Despite the bright sunlight overhead, the narrow alley was dim and shadowy. The group moved cautiously, alert for any noise or movement that could signal the presence of an attacker. This was not the part of the city where one would go for a casual stroll. The area was a hive of criminal activity, both supernatural and mundane. Suspiciously, it was also the locale of Spinetap Publishing. Tibias stopped his subordinates in front of a tall, narrow, iron gate.
“This is it,” he whispered. Kneeling to the ground, Royal started picking the lock with nimble fingers. Keera stood tensely beside him, keeping watch in the direction from which they had come, fidgeting nervously. She didn’t like waiting on the doorstep. Next to the agitated young woman, Tibias, watching in the other direction, seemed remarkably calm. Within moments, Royal swung the gate open and moved aside. Tibias strode forward confidently, but Keera grabbed his shoulder and quickly pulled him away from the gate.
“I think we’d better let Royal check for traps before we go any farther,” she warned, concern written across her features. Tibias wasn’t sure if her concern was for his welfare, or whether she was afraid that he’d get her killed. He hoped it was the former. Regardless, he mentally cursed himself for his foolhardiness. He really had spent far too much time riding a desk; he was getting rusty.
“I found a couple of minor traps,” Royal said as he interrupted Tibias’ thoughts. “I, of course, managed to disable them.” The terrow bowed gallantly as he finished speaking. Keera rolled her eyes and pushed past him. She peered down the path past the gate and then turned back to her coworkers.
“Shall we continue?” Tibias nodded and led the way down the path. Reaching into his satchel, he grabbed a flashlight to illuminate the dark space. Unlike the main alley, the path was practically free of litter. Someone was obviously taking care of the place. Everyone was tense. The narrow walkway twisted sharply and frequently. The shadow of an ambush seemed to lurk around every corner. A fight in the narrow space between the tall buildings would be a nightmare.
Keera jumped suddenly, knocking Tibias into a wall. He shone the light on the retreating disturbance. He raised his eyebrows at Keera, who blushed in embarrassment as the black cat disappeared around the corner.
As he rounded yet another bend, Tibias stopped short, holding out an arm to block Keera and Royal. He had found the door, on the far side of the courtyard before him. Unfortunately, he had also found five large thugs guarding it. Their skin had a purplish tinge to it; they’d been drinking demon blood. Nothing was ever easy.
Keera pushed past Tibias as the thugs charged, delivering a solid, though restrained kick to the chest of the nearest man. He fell to the ground dazed for a moment before returning to his feet. He was stronger than a normal human and more durable. Facing her opponent a second time, she jumped into the air and used all her strength to deliver a blow to his head. He stayed down. Royal scooted past Tibias to engage the next attacker, unleashing a small blast of magic. The thug flew back into a wall and fell unconscious, but the rest kept coming. One of the remaining three thugs picked Royal up by the back of his sweater while the other cornered Keera against the wall. The last guard confidently approached the as yet ignored Tibias, who calmly waited as the man drew closer. With the ease of an experienced fighter, he slipped on gold-plated brass knuckles. He punched the thug in the chest with inhuman strength, sending him flying across the courtyard and smashing into the brick building. Keera and Royal, who had quickly dealt with their attackers once they realized the guards improved state, stood agape. Removing the metal knuckles and tucking them back into his satchel, Tibias proceeded towards the door.
“Would you like to wait until they wake up and see if you can do better the second time around?” Tibias said without a glance at his companions as he opened the door.
:3
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