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"Ibuzi yokusingelwa, ukufa udle amehlo akho!" cursed Yaziyah in Shoanti as she spun in place, loaded another bolt in her crossbow and fired at the new threat, aiming over the head of the Lamb scampering between her and her target.
Seeing the half orc menace was out of the way, Calcedon sought to help the wounded mouse. He hummed his little healing tune, exhausting his resources for the day. Her injuries were as bad as he thought, but he had to see what he could do to help. He saw her wounds stitch together, but it wasn't quite enough for her to open her eyes.
Garvid shuffles forward, taking a couple of steps towards the fat man. Just... a few... breaths..., he thinks, trying to ignore the boneshattering pain in his jaw. Seeing Mouse being tended to, he nods at Calcedon. Get the kid. Good man. He takes another glance at the two gnomes engaged in combat, and grunts something in the direction of Jamros. Go get his kidneys, son.
The Lambs continue to flee, pushing one another and crowding through the door in a desperate flight to the freedom and obscurity of the city’s night.
Li cries in triumph as her bolt strikes the fat man in his side, sinking through his robes and causing his crimson jacket to darken further. He grunts in pain, doubling over. Calcedon approaches the broken Mouse, gently trying to rouse her with his song, though she remains unconscious. Yazi fires her crossbow at the disguised gnome, though in the confusion of the Lamb’s retreat she in unable to pinpoint his location. The half-orc continues to chortle madly. Then all of a sudden the giggling stops, replaced by Jamros’s ragged breathing as he works to remove Glenda from the red mess that was once a skull. He turns to the disguised gnome, mirth and murder on his mind.
As Jamros turns, the fat man bellows in rage. ”Yohr gun’ regret dat!” he screams, wobbling out of view. Heavy footfalls and heavy wheezing echo through the room and you hear a door open down the hall.
The disguised gnome takes the opportunity to try and stick Jamros once more, but his knife slides harmlessly off of the latter’s leathers. He grunts in disgust, hopping back a step to create some distance between them.
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miss
fail
Now that the Lambs are all fled (at least she hopes they were all Lambs and not more disguised gnomes with murderous intentions), Yaziyah takes a step forward to try and block the exit, while quickly reloading her crossbow and firing again at the gnome. "I shan't waste the spirits' power on such as you!"
Everything in Li wants to chase after Yargin but she finds it hard to leave the others with Mouse down and Garvid barely on his feet. The rogue decides to help deal with the new foe instead. If Yargin was going to warn Lamm then he most likely already had and Li didn't like her odds about running into both without the others.
Reloading her crossbow, Li takes one step to her left to get a clear shot at Hookshanks and releases her bolt.
Jamros’ face fell as the bolts struck the gnome. “Or not, I suppose. A pity that.” he said then casually stepped over the orc’s carcass and kneeled to place the back of his hand on Mouse’s forehead. “Wake up child, the jobs not finished yet.”
Tracing a quick pentagram in the air, Jamros channeled radiant light through his hand into Mouse, suffusing her with newfound strength.
As the gnome kneels to Mouse, light streaming from his hand, she begins to stir slightly, the ghost of a flinch on her face. Wha...wha's that? she mumbles. Saw that metal ball comin'...hurt bad, but then everythin' felt smooth like satin for a mo', an' then hot, like fire...but it was helpin'... She shuffles her elbows beneath her and props herself up, taking in the puddle of blood on the planks beneath her. I was dyin', wasn't I? An'...was that magic?
Her eyes drift from the planks beneath her to the ruined half-orc next to her, and suddenly she springs to her feet, wincing as her wounds pull. Everyone else ok? Where's alla the kids was in here? An' the big guy?
"Welcome back, mouse warrior. The big guy is through that door, trying to run no doubt." Yaziyah gestures with a bolt as she reloads her crossbow. "The Lambs got away after they helped us some."
