18+ In the Blood

[Rafen]

Beren yanked his hand away, shocked at his fellow breton's reaction. He'd seen people act similarly before after the adrenaline rush of battle had worn off, but never so...extreme. "What in the Oblivion was that about?" He wondered, mostly to himself, as she'd slunk to the rear of the group, and the khajiit was speaking to Solun. Resolving to give the woman her space, at least until they were at Karthwasten, or had set up camp for the night.

He was about to reclaim his position in the line when he caught the imperial woman, Alice, staring in his direction. Or, rather, at what had just transpired. It could have been, in fact, it probably was his imagination, but it looked like she'd wanted to step in, but was stopping herself from doing so. That, Beren found interesting. Though he'd spent less than a day with her, he was beginning to suspect that they shared more than an urge to help the people of Skyrim.

Did she know about the massacre at Karthwasten? Aside from merely hearing about it? He remembered captain Gallen, confronting a young Stormcloak officer, but it was a vague recollection, at best. He remembered what had come next much clearer. Gallen's death, and the absolute chaos that had ensued. But surely this woman was not the same that had killed his captain? His thoughts were interrupted by a god-tier belch, and the introduction of a poorly garbed orc warrior. The orc and Solun spoke briefly before the orc plunged his blade into the chest of the man at his feet. Beren murmured a quiet prayer to Arkay, to speed the man's soul on its way.

 

[Telleroftales]

"I don't know if Peryite is involved, though at this point, we can't rule anything out. The daedra probably are behind this, but I've learned that jumping to conclusions seldom ends well." He looked over his shoulder at the others, wondering how they would react to another member of their party. But...the orc seemed, well, not harmless, but certainly not hostile, and when walking into an unknown situation, he liked to have an ample number of blades at his side. "But if you're headed our way, we may as well join forces. For now, at least." He motioned for the orc to fall in with the others. The group continued on, Solun at the head of the line, Alice and the lean breton woman near the back.

By late afternoon, they were cresting a rocky hill, with scrub, trees, and small boulders to either side. Ahead and below, was the village of Karthwasten. Too Solun's overly cautious gaze, something seemed...off. The sun had not yet begun to set, but he could see no movement in the settlement. Nor could he spot guards patrolling the low wall that had been erected around the houses. Even more disconcerting, he could see no sign of Hale or his mount. It was possible that the ranger had simply passed Karthwasten by, determined to check out the mine on his own.

If that was the case, Solun would have some strong words for him upon his return. Though he'd suggested the man scout ahead, surely he knew better than to approach such an apparently dangerous area, especially if dusk was not more than a few hours away. Or, perhaps, the ranger had decided to abandon their quest altogether. The former legionnaire had no answers, and no time to waste on speculation.

"Gather around!" He called to his comrades. "Originally I'd thought we would take our evening rest at Karthwasten, but it seems something is amiss. I could be- I hope I am wrong, but I've never seen a settlement so quiet in the middle of the day." He passed his gaze over them, hoping, if it did come to a fight, they would be able to work together. "Let's go. Keep sharp." With that, he led the way down the hill, approaching the sturdy gate of Karthwasten.

He glanced up at the seemingly abandoned wall once more, but there was no challenge as they approached, and no movement, besides the cold breeze, shifting the banner of the Reach ever so slightly. Swallowing his trepidation, he placed a hand against the thick oaken door on the righthand side, and gave it a gentle push. With a groan of hinges, it swung open. Surprised, Solun glanced inside, but nothing and noone waited to greet them.

Yet, the fine hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, and his skin prickled. He drew his gladius with a rasp of steel on leather. "Spread out. Give a shout if you find any of the villagers." He ordered, falling into his role of a commander as easily as he put his clothes on. Then, he stepped into the seemingly abandoned village.

 

[Morbidbread]

After the confrontation between the two women had been settled, they began to move once more, Alice drifting to the rear of the group, while Solun moved ahead to deal with a rather impoverished looking, but clearly competent orc. Thoras nodded in approval at their leader's words. It never hurt to have someone able with a blade at your side. Besides, despite the orc's seemingly dull wit and clothing that he suggested he belonged more in an alley, begging for coin rather than adventuring the wild, he radiated a quiet confidence that was won through experience.

