He didn't know who started it, nor did he particularly care. All he knew was that he had been minding his own business, shopping and browsing around the marketplace, exploring this city he hadn't seen in so many years, and one of the political rallies that had been so common of late suddenly exploded into violence.
The first sign was a brick hurled through the plate glass window of the arcane shop. The looters were close behind, grabbing whatever was closest to the broken window, but the Old Man who ran the shop was quick to throw up his wards and expel all interlopers - which unfortunately included the customer who had been browsing the back shelves. A crash of glass, and the next thing Paladin knew, he was hurled into a kicking, stomping, screaming mob - a living, violent sea of people whose apparent sole aim was the destruction of the city, and the murder of any passersby they came across.
It wasn't his first battle, nor even his hundred and first - and for all that there were no battle lines drawn, nor even clear sides, he wasted no time in defending himself. A pyrokinetic Burster, his command over the living flame cleared him a path through the crowd, one hastened along with the flat of his sword. He was pretty sure he hadn't killed anyone making his escape, but he couldn't really bring himself to think too hard on it, or care overly much - everyone he'd struck at had been, in turn, striking at him. The end of the block was a hastily placed Guard barrier, and the men behind it opened fire as soon as they saw him turn the corner and come running towards them as though all the hounds of Hell were on his heels. Most of the shots missed; his coat served to deflect the others, spitting sparks as the bullets whined against the protection of the enchanted black leather. He leaped the barrier with a spinning kick that dropped three Guards, flipping his .45 into his hand and drawing down on the man with lieutenant's bars.
"I'm not part of this," he spat. "I'm just trying to get away from-"
With a roar, the Mob surged around the corner, moving for all the world like a single, semi sentient blob. Paladin pointed his sword in their direction. "THEM!"
"You any good with that thing?" The lieutenant asked calmly, ignoring the pistol pointed at his head. Whether he meant the gun or the sword was moot; Paladin was an expert with both.
"Yeah, I can hold my own," He said modestly enough, if somewhat warily. He lowered the pistol as the three men he'd knocked to the ground found their feet and re-manned the barricade.
"Good. You're deputized, welcome to the Guard. Now get your arse on the barricade!"
"What' I-" he started to protest, and then could only blink at the barrel of a gun aimed, in turn, between his own eyes. "Right then." The lieutenant put up the pistol and pinned a silver badge to Paladin's lapel, turning to regard the rioters with a stern expression.
"Our Sovereign Lord the Governor chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations-" he declaimed loudly, his voice somehow - no doubt magically - carrying over the crowd. Paladin considered making a run for it while his attention was otherwise occupied, then looked down at the badge on his lapel and sighed. Serve and protect....yeah, that was him to a 'T'.
A thrown cobble whisked by the lieutenant's head, close enough to nick his ear and make it bleed. He ducked down low and drew his pistol again. "Right, we'll consider that'un a fait accompli. Let 'em have it, boys!"
How do I get into these things" Pal wondered as the first screaming body hit the wall, and everything degenerated, once again, into blood and violence.
((For story purposes, the riot should be considered as having occurred yesterday, 12/11, somewhere in the region of 1600.))
The first sign was a brick hurled through the plate glass window of the arcane shop. The looters were close behind, grabbing whatever was closest to the broken window, but the Old Man who ran the shop was quick to throw up his wards and expel all interlopers - which unfortunately included the customer who had been browsing the back shelves. A crash of glass, and the next thing Paladin knew, he was hurled into a kicking, stomping, screaming mob - a living, violent sea of people whose apparent sole aim was the destruction of the city, and the murder of any passersby they came across.
It wasn't his first battle, nor even his hundred and first - and for all that there were no battle lines drawn, nor even clear sides, he wasted no time in defending himself. A pyrokinetic Burster, his command over the living flame cleared him a path through the crowd, one hastened along with the flat of his sword. He was pretty sure he hadn't killed anyone making his escape, but he couldn't really bring himself to think too hard on it, or care overly much - everyone he'd struck at had been, in turn, striking at him. The end of the block was a hastily placed Guard barrier, and the men behind it opened fire as soon as they saw him turn the corner and come running towards them as though all the hounds of Hell were on his heels. Most of the shots missed; his coat served to deflect the others, spitting sparks as the bullets whined against the protection of the enchanted black leather. He leaped the barrier with a spinning kick that dropped three Guards, flipping his .45 into his hand and drawing down on the man with lieutenant's bars.
"I'm not part of this," he spat. "I'm just trying to get away from-"
With a roar, the Mob surged around the corner, moving for all the world like a single, semi sentient blob. Paladin pointed his sword in their direction. "THEM!"
"You any good with that thing?" The lieutenant asked calmly, ignoring the pistol pointed at his head. Whether he meant the gun or the sword was moot; Paladin was an expert with both.
"Yeah, I can hold my own," He said modestly enough, if somewhat warily. He lowered the pistol as the three men he'd knocked to the ground found their feet and re-manned the barricade.
"Good. You're deputized, welcome to the Guard. Now get your arse on the barricade!"
"What' I-" he started to protest, and then could only blink at the barrel of a gun aimed, in turn, between his own eyes. "Right then." The lieutenant put up the pistol and pinned a silver badge to Paladin's lapel, turning to regard the rioters with a stern expression.
"Our Sovereign Lord the Governor chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations-" he declaimed loudly, his voice somehow - no doubt magically - carrying over the crowd. Paladin considered making a run for it while his attention was otherwise occupied, then looked down at the badge on his lapel and sighed. Serve and protect....yeah, that was him to a 'T'.
A thrown cobble whisked by the lieutenant's head, close enough to nick his ear and make it bleed. He ducked down low and drew his pistol again. "Right, we'll consider that'un a fait accompli. Let 'em have it, boys!"
How do I get into these things" Pal wondered as the first screaming body hit the wall, and everything degenerated, once again, into blood and violence.
((For story purposes, the riot should be considered as having occurred yesterday, 12/11, somewhere in the region of 1600.))