You head back to the surface, and to the inn.
"5 gold a night. Each of you."
"Yeah, no problem."
Jones pays without a word.
Darius almost questions why their group, who recently saved quite a few civilians, were being charged such a price. However, the overall meaning was small, Darius understood the important factor of which was shelter and ensuring the woman was safe, He requests a hearty helping of food if available to slowly feed to the woman if she awakes, or manually if she does not.
The effects of today's actions he no doubt would change what they need do or deal with tomorrow.
" We will need to hear this lady's tale when she awakes... and find a way to get Zin... underwater safely.. or rather everyone.. safely. "
Jones grins.
"I think this would be an excellent opportunity to test out Doctor Croon's subaqueous vehicle. I will try to get his permission to use it tomorrow."
"Oh, yay. Confined spaces. With three men. One of whom is a self identified hobo, and another...Well, you know that wet dog smell..."
Amanorn sighs and shakes his head.
"Hey, at least I get to be in a confined space with two women."
"If that's some sort of slur regarding elven effeminacy, then I commend your patience in waiting for a full-blooded elf to join us."
We rest for the night. Sledge will take first watch.
Jones gets up and sneaks downstairs.
Jones sees four men downstairs, one in full plate and the rest in breastplates, armed to the teeth. All carry holy symbols of the Recondite Order.
They're making hand gestures at each other, but you don't recognize them.
After a few moments, each one casts a spell.
The three breastplate wearers each cast Divine Favor, while the full-plated one cast Ironskin.
Jones heads upstairs and wakes his friends.
"There are four heavily armed divine casters from the Order downstairs. They're preparing for combat, and I think they're looking for us."
Amanorn whispers the following to the group with the message cantrip, just to be safe. "Alright. I prepared some dispelling magic today, but not much. Still...clerics have weaknesses, among them being their necessity of holy symbols in their hands to cast spells . A practiced unarmed fighter such as Sledge should be able to snatch or shatter them with ease, and I can grease a couple away As well. Without their spells, they lose much of their power. Madam Zin, oh mistress of the flame, is the heat metal spell among your capabilities? Because if so, you can probably aid in disabling their magical access. If not, your usual approaches of "burn this f***er to the ground" may be a solid approach. I'm not normally one to let a good inn go to waste, but we coughed up ten times the standard rate each to be sold out to these glorified altar boys, so I say toast this dinky roadside pile of filth."
Jones can now clearly remember Amanorn is not a morning person and hated being woken up early.
"Why would I snatch their holy symbols when I can just cave in their rib cages?"
"You do whatever you want. Apparently stratagem is wasted breath."
"So we're fighting them head-on instead of, say, escaping? Very well."
"They'll be expecting us to be in this room. I say we ambush them as they come up the stairs."
"Sounds good to me. Unless, you know, the kick the door open and start dropping flamestrikes. But, hey, you work with what you can."
Amanorn finds a corner to get in and readies an action to archery-cast some glitter dust at the first target in the door, hopefully getting more than one of them in the burst.
Sledge will charge the leader from the top of the stairs.
"You all realize rather than prepare for them up here you could just climb out the window?"
"Then, I set this place ablaze. Upon which they scurry outside where you're waiting to ambush them in the door. Then, they're trapped inside a soon to be raging inferno with you on one end, and a very angry Fire Goddess on the other."
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"And endanger the lives of everyone else staying at this inn? That is not a risk I'm willing to take."
"You realize that if I fight at all that this place is going up in flames right? Only in my scenario you're not inside when it does."
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Jones grimaces. "Then you should refrain from fighting. We're lucky these people haven't already turned against us. That would change if we destroyed the inn and killed several innocent people."
He thinks for a moment. "Although...perhaps we could lure these men outside. Then you could burn them to your heart's content."
"The owner of this weavel infested flop house sold us out. I'm with the fire goddess; torch this pile of timber. To the abyss with them."
Jones looks increasingly annoyed.
"I know this is a novel concept for both of you, but think about the consequences of your actions! You're right to be angry at the owner, but what about all the people staying here?"
He points back to the party's room. "What about the woman we rescued? Are you willing to let our efforts go to waste for petty revenge?!"
While you're arguing back and forth for several seconds, the four zealots appear at the top of the stairs.
"There they are! The ones that killed our brothers! Avenge them!" the full-plated leader cries, and Amanorn is sheathed in a black aura, which swiftly fizzles out, to the leader's consternation. The rest sheathe themselves in a similar looking aura.
Shortly thereafter, the leader manifests the spirit of an old, grizled veteran warrior to guide his hands.
The others look at Zin.
"Her hands! She must be the flame wielder that torched our brethren! Protect yourselves!" and they are outlined in a red sheen.
"Well, that solves that dilemma. Believe it or not, gentlemen, you've just saved a lot of innocent lives."
Jones draws his rapier and waits for Sledge to do his usual thing.
"We have a sleeping lady upstairs and it might not have been the owner."
Darius rubs his eyes a tired look on his face as he stares upon the situation, having watched and the rambunctious mindset of Zin, being egged on by the new addition. His Whip unfurled.
[b]" This will be a Glorious night it seems, I suppose there are those who like to die. "[b]
The arrow slams unerringly into a chink in his armor under the pit, and glitter explodes all over him!
"AAARGH!"
The armored man sparkles, but is not blinded.
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