Rational Response

“I feel like he has been in there for a long time,” the paladin told the fighter as they stood across the street from the back of the mayor’s home. It was late afternoon, and the grouphad heard some interesting rumors around the town; foremost the one about the brute with a devil arm that patrolled the area as some sort of warden. The party had recently learned that the area was under the obsessive rule of a vampire and his brides; between this and the fact that the group had been ambushed the previous night by some vampire spawn, trust was not in great supply between them and the mayor. Hence the rogue, currently sneaking through the large, two-story house.

“It’s a big place,” was the fighter’s response to the paladin. They both gave the guard at the rear of the house a slight nod.

“Okay, but it has been a long time,” the paladin emphasized through gritted teeth as he tried to grin to the spectator that stood at attention at his post and eyed them.

“He has a lot to look through, it isn’t like the mayor is going to just have anything incriminating out in the open. He will have to check locked rooms, and sneak past the guards inside the house. Perhaps even take on the identity of one of the servants to be able to move from room to room without suspicion,” the fighter responded, trying to look interested in some of the passing clouds.

“What if there are vampire spawn in there? You remember what happened with the hags? I still don’t know how he survived that.” The paladin broke eye contact with the rear guard, who was trying to keep his eyes on the area but was curious what these two outsiders were doing in the street. “The guard is getting suspicious. We need to do something or else we will be chased away.” The fighter thought for a moment, but the paladin took the initiative. “I will talk to him, you keep an eye out in case our friend does something

* * *

The rogue stood transfixed, staring at the odd doll. Its eyes were big, and it had slick hair with bright rosy lips and pink cheeks. It wore a small brown jacket and black pants, with simple brown shoes. It sat in a chair, in front of a room full of the dummies. All with their soulless stares and fiendish smiles. His hand dropped from the door handle that he had just pushed closed behind him and reached for his hip.

* * *

The fighter smirked, “what do you think he is going to do, burn the place down or something? It is the mayor’s house after all.” The paladin didn’t bother to respond, already crossing the street to converse with the guard. Soon his charm and wit had the guard relaxed and at ease about their presence and loitering.

* * *

The rogue tossed the oil flask into the room of dolls, watching it soak the floor as he lit the candle in his other hand. With a resolute nod, he tossed the small white candle in to the center of the small puddle.

* * *

Smoke billowed from the window and the fighter’s jaw dropped. “Uh, well, shit!” The paladin followed his gaze, as did the guard. “I guess that is his signal that he is in trouble!” . Both warriors rushed the back door, yelling as—from an adjacent house—their other allies joined the fray to offer the rogue a chance to make it out while the property was in chaos.

By the end of it, the guards were unconscious and the town was very focused on the intense flames that had consumed the once magnificent home. The paladin heard from the rogue on his way out the window that supposedly someone was chained up inside, but other than that he had managed to encourage the servants and other occupants to get out. By nightfall, a very upset paladin sat at a table with a very quiet group. He had managed to save the person that the rogue had mentioned, although now that the whole story was coming out there was some question if there had been more than one person imprisoned in the home.

The rogue looked to the paladin and then the rest of the group as he concluded the account of his skulk through the mayor’s, showing no remorse for the outcome of his adventure. “You would have done the same thing if you had seen that room.” Flustered, he threw up his hands. “I need a bath. I was being completely rational!”