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The Gargoyles (3) : Even when you thought you’d seen the last of them, it seems like you’re never really in the clear. A while back, there was an infestation of awful gargoyle creatures—and while every Star Festival had its fair share of oddities, this one seems to have introduced a permanent infestation upon the city. Maybe you see them perched on the roof, or hiding in the shadows, but not all of these grotesque creatures are satisfied with just escaping their interdimensional prison—some of them still have a bone to pick. They seem stony; some of them will watch with a penetrative gaze and never strike to attack, but some of them will dive down to target anyone who gets too close. The monsters come in an array of sizes and shapes, but they are no more than half the size of their target. Their goal is uncertain, but they will crumble into a pile of rocks and dust if struck hard enough.
Separating from Helene while they were out on patrol could bring all kinds of interesting events. It had gotten Kaifeng to meet Madriu and Lanting—or, well, gotten him to meet Shuangxu-di specifically as Lanting of Ida—and gotten Kaifeng into some interesting situations. Hopping around rooftops or darting through city parks usually meant some kind of adventure, and doing it alone always felt a bit more adventurous, since Kaifeng was working without immediate backup from his zhiyin.
Tonight, the patrol led Kaifeng into a park near some buildings he didn’t visit much that had been built in a faux-Gothic Revival style with intricate sculptures decorating their exteriors. Even in the park, decorative columns stood with carved stone grotesques sitting on top of them. Following the path of another aura, all Kaifeng expected was that he’d find another person who stood with Order. Spotting someone whose outfit had a familiar color scheme, though, Kaifeng perked up further. Getting closer, he saw that he was right to get excited: whoever the other Knight was, they had unmistakable Saturn symbols on their boots and belt.
“Hey!” Calling out to the other Saturn Knight, Kaifeng waved and grinned brightly. Pep in his step all the way, he rushed to close the distance. “Another Saturn Knight! Always a pleasure to meet more of us. I’m Kaifeng—and you are……?”
As he held out a hand, Kaifeng didn’t notice any of the shadows nearby shifting around, nor did he think that any of them would start moving around.
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