Yaziyah’s bolt pegs the villainous gnome in the left shoulder. He gasps in pain, reflexively clutching the shaft. He opens himself up in the process, and Li takes advantage of the opportunity. Quick as a rattlesnake, she steadies her aim and fires. The bolt strikes him forcefully in the chest, piercing his armor and impaling his heart. He falls back, crashing into the wall before sliding down to the floor. Blood trickles from his mouth and his dark eyes stare vacantly at the floor. Jamros’s blithe facade is broken a moment as he sees his enemy fall. He quickly resumes his disturbingly jovial spirits, however, turning to aid Mouse with healing magicks. The young woman’s eyes open, finally, and she stands as Yaziyah indicates the direction of the fat man.
Calcedon takes the moment of reprieve to examine the body of the half-orc. He plucks a potion from a belt pouch, its milky-white contents sloshing around. He tosses it to Garvid. ”Here, try that. If it’s what I think it is, you’ll be right as rain.” Garvid eyes the potion for a moment, shrugs his thick shoulders, and downs the contents. As he does, Calcedon pipes up. ”Of course, I might be wrong, and you could end up taller than the building.” Calcedon’s estimations are correct, however, and Garvid smiles grimly as his wounds close with magical alacrity. .
Meanwhile, through the eastern door you hear the fat’s man yelling at the top of his lungs: ”...Bandits and whores...Robbing..Slit ‘is froaht, dey did! ...hide...boy guard you!”
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Satisfied that everyone is now more or less on their feet, Yaziyah picks her way careful over the slippery floor, stepping gingerly over the body of the gnome. She reaches the top of the stairs and surveys the room.
The floor here is slick with seawater, bits of seaweed, and fish blood the air is thick with the accompanying scent. Wooden catwalks to the north and south allow access to the western part of the fishery, while the floor here is only five feet above the river below. An open bay to the south allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water, while to the northwest stands an immense ten-foot-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. Inside is a foul-looking mixture of chum, seawater, and who knows what else. To the east are stacked many barrels and crates, each marked in paint with a fish. Nearly two dozen small hammocks hang from under the catwalks, each with its own ratty blanket and pillow.
And, of course, the fat man. He crouches next the bay, screaming down toward the river below. As you enter, he looks panicked. He still clutches a vial in his hands.
Garvid grunts acceptingly at the potion. Either one of those is good for now, I reckon., before opening his mouth with a groan. His jaw continues to look broken, but is seemingly in much better condition. "Thanks. Let's get them.", he mutters, with a wince on his face. Let's rearrange someone's face... He makes pace towards the insides of Lamm's lair. "And that was my favourite good side...", he quips at Calcedon.
While waiting for Mouse to come around, Li loads another bolt into her crossbow. Yargin's voice coming from the other room is audible and Li itches to go deal with him. "It'll be me pleasure ta make a pin cushion outta that one." Seeing the others go the way the Lambs had exited, Li takes off in the direction Yargin had disappeared in hopes of catching him unawares.
She shuffles her elbows beneath her and props herself up, taking in the puddle of blood on the planks beneath her. I was dyin', wasn't I? An'...was that magic?
Jamros chuckled at the girl's query. “I’d say it's like a contractual obligation more than anything, but yes child, it is magic.” he said, standing and following Li out of the room. “Ah, would you be so kind as to lay down covering fire while I approach the fat man, my dear?”
following Li out of the room. “Ah, would you be so kind as to lay down covering fire while I approach the fat man, my dear?”
Hesitating mid-step, Li allows Jamros to catch up to her. "As long as I can put a bolt in 'im sooner or later, I can cover ya."
Seeing Jamros and Li setting off to the south, Mouse follows Yazi to the north, falling in just behind her at the top of the stairs. He's callin' t' someone - my guess'd be Lamm's b'low, an' sounds like there's someone with 'im. She settles the sling she'd drawn as she picked her way across the slick floor into her hand, preparing to load a bullet and fire.
