Mimi, you are an amazing person." Arenel said with a smile as she took the powder given and mixed it with water before she handed it off to Valghaz before mixing one of her own.
"Well Arya, what ya thinking?" Arenel asked as she sipped on her water "We're not really the sneakiest group together."
Elaina mixes the powder into water as instructed and enjoys the fizzy new drink. Headache gone, she throws her arms around Mimi's neck, squealing "Oh Mimi! You're the smartest and best friend I've ever had!" then plants a kiss on the alchemists cheek.
”Thank you Mimi, you’re a real life-saver.” Arya says, wiping the last of the fizzy beverage from her lips. She glances sideways as the Elaina plants a kiss on Mimi’s cheek and tries to understand why it makes her so jealous.
How long now since I last kissed Sikta?
That must be it.
Turning to Arenel, Arya thinks for a moment.
”In my experience, I find that the best way in to rich folk’s houses is to be invited in. Now usually that requires being noticed for something. You do something really good, or you do something really bad. Either way, sooner or later they’ll want to know who it is all the fuss is about.”
Letting out a loud burp, the pirate continues.
”Now since these Lotus Dragons have already slipped us a death threat, I think their cordial invitation may be a little out of reach for us. But if we make some more noise around the crime scene today, perhaps we can draw some more vengeful attention...”
"That's the best idea I ever heard!" Elaina exclaims in response to Arya's proposal. "Let's go find more boats with animal prisoners and free them!"
As the party is heading back to the Islaran Estate, hoping to stir up trouble, their goal seems to find them - Arya feels a slight tugging at her coinpouch, and looks to see a street urchin running away from her, directly into an alley 20 feet ahead!
"Hey! Stop, thief!" Arya calls out, taking off at a run in pursuit of the street urchin. Hoping the others follow her, she doesn't take her eyes from the small child.
Stopping suddenly, Valghaz sees Arya take off and runs after her.
Swiftly followed after Arya and Valghaz, trying to find the thief that Arya had called after.
"Oh!" Elaina squeals with excitement, remembering how she met Alriani. "This is exactly how I met one of my best friends I ever had! We're gonna make a new friend!"
All of the positive attention causes Mimi's dusky complexion to take a rosy tinge. I'm glad it helped. I thought it might.
***********
Mimi trails along after the others into the alley.
#1: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint 10
#2: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint 10
#3: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint 10
Arya chases after the pickpocket. When she turns into the alley, she spies him duck around a corner after some crates.
Focused on the chase, nobody notices the three figures clad in leather armor atop the nearby roofs. Until, that is, they open fire on the party with their hand crossbows.
A bolt each hits Arenel and Elaina, the attacks precisely placed to inflict the most possible pain. A third bolt badly misses Arya.
Looking up and seeing the danger, Valghaz uttered a curse under his breath. His hammer began to glow as he pulled it back and threw it at their attackers.
Arenel cried out in pain as a bolt buried itself into her flesh. "It was a trap!" She shouted before she snapped her fingers and a bit of light flashed before a crossbowman's eyes.
Arya looks up toward the source of the crossbow bolt that nearly struck her. Without a second thought she runs toward the building and throws herself at the wall, grabbing onto whatever handholds she can grasp.
When Mimi sees shots fired at those up front, she stops up short and takes her own crossbow to return the favor. She selects one of the bolts with an acid rider attached.
One dirty trick deserves another
Elaina screams -more in annoyance and surprise than pain- as the bolt rips through the leather scales of her armor. She draws her shortbow and nocks an arrow, letting arcane magic flow into the arrow. "You're lucky I'm not wearing my beautiful new dress or else I'd be very angry!" She shouts to the bandit that shot her and sends and arrow back in reply.
#1: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint; 10 Condition Dazed
#2: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint 10
#3: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint 10
The volley of attacks from the party all miss their targets, while Arenel's magic causes one of the thug's eyes to cross as a vague look crosses his face.
While one thug reels from Arenel's magic, another moves to get a better angle on the climbing Arya, but his bolt clinks harmlessly against the wall. The last continues attacking Elaina, his bolt plunking home into her leg.
Valghaz’s hammer rebounded off the wall, vanished, and appeared back in his hands. Calling out to his god, he threw the hammer once more. Now, crossbows were certainly deadly. But great-hammers, glowing with the radiance of the divine? Now that was positively devestating. The man’s chest caved in as the hammer hit, only for the weapon to appear once more in Valghaz’s hands.
Reaching the top of the building, Arya scrambles up onto the roof, thanking her lucky stars that the crossbowman decided to try and shoot her in the back rather than just wait at the top to push her back down.
Leaping to her feet, Arya turns to face the man as she draws her rapier and extends the point towards him. ”Avast! Draw your sword!” she shouts, hoping to engage the man in melee.
If he’s anywhere near as bad with a blade as he is with a bow, this should be over quickly.
Eyes wide as her foe’s chest practically bursts before her eyes, Arya takes a moment to process what just happened before turning her focus to the remaining combatants.
Mimi draws another bolt and reloads. Her shot misses again and she decides she will have to find a better angle if she's going to keep using the crossbow.
