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It was a fun game. Ah well. Its like starting a business. 50% don't last 3 months. And 75% don't go past 6. At least that is what it feels like.
Ali, you stay at the Hale Koa? Kip, good to hear that you are almost settled down. Moving sucks.
Valik watches the attempt to scale the cliff pensively, wincing at every clink of steel on stone.
"Lets try it. If it turns out to be too hard, we will back off and find another way. I want to make sure that we are in fighting strength for gnolls, rather than getting hurt climbing some rocks." "Besides, it might be fun. Just don't scream when you jump for the cliff." "Wait a second, if Felliped takes the rope with him when he swings to the cliff, how are we going to climb up too?" Valik asks, perplexed.
"Perfect. Lets see if we can get this to work. Felliped, you go up, get the rope tied off, then we can all climb the rope after you. We get easy access to the upper level. Since everything down here is ruined, we should go and see what we can do up on the top level. There might be an opportunity there that isn't down here." "Dashki, please lead us to the building that has the intact second floor."
"Well. It was a thought. Let's move the carcass back onto the rubble and press on." After moving dead snake for a few minutes, Valik pauses. "Dashki, did you see if any of the buildings across the street have a way to the top of the cliff? From the roof maybe?"
"Still looks green in the gills. Hmmm. Let me see the wound site for a moment."
Valik works on the wound for a few moments, pulling items out of his pack, massaging the wound site and moving Dross's limb around. "Well you will live." he says brushing off his hands as he looks around the room.
"Dashki, do you think the dogs were using the snake as a guard animal, or are they too hard to train? Also, do you think this town has sewers?"
Seeing that there is little he can do in the midst of combat, Valik focuses on the snake.
Valik reaches out an places a hand on Dross's shoulder, willing the strenght of Sarenrae into him. His left hand glows with a soft nimbus and at the edge of hearing, the crackle of flame can be heard.
Valik takes another step back, drops a stone into his sling and after a few quick spins, lets loose.
"What are they feeding that thing? Horses?", Valik asks as the shadowed shape of the snake rears up out of its nest. Eying the beast Valik opts for caution, dropping a stone into his trusty sling, then spinning it up to a thrumming blur before sending it at the creature.
"I think that Dashki has the right idea. Let's turn it into a pincushion!"
Valik waves Dashki forward toward the entrance, trusting the scout's senses. As soon as he gets a few paces ahead, Valik trots after him, carefully matching his pace.
"If we go past it, and get in a spot of trouble, we will be trapped between whatever we stumbled into, and the boar. Do we really want to press forward without securing our route of escape?"
Valik claps Dashki on the back. "Sounds good. If we can't start fires, we will just have to be creative. Lead the way Dashki, lets go." Valik says, motioning to the house that gets food 3 times a day.
Valik looks at the buildings across the river, rubbing his beard. "I don't like it." "Look at the cliffs over there. Its basically a trap. If someone is watching the road and the bridge, we could get pinned over there pretty easily." "So we are going to have to pull attention away from there before we do anything else." "Lets go check out the building that gets food three times a day. If it turns out to be something mean...which I hope...between freeing that, and lighting some fires, we can cause some chaos, then go check out the building across the way." "Thoughts? Dashki, anything to add?" Valik asks.
"Hmm. Dross, Travis, Felliped, Dashki and myself. That's probably all we can take safely. I don't want to have too many of us, but I don't want to be missing a blade if we run into trouble." Valik rubs his beard as he thinks. "Yep. Five it is."
We aren't taking all of them? Have any of the leadership placed limitations on how many we can go with? The two who went into the tombs with me at a minimum. That would be a party of four.
"Flame above, Dullen. You sound like a crying brat. Haven't you been with me long enough that you know I am fair about things? And to be honest, I had no idea that the brooch or the mace were magical. Since I think that I can trust you to smash what needs smashing, here." Valik says as he tosses the mace to Dullen. "Now you are ready to smash some dogs into the dust, right?"
Valik nods in satisfaction. "Thank you, Felliped." "Ok men. Now that we know what is magic, and what is not, do you still wish to sell anything else?" Valik says addressing the group.
Valik jumps a bit at the mention of magic by Felliped. Perhaps he can tell me about the sword! And the mercenaries will be happy if he can determine if any of the items are magical and what their value might be...that way I can get them paid. "Ah. Felliped. I can help you chose gear if you wish. While you look over what the caravan has I would like to ask some questions about magic if you don't mind. I also may need your assistance with a small project."
Rodger. You have my prayers man. Fight the good fight.
