Latest revision as of 17:21, 5 August 2014

Participants

• Flora
• Jera
• Samira
• Sveta

Date

5/8/477

Log

Among them, a female genet of the graceful clan, sobbing uncontrollably. Currently, she's being consoled by a male oyan of the water clan... Finally, there is a male marten, belonging to the clever folk, and clearly trying to hide his distraughtness. And failing, of course. After the usual daily inspections of the production lines, Sveta is out on a cursory inspection of the Square, trying to review the most promising properties for renovation - or at least, ostensibly so. Still, the chance to stretch her legs vanishes into the aether with her chancing upon the scene, and the goshawk strides up to the small group, still in her uniform. "What's going on here?" she asks, matter-of-factly, doing her best to keep her voice level and even. Samira wanders forth from the entrance to Longtail manor, clothed in garb far more normal for the residents of Firmament than the Shralestan outfits she's been wearing recently. Her intent was, as it normally is at this time of morning, to head out into the market and watch them set up all the stalls and see if she can find some interesting articles of jewelry to learn from. Alas, it looks like that'll have to wait. Seeing the look of concern and distress on the beings faces she hurries over, eyes widening a little. "Is everything okay here?" she squeaks to the marten, glancing left and right all the while. Cedric just happened to have been in the area, taking a walk through the district while going about his daily business, apparently not too bothered by the slight rainfall so common to the area. Upon hearing the ruckus, and noticing the gathering crowd, the badger made his way through the crowd to see what all the commotion is about. Hopefully not another murder... he'd had a habit of running into those, recently... Jera has decided to buy a pen! ... Or not, considering the state of affairs. "Uhm..." He looks around, visibly confused. "This a bad time?" The genet simply continues sniffling, even as she looks up at Sveta, whimpering lightly. Meanwhile, the marten mutters something. "D-d-dame Longtail... I... They came out of nowhere... Couldn't do anything," he mutters as he loses his grip on his emotions, while the genet seems to have a minor breakdown in the arms of the oyan, whimpering and muttering, until she finally speaks a few words between sobs.

"They... They took Ayla. S-said blood would f-flow if we came after them..." Sveta contemplates the scene for the whole of three seconds, green eyes roving over the cobblestones, to the bloodstains, then the trail. The lower half of her beak grinds against the upper in the most disconcerting fashion, and she fiddles with her soul gems.

"Rudy. Vienna. Eric. Head back to the manor now and sound the alarm. No one is to go off by themselves. Inform the High Lady, and get everyone to follow the discussed emergency protocols. Samira, you're with me." She hesitates a moment at the other newcomers, unsure whether to accept them into what clearly is private business. Looking worriedly between the beings present, Samira moves a little closer to help the oyan up. A little too distracted with trying to help, she's forced to speak up. "They said what? Emergency protocols?" Her voice raises a little with each word. "Did someone mention b- blood?" A few more nervous glances around the square follow, especially at the newcomers. Then again... she'd seen most of them around before. And wasn't it the Longtails Flora was always warning her about? This was just a badger and a fox! Cedric scans the area quickly as he brushes past the beings in the crowd, looking for anything out of the ordinary as he approaches the scene of the crime not far behind the other freeswords. Echoing the same question as the other two, he asks, "What happened here, exactly?" He raises an eyebrow as he asks the question, glancing around. He wonders if this could be something to do with the rogue members of the Longtail family he'd heard about, from time to time. "I've been around a crime scene or two, I might be of some assistance." he adds as he folds his arms across his chest, flicking a rounded ear. Jera folds his hands across his chest, looking at Sveta's hesitation and looking unimpressed. "Well, we've seen it. I understand you want to keep matters in-house and I know you'll hate me for saying it but if you push us out the gates we are obligated categorically. /Categorically/, to report matters to the guard post and higher authorities. And we all don't want that." He adds more flair and drama to his words than necessary, but he is caught in awkward either way, deciding to push rather than to pull out. "T-two panthers, one cheetah. Jumped out of nowhere, g-grabbed Ayla and h-held a knife to her t-t-throat," the genet female whimpers out, ears folded back before she buries her muzzle into the oyan's chest. "B-bring her back safely, p-please, D-dame Longtail," the marten squeaks out, before nodding and muttering to himself, before nodding and ushering the other two towards the manor-gates as they scramble into the building...

