Regicide Round 2 part 2 - Solo

"Why don't we do it in the road?"  Uriel began to strum the golden instrument, it wasn't a concern until some sort of hazy phantasmal wave of force shoved 'Nora' back.

"Why don't we do it in the road?"  Uriel jumped of his perch, strolling forward slowly with a grin as 'Nora' was pushed back again, "Why don't we do it in the ro-ad?  Mmm, why don't we do it in the road?"  Each time, she was pushed further out of the alleyway...  towards the road.  Try as she might, each pulse of force kept her from advancing.

"No one will be watching us; why don't we do it in the road?"  A final shove, and 'Nora,' with her roots exposed, was thrown into the road, right in view of local civilians.  She winced, there'd be no pinning the blame on the other this time.  'Nora' was effectively useless for infiltration now unless she killed all the witnesses.  And judging how fast they were fleeing, that wasn't an option.  Taking Uriel and abandoning the body was a plan, but...

The bard strolled out, music halting briefly as the instrument changed form.

"You needed an audience, didn't you?"  Arooj spoke, thinking of a plan to take him down.  His music was the key to his powers, but how many songs could he play?  It seemed like they needed to be specific.

"My reputation spreads by word of mouth.  So will yours, now."  The spirit clinging to him whispered in his ear, and he nodded quietly before playing again.  "Who is this irresistible creature with an insatiable love for the dead?"  The new song was aggressive, but the intro had no lyrics.

A perfect time to strike.  'Nora' lunged as Uriel backpedaled out of range, bumping into a wall.  The lips of the corpse puppet twisted into a grin as his exit was closed off.  She stepped forward and...  ran into phantasmal bars as he sang the first verse.

"Ah, rage in the cage and piss upon the stage, there's only one sure way to bring the giant down."  Sure enough, a cage had been formed of the very dust of the road, a solid prop for his sudden music, "Defunct the strings of cemetery things, with one flat foot on the devil's...  wing."

"What is this?"  Arooj tried to make sense of the strange situation.  Imagery of some sort of bizzare hell echoed behind him, and Arooj found something disconcerting: the cage was getting shorter.  As if noting her confusion, Uriel paused the song by extending a chord.

"You know, this part wouldn't work on you...  if you were actually alive."  Arooj blinked as the spirit behind Uriel silently giggled, "back to the tune."

"Crawl on me, sink into me..."  He looked at the corpse puppet in the eyes, and cage suddenly slammed down flat, breaking the bones of the body, "Die for me, living dead girl."

The vengeful tree had to release the hold on the body.  The song had barely started, but it was a hard counter to Arooj's main method of attack.  Compared to Theus, Uriel would be harder to deal with...

As she returned to her true body, the corpses dangling from it still looking as if they were  alive, she slipped into another corpse to control.  Arooj had plenty of bodies to use, and would have more with each unassuming person she cornered.

---

Uriel stared as the body seemed to spontaneously wither.  Guards rushed up behind with Caddoc at the lead.

"Uriel.  I should have known." displeasure was plainly written on Caddoc's face, "The last visiting musician killed the lady of the house, and you've murdered the maid.  Anything to say on the matter?"

Uriel blinked, "Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you.  Answer the question.  What do you have to say about that?!"  He pointed at the shriveled husk.

"It was some sort of plant zombie.  A really smart one.  Look, you can see the roots crowing out of her like claws."  He pointed at a broken hand.  Some of the guards nodded in assent.

"She wasn't like that this morning!  What could you have-"

"Sir.  I don't know what you think I'm capable of doing, but all I do is make pictures in the air.  Ask any of the people around this area, she was chasing and attacking me.  I've been playing for people all day."  One of the guards nodded, telling Caddoc the sightings other guards had given of him matched the alibi.

Caddoc still had a trump card, though, "And pictures in the air crushed her body like that?!"

"Erm, no.  That was a metal cage she was trapped in, sinking into the ground."

"How does that make any sense?"

"That's what happened, sir.  It was magic.  Luck was on my side."  Uriel shrugged.

Caddoc shook his head in disgust, "Yes, isn't it always..."  He turned away, "Guards, gather the body for inspection.  Try to see if you can find out how she was killed..."  He turned again to Uriel, "And you.  Stay out of trouble or I will have you arrested.  Mark my words."

Uriel nodded with a gulp.  He waited until they were gone before collapsing against a wall.

"This trip is starting to be more than I can take..."

"Oh?  I hope that you're still able to buy things."  Uriel turned to see that a girl had suddenly ended up next to him.

"Whoa!"  Uriel scrambled to the side, while the girl stood, laughing.  A gem glinted off her forehead and belly as her hair, done in a ponytail on one side, bobbed in the air from standing.

"Nice to meet you!  I'm Hishi.  I just had to see what Caddoc ran off to deal with!"

"Ah.  You're...  quick."

"And you're deadlier than you let on."  She lifted her finger to stop his retort, "Ah-ah, I saw you fighting.  It's pretty neat how you can sing about something, and it'll appear for you.  It's neat, just not as neat as it could be..."

At a loss, Uriel sighed, "So, you want...  what?"

"Oho, clever as well, I like that!"  Hishi's grin widened, "You know of the crystals, right?  Grisim's lifeblood?  Where all the money goes?"

"I saw a few, but-"

"Tell you what, Rumor-"

"Call me Uriel, please."

"-You buy a crystal from me for a low premium.  Any kind of crystal.  I can hook you up."  She nodded, her arms crossed.

"What do you want then?  For this favor?"  Uriel subtly moved the omnisymphonic closer to his body.  He silently noticed this girl was armed with blades.

"Oh, nothing much, nothing much.  I want you...  to tell people I'm an honest trader.  And that I gave you a low price.  Just a bit of advertising."

"That's it?"

"That's it."  She laughed, as if it were obvious.

He stood up, giving her a smile in return, "Very well, I'll accept.  Let me see what you got."

---

Arooj moved back into the city, her new body that of a guard.  It had been...  going, so she'd made a few adjustments with her roots.  The result was a particularly tough look.  A look around showed a lot of civilians, but none of those mercenaries.  She moved close to another guard, on patrol.

"I was sent to take this patrol.  You take a break."

"Ah!  About time.  Say, are you new?  Maybe we-"  Arooj simply showed the guard her hand, waving him away without interest.  Disgusting.  Humans were just disgusting.

As if to make things worse, she heard a familiar tone of voice.  Right ahead was the bard, Uriel, talking it up with a group of women.  He seemed to be showing off his coat of all things while flirting.

Simply horrible.  Still, with her disguise, she had a perfect way to single him out.  The death of Nora probably put this man on watch, at least.  With purpose, she strode up to him.  

"You, Rumor.  Come with me.  Now."