"It is not right for us to sit by while the gnolls torture your comrades Felliped. Dashki's plan is sound. If the gnolls are going to execute your friends, they will do it soon." "I think you are right Dashki. A quick strike could cause enough confusion so we can grab the prisoners and run like rabbits for a good ambush point. And attacking an execution party from behind, that would definitely cause confusion." "Dashki says that the gnolls will execute the prisoners along the path of Felliped's escape, correct?" Valik says, looking at Dashki. "If so, then we merely need to position ourselves in the abandoned houses on the edge of town so we can strike when we see a chance. If the gnolls don't help out and bring the prisoners out, then we will just have to go and get them. Our escape point will be whatever is the best place, tower, ruin or waterfall that is closest to wherever we are on the edge of town." "Any problems with that plan? Its simple enough, but we can modify it if we need to." Valik finishes, looking around the group.
Apparently Vodafone has an aircard deal that will be about 33% of the cost. I am going to investigate.
Good lord. This hotel in Brisbane has the most expensive internet I have ever seen! 30 bucks a day! I am counting out my pennies...
I will be out of pocket for the next 30 hours or so as I travel down under. The hotel is supposed to have internet, so I will check in then.
"Well I guess that answers my question about the "Battle Market", I really had no idea what such a thing was. Anyways, thank you Felliped. By adding to the information that Dashki had already provided you may have given us the edge that we need to see this through successfully." Valik says rubbing his chin. "I really hate to sound like a crazy zealot, but this talk of Rovagug...Ameera, I have a duty to eradicate the gnolls. That may not exactly match up with securing the town. But you can be sure that unless the filth of Rovagug is burnt out it will spread and threaten everything you care about." "I still think the original plan holds. We cause chaos, draw gnolls into traps and ambushes until their forces are weakened. Then we crush them." Valik finishes, punching his fist into his palm.
"Well I guess that answers my question about the "Battle Market", I really had no idea what such a thing was. Anyways, thank you Felliped. By adding to the information that Dashki had already provided you may have given us the edge that we need to see this through successfully." Valik says rubbing his chin. "I really hate to sound like a crazy zealot, but this talk of Rovagug...Ameera, I have a duty to eradicate the gnolls. That may not exactly match up with securing the town. But you can be sure that unless the filth of Rovagug is burnt out it will spread and threaten everything you care about." "I still think the original plan holds. We cause chaos, draw gnolls into traps and ambushes until their forces are weakened. Then we crush them." Valik finishes, slapping his fist into his palm.
"Felliped, when the Father is done with you, I need to talk to you. The rest of the mercenaries and myself are going to be heading to Kelmarane tomorrow. I need you to draw us out a map of the area and where you think that your companions are located. Also we heard mention that there were large beasts penned up in buildings. I hope you tell us where they were located." Valik uncorks one of the remaining infusions and drains it in one gulp, then walks around picking up his gear off the ground.
"How did you end up out here Felliped? And more to the point, you said something about gnolls?"
"Ameera, the man has not introduced himself, but I think that his name is Felliped...he sounds a bit like a pesh-addled madman to me.", Valik says from the archway. "One of the guards caught the bird with an arrow as it was attempting to flee. Apparently it fell over the wall, so it might be prudent to send someone to get it."
"Bird food eh? Well see if you can get a potion into him and wake him up. If he's got any weapons on him, you should probably relieve him of them first though...no telling what kind of person he is." With Dross's aid Valik gets back on his feet, all be it a bit unsteadily.
Valik awakens with a start, swinging his arm and almost catching Dross across the temple, as he jerks back to consciousness. "Gah!!..." He sits up, blinking for a moment, collecting himself. "Well the Father was right about one thing. Those tonics of his don't taste that bad...a bit like eating a fist full of herbs, not great, but not bad. Thank you Dross. What happened to the bird? Also, did anyone check the corpse over there?" Valik asks, pointing at the body lying in the center of the courtyard.
"Ahhh. Flames to you bird! Well she is good and distracted, hit her from behind!", Valik bellows, ducking under the snapping beak. As the bird turns away to look at Utarchus, Valik dances forward, slicing at the bird's neck.
The bird snaps its head up in time to evade the blow, and the scimitar slices through nothing but feathers.
Valik picks up speed as he moves across the hacked apart yard, kicking up bits of dirt and detrius behind him as he plows forward. "Sarenrae!"
"Blades against beak it is!" Valik thunders, dropping his sling and pack and drawing his scimitar, before moving across the courtyard towards the filthy bird.
Valik eyes the giant bird flapping in the courtyard as he drops a sling bullet into the cup of the sling and gets it spinning into a blurred whirring circle. "Well, when they said that you would be big and ugly, I thought that they were exaggerating...here is hoping that you are as stupid as you are big." Valik takes a step forward and launches the bullet at the bird, releasing the sling at the right point to send it zipping at the bird's head.
"How about holding that thought. I think we need to get out of sight of that thing...perhaps in a doorway." Valik points to the side of the courtyard and motions for Utarchus to follow. Upon reaching the relative safety of the doorway Valik asks, "Do you have a bow or sling?"
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