Soon enough, the four beings are left alone in the square, to figure out what exactly happened. Samira watches the marten go, swishing her tail around nervously. This just gets worse and worse... now she's going to get dragged off to hunt for the attackers! Plus her bodyguard was nowhere to be found, so she'd have to rely on Sveta for protection. Not exactly comforting, given she's never seen anyone here fight before. As such she stays close to the goshawk, peering around her at Jera. "Why wouldn't we talk to the authorities?" she squeaks quietly, looking up at Sveta questioningly. Sveta gives the retreating figures of the employees a long, hard stare, as if trying to figure out something that's amiss. The chance for action is lost, though, as they disappear into the manor. Maybe there's something there that ought to be followed up later in private, but for now, the safety of others is paramount. The goshawk looks between Cedric and Jera, trying to make up her mind. "...All right. The High Lady would want to have as many hands helping as possible, although there's no guarantee that she won't make you sign anything strange after the fact. Well, you've heard what my subordinates have had to say - I'm afraid you know as much as I do. We've been expecting this sort of thing for some time now from the ugly side of the house, but one can't plan for every contingency. Of course, I'm personally thinking that whoever took Ayla away will have plans of their own if anyone follows...any suggestions, before we move?

"I don't think we wouldn't talk to the authorities, Samira. But the High Lady tends to be finicky about such things. Forget it. If she quibbles, it's on me." Cedric watches the marten closely as he leaves with the others, scratching his cheek thoughtfully, giving a quiet 'Hmm...' to himself before turning towards the other three again, nodding as Sveta speaks. "I don't personally mind signing whatever, so long as we can retrieve the innocent being safely." he says, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Of course, yes, I've heard as much from Flora herself, and others." he says, pausing for a moment after the fact. "Trace has said they struck at some sort of opera? That's about the last I've heard of it, though." the badger adds.

"No... getting the guard involved wouldn't be a great idea, given the threat of blood. The city guard tends to be... more blunt about these things, to put it kindly. No, whatever we do should be swift and in such a way so to not alert the kidnappers..." Jera gives Sveta a small smile as the avian agrees, and then just listens in quietly for now, deciding he needs a little more context first. Still, the blood-trail leads into the alley, where it... Abruptly ends after a few meters in... It just stops there, no sign of anyone or anything.

Finally, muffled sounds come from various directions as the alley splits in three different paths, each seemingly containing the being the three are looking for... Samira stands well back, merely looking in rather than being the first to investigate. "I... I guess so. I wouldn't exactly call myself swift though, sh- should I head back and tend to the others?" she squeaks, taking a tentative step towards the manor. "I don't think I'd be much help though... I can't do that much magic and I can't fight." She seems to be having trouble staying still, shifting her weight from foot to foot with her tail swaying lightly in the breeze. Sveta stops in the junction of the three alleyways, examining some of the dark brown spots on the ground. "Older blood...or maybe not. Hard to tell. First one would be my guess, though. And each of the cries are different, distinct. Three different voices. I guess I should have paid more attention while speaking to the employees. Other than that...there's not much to go on. Do you hear it? " She shakes her head, and stands. "Can't be of much help, I'm afraid. They do good work...but that's only to be expected." At last, she seems to notice Samira's nervous fit. "No one goes alone," is the goshawk's simple and matter-of-fact answer to that. Cedric nods a little and follows towards the alley junction, taking a look for himself at each of the different paths and searching for any other clues that might not be immediately noticed. "The first path here?" the badger asks, giving it a thorough inspection as he scratches his chin. "Might as well get to it. Not much time to waste standing around." he frowns. "We go in pairs, then. Split our chances. Meet up later." Jera frowns at leaving one of the paths unattended, but decides for safety that he's going to follow Cedric's route anyway. He draws his sword and then keeps it at the ready, still combat ready and intimidating enough in his half-armored getup. He takes the path the badger pointed out at a run. Soon enough, Jera finds, well... A tied up, gagged, and clearly mistreated being, wearing a LongTech industries uniform. A young-looking possum to be precise, male, with his clan-marks ripped from his clothing. Violently, by the looks of things.