Patting the key in his waistcoat pocket, Cal makes for the door calling back to Garvid over his shoulder with a good-natured smirk. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find you another good side later." He practically skated out of the room, but found outside that door to be fairly easy to traverse.
As he passed by the gnome and sandy haired girl, some kind of uneasy feeling settled on him. Although it was immediately useful that Jamros was able to heal as well, something told him that his contractual obligation wasn't something good. The star on his shoulder reminded him of the costumes of various villains and anti-heroes from the operas he'd been exposed to since his birth, but he couldn't quite place it.
Taking the front against the alchemist, Calcedon pointed his sword at the no-good lowlife in front of him. "Your best move is to surrender, or it will not go well for you."
As the party rushes to surround the fat man, he appears to panic, though fear does not seem to cure him of his good manners.
”You bloody ingrates. We’ll make shark food ou’ of yeh!” From his vest pocket he withdraws a thin black wand. He points it toward Li with a disgusting smirk, his third chin wobbling as he does.
Nothing happens.
”Bloody 'ell!” he screams, thrashing the wand in the air in an attempt to make it work. He subtly shifts to the north, toward the door.
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void
failure
Jamros laughed out loud when he saw Yargin’s blunder and made his way past his compatriots in order to place himself in full view. “Do put that trinket away before you embarrass yourself further.” he said, leaning on the railing and playing with a piece of gray matter that clung tenaciously to Glenda. “You're in an awfully sorry position and I doubt you want to be remembered as the man who died defending himself with a stick.” then he brought his wicked grin and penetrating stare fully on him. “Tell us where Gaedren is and we will consider leaving you at least an arm and a leg unbroken.”
The wand visibly trembles as the fat man blinks, seeming to notice Jamros for the first time. "Bah!" He scoffs, yet it is clear the gnome's words have him rattled.
Marial had held back for a moment as Jamros began to speak, hoping the man might be cowed into speaking. But now it was clear he intended to hold his tongue, and the wand pointed at Li had brought back too many memories - it may not have been this man, but Mouse remembered far too many like him, thugs of Gaedren's with no regard for the kids forced into his "care".
From her vantage point at the top of the stairs, she loads a small lump of metal into her sling, whirling it around and letting it fly. You heard 'im! Where's Lamm?!
Flattening herself against the wall to let Garvid and Mouse pass, Yaziyah props the butt of the crossbow against a hip, holding it steady with one hand as with the other she rummages in a pouch on her belt. The chirping of the cricket is lost between the fat man's yelling and screaming and the gnome's laugh and bluster, although the ones closest to Yazi might still hear it. "I knew you'd come in handy for something, little one", she mutters, and holding the cricket on her palm she starts singing the words of a spell in a low, slow rhythm.
"Igqira lendlela nguqo ngqothwane
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqo ngqothwane
Sebeqabele gqi thapha bathi nguqo ngqothwane"
Then she breathes on the cricket, who blinks out of existence. As Mouse's hurled projectile flies past, she quirks a smile at the girl. "He can't answer your questions if he's dead, dear."
Li releases the breath she was holding as she anticipates an attack from Yargin that never came. Jamros' words take affect on Yargin and Li can't help but smile as her target becomes easier to hit. Li raises her crossbow and aims at Yargin. "Ya not be hurtin' anymore kids, fat man." Li's promise is punctuated by her bolt which flies towards Yargin.
Garvid shuffles forward. "Yazi's right, kid." The words come out muffled, thanks to the still severe bruise on his jaw. "Though, talking is something he'll be doing a lot of..." Garvid walks forward, thrusting the blunt end of his halberd towards Yargin's sizeable belly.
The wand visibly trembles as the fat man blinks, seeming to notice Jamros for the first time. ”Bah!” he scroffs, yet it is clear the gnome’s words have him rattled.