The tattooed dunmer offered the orc a friendly smile and a nod, as he followed behind Solun. They walked for several hours, mostly in silence. Eventually, they came upon Karthwasten, but it quickly became clear that something was...off. Hidden from the eyes of his companions, the scars on the underside of Thoras' forearms itched. It was an irritating quirk, but one that he'd learned to heed. Solun gathered them around, urging them to be cautious, before leading them into the village itself. Once in the abandoned street, their imperial leader suggested they take a look around, and give a shout if they came across an inhabitant. "Or, if one happens upon a horrible monster about to tear one apart" he added, mostly to himself, then louder, he called "ah, not to question your leadership, my gloriously brave captain, but perhaps we ought to pair up, hmm?"

 

[HurrHobo]

"Hrmh, it is wise to charge into the unknown with more people who got your back, eh?" Unkmarog scratched his nose. "Very well, then."
He cleared his throat once again and raised his gruff voice loud enough for everyone in the group to hear what he had to say.
"The name's Unkmarog," he proclaimed. "And I'll lend you my sword in these difficult times. For now, at least." He then nodded at Solun. The imperial motioned for Unk to join the others. The orc was impressed by Solun's steady demeanor, which clearly was clad with authority. Most likely the imperial's respect was earned, not forced. As Unkmarog fell in with the others, he greeted each of them with a goofy grin. "Dunmer," Unk smiled at Thoras. The orc's brow slightly raised, he let out a soft whistle at the large argonian Sothas, impressed by his physique.
"Nice," Unk pointed at Beren's warhammer. "Ladies," he politely bowed his head to Alice, Katrina and Tavir, though his gentlemanly manners were more of a hilarious kind. The group finally continued on, and Unk pulled on his worn hood.

As Karthwasten came into sight, the orc glanced around. The air was heavy with silence... Stillness. He couldn't see or hear anyone in the village. What was going on? It wasn't night yet, and--
"Gather around!" Solun's call interrupted Unk's train of thought. The imperial told them to be vigilant, and the orc nodded. They approached the gates of the village.

Still empty. Still silent. The orc scratched his butt and snorted. His eyes were filled with focus.
"Yup. This does not look good," Unkmarog grunted as he unsheathed his sword. The group eventually spread out to search signs of life, or something else that would shed light on the situation.
"That's actually smart," Unk nodded at Thoras' words regarding the pairing up. "I'll check that house over there, someone come with me." Unk pointed at one of the houses that happened to be the closest to him and started walking slowly towards it. As he reached the doorstep, the orc knocked on the door a few times. No response.

 

[TheArgonianDrell]

Aylira rejoined Sothas, and the pair continued along, roughly in the middle of the group. They stopped again as Solun spoke with a rugged looking orc who introduced himself as Unkmarog, once he'd joined the party. Aylira wasn't entirely certain if that was typical for an orc name, but if he was trustworthy and knew how to fight, she supposed it didn't really matter. They were on the move again shortly, as the soon passed its zenith and the day progressed into afternoon. Solun had taken the lead, and called a halt once he'd gained a natural vantage point in atop a hill.

Aylira and Sothas joined him, and once there, saw the village of Karthwasten, not far ahead. But there was something wrong, something that Solun quickly brought to their attention, before warning them to keep alert. The argonian and dunmer exchanged wary glances, then followed their self-appointed leader into the village. Once inside, it seemed as abandoned as it had from afar. "I don't like this" Sothas grumbled, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Thoras suggested they team up to explore the village, and Aylira grinned at him, "What's the matter? Lost your nerve?" She teased. Meanwhile, the newest member of the group approached one of the nearby houses, calling for someone to accompany him.

"I will," Sothas volunteered, walking towards the orc. He glanced over his shoulder, his turqoise eyes troubled. "Be careful," he said to his dunmer friend.

"You be careful," she replied, turning to the others. "Alright, who's going to go with me, then?"

 

[Simus]

This was certainly an interesting group Alice was with. A purple coated Dunmer with a glaive that looked like it could skewer two men. A war hammer wielding priest of Arkay that looked like he could give Chaplin Diomodes a run for his money. A Breton girl almost as small as she was that had clear magical talent and even clearer anxiety problems. A hulking lizard man and his rogue friend who liked to mess with people. A Khajiit raised by elves, a fellow Cyrodillic who screamed “Legionnary!” An old friend who couldn’t get out in front of the group fast enough. And her, a small Cyrodillic woman who was a secret Stormcloak and was trying to hide that by dressing like a heavily armed and armored fetish model.