Furthermore, the being has been bleeding, although it's stopped by now, and written, on the back of his outfit in what is most likely his own blood are the words 'There is only one true house Longtail' "OY!" Jera hollers back in the direction he came from, clanging his sword against his vambrace to make noise in case his shout didn't go through. "Got one of your employees here! He needs help!" He kneels after to check if the possum is still breathing. Samira was still standing just outside the alleyway and fidgeting when she hears the shout, running forward to stand next to Sveta at the intersection. A quick shuffle to the side ensures she's not standing in any blood before she scans the alley, trying to make out what's going on down there. After making sure it's actually the fox calling she takes a few nervous steps in, hoping that the Longtails have already cleared off. Sensing Samira's edginess, Sveta comfortably steps in front of the skunk, making a beeline straight for Jera and the injured being. Sure, the fellow looks injured enough, but there's one problem, and her steps slow a good distance away from Jera.

"Vienna mentioned that Ayla was taken. Unless someone's found a fleshcrafter in a jiffy, that's not her, and I don't remember anyone else who was supposed to be a victim. Something's off here." Without much hesitation, the badger follows behind the others at a brisk pace, the tied up being coming into view as he makes his way through the alley. "Something is definitely off. And that marten was acting a bit strange, though it seemed to be that he was worried..." Cedric says, pondering the situation. Indeed, this possum does not appear to be Ayla, although he's whimpering and pleading to be untied. He's definitely wearing the LongTech Industries uniform, that of a store-clerk specifically. All in all, he doesn't seem too hurt, although he does look rather parched and quite a bit worse for wear. Seems he's been here for a while, and yesterday's rain can't have helped any, if he was out for as long as it seems...

Still, the sounds come from different alleys as well, some a little louder than others... At least three more scattered around the area. Samira follows quickly after Sveta, peeking behind them every so often. The dark alley leaves her feeling very uncomfortable, although the face that Sveta got out of the last encounter unharmed helps a tad. Once they reach the possum she bends down, fiddling with his bonds and glancing up at Sveta. She seems to be having a little trouble with the thick rope, but will probably get there eventually. "Can we go soon? I don't like it here..." she whines, her fur standing a little on end. "All in good time." Sveta looks the possum up and down, then kneels by his side. "All right, I'm pretty sure you're with us. Don't worry, we'll get you off to safety. Samira, I'm quite sure you have some water on you. Now, if you can still speak - don't strain yourself in doing so - you were supposed to have been sick yesterday. What can you remember?" Cedric just watches for now, not having very much to do in this situation except look around for any helpful new information. He walks past the bound being to the other end of the alley in doing so, not straying too far from the others. "So, do you know his name?" Jera asks the futile question, still looking concerned. Once the offer of drinks is made, the being quickly grasps the proffered water-skin, still whimpering, clearly in pain and discomfort... He wasn't exactly tied up comfortably, and considering the gash on his arm and the streaked, red text on his back, well... It's all quite understandable... "I-I... I w-was walking h-home with K-K-Karin, d-dame L-Longtail... T-then they hit me from behind, and I-I don't remember a lot, other than Karin screaming, hisses and purring," he mutters with a coarse voice and tears in his eyes... "Is... Is Karin okay?" Cedric soon encounters another split in the alley, which, if he followed it, would lead him out of sight. Samira willingly offers the poor thing her water-skin, letting him drink while she focuses on the bonds further down. Before long he's completely untied, although the red lettering on his back leaves her paws shaking ever so slightly. Inching back a little she whines up at Sveta, "Please... he'll be safer if we can carry him out of here." Whether her complaint is genuine concern or just the result of fear and anxiety is unclear, but she certainly isn't keen on looking at the possum's wounds for much longer. Instead she just turns to watch the alley back towards the manor, fidgeting nervously. "Karin didn't turn up today, Stephen," Sveta says to the possum, giving him one last check-over to make sure that it's safe to get him upright, either walking supported or in a fireman's carry, if necessary. "Some questions will need to be asked all around when we get back. Samira, there's still more to be done. We still need to investigate the other alleyways. Although together does it - no one wander off, please." Glancing between the branching split paths at the other end of the alley, the badger stops to listen and look carefully, noticing a few things. "There seem to be more beings further down here... in both directions." he says, looking over his shoulder towards the others. He's sure it's probably not a great idea to leave the possum where he is or wander off by himself, he agrees. "Right, of course." "Do you want me to lead the way then? After all, I think I'm the only one dressed in heavy armor. I can take a few hits, even if this getup is more aimed for cosmetics." The kit fox narrows his eyes towards the alleyway, keeping watch on the way they came in case they were to be pincered.

