"Ouch! That's painful!" observing the platform Holg moves up the trash as good as he can and them recovers the grip of his sword as he double moves on the archer.
Fireday and Holg quickly climb up to the upper level of the room to get to Birdfood. Kaska scrambles for purchase, not managing to follow suit.
Coen conjures a thundercloud over the easternmost hawk. The bird screeches as lightning courses through its body.
Ignoring the hawks' ineffectual pecking, Viv tries to blast Birdfood again, but the cover provided by the throne protects him. Her blast tears through leather and fur instead of the Smiler.
Birdfood dodges an opportunistic swing from Holg and rapidly fires two arrows at the cleric. The defending bone blunts some of the arrows' impact, but they still drive deep into the Kellid's chest, and he falls!
The birds continue to harry Viv, the one that was electrocuted moving out of the thundercloud. This time, two of them manage to peck through her defenses.
The doors to the west open as four orcs come running out! Two of them move to attack Kaska, slicing her with their falchions, while another tries to run past her and into the room.
Kaska would be furious if she had the time for it.
Kaska turns to face the bodyguards coming up behind her. She whips her blade at the passing orc, and tries to get back on her guard. She isn't quick enough though, and suffers two wicked cuts for her slowness.
She cries out in pain, and hacks back at her attackers.
Kaska cuts down the orc with a chop of her falls, but takes the two painful hits for lowering her defenses. Snarling, she brings her blade back around to tear open a second foe, dropping him as well!
Fireday sees Holg fall and cries out in anger. He prays to Iomedae to bring him back from the brink.
Coen rolls one hand across his field of vision moving the cloud to another hawk while at the same time casting magic missile with his other hand and directing the force bolts into Kaska's new orc friend.
Fireday's spell stabilizes Holg, though the priest remains unconscious.
Coen's thundercloud electrocutes one of the hawks. It shrieks and falls, smoke rising from its feathers. The sorcerer then blasts the nearest orc with magic missiles, leaving him bloody and staggered but still standing!
Birdfood curses and shifts his aim to Fireday. He shoots two arrows into the android's chest.
The birds try to hit Viv but both miss!
The last orc moves to attack Kaska, but she catches his blade on her own. This leaves her open to the wounded one, though, who chops his blade into her side!
Viv backs up slightly into the corner and wings another dart at one of the birds.
Hard as it is to do, Kaska ignores the wounded orc and goes after her new attacker. "Somebody kill that damned orc already!" she shouts.
"Iomedae! Give me the strength to even the odds!" Fireday cries, his fervor restoring his body.
Then, he glares at Birdfood. His ciruitry tattoos begin to shine with a soothing blue light that belies the anger in his eyes.
Then he brings down the head of his weapon, hacking not at Birdfood himself, but at his bow, willfully opening himself to attack in order to remove Birdfood's primary advantage.
Taking a step further back Coen continues to roll his hand across his field of vision directing the storm cloud into the doorway where it covers one of the orcs in the doorway before discharging electricity.
With his other hand he directs more missiles this time into Birdfood.
Viv dodges one hawk's talons as she takes the down the wounded one with her blast.
Fireday hacks partway through Birdfood's bow, damaging it but not completely sunderinf the weapon.
Coen's thundercloud electrocutes the unwounded orc, causing it to fall to the ground, twitching spasmodically. Kaska finishes the last one off with a chop of her falx.
Birdfood shouts in pain as Coen's magic missiles burn into him. He steps back and shoots Fireday, managing to hit once despite his broken bow! "Kij, attack the wizard!" he shouts.
The last hawk swoops at Coen, taking him with a talon.
"F***ING STOP THAT!!!" Fireday shouts as he takes another arrow, his fervor keeping him going.
Fireday closes the gap and swings at Birdfood.
EDIT:
As the hawk swoops in and bats it's wings around his face he feels one of the talons catch his hand and draw a long furrow down his arm after snagging the skin. Panicking, Coen draws the roiling electrical cloud back to himself where it collides with the final hawk.
As the smell of ozone and burning blood come into his nose, Coen doesn't dare to try casting another spell. He keeps his hands up over his face, protecting himself and readying an action to cast another series of missiles into Birdfood if the hawk dies.
