Tsuto's katana flashes out at Pirknok as he moves in to tangle him up.
The half-elf delivers a vicious wound across the dwarf's barreled torso that sends him reeling and foils his grapple attempt.
***
Ventus's attacks are easily parried even after Ysme moves into to flank.
Ensu drops his crossbow and grabs his longspear as he moves up behind the dwarf, trying to help Pirknok out by distracting Tsuto long enough to limit the half-elf's ability to hit.
Eli pales as Tsuto seems to be taking them apart. He draws and drinks a vial from his bandolier and his skin darkens, while his eyes take on a slightly wild look.
Ensu finds the melee too frantic to create a distracting opening.
***
Tsuto glances at the ranger on his flank and swipes at him with his katana.
Ventus manages to ablate the direct attack against his own weapon but Tsuto quickly spins to face Pirknok again.
The half-elf's blade slices through the dwarf's hides leaving the armor in useless tatters.
He follows up with supernatural speed and slashes across the dwarf's now bare torso.
Pirknok gasps for breath as he's left reeling from the sword blow. Narrowing his eyes angrily at the half-elf, he lets out an animal roar and leans forward in an attempt to bash him with his helmet.
"Hands off the dwarf," Ventus growls, lashing at Tsuto with his sword again.
Not bothering to speak, her ire is sufficiently high, Ysme lashes out at the half-elf.
Doran growls as the half-elf wounds Pirknok even further, and aims his weapon with deadly intent. "Ya 'ad yer chance, Kaijitsu! Now the Hand o' Abadar shall pass judgment on ya!"
Ensu's distraction proves just enough to create an opening allowing Pirknok's headbutt to collide solidly with Tsuto's sternum, knocking the breath from him. Ventus follows up with a vicious cut across his ribs, causing bright blood to spill out across the half-elf's armor. Ysme's claws catch Tsuto across the face opening several deep cuts that mar his otherwise soft features.
Eli draws and primes a bomb, moving closer to get a better shot. He lobs it at Tsuto from the best position he can find, using his knowledge of the incendiary's burst patterns to exclude Pirknok, Ventus and Ysme from the blast.
The explosive doesn't quite reach Tsuto and detonates near Pirknok.
Tsuto evades the worst of the blast.
The half-elf sneers again and focuses his rage on Ventus this time.
"I should have slit your throat at the brothel!"
His first two attacks slice deep rents in the ranger's breastplate that his third supernaturally quick attack, takes advantage of.
Pirknok screams in pain and collapses to the ground.
"I guess your sister must have missed the nasty gene because you are doing a very good impression of your father right now." Ensu comments as he tries to aid Ventus.
Doran takes another shot at Tsuto, hoping the melee is hectic enough to keep the half-elf from once again catching the projectile.
"Eli, see if you can't pull Pirknok out of the way!" Ysme calls out as she slashes again at the half-elf between her & 'Ventus.
"And I shouldn't have let respect for your sister keep me from ruining that pretty face of yours," Ventus growled in return
Ysme rakes Tsuto's back which gives Ventus an opening to smash his shield square into his face. Teeth fly through the air and the wet sound of bones splintering fills the workshop. Tsuto falls to the ground in a heap.
Although his jaw is clearly shattered, he manages to mutter something before life leaves his body.
Pirknok drops to his knees next to the young man and places his hand sadly on the other's shoulder. He opens his mouth as if to speak, then falls over.
Eli rushes up, his face red, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that to hit you all... I was sure my calculations were..." he mutters. He helps Pirknok with a potion he retrieves from his belt.
The dwarf opens his eyes slowly, sputtering a bit from the potion. "Thanks." He shakes his head slowly, stands up, and looks down at himself. "Ah... he... we gotta fin' Ameiko. Ah wish... ah wish there'd bin anuther way."
Pirknok is pretty sure he's dead.
Doran walks over Pirknok and offers the dwarf a hand to steady him. "Ya'lrigh', mate?" he asks, worried. When Pirknok suggests saving Tsuto, Doran shakes his head. "'is is th' end 'e deserved, lad. Could 'ave ended up causin' th' death o' e'erybo'y in San'point. She'll un'erstan', i' time..." the Inquisitor states, though he sounds a little defeated, not speaking in his usual calm voice. Doran goes to retrieve his bolts and reload his weapon, frustrated. Once that's done, he returns to take a closer look at Ameiko's brother's body.
Pirknok leans on Doran's arm for a few moments, just breathing and willing his head to clear. After a bit, he nods. "Ah gess. He din't give us much choice, but..." he trails off, nodding again.
He looks down at the gashes in his chest and the remains of his armor and axe lying on the ground, and winces.
"Ah'll be okay. Let's go fin' Ms. Kaijitsu."
Doran is also confident that Tsuto is dead.
Doran nods, giving a last cold look at the half-elf. "We'll come back an' bury 'im a'ter we git Ms. Ameiko 'ome i' one piece. 'e may o' been a right moron, bu' 'e deserves 'at much, a' least..."
Once more, Ysme presses her hands to Pirknok's shoulders. "This is becoming a habit, Dwarf." Her facade of gruffness conceals, poorly, a genuine concern.
The dwarf rubs a sore arm with a sore hand, chuckles, and inclines his head a bit toward the girl. "Ow... thanks. Et least ah'm not gonna fall over thuh next time thuh win' blows now. Wusint so sher a minnit ago."
Ventus slumped against a crate checking his wounds.
"Someone get his armor off, I need a replacement," Ventus says as he shucks his damaged breastplate off. Periodically, he mutters vulgarities under his breath in Varisian as he hold his hand over a nasty looking chest wound.
"Looks like one of us got their chance," Ventus said to Tsuto's corpse.
Ysme smacks 'Ventus lightly across the shoulders at the language, then places both her hands firmly on his as a familiar warmth emanates.
"How about you two let the girl take point for a bit."
Pirknok seems about to protest, but after looking between his own and Ventus' gaping wounds for a moment, just shrugs helplessly.
"I can whip up another healing infusion. Just a minute." Eli says, getting his ingredients and a fresh vial out of his pockets.
Ensu unleashes another blast of healing energy as he thanks Nethys for his aid.
Ventus winces when Ysme whacks him but relaxes as her healing kicked in. Ensu's healing light was next and Ventus was treated to the interesting sight of his chest wound stitching itself back together.
"Not happening, just need that armor and a bit of patching and I'll be good to go."
"Doran, while these two heroes are getting themselves patched up & a bit better dressed, would you back me down the hall a short ways? Nothing in either of our meetings with Tsuto leaves me sanguine about Ameiko's health or well-being until I've seen her safe & whole..."
Pirknok frowns. "No time ta git new stuff now..."
"I'd offer you my stuff, but I doubt it would much good, at least armor wise. You might be able to use my longspear as a normal spear, though." Ensu offers the weapon in his hand to the dwarf.