After a few hesitant wobbles, Stephen is standing, supporting himself on Samira's shoulder hesitantly, tail low and his muzzle contorted into a cringe, before he limps wherever the skunkette will lead him.

"O-oh d-dear," Stephen squeaks after a while, clearly none too pleased with the fact Karin appears to have vanished as well. "W-w-we s-should f-find her." Samira doesn't seem to happy about the position she's stuck in, her rather weak body supporting Stephen's as she takes slow steps back towards the manor. She's forced to hold him a bit oddly as she's wary of touching any of the wounds on his body, lest she hurt him more by mistake. "Don't worry sir, I'm sure we'll find her soon..." she tries to churr comfortingly. The manor seems like the best place to take him, especially since no one seems all too keen on alerting anyone outside of the company. Sveta gives Jera a nod. "Take point if you like. I'll back you up." She twists her head this way and that. "Samira...I'd rather you stay here with us until we can be sure no one will jump you on your way back. But if you're sure...well, I'll leave the call up to you, but I'd appreciate it if you kept Stephen on his feet. I still have a bad feeling about this whole thing." "I'll stay behind with her just in case." Cedric says, walking back over towards Samira to help support the weight of the possum carefully. Jera swings his sword and takes a deep breath to get ready, and then leads the way back slowly, trying to watch for trouble the best he can and making sure the group stays together. Soon enough, Stephen is mostly supported by Cedric, and he limps along with him towards the other alley, where they find a female triok, clearly in a similar predicament, although with far less scars from whoever took her... Even so, a similar message is painted on her back, stating 'The False High Lady Has No Right'

Finally, if and when Stephen arrives, he squeaks out in horror. "K-K-Karin..." Samira has a bit of a better time with Cedric helping, although it does little to lighten her already dismal mood, the normally bubbly skunkette's tail hanging low as she walks. The next sight elicits a little squeak from her, glancing past the possum at Cedric to make sure he's still moving before she advances towards the rear of the group. "Sh- Should I carry her?" she churrs. "And another one. I thought that everyone was supposed to move together with security personnel...but then again, we can't have eyes everywhere. At least she doesn't look too beat-up. Can you stand?"

A whisper to Samira. "Later, once we're back at the manor, go ahead and tell security to ask Miss Karin to hang around for a little questioning. Something's not quite right about her." Cedric looks to Samira, still supporting most of Stephen's weight himself as they follow the others, and nods quickly. "If she needs help, yes. I should be able to manage with this one." he says to the skunk, before taking a look at the towards the new being. "The more people we escort...the more likely we are to get ambushed. If half your staff is here..." Jera frowns, getting very uneasy about the situation. He is still unsaddled with people though, looking back to see if they are ready to move on. "I-I c-can," Karin whimpers softly, before she stands up, hesitantly, letting out a squeak as Stephen shambles forward and pulls her into a tight hug... Of course, there are still at least two more to rescue... Two more whimpering sounds stood out before... One more from the opposite side, and one more earlier on in the alley... Samira still supports the two gently, should they need any assistance for the moment. "I- If I may... we can't carry these two around. Should two of us head back to the mansion, or..." she ponders for a moment. If only one person had to support them back, either Sveta or the fox could help guard them. Sveta nods. "If need be. Jera and I are capable of handling yourselves, and I'm sure Cedric can take care of the situation. And remember what I said." Cedric nods as well, "Yeah, I can certainly handle myself as well, should it come to that." he says, frowning as he looks amongst the others. "And supporting a being or two is no problem for me." "I'll bring them back with the skunk. She doesn't look like she can fight. You two can trudge on ahead first. And if we find anyone behind us we'll bring them back to the manor too." Jera proposes. "I-I can walk," Karin mutters after moving away from a somewhat confused-looking Stephen, before she carefully supports the other, both of them limping, but still stable.