Yep, she was in the right place.

The morning mist cleared as they left Rorikstead, the sun climbing steadily higher as mid morning, noon and afternoon came and went. Despite how she might look in all her black leather Alice had chosen her outfit well. The day remained cold enough to where she didn’t get too hot during their march but warm enough to where she didn’t need her cloak. Precisely what she was aiming for. They’d made excellent time, having a surprisingly easy trek through the mountains and reaching Karthwasten before sunset. That’s when things got strange.

They encountered a wandering orc in the foothills above the town. He seemed friendly enough and was investigating the Sickness just like they were so Solun, now the group’s de facto leader, decided to let him join. Alice was happy to let someone else lead for once but she had her doubts about this man. For one thing he looked more beggar than warrior. His clothes and hood were in rags, his iron boots and gauntlets were noticeably rusty and he had one of the worst kept greatswords Alice had ever seen. It looked barely sharp enough to cut paper and would likely bend at the first good shield it struck. Were he under her command Alice would make him clean and sharpen that weapon until it sparked before they went anywhere. But, as she’d had to remind herself more than once today, she wasn’t in command and no one here would appreciate it if she tried to be. If this guy didn’t take care of his stuff that was his choice.

His manners were also an issue. He was loud, crass, made no effort to quiet his beer belching and when he greeted Alice and the other women in the party it was more creepy than charming. Plus there was the Nord bandit he was SITTING ON before running him through with his rusty sword. Apparently the man tried to ambush and rob the orc, then laughed at him for trying to read a map upside down. So it sounded like he had it coming but it was definitely a sub par introduction.. Alice felt virtually nothing when the man was killed in front of her. She’d seen so much death in her life that he was just one more corpse in the pile. If she let every one of them get to her she’d still be in the asylum.

The orc’s name was Unkmarog, Unk for short, and he was looking for the shrine of Peryite before he found them. A place a they might end up at before this was over. She gave him a polite nod as he introduced himself and fell in line with the group. They then headed the rest of the way into Kartkwasten and realized something was very wrong. The town was completely deserted. No people, no animals, not even smoke from chimneys. No signs that anyone lived here. Solun ordered them to fall out and search for survivors. Unk suggested they pair up, the first smart idea he’d had since they met. The large argonian who was with the dunmer woman volunteered to go with him which was just fine with Alice. She then told her friend to be careful and askeh who was willing to go with her. Alice had kept her distance thus far out of caution but now that danger was ahead she needed to show she can be relied upon. Time to show some initiative.

“I’ll come with you.” Alice said, walking up to the dunmer and offering her right hand. “My name is Alice, and I can either lead the way or watch your back. It’s Aylira isn’t it?” She looked around for Hale and noticed he was still missing. Where in the Upper Planes did he go?

 

[Rafen]

Beren hardly heard Solun giving instructions to his companions. He was busy glancing from building to building, The whole village stank of ambush. But being paranoid wouldn't help. Finding out what had happened to the villagers on the other hand, definitely would. He adjusted his grip on his hammer and looked to his companions to see that their newest ally and the big argonian had teamed up and were at the door to one of the houses. The argonian's friend, the mouthy dark elf woman, asked who'd be joining her, somehow making the question into a challenge. The small imperial took her up on the offer, introducing herself as Alice.

The priest looked around, his gaze settling on the breton woman. She'd been awfully quiet since her outburst, and Beren felt more than a little responsible. After all, she'd only reacted the way she had when Beren had touched her. He approached cautiously, "My name's Beren. If you're willing, I'd appreciate having your eyes while we scout out this village. Us bretons need to stick together, aye?"

 

[TheArgonianDrell]

"Seems no one is at home," Sothas noted, "allow me." He nodded for Unkmarog to move aside, lowered his shoulder, and slammed into the wooden door. It swung open, banging against the far wall. The argonian stared into the dim light within but saw nothing that hinted the inhabitants had met a bad end. Resting his hand on the pommel of his sword, he said "I suppose we should take a look around." He stepped inside, boots clumping on the wooden floor. "Hello?" He called, "we mean you no harm!" He glanced at the door, and grimaced upon seeing his blow had cracked a couple of the planks. "I apologize for the door!"