Further adding to his difficulties, Mouse and Li reign fire down on him from above, though neither of them have a clear shot. ”You ungra’ful wuhrms! I’ll ‘ave yohr eyes for ‘dat!”
Yazi attempts to steal his concentration with a spell, but he is far too absorbed in defending himself to make eye contact with her. .
Garvid, seeing the fat man eyeing the north door, comes bouldering down the stairs to block his exit, just as Calcedon races down the catwalk, sword drawn, to flank him from the rear.
The fat man screams in fright (a shrill, grating scream), and hops back toward the port in the floor. Cocking the silver flask he’s been holding, he sends it flying toward Garvid. Garvid easily blocks the vial with his halberd, but on contact it shatters, showering him with a caustic chemical mixture. His armor smokes and his skin burns as the acid does its work. . His eyes full of panic, the man draws a small bag from his belt and threatens first Calcedon, then Garvid again. He seems to have forgotten the others entirely. ”No’ one mohr step! I’ll le’ you ‘ave it, by Gods I will!”
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success
success
hit
As her sling bullet clacks off the stair railing and Garvid and Calcedon move to engage with the fat man, Mouse decides to do the same, rushing down the stairs and trying to duck and weave to get behind him without drawing a blow. Besides - she could be more careful with her fists than with a sling, and who knew what the man could tell them about Lamm?
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Li loads her crossbow again. She adjusts her stance and aims again at Yargin but doesn't shoot right away as Mouse moves up beside him. Thinking herself to have a clear shot from above but not knowing if the others want him alive or dead, Li decides to shoot anyways.
"Oops," Li says half-heartedly, as the bolt buries iteself in Yargin's shoulder.
Jamros sighed as the fighting began anew. Suppose I'll just have to kill the fat man after all. It would have been more fun to break his bones. He thought as he hurried down the catwalk and the first few steps of the stairwell. As he neared the the fighting, Jamros inspected his opponent, determining the severity of his wounds.
Mouse shoots down the stairs, pivoting and racing in a beeline for the fatman. Meanwhile, another of Li’s bolts strikes him, this time in the left shoulder. He grunts weakly as his blood begins to pour down his arm. Jamros moves in and eyes him, noting that, although his shoulder is in terrible shape, he continues to heft his massive weight with relative ease.
”Alright, that’s enough games.” Suddenly, Garvid saunters forward and thrusts the blunt end of his halberd into the fat man’s sizeable belly. He gasps and doubles over, his face turning a sickly shade of deep red, almost purple, before he falls to the floor, unconscious.
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success
void
The bard looked down at the fat man with pity. "You've been avoiding justice for too long. The tiger tags in time." Cal patted the larger man on his well muscled shoulder. Remembering the warning that Yargin shouted through the hole, he sighed. "We've got more to do yet, I'm thinking the real fight will be downstairs."
He also gave a wink to Li. "Oops, huh?" He smiled. "It's always the quiet ones that surprise you." He shook his head and headed to the middle of the room.
Calcedon took a quick look through the hole in the floor. Any information about what was down there would help them all in the long run, but mostly he just was curious.
"Hah!" exclaims Yaziyah at Garvid's intervention, with an approving half-smile. Now that the excitement is over, the Shoanti woman approaches one of the windows in the eastern wall, carefully climbing over crates and barrels to try and see outside. She calls to the girls "Are there any other entrances to this place? We wouldn't want our quarry to bolt from under our noses".
"Hmm." The bard hummed as he was considering what he saw, but even that was less a nonplussed expression as much as it part of the musical score of his life. "It seems there's a walkway under the building, and it connects to the old barge out front. If we didn't mind getting wet and the big fish hanging out under there, we could probably drop down here instead of going around, but it might be better to do the latter."
"Are there any other entrances to this place? We wouldn't want our quarry to bolt from under our noses"
Li shrugs, "I never been here before so I don't know what ta be expectin'. With all tha noise that Yargin be makin', I'm sure our presence be known so we should be careful."
