Sheep. So. Many. Sheep. Kate found herself somewhere in the zone between never wanting to hear another “baa,” and desperately craving mutton. Needless to say it was a very confusing experience for her, but there was still a job to be done. She squinted at her map and her own notes scrawled upon it, then looked over at her Venatori companions.
“That looks like the crossroads to me. Brennus said Silvius and Loke’s contact was an old lady named Chessa, in the house to the right with...animal bones and holy symbols scattered around it. Huh. Should be hard to miss.”
As it turned out, Chessa’s house was nearly impossible to miss. The stench of old garlic and the glint of myriad holy symbols, sun-bleached animal bones, and even bottles of holy water formed a network of defenses against all kinds of evils. Just finding one’s way to the front door was a daunting task. Keva helped Crestwell maneuver through the veritable maze with his crutch, with Bullseye bounding behind them. The dog supposed they kept looking down because they had lost something, and was trying to find it. Sivan, Asti, and Cyrus were on their own to navigate the symbol-ridden yard.
When they did manage to maneuver into knocking range, they were greeted by a wrinkled face peering through a barely-opened door, eyebrows arched suspiciously, her hands furiously working a crocheting needle as she rankled at the intrusion.
“More of you? And with an Inquisitor this time? By Zeus, if those two brought magic AND monsters upon our heads, there’ll be no end of suffering, I tell you!”
Kate smirked at her crocheting and crotchety snarling. “Nice to meet you too, lady. We’re actually here to check on the two Venatori you mentioned. They haven’t reported back, and we were wondering if you could fill-”
Chessa did not let her get any farther than that. “Of course you never heard from them again! I told them whatever was raiding our flocks was not to be trifled with, but they went anyway. Those bone-headed fools in the village should have just accepted the price of a few sheep, but nooo, what does crazy old Chessa know about anything?”
With nose wrinkled and eyes narrowed, Kate was clearly losing what little patience she had. “Look, ma’am, we promise not to make things worse. Perhaps if you let us in we could explain…”
The Inquisitor stepped forward, but the crone would have none of it. The door narrowed further, and a crocheting needle was brandished through it like a miniature hoplite’s spear. “Absolutely not! I’m not that easily tricked, missy. You want blood to drink, you’ll have to find it somewhere else!”
Kate sputtered in bewilderment, then clenched both fists. Her breaths grew slower and more deliberate, and her shoulders even trembled slightly. Bullseye, sensing mistress’ ire, started to growl in the old woman’s direction, and Keva found herself holding the dog back. Someone else was clearly going to have to intervene.