Meanwhile, the sounds from the other end of the alley become a little louder, and it's clear that the other being is somewhere nearby as well. Samira begins to tread back with Karin and Stephen, keeping a bit of a wary eye on them. The reassurance of having Jera with her helped a bit, as did the fact that they already had half of the people and hadn't encountered the Longtails. If they happen to need any supporting, she'd provide to ensure that Jera could continue looking out for them. Sveta nods and looks out over the remaining alleyways before turning to Cedric. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, then. Come on, let's take a look at what's left - but on guard, as always." "Of course." Cedric responds, after watching the others head off in the other direction before setting forth cautiously to search further, glancing around again. There's still something bothering him about the whole thing... "Help me keep a look out, alright? Especially behind. I can't exactly turn very fast supporting two people." Jera murmurs, clearly straining a bit. Poor guy isn't too well built, even if he is decently strong. "I hope the other two will be alright." As Karin and Stephen are offered to rest a little on Jera's shoulder, the two quickly accept, allowing a little weight to be lifted off of their own feet. "If... If you need to turn, just let... Let us know... I can support Stephen for a while," Karin mutters, looking up at Jera timidly, before looking back to Samira curiously.

With Sveta and Cedric, things are going quite alright, even if the buildings around Longtail square - particularly those that are found deeper in the alleyways -are in various states of disrepair, and the buildings creak rather dangerously around them every now and then...

Until finally... The facade of one of the houses comes crashing down, separating bird and badger from one-another. As the debris of the fallen wall begins to clear, Sveta picks herself up from the cobblestones where she'd thrown herself once the wall began to crumble. Bits of old masonry and plaster drift down in the aftermath, and the goshawk picks herself to her feet, dusting herself off carefully. A few painful scrapes here and there and a small gash, but thankfully nothing that can't be borne by sheer bloody-mindedness.

"Cedric?" There's a moment of silence, and then thankfully, a response from the other side of the debris. Still, it means she's separated from Cedric, and getting through or even over the rubble in the confines of the alleyway is going to be quite troublesome. Best to push on. Samira lets out a high pitched squeak as a loud noise startles her! Quickly she moves a little closer to Jera. "Wh- What was that?" she churrs, keeping her back to Jera's as she glances around nervously. "I could take these two back if you need to check that out..." she says, doing her best to fight against the fear and panic welling up inside her. "I don't think there's anything I can do to help the pair if...if what I think happened just happened." Jera murmurs lowly, mumbling a soft prayer as he notices Samira start to get nervous. He reaches around to give the skunk's paw a light squeeze for a brief moment. "We're reaching the Manor. You can call guards and the like again, yes? While we go back to check." "I'm fine, I'm fine! Just go on," Cedric calls out. "I'll find another way out of here!" his voice sounds towards Sveta, silenced by the rubble a fair deal, but still audible to the continuing goshawk, whom is homing in on the sound of another employee, tied up like her colleagues... She appears to be a female otter, water folk...

So far, she seems to be mostly okay, non-starved, nor overly thirsty. In fact, the blooded carvings in her hide appear to be rather fresh, as well...

As Samira and Jera reach the manor, the guards quickly take over, guiding Karin and Stephen inside. Suspecting something, Sveta doesn't approach the otter immediately. Although tied up and blindfolded, the goshawk doesn't recognise her immediately as an employee at this distance...and cautiously edges forward, back against one of the alleyway walls. The other two had been too easy... Samira squeezes Jera's hand in her own and nods solemnly. "Okay then..." Once the guards arrive, she hurries over to one of them and relays Sveta's message in the hopes that it'd be passed to the right people. In addition to this she, still stammering a little, asks if anyone can accompany her and Jera back. If anything has happened to Sveta and the badger then they may need the added help. "I really hope buildings didn't collapse. I don't know anything about Longtail affairs at all, but from what I saw. A family enemy, then?" Jera murmurs, turning to the guards. "Did you guys hear the loud rumbling from afar? I think, if you have the manpower to spare...you should probably send escorts to guard the route. There might be more injured employees." He gives his opinion, and whether it's heeded or not he already starts off on a sprint to retrace his steps, trying to head in Sveta's direction. Soon enough, the two hurt beings are taken into custody by the guards and guided to a secluded area for treatment of their injuries. Two guards are sent along with Samira and Jera, chasing after the fox.