Viv reaches out toward the throne with her hands clawed like talons. She grits her teeth, then lets out a strangled shout as she twists her whole body while pulling with her arms. The blue and purple marks of circuitry on her body flare up and there's an indeterminate scent like a combination of ozone with petrichor and some kind of... floral smell?
The very throne itself heaves up into the air and then flies end-over-end and smashes into Birdfood!
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The hawk shrieks as Coen's cloud zaps it.
Fireday steps up and smashes Birdfood's face with one end of his spade, then he whirls around and stabs the Smiler deep in the gut with the other end! He groans and doubles over, blood pouring from the deep wound. "You.... frakkin'..."
His eyes widen as the entire throne lifts off the ground. With great effort, Viv hauls it up and bowls it into Birdfood. Both throne and man crash against the wall, and it smashes to pieces. Birdfood falls in a mangled heap and lies still!
The last hawk shrieks and flies to the corner of the room. It lands and peers at you nervously, badly wounded but unwilling to attack further with its master fallen.
"The Steel Hawks send their regards."
Fireday smiles under his face-cloth when he grievously wounds Birdfood, and steps back to strike again, before being surprised by Viv smashing Birdfood's throne into the man, finishing him off. He turns to Viv, his eyes wide with surprise.
"That was impressive, Viv!"
Then he drops his weapon and kneels to tend to Holg.
Once Holg awakens, Fireday breathes a sigh of relief.
"It's over, Holg. Birdfood is dead."
Viv leans down with her hands on her knees, panting heavily. "I think if I tried to do that again it would cause my head to explode," she says. "Hang on. Going to try not to vomit."
She backs into the corner and slowly slumps to the floor.
"Well... that's one less birdbrain. You really gutted him there, Fireday."
Kaska climbs up onto the platform and hugs Fireday tightly, or as tightly as their injuries allow. "Amazing! You really saved our butts!"
"OW! Ow, wait. Let me get the arrows out!"
Fireday roughly yanks the arrows out of his body, clear liquid beginning to drip out, as he closes his eyes and his fervor closes the wounds so he doesn't bleed out.
"Thank you," he adds.
Holg wakes up like after a strong hangover. He quickly grasps his sword before realizing the danger is over. The Kellid looks at the crashed Birdfood under the throne " What-what happened? That f#+*er was shooting faster than my eye could see... Thanks Fireday, you saved my life. I will not easily forget"
Observing the general bad shape he raises Forum's holy symbol and channels to heal.
" Have you checked if there are other gangs in the fortress?"
Searching the rest of the complex reveals an empty storage room and makeshift prison, as well as the orcs' barracks. None of these rooms have anything of value. The room east of the throne room is Birdfood's den, which contains jury-rigged furniture and several stained perches for his hawks. In a metal locker, you find a bit of treasure.
The surviving hawk peers at Kaska with a curious expression on its face. The ranger feels an odd kinship with the bird.
"You'd do the same for me, battle-brother," Fireday replies.
Coen fives a wary look to the bird that only moments ago was clawing his arm. Once he's more certain that he isn't about to be assaulted again, he makes a quick bandage over his arm.
I can do a quick scan for magic items. Let's get this done before anyone decides it's a good time to challenge the wounded survivors.
While Birdfod's arrows elude identification, Coen is able to determine the properties of his bow and the wand.
Holg picks the scroll and studies the arrows "We can inform of our success now and then recover strength before going deeper into this nest of gangs"
Seeing Fireday is still bleeding, Holg channels once more Gorum's healing.
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Fireday straightens up as Holg heals him completely.
"Thank the Inheritor and thank you!" he replies. He goes over to Birdfood's body and picks up the broken bow.
"Think we could fix this? It packed quite a punch."
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"That was pretty awful," says Viv. "I can see why the Steel Hawks were having problems with that guy."
"Believe me, I felt that first-hand. But through the grace of the Inheritor and the brute strength of Gorum, we have persevered. With a little help from the ingenuity of Brigh that can be found in each android," Fireday replies with a wink.