Aylira cast an appraising look over the leather-covered imperial. They hadn't spoken before, but she remembered seeing her sitting at a table with their self-appointed leader. Their leader whose demeanor all but screamed "soldier". In fact, the woman in front of her, Alice, had mentioned something about being a soldier, earlier during their march. Were the two somehow connected? She wasn't sure it mattered, and right now, she needed to make a decision, especially since the woman was still waiting for his response. She shook the offered hand.

"Yes," she stated bluntly, then she nodded at one of the houses that hadn't been investigated yet. "I'll go first. I'm sure you've cleared plenty of houses, but I think I'm a little better at the-" She winced as Sothas smashed his way into the house across the street. "Sneaking part." Leading the imperial on, she stopped at the door, listening. Her keen ears detected nothing. Not a voice, not the sound of blade drawing, not the scuff of a boot. "It might be locked," Aylira said over her shoulder, "do you have any lockpicks?" She pushed against the door, testing it, and blinked in surprise as it opened. "Nevermind."

She stepped inside, one hand on her dagger, the other drifting along the nearest wall as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the interior. "So." She said quietly as they advanced through the house, "what's your story? Oh, but skip the sad little fugitive part. I mean 'why'd you decide to join up with our sad little group? ' "

 

[Harkatti]

Katrina remained lurking near the back of the group, even as their self-appointed leader had them group together to mention the odd situation down the hill, in the village of Karthwasten. It was more than a little strange that the entire village be abandoned. Or rather, apparently abandoned. Still, it seemed they were destined to investigate the village. Despite her survivor's instincts telling her to go the other way, she followed as the group walked down the hill and through the gates, into the seemingly abandoned settlements. The quiet had fallen over the place like a heavy blanket. "This is wrong," she murmured, too quiet for the others to hear. Her fingers tingled as her magicka surged, ready for use.

Taking a breath, she forced it down. Despite her instincts telling her otherwise, there was nothing to fight. Their leader told them to spread throughout the village to search for people, with the tattooed dunmer suggesting they pair up. Katrina was not fond of either suggestion, but she'd already brought too much attention to herself. Several of the group had already paired up and were beginning to search houses. The breton who'd tried to intervene approached, introducing himself as Beren and suggesting they team up. Cautiously, she nodded. "I'm Katrina," she said. Then, realizing somewhat more was expected of her, she added, "you can take the lead."

 

[FelidaePrime]

Tavir kept her word for the rest of the trip to Karthwasten, refraining from bothering any more of her comrades. As afternoon began to fade into evening, their leader called halt and gathered them around. At first, she was confused. She could see the buildings of their destination just down the hill and her stomach rumbled at the thought of a warm meal and a fine wine. Or at least, as fine as the nords could manage. Then she realized what the problem was, just as Solun was voicing his concerns: the buildings were the only things she could see. No people, no animals. It was...strange, to say the least.

They continued down the hill, remaining unchallenged even as they passed through the gate. She heard the breton she'd been antagonizing earlier mutter something under her breath as they stood in the seemingly abandoned street. If their leader was feeling any of the unease his companions clearly were, Tavir included, he didn't show it, instead instructing them to spread out and search for the missing villagers. A mere moment after he'd said that, the dunmer, Thoras, piped up with a suggestion that they stick together, as pairs at least. "Ha! What's the matter, elf? Losing your nerve?" She goaded. "If it makes you feel better, I'll stick with you."

She looked around, noticing the others had already taken the elf's advice. She was about to point out one of the buildings they could start at, when the wind shifted. Her nostrils flared as she caught a peculiar scent. Fouled meat, mixed with something that she couldn't quite place, but her tail twitched, signifying her unease. A quick look around revealed that none of the others had picked up on it. She stepped to Solun's side. "I don't think we should stay," she said quietly, "something smells rotten."

 

[HurrHobo]

Unkmarog stepped aside and let the mighty argonian force the door open. "I like him already," the orc snickered to himself. As they entered the house, Unk and Sothas soon realized there was no one in sight... Sothas suggested they should look around. The wooden floor creaked under their boots with every step the pair took, the only sound that filled the air. Unk saw some books scattered around the house, chairs and tankards tipped over and broken glass. The orc rubbed his dirty beard and grunted. Someone was in a hurry, or a fight took place, he was thinking. As he continued the searching, his eyes caught something that made him freeze momentarily. His disbelief was quickly replaced with joy.
"Oooh..! Malacath's balls..!" he gasped. Unkmarog rushed towards a dining table and grabbed a bottle of nord mead, one of the few items that were not broken. He uncorked it and took a hearty swig from it, followed by a satisfied belch.