Jera soon winds up blocked by the rubble of the previously collapsed building, obstructing the pathway towards Sveta, so far. Cedric is nowhere to be found, or heard, rather, as he is already trying to find his way through the building he's trapped in...

And meanwhile, the whimpering continues from the last alleyway available to Jera and Samira.

Sveta finds nothing out of the ordinary, at least so far, with the being still tied up, still whimpering and crying out for help... Well, nothing for it. Priorities, priorities. Take care of her first, then deal with getting out of here. Still keeping alert as she edges closer to the otter, Sveta moves to undo the gag first, followed by untying the poor being if circumstances allow. Samira doesn't have much else to do now save follow after the guards, the skunkette arriving looking a little worse for wear. All of this running was tiring her out quickly! Once she's caught up to Jera she glances around and squeaks, "Do you think there's anyone under the r- rubble?", fidgeting on the spot as she looks around for any sign of Sveta or Cedric. "I....I think you should stay put for a while, if you're this frightened. There might be more danger ahead. See if you hear any cries for help around." Jera murmurs, instructing Samira as he stares at the rubble that obstructed Sveta's path. "Shit. Don't think I can climb this either." He channels a focused blast of air to see if he can't clear a small path for him to walk through. Unfortunately, Jera can't clear the rubble, simply proving too much for the blasts of air, although the pile does have a little overhang right above Samira and Jera now... Still, that other cry for help sounds out from that last alley...

From Sveta's side of things, things are still relatively quiet, and the being is soon untied, whimpering lightly. "D-dame L-Longtail... I-it's a..."

"... A trap, yes... I think miss Kuznetsova has gathered that much, miss Ayla." Sveta scoffs. "After the wall? Too much of a coincidence for it to be anything else, yes. One of those moments when you know it's a trap, and can't help but walk in straight, nevertheless." She shrugs, and severs Ayla's bonds as best as she can with a quick slash of a spear-tip. Even if the otter can't do much, at least she can get out of the way to safety and not get caught up in any crossfire that might happen. "Very well. You've made your demands clear. You also know how the High Lady would respond, and I would follow her lead. Shall we finish what we started at the opera?" Jera growls, not willing to expend more energy blasting rubble. He just decides to head back and get help from the manor clearing the rubble. "Tsk. What would your -boyfriend- think?" the panther growls with clear venom at the mention, a sly smirk on his face. "Think we'd just be going after you, dear? Oh, and the girl? She can go. We're not heartless... We simply don't like -pretenders-" he spits, quite literally as he draws a pistol.

While Jera moves back along the alleyways, the whimpers and cries for help become louder, then die out again as the fox passes one of the alleyways... Should he go back?

The longtail smirks lightly, before drawing his gun level with Sveta. "No... That would be too easy," he snarls softly. "Look behind you, dear. You're surrounded," he rumbles with a smirk, before looking at Sveta again, with two Longtails taking position behind her, on the rooftops.

The trigger is pulled, and the bullet flies from the chamber... Sveta scowls, words lost as she whirls on instinct - she doesn't have her tower shield at the ready, but a buckler instead, but that's enough to stop the slug aimed at her shoulder, ricocheting off the metal base to sink into her leg instead. A faint animal gurgle emerges from the back of the goshawk's throat, her calf twisted as she shifts her weight off it - and lets loose a reddish-orange thunderbolt from her fingertip.

It doesn't quite strike the Longtail in question - a glancing blow, thanks to the sudden movement and pain - but the smell of singed fur rises through the air.

Samira whines quietly as she shifts her weight from foot to foot. "I don't want to get left here though!" she churrs, staying close to Jera. After a few moments consulting the rubble she speaks up, having heard a shout for help nearby! It's hard to tell exactly where it is, but the nearby alley might lead in the right direction. "Hey! I think we should head over there!" she squeaks, only to turn around and find Jera missing. She's about to grab the guards and ask them when a gunshot rings out nearby, setting her fur on end and sending her darting for cover behind one of the pair.

