing it for an elbow to the back of the skull that crashed with a sickening thud as they fell to the floor. Another came to kick at him and he ducked, sweeping his leg through theirs and stamped upon their throat to bring an end to their rioting. There were still a good many that were fighting with the guards, the door still held for now but it would only be for so long. He hated the thoughts but if they didn’t get this under control quickly then there’d be no choice but lethal force.

[Alric Lysane]

“Garth! Get a few more by the door now!” he shouted the order, not caring that he technically wasn’t really supposed to order anyone around as he was the newest but he saw Garth make his way to help brace up the door further either way. He was just in time finishing it to duck under another punch, block a second and then wrap his arm around theirs. He punched the attacker in the nose, blood splattering over his face, before grabbing their wrist with his left hand, their shoulder with his right and pulling and twisting. They slammed into the floor shoulder first, but their head smacked down into the floor and they slumped, not to rise again for some time. He blocked a few more hits from a second, eventually blocking and grabbing their leg before doing the same to them, slamming them down sideways but adding a kick to their face this time, making sure they stayed down. “Alric! Not long now! Get your arse up here!” he heard Garth scream at him as the sounds of pulled weapons filled the room. He felt hands upon him though, wrapping around him as another came from the front and got a solid hit into his stomach. He tried to break free, but their grip was strong and locked in. Instead he lashed out with his feet, pushing the attacker at his front away to buy time. He jerked his head back, smashing the back of it into whoever’s face it was, twice, three times before they let go just in time for him to try to absorb another shot to his stomach and get sent back a step by a follow up cross to his cheek. He blocked another attack as he tried to shake the stars from his vision, shoving them back as he heard the grown behind him and spun around full force so smack a roundhouse into the jaw of the one who had previously held him, feeling the snap as the bone cracked. “Dirty…fighting…bastard” he panted, shaking his head further and turning to catch the second attacker’s arm, twisting it and locking it, pushing down upon his shoulder as he held his wrist to control them. A series of knees to their stomach left them falling to their knees before he kicked the back of their head to knock them out. He wiped the sweat from his brow, looking around and seeing smaller scuffles still underway in the corners of the room but most of them seemed to be under control, if not yet won by the guards. Alric and Garth had managed to clear a good portion of the main stage area, but the door was beginning to splinter, crack and bend inwards. He sighed, panted in a good, few ragged breaths to restore his oxygen and paced towards Garth and five others who were manning the door. They had all pulled weapons, the idea of taking down the mod quietly and without death clearly having been scared out of them. He wasn’t sure he blamed them if he were honest. “Good work lad, we’ll need you for this. Don’t know what happened to the two on the door but this lot want blood. Bastards didn’t get any of the Associates, so Ruby’ll be happy about that but this damned door ain’t holding long” “We’re killing them?” he asked with panted words. “Hope not but I think Ruby would rather keep her precious Sanctum and suffer the bad reputation for a season. Looks like half the city is like this anyway from what they was shouting before this rabble arrived” “Fine. Who’s got the back door?” "Back door?" Garth's tone went from confused to fearful as his face shifted to tell Alric no one had thought of that, at least no one present.

[Alric Lysane]