 

[Morbidbread]

"It's losing my head that worries me," Thoras told her, "it's got some of my best features." He scanned the village houses, hoping to detect any sign of movement. The sun, he noticed, was beginning to set behind the hills and mountains of the Reach, which only served to put him more on edge. He adjusted his grip on his glaive as the rest of the group paired up and began to search for clues, or better yet, the villagers themselves. He started to make his way towards one of the nearby buildings, then stopped as he realized no one was walking with him. Turning on his heel, he saw the khajiit, Tavir, speaking with Solun. It did not look like she was telling him something pleasant. "Marvelous." He grumbled, then: "when you said you'd stick with me, I imagined you'd be somewhat closer."

 

[Telleroftales]

Almost as soon as he announced his plan, the others, most notably the oddly dressed dunmer, began to protest. As much as he would have liked to be annoyed with the mer for so openly challenging his tenuous authority, but he made a good point. Before he could give his blessing, members of the party were splitting off in pairs to investigate the surrounding buildings. The imperial rested his hands on his hips, racking his mind as he tried to figure out what, or who, had struck Karthwasten. People didn't simply flee their homes because they were a little frightened. Even if the sickness had struck, Solun expected to see funeral pyres, wrapped bodies, at least a few townsfolk.

He almost didn't see the black furred Khajiit as she approached. Her casual stealth both impressed and concerned him. If she could sneak on him without even trying, that implied she might hear something she aught not. She spoke of smelling something rotten, which he guessed she meant she shared his unease. "I know. I don't like it either, but Karthwasten is our best lead. The sooner we find a lead, the sooner we can move on."

 

[FelidaePrime]

Tavir's eyes narrowed in irritation. "That's not what I meant," she snapped, swishing her tail for emphasis. "Something here is dead. Or maybe somethings." She didn't wait for him to respond, instead moving to join Thoras, who was impatiently complaining. "For the love of Mara, I'm coming!" She exclaimed, joining him as they made for one of the abandoned homes. "How ever did you get on without me?" She forced her tone to remain casual, even as her nose caught another waft of vile rotting meat stench.

 

[Simus]

Alice followed closely behind Aylira as they prepared to breach the nearby house. She was right in that Alice had cleared plenty of houses, some of them quite loudly. She felt a tinge of professional pride when Aylira claimed she was better at the sneaking part. Alice was an absolutely peerless infiltrator after all, especially after her victory last night. But this woman clearly new her business and elves were usually more graceful than humans so she might be right. Either way it would be a nice way to see what she could do. Alice simply nodded in agreement, both for simple expediency and to show she could listen.

They got on either side of the house and prepared to breach. Aylira asked Alice for a lockpick but then found the door was unlocked. That was a surprise. The only towns Alice had ever been in that were this quiet were ones that were either completely evacuated or had been exterminated by the Foresworn. But that left plenty of daedra symbols, fire damage and piles of bones. None of that was present and that was a relief. But it still didn't explain where all the people were.

The door opened quietly and the two of them moved in. Aylira had a long wicked knife ready in an icepick grip and Alice had an arrow drawn and ready. She scanned the living room with her bow, ready to shoot at the slightest twitch of her fingers. She saw and heard nothing, just like outside. And absolutely nothing was in good order. It was as if they'd just bought the place and were ready to move in. When she asked Alice what she was doing here but to skip the sob story she spoke up but kept it quiet.

"It's not that complicated really. I'm here to help stop this Sickness because the government, College and priesthood can't. Whiterun's cases are going up, my husband and family could be next and I'd rather that not happen. I imagine that's why we're all here. Is that argonian your partner? You were sticking awfully close to him."

 

[Rafen]

With Katrina in tow, Beren led the way to one of the houses that hadn't yet been investigated by the others. Hammer in hand, he nudged the door. It swung open with an eerie creaking noise, but no monster or man leapt to attack. "Clear so far," he said over his shoulder. "Stick close though, just in case." He stepped over the threshold, wishing he'd thought to light a torch or look for a lantern before doing so. The setting sun gave off just enough light to see that the place had been abandoned and from the knocked-over chair and toppled mugs, in a hurry.