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Elaina grunts as the arrow impacts her thigh. She draws and looses another arrow at the man shooting at her. This arrow, too, comes nowhere near her target. She drops her bow, following it to the ground and crawling behind a crate. She felt her face burning with embarrassment and angry tears filled here eyes. I can't do anything right! Everyone is going to think I'm useless!
Arenel took a few steps close to the other one standing she hadn't cast at yes. snapping her fingers once more to flash a light before their eyes.
The poor fool couldn't close his eyes in time and soon followed after the first one Arenel dazed.
#1: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint; 10 (out of sight)
#2: bloody paste
#3: hp 11/11; AC/T/FF 15/13/12; Fort/Ref/Will +2/+5/+0; vs Feint 10; Condition Dazed
After seeing one of his comrades turned into a bloody pile of goo, the thug atop the western building turns around and runs across the rooftop out of sight. The other thug blinks his eyes, trying to clear them and swaying slightly.
Arya approaches the dazed thug, her rapier extended ready to engage him should his sight return.
“Your little trick has failed, your friends are dead or gone. I’d strongly recommend surrendering right now, we don’t need to spill any more blood today.”
Arenel looked to her friends and asked "Should I even bother? Or are we just going to let him go?"
Mimi runs farther into the alley, looking for a way to get up to the roofs.
The remaining thug drops his weapon and surrenders.
Mimi: You see stairs leading to the roof behind the building to the west.
True to her word, as the thug drops his weapon, Arya lowers hers.
"Now, three questions, if you please. Who are you, where did you come from, and who sent you here?"
"M...my name is Klendan. I'm from here. Siren's Bay. Tarq..." his eyes dart to the pile of gore resulting from Valghaz's hammer, "was our squad leader. Said he received orders to dissuade a group of nosy adventurers from looking into our dealings."
Mimi gratefully takes the stairs.
Valghaz follows Mimi up the stairs. He says, loud enough for Klendan to hear, "Bah! Gonna have to clean my hammer again. I'm going to have to work on my aim. Meant to cripple him. Ah well..."
"Stop scaring him handsome." Arenel said as she came over to Valghaz and leaned slightly on him. "Let Arya finish her questions and if he doesn't answer then you can take over."
”Aye.” He smirked, though much of it was lost in the beard. ”Ye make better company. Will leave it to Arya well enough.”
“Our dealings? What dealings? Who do you work for Klendan, and where can we find them?”
Arya plays as dumb as possible, trying not to put any words into the thug’s mouth so that he might divulge as much as possible.
Elaina lays on her back in the shade of the building, staring dejectedly up at the blue sky. She could hear muffled words from somewhere above and assumed the fighting had finished. She was embarrassed she hadn't contributed at all, but was now irritated that everyone had left her to die alone. She wanted someone to feel bad for her so she continued to lie in the dirt, waiting for one of her party to return and see how injured she was.
"I...I can't. Th-they'll kill me."
Failing to pick up on anything significant, Arya changes tactics.
“It’s okay Klendan, we already know all about the Lotus Dragons and their little operation here in Siren’s Bay. We just want to check a few facts with you. You won’t be telling us anything we don’t already know.”
Klendan seems to deflate at Arya's declaration. "I'm new to the Dragons. When he recruited me, Vanthus said they have big plans for Siren's Bay, and I'd be well rewarded for joining. I don't know what the plans are. I swear! I've only been to the..." He cuts himself off before saying anything further.
"To the what boy?" Arenel asked as she raised an eyebrow. "I suggest you answer else well, you saw what happened to your friend."
While Arenel, Arya, and Valghaz are busy questioning the man they've caught, Mimi goes looking for one of the crossbow bolts she shot. She figures she's not scary or persuasive enough to help get the man talking, and the questions to ask are very obvious ones. She'll be of no help there.
Besides, she needs to check the condition of the bolt's tip after a second day inside the acid bag. She had slightly diluted the compound, and figured they should remain sound for at least two days, but such things need to be confirmed. Adjustments might be necessary.
While she does her checking, it hits her like a thunderbolt! Gah! so obvious! What an idiot I am!
Mimi realizes she's going about this all wrong. Too much uncertainty and too short a useful span of time. She needs to make her own tips! Of glass! Dead easy to produce when she finds a bit of time, and no erosion due to acid exposure.
It occurs to her for just a spit second that she hasn't seen Eliana in the last few minutes, but her thoughts on the best conical shape for the glass crowds it out.
Arya lets Arenel take charge of the questioning as the Magus joins her and the captive thug on the roof.
Nervously, the sailor takes the chance to glance back down to the ally.
Elaina, where are you?
Klendan sighs. "The guildhall." He bites his lip nervously. "If I tell you where to find it, will you let me go?"
Arenel raised an eyebrow before she looked to Arya and the Valghaz. "No complaints upon that part?" She asked.
”I’d rather he show us where it is. Less chance o’ trickery, eh?”
Elaina continues to lie where she is. The warm blood from her arrow wounds spreading across her clothing was oddly comforting, but she fancied she had seen the same seagull fly overhead several times now and concern that it would be coming for her soon was growing. I hope they're not going to walk in to an obvious trap like last time. They would probably do that, without me. Especially since they do that with me.
"It's in Dead Dog Plaza. The well in the center. I can lead you there if you insist, but only if you'll let me go afterwards."