“Don’t tell me no one’s watching the damned thing!” Arlic snapped to the sound of further splintering of the front door. “No one uses it but us!” Garth said with a hint of desperation. “And no one ever riots here either! Gods…damn my eyes! Listen, you help finish the rest of these inside here, gives you an extra few men” “Why, where’re you going?” “Where do you think?!” he said sharply, turning around and making for the corridor once more. Near the entrance to it there was a little brawl going on, two guards and three rioters, and he dove in with ferocity from the first strike. Elbow snapped into the back of one’s head as one guard grabbed another for a good kick to their stomach. The other guard rolled upon the floor with the third rioter and they were battering at each other mercilessly, but randomly. Alric ignored the rolling ones and focused upon the other two, sending several hooks into the held one’s ribs for them to slump down and get a knee to the face from the guard. It was short work then, outnumbering the rioters and they subdued them quickly, leaving them burbling and bleeding upon the wooden floor. He paused to pull some of their valuables from them, pocketing them as the other guards followed suit, before making sure any weapons were thrown into a distant, empty corner of the room. He had a feeling that they would be stripped for damages payments anyway so he reasoned he't get a cut at least. “Come with me, no one’s at the damned back door!” he said to the two guards and they made their wat down the corridors. As they came up to Ruby’s room, he sent the two on and peered in, finding there to be three of the more armed guards in there with Ruby and some of the Associates but not all of them. He wiped sweat from his brow and drew in deep breaths and he heard the front door crack further, knowing it wouldn’t be long. He stepped into the room and eyed the guards, wondering why they weren’t involving themselves in the fight but knowing enough not to question Ruby’s orders. “Alric, you look terrible, what’s the situation?” Ruby asked, not betraying any fear if she had any. “Performance area and front cleared but the front door won’t hold for long. Not sure how many outside but Garth said the Associates got inside in time. Not sure about the doormen” “Pity, new help is so annoying to train up. Well why are you here, shouldn’t you be at the door?” “Heading to the back door just in case, I’d bar your office or get somewhere else. Might not be safe” he told her, to which Ruby laughed and patted his shoulder. “Nonsense, we’ve got the best protection money can buy Alric, you won’t disappoint me. Will you?” His jaw opened and closed for a few ticks before he shut it, wondered if she were sane and closed the door in his way out as he shook his head. At least he heard heavy wooden bars being scraped across its interior as he made his way further down the corridor, towards the back door. He heard scuffling already and was happy to see the at least a couple of other guards had had the same idea and were there, clubbing away at any intruders. The door was smashed open already but thankfully it seemed not many of the rioters had known about it otherwise they’d have been overwhelmed. He pulled his dagger from his boot and rammed it into the back of one of the rioters who had a guard pinned against the wall, clawing at their face. “Th-Thanks” the now rescued guard panted at him as he rubbed the blood from his face.

[Alric Lysane]

He put his foot on the corpse, using the leverage to yank out his dagger, wiping it clean upon its back before slipping it back into his boot. The last of the rioters were being subdued and there seemed to be none coming through the door that they could see. He pointed to the door and the barrels and crates nearby, not sure what was in them but knowing that they were still some sort of barrier in place of the now destroyed door. He was too late, however, as another group of five surged through and launched themselves at them. Alric had been busy dragging the bodies into a corner, neatly pocketing pouches and other smaller items for compensation for the Sanctum’s woes and one of them broke through the others to jump atop him. Rolling around, elbows and knees accompanied by headbutts and pretty much anything that stopped him getting killed he managed to free his dagger again and stabbed into the torso repeatedly, ultimately losing his dagger as it stuck in and getting sprays of blood over himself. Rolling away and pushing the slumped body away from him he pushed himself to his feet in time to see another one lashing out. Ducking under the wild punch he got a god hook or two into the ribs before jumping back and out of reach, wiping blood and sweat from his brow. As they came for him again he kicked out at the side of their knee as hard as he could, sending it buckling inwards, following it up with a kick from the other side to their ribs, the last kick a push kick to send them backwards to smack their head into the wall. Pulling his broadsword out he hacked at the back of another that had a guard pinned until they stilled and there were only two left. “Enough!” he shouted, pointing the tip of his sword at them both as they all froze at his shout, “get the petch out of here or end up like them. You’re outnumbered and I don’t care anymore if you stay alive so petch off!” he told them in a cold, hard tone as he glared at them. They glanced at each other and he drew in a deep breath, expecting them to attack still but they surprised him, and they ran for it. “Get that damned door covered now! You all alright? There’s four of you, should be alright if you get the door blocked. Just prop it with whatever we have, body brace if you need. I got to get back to the front, it was breaking as I left” “Sure you should be going, you look pretty battered already” “No choice, I’m not losing my job for a stupid petching riot and they won't let us out without getting ripped to pieces for some reason” he muttered darkly, spitting a bit of blood to the floor, finding and retrieving his dagger once more before shuffling down the corridor he had come from. He was slower this time, aching and bruised from various impacts and cuts. HE hated that he was starting to get used to killing, he could remember a time he had never really killed anyone but this season had ruined that for him, had started to turn him into things he had never thought he’d ever be. He wasn’t sure anymore whether he was entirely himself, he had changed so much. With a sigh he pushed such thoughts to the back of his skull and shuffled onwards, broadsword in hand.

