Shibaten Story (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

"You really cannot see?" Atsushi the duck barbarian seemed genuinely concerned for his gnome friend. "It is so very clear, the low sun of evening makes the difference so obvious!"

"I realize this would be a good spot for a secret door, they must have an emergency exit somewhere... But no, I can't see... Let me feel... Sure, there is a draft, a scent..." Queck habitually flexed the nostrils of her sensitive gnome nose and tasted the air much as she'd test the fumes of an elixir she'd just made with alchemy.

Together, the two thieves carefully bent the panel open. There was no lock as such, the panel was obviously intended to be pushed open from the inside, but pliers and tongs let them pull it out and sneak inside. Atsushi grunted as he pulled the panel back in position to conceal the entrance.

"Mind the beak!" You can't pluck my tail feathers!" Queck batted the duck's head, only half joking.

"Can't see my own beak in here! Lets get a light out!" Atsuchi fumbled for his belt pouches.

"Shh... Let me go on ahead. Now, these humans make everything so big and heavy." The passage was short and ended in a ceiling trapdoor, visible as a faintly glowing square outline. "Help me push!" Queck grunted, pushing against the darkness outlined by the glowing square.

"Heavy?" quacked Atsushi as the trap-door opened.

"You big strong drake you!" teased Queck. Atsushi grinned back at her, completely missing the irony.

Together they crawl out from under the lectern and into the gloomy church, where stained glass threw blood-red silhouettes on the benches made it look like a part of Hell. The horned brass statues dispelled any doubts about what kind of church this was.

"It is supposed to be hidden behind the altar-piece." Queck swept her hand in the direction of the gruesome painting of devils parading their tortured prisoners before the throne of Hell on the west wall, behind the altar. Moving around to see the back of the painting, she saw ordinary fabric but with two red holes about halfway up. "Ah, they use the rubies as eyes, ingenious!" The gnome seemed genuinely impressed and was caught off-guard when Atsushi grabbed her by the waist, provoking a squeak. He put her on his shoulders and climbed up the back of the wooden frame. She just got her head level with the ruby eyes when the main doors opened and two humans in cowled red robes entered, deep in conversation.

"Remember, the fourth precept. I admit that greed is a sinful virtue, but under-paying the guards still seems foolish to me!" The taller human spoke in a young man's voice."

The thieves froze, Queck peering out through the sockets, pocketing the rubies to clear the view.

"But we pay them in blood and spectacle! Never underestimate the morale effect of a grandiose sacrifice!" The shorter human seemed to be an older lady, with exquisite diction. She seemed to be preaching even in private.

"What do you see up there? Are there only tw..." Atsushi growled as Queck, wise from experience, put her foot down firmly on his beak to keep him quiet. Meeting his angry stare, she nodded a silent yes to his unfinished question. Atsushi's eyes lit up and the painting swayed dangerously as the duck started to lose his temper.

The first thing the devil clerics noted was that the dark lord's eyes shone with the orange color of twilight, not their usual sinister crimson. The second was that the portrait of the dark lord was swaying dangerously. Then there was a billow of dark smoke as the drawing toppled, accompanied by a loud screeching, guttural sound. An impish figure leaped at them from on high, swinging what looked like the rod of Hell itself. The creature shone, the white shape backlit in orange.

"Begone, you foul pretenders! Quacks! Charlatans! I will show you what we do with your kind here in the colonies!" Atsushi's screams filled the church, and the younger human immediately fled. The elder was less easily impressed and started a spell, but before she could complete it, something exploded behind her, igniting the back of her robe and breaking her concentration. Atsushi landed on top of her and head-butted the priestess prone. Faced with this onslaught, the lady couldn't hope to get another spell off and instead struggled with her assailant, screaming for help. The drapes were already burning when the guards entered, and smoke filled the room to chest height.

"You fool, let's run!" Queck pulled on Atsushi, trying to get him to disentangle, which was surprisingly easy. They both rushed back to the lectern and jumped into the hole, closing the cover as they disappeared and just barely blocking a sudden pillar of flame.

"Quack! Where is that infernal exit? I can't breathe! You know I hate your smoke pellets!" Atsushi swore. Queck, used to his temper and able to see despite the gloom, turned him towards the exit panel and pulled a tail feather. Predictably, he jumped right into the panel, tackling it open and spilling him into the evening street. The thieves fled, only pausing once they came up behind the carnival tent on the edge of town.

"And now, I present to you the famous, the sun and moon, the Quack and Queck duo! Ladies and gentlemen, give a big hand to our twilight comedians!" Easily falling into role at the ringmaster's introduction, the pair started working on their alibi for the night.