Jera shivers as he hears the gunshot...but his mission changes. He's seen Sveta on the ship before. He trusted her to hold her own. And then he listens to a place with the cry for help and starts digging through rubble the best he can.

Still, the sounds continue from the direction Jera is heading, beyond the rubble of the second collapsed house. This rubble appears to be more easily cleared, and soon enough, the final being comes into view. A husky in a similar predicament. Tied up, bound, and whimpering for help. Like the previous beings, they are clad in the LongTech Industries outfit as well.

Meanwhile, the guards Samira is hiding behind coughs a little, before setting to clear the rubble leading to Sveta again, with more fervor than ever.

Behind the rubble, Sveta's assailant pats a small flame on his clothes, smirking a little wryly, before holding up his arm. "This one is mine... For now," he snaps towards the other two, before grabbing another pistol and aiming at Sveta once more... "I can keep doing this for quite a while, miss Kuznetsova... Can you?"

Sveta finds it in herself to struggle upright, leaning on her spear. "I think I can. For long enough. It doesn't have to be long...but long enough." She closes her eyes, focuses through the pain, hopefully for long enough for the wall of fire and air to take form...

It might not be much, but given how focussed everyone else is on clearing the rubble Samira might as well try and help, however little magic she knows. First things first, she'll have to change her soul gem to one more fitting. Sitting on the ground out of the way of the guards she starts fiddling a little clumsily with the two gems. Perhaps it'd be more help if she just tried to move it by hand, although that'd put her in the way of the guards...

"You're as lucky as it gets." Jera rumbles softly, starting to get worried for Cedric. He unties the knots, cutting them if he fails that, sighing. "Can you help me keep digging?"

Another smirk, another grin, and the cat readies his pistol, holding it up towards Sveta. Even so, he's caught off-guard by the avian's fire-spell, forcing him to shield his eyes and causing his gun to go off before he's properly aimed it...

The husky-female is soon on her feet, although quite wobbly, and she nods a little meekly. "J-just l-lead the w-way," she mutters after a while, looking down the alley.

In the mean time, the guards continue making little progress, every piece of junk they remove causing another two to come hurling down the pile...

The slug of metal goes wide, tearing through the thick leather of her boots, having drawn considerable blood when it emerges. Still, at least it's missed hitting anything vital. "Pfff. 'Save this one for me'. That's...inefficient. Any right-thinking criminal should have just shot me on the spot and be done with it. Even the common thugs in the shanties understand that. Come on." Sveta bares her throat. "Shoot me. Right here."

Samira finishes the switch, stepping forwards to see what she can do! It takes a while for her to focus on the right magic for the job, her relative inexperiance doing little to aid in the task. Finally she manages to launch a few pieces of debris flying and she cheers... until a small chunk of wood starts falling towards Jera's head as he returns to the group. "Watch out!" she shouts, rushing towards him in case it actually collides.

Jera growls out as he's alerted, hearing the gunshot go off and deciding that the rubble could wait. He tumbles forward, shifting into dragon form meanwhile as the block lands mostly-harmlessly on his back and slides off, eliciting only a grunt from him. And then he takes flight, deciding to take the direct route to help Sveta out.

"You fail to see the bigger picture, miss Kuznetsova... You've already lost this battle... Not just here, but elsewhere as well. All we needed to do was stall you long enough," the feline rumbles with a sly smirk... "I figure the others are done with your boyfriend, by now," he rumbles with a soft snarl, as he steadies himself.

"now then... Do you want me to put you out of your misery?" he growls softly, tail flitting about as he steadies a third gun, aimed towards her... "I think I'd rather let you suffer for a while." He fires, and turns around, making his way off into the shadows. On his back, a round shield, keeping his vital organs safe...