[Alric Lysane]

As he made his way into the main performance area, he saw that the front door was wrenched open and buckled inwards, or at least half of it was. Whoever had been on the other side seemed to have stopped surging through but there were still a few pitched battles between guards and rioters. There were a lot of bodies upon the floor but not as many as he had feared, and a lot of them seemed to be alive if regretting it as they rolled back and forth with various injuries. Shuffling forwards his eyes widened as his periphery caught some movement and he barely managed to lean and duck out of the way of a flash past his head. Without thinking his hacked out with his broadsword, edge not quite aligned due to surprise but still sinking into flesh and then sliding through it as he moved his hand back and sliced with the blade. There was a scream and he realised he had gouged deeply into an arm. He hacked once more, his blade getting stuck this time, but the attacker was finished even as they fell, and his weapon as wrenched from his hand. It was then that he saw Garth signal to him from across the room and things went a but wrong for him. He saw the first punch coming and ducked under it, lashing out with a jab and cross in retaliation but he stumbled and slipped upon blood as he tried for it and they lost their force. Falling backwards he got a rain of blows before he slammed intot he floor, curling up enough to protect himself as much as he could. Whoever it was jumped atop him and they were rolling, and he was losing as his energy and his pains went further towards the wrong ratio. He headbutted, pulled his dagger and stabbed. That took care of one but then a second was upon him, arm raised to finish him. He could do nothing but stare as he was about to meet his end, confusion coming when he didn’t end and something metallic appeared out of the front of the attacker’s chest/ He felt warm blood spray across his face and just before he slumped back into unconsciousness he saw Garth and another guard look down upon him before turning to face whatever it was that came next. ************* “Ah, there you are” the voice was familiar and it took his mind a few moments to work out it was Nessilie, the imperious tone quite memorable. It took him further time to realise that he was somewhere soft, some kind of mattress he came to know as he blinked and pain returned, along with full consciousness and a series of groans. He tried to push himself up but he was firmly pushed back down. She was doing something to him but he was numbed enough not to feel much of it. “Where am I?” “My room” “What? You’d never let me in here…too human for you” he laughed and then regretted it as he felt his ribs ache and complain at him. “Well, that depends upon whether you believe I am grateful for helping to save this place. Or whether Ruby ordered it. Stay still, I’m stitching your cuts, there are less of them than the bruises but I don’t want to waste my time by you pulling them out” “Wait…where are my clothes?” “Gone, good thing you were wearing your ragged ones today. Had to cut them off to see if you had any more injuries. Ruby was very specific that you were thoroughly looked after” Nessilie actually seemed to smile slightly at that, she usually only did that when she was joking at his expense he knew. “Had to?” he asked, suspicious of her smile. “Yes…well Garth made sure that not too many of the girls got a look or feel. It’s probably the only time they’ll get the chance and the Sanctum is closed so…they’re bored. As usual the superior race gets the goods” “Superiority complex spider” “Dumb human” He snorted and then lay still, letting her work and knowing better than to stop someone trying to heal him as best they could. As sensation returned fully, along with smell, he knew that she had used some sort of alcohol upon his cuts. That was good, they would be clean and heal quicker. He only had a few, mostly upon his arms he realised, but his body ached from the fighting all the same. He checked his teeth and didn’t think any were missing though his jaw ached terribly. His ribs hurt to the touch, but he didn’t seem to have much trouble breathing. His brow was swollen, though, and covered some of his vision. His lip was split and stung every time his tongue probed it, something he couldn’t stop himself from doing apparently. “You are lucky, you know how to fight. Some of the guards were not so lucky” “Not good enough, Garth was the one who saved me” “Might not have been there to save you had you net been there to be sensible. Ruby didn’t admit it to me but she favours you more now. I’ve studied her a long time now, she doesn’t speak highly of many” “Least I’m not fired then” “I’m not sure that would be wise even if you were to blame for anything, which you are not. Humans aren’t so powerful as to be responsible for everything, though you stupidly seem to try to be” “Well, in that case, if it’s all the same to you I’m going to steal your bed for a while” “Not my worst customer, though you are still ugly” Alric snorted and closed his eyes, eventually darkness taking him as he was patched up.

[Alric Lysane]

Your Grades Alric Lysane Skills Brawling – 3 Endurance – 2 Interrogation – 2 Intimidation – 1 Larceny – 2 Leadership – 3 Observation – 3 Running – 1 Socialization – 3 Weapon: Broadsword – 2 Weapon: Dagger – 3 Weapon: Unarmed – 5 Lores Garth: Save Alric’s Life Nessilie: Patched Alric Up Nessilie: Sweeter Then Suggested Ruby: Appreciative of Alric Ruby: Likes To Toy With Alric Scarlet Sanctum: Layout