"So," Beren said casually, as they advanced from the dining room to one of the bedrooms. Nothing in there but rumpled sheets. He'd initially thought that maybe the Sickness had struck the town, like so many others. But if so, there was no sign of it. His second guess would have been a Forsworn attack, but even if the townsfolk had fled in time, the Forsworn would have ransacked the houses for certain. It was all very strange. He glanced over his shoulder, to his fellow breton, who followed behind like a ghost. "You don't seem like the team type. Why join up with us? Why come all the way out to Rorikstead at all?"

 

[Harkatti]

Katrina nodded at her fellow breton's suggestion as they entered the house. Her magicka tingled at the tips of her fingers, but from the looks of the house, it was as abandoned as the rest of the village. Which struck her as strange in the extreme. Not least of all because whoever had lived here had clearly left in a hurry. She kept alert for any sign of ambush as they moved from the main sitting room into one of the bedrooms, but it seemed as abandoned as the rest of the house. While they looked around, the priest began asking her about her motives for joining the group, especially as she didn't seem like one to join a team. "You're right," she said shortly, "I'm not much for teamwork. But this seems like something more than one person can solve."

 

[TheArgonianDrell]

Aylira listened to Alice's tale while keeping an eye out for anything that would hint where the villagers had gotten too. She kept a firm grip on her dagger, just in case something less friendly lurked inside. Her reasons for joining up with the party were surprisingly well thought out, and the dunmer couldn't fault her for them. "Personally, I'm just here for the coin. It's Sothas who has a bleeding heart, which means I'm going along with him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed trying to rescue someone. And no, we're not sleeping together, if that's what you meant by 'partners'. I just...I owe him alot."

No one responsed to Sothas's calls, enforcing the orc's guess that no one was home. The argonian clicked his teeth together in disapproval at the orc's enthusiasm at finding a bottle of ale. Not because he was taking it from someone's home, but because getting drunk while working was never a good idea. "So. I hear you planned to head to the shrine of Peryite. If the sickness is coming from there, what were you planning on doing, all on your own?"

He continued to search the house as he spoke, heading towards what he assumed was bedrooms. His armoured boot scuffed something and he glanced down to see a small stuffed doll on the ground, as if hastily discarded. He knelt down, scooping the item up. It seemed even tinier, sitting in the palm of his gloved hand. He couldn't imagine a child voluntarily leaving such a prized possession behind, but then, it was possible he was jumping to conclusions.

 

[HurrHobo]

Unkmarog wiped his mouth with his forearm. Ignoring the argonian's discontent, he kept grinning like a toddler while taking swigs from the bottle he found.
"Well, my big friend," Unk smacked his lips and raised his finger. His eyes met Sothas' for a brief moment before turning back to the bottle. "The solution's quite simple, really. Once I get there, I have a word or two with that daedric bastard. And then..."
Unkmarog finished the mead and then dropped the empty bottle on the floor, shattering it. The shards scattered mostly around the drunk orc's feet. He then looked at Sothas, who was heading to another room.
"I smash the shrine. Maybe even piss on it after doing that."
Unk swept some of the broken glass away with his boot and then continued to search the place. He let out a bored sigh as he was browsing through shelves and cupboards. He found more books, clothes and utensils. Nothing special... or more importantly, nothing delicious.
"Hey, " he growled at Sothas. "You found anything yet?"

 

[Morbidbread]

"Mostly, I relied on my rapier wit and ravishing good looks," the dunmer favoured her with a mischievous smile, but it didn't last long. Their current task sobered him quickly, as he shouldered the door to an unoccupied, or seemingly unoccupied house, and stepped inside, glaive at the ready, but nothing leapt to attack. Every sense on alert, he walked further into the nearly pitch-black dwelling. And almost broke his neck as he tripped over something.

Issuing a string of dunmeri curses, he righted himself and spun to see what had nearly caused his untimely demise. Once his eyes had adjusted to the murk, he saw that it was an overturned chair. He knelt beside it, straining his eyes, trying to discern if whoever had knocked the chair over had left anything behind. Like blood, for instance. "Someone left in a hurry," he declared.