"It seems there's a walkway under the building, and it connects to the old barge out front. If we didn't mind getting wet and the big fish hanging out under there, we could probably drop down here instead of going around, but it might be better to do the latter."
In response to Calcedon, Li says, "I don't be likin' the big fish and I never learned ta swim. If you guys want ta go this way, I'll go 'round and go tha other."
Jamros began to hum a merry tune as he pulled a pair of manacles off his belt and snapped one on Yargin’s wrist. “I'll join you my dear. I doubt Gaadren has another escape route and besides, the sharks in these waters love Gnome.” he said to Li with a chuckle as he dragged the fat man's considerable girth to the stairwell and cuffed him to the most intact support he could find.
"I am all in favour of not swimming in the river, Slinky doesn't like getting wet." The Shoanti pats the weasel affectionately as she turns away from the window. "Someone should stand guard here though, in case our rat can swim better than we do and decides to bolt through this hole. Or perhaps we can stopper it, hmm." Yaziyah looks around the room, searching for crates or barrels large enough to be dragged or rolled over the opening in the floor and effectively block it.
Garvid nods back at Yazi with a smile, then turns to Li. "Right. I suggest we sweep the place, and see if there isn't anyone left that could cut off out path as we cross to the other side. Pincer moves are a bit of a b%#$%, and we should move together from now on. Great work." He leans over Yargin, giving him a gentle nudge. "We should tie this one up and deliver him to the guard. I'm sure they'd be delighted in having him for questioning about his boss' businesses. Tie him to the lovely smelling barrel or something." He takes a brief look at Jamros with a curious smirk.
"Now, should I ask what these ones are for?", he quips, nodding at the manacles.
Mouse stands well back from the hole in the center of the floor, eyeing the water nervously. It's clear the thought of the drop into the river unnerves her. 'M a fair hand at climbin'...but I...I ain't so good with swimmin'. But I c'n scurry down it if we wanna send someone that way...
Her countenance belies her, though; at Garvid's suggestion that they move together, she lets out an audible sigh, though she quickly tries to cover it up. Lamm moves 'round too much - I ain't never been here 'afore. But I'd bet a cod t' a carriage 'e's down there, with how the big guy was yammerin'. 'E's likely down b'low 'cause it'd be hard t' get to 'im without makin' a ruckus - like we already done. She smiles at the joke.
I c'n take th' point walkin' through; 'm hard t' surprise, an' hard t' hit. Settling a giant, steel-banded lizard skull on her off-hand and checking the leather straps that hold it, she moves forward. C'mon, let's make sure ain't no more surprises in these other rooms, like Garvid said.
After ensuring the the fat man is securely tied, Jamros searches his person and finds several useful resources: a potion of cure light wounds, a potion of spider climb, a wand of acid splash (28 charges), and a wand of cure light wounds (13 charges).
Quickly scanning the upper floor, you find a collection of offices and sleeping chambers. The front room contains a single desk with a moldy chair. A small pile of ratty furs and straw, presumably a dog bed, is heaped under the table. In the barracks, a pair of bunk beds sits against the far wall, though there is nothing else of interest. In the back office, you find a wooden desk heaped with dozens of slate boards covered with chalk scrawls.
In the big room with the slippery floor, you find a locked cabinet. Calcedon remembers the pearl-inlaid key, which turns out to be a match for the lock. Inside, you find a series of small pouches containing various coins amounting to 30gp.
__________________
Glancing down the back alley, you note a slippery boardwalk clinging to the side of the fishery. It's held together by barnacle-thick pilings that have been worn halfway through their thickness at the waterline.
Once they were back outside, Li says, "I plan ta block tha doors on this side a tha buildin' ta make sure no one slips passed us. I can follow and cover tha rest of ya when I'm done. By tha looks of tha boardwalk, ya'll need ta go single file anyways."