Sveta grimaces as the last slug hits her in the shoulder. If not for the fact that her shield was strapped to her arm, it would've fallen to the ground, arm now hanging uselessly from its socket. "Damn. He didn't fall for it." The world seems to be wavering and slightly hazy, but the bloody-mindedness of her stock damn well makes up for quite a bit of that. "Come on, come back here!. I...ugh." She slumps, leaning against the shaft of her spear just as Jera arrives on the scene.

As Jera arrives, the Longtail has already faded off into the shadows and disappears, leaving Jera alone with the wounded avian.

One of the guard chuckles lightly, though clearly worriedly as the block of wood flies, before pushing Samira a little further back. "Probably best if we just dig normally, miss. Less chance of collateral damage, there, even if it takes longer."

Samira pouts cutely up at the guard but does nod, although it's clear she'd much rather be helping them somehow. Instead she searches for an low point in the rubble and, standing well back to avoid getting in the guard's way, jumps up and down to try and see over it. Her tail swishes through the air and generally distracts anyone looking her way, although that's unlikely with the guards hard at work. Alas, the little skunkette can't see anything. If only someone would give her a piggyback ride!

"What in the world happened here?" Jera grumbles, taking his bow from his back and then keeping looking around the area, his large tail curling into a raised arch for Sveta to hold onto if she needed to stand. Seeing nobody in the area, he kneels and then mumbles, "Let me fix that." softly, using an arrow on either side of Sveta's leg to help brace it so walking won't be so hard. "Who hurt you?"

By now, the assailants are long-gone, and the pile of rubble is slowly but surely shrinking down, finally, and after several painstaking minutes, allowing the beings to move through, one by one. Still, the guards continue digging, trying to make the pathway a little broader...

Sveta grunts in a most unladylike fashion as Jera helps splint her leg. "The bad side of Flora's family. Who else? Don't worry, I can stand. It's just a flesh woun-" she stumbles, wings flapping at the air for balance. "All right, it's still just a flesh wound, but I can't stand. Not very well. Would someone please help and poor young lady and bring her back to the manor AND find the High Lady Flora?"

Samira rushes through the gap shortly after Jera, occasionally stumbling over bits of debris as she moves. "I... don't think there's room for two people just yet!" she churrs, nudging a bit of wall with the tip of her shoe. "Ooh, I could get Flora though!" Just before she rushes off to the mansion she notices the girl. She should be fine here, right? After all, with Jera and Sveta... on second thought, it might be best if she brings her back while she's at it. "Can you walk? The passage is only big enough for two." she churrs inquisatively.

"One, in my case." Jera is much, /much/ larger than he normally is right now! "You'll need to help her on the way back to the manor. She got shot twice. I'm going to go see if I can find the Lady if she's around the town, think the manor is out of bounds anyway." He takes off.

Ayla has been whimpering helplessly from behind one of the piles of rubble, before finally standing up, hesitantly. "I... I can walk... Is... Is Eric o-okay? D-dame L-Longtail? A-are y-you alright?" she whimpers out softly, looking between the different beings as she moves with a clear limp, even as she moves towards the others.

The husky-girl has rested herself against one of the old buildings that looks sturdy enough, waiting for Samira to return with her colleagues and boss...

"Does it look like I'm all right? No, I'm not all right - I can't even stand - but I'm notoriously hard to kill. Look, get everyone else to safety first - and that means the manor. I'll...I'll find my own way back. Got it?"

Samira churrs quietly, "Ah, good. We should get back to the manor quickly." She seems in quite a hurry to leave, perhaps because she got too good of a look at Sveta's wounds. Regardless, she stands next to Ayla and offers some support in waking back to aid with the limp, even if it will make the journey back a little awkward. "Eric's there, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you." she whispers, trying to guide Ayla back to the manor as gently as she can.

"Right. And I'll keep up my end of the bargain as well. I'm sure there'll be people about to...coerce, even at this point in time. About the gunshots. I understand the need to keep family matters in house. Oh. And make sure we find Cedric, alright? He might still be trapped." With that, he bows his head and then takes his leave.

Soon enough, all the beings find their way back to the manor, where the wounded are quickly tended to, and the others are thanked for their efforts by none other than the High Lady herself... Even so, no invitation into the manor is extended, and it stays at that.

A good while later, Cedric re-surfaces, successful in his attempt to find a way around the blockade within the abandoned house...