"I wonder how many more Smilers there are here in Scrapwall? I imagine once word gets out that they failed to take Aldronard's Grave and have lost their foothold here, they'll be eager to throw everything they've got at us to take revenge."
Kaska notices the remaining hawk and its piercing look at her. Although their meeting wasn't begin auspiciously, she tried to approach it. She walks slowly with her arms down while talking to it in a soothing voice.
The hawk squawks and spreads it wings as Kaska approaches. Fortunately, Holg's channeled energy healed its wounds, so it isn't as agitated as it was before. After a few moments, it hops a bit closer to the ranger and cocks its head to get a good look at her. It squawks again. It seems to be expecting a treat.
Kaska rummages in her purse for some dried meat from her traveling rations. She then holds it out to the bird and continues to approach it slowly.
The hawk stretches out its neck and nibbles chunks from the dried meat. Once it is satisfied, it squawks again. Kaska carefully holds her arm out, and after a moment's hesitation, the bird of prey flies up and perches on it, talons scraping against her armored sleeve. It seems to have accepted her as its new master!
"It seems the hawk likes you Kaska. How will you name it?" Holg smiles and observes attentive the creature's movements.
"It is time now to come back and report about our success " the man exchanges a couple spells to complete healing himself, then uses his pearl of power to recover remove fear.
Fireday smiles too as the group gains a new member.
"While it's regrettable his brothers did not survive, he seems to be a smart bird."
"Maybe 'turncoat' or 'Benedict'," suggests Viv lightly.
"Who are you referencing?" Fireday asks.
You make your way back towards the gatehouse to report your success to the Steel Hawks. As you are traversing the junkyard, a burst of static sounds, followed by a metallic, grating voice that echoes across Scrapwall. It brings to mind the utterances of a vast dragon or lumbering demon.
*DENIZENS OF SCRAPWALL! THE TIME DRAWS NIGH WHEN I LEAVE THE CONFINES OF THIS JUNK HEAP AND EMERGE TO CLAIM MY RIGHTFUL PLACE AS RULER OF NUMERIA! ONLY THE STRONGEST AMONG YOU SHALL WIN MY FAVOR AND BE INVITED TO JOIN THE LORDS OF RUST. PROVE YOUR SCRAP-WORTH, AND YOU SHALL SEE MY MIRACLES FIRST-HAND. SO SPEAKS HELLION! MY SIGN IS MY CLAW, AND MY VOICE IS MY LAW!*
Another burst of static, and the voice falls silent again.
You're almost back to the gate house when the shadows suddenly surround you, dimming the sunlight. A figure steps out in front of you from behind a pile of junk. Though the darkness make its form indistinct, Fireday and Viv can see it clearly. This tall humanoid's pale brow and black, soulless eyes are all that can be seen above a black scarf wrapped around its face.
"Neophytes. Hand over some tech and I'll let you live."
Fireday rolls his eyes when he hears Hellion's voice for the first time.
"I may not know much of the world beyond Numeria's plains and ruins, but I know the delusions of the wicked when I hear them. This 'god' talks like the melodramatic villain of a stage-play. You can hear where Meyanda got it from."
Then when they're ambushed he rolls his eyes again.
"Unless you have a gang backing you up, you'll be hard-pressed to enforce that ultimatum. I like the aesthetic you've got going, though."
Viv rolls her eyes at the exact same time. Base code for androids, perhaps?
"Yeah, seriously, just leave it. We already smoked Birdfood, we're not in the mood."
"I don't need a gang," the creature says. "I have my brother."
Out of the corner of his eye, Fireday sees a second figure leaping down from a junk pile, twin swords raised! Its blades rake against the android's chainmail, his armor keeping him safe from the sneak attack!
Holg starts laughing when the voice sounds all over the place "Hahaha, is that Hellion?!! A canned voice?!!" the Kellid retorts having a difficult time to regain composure "My sign is my cloud... I do not see the time to bash with my sword to whomever is so naive to think himself a god for having such a maniacal voice"
------------------------------------------
Holg is starting to pick up the flare gun and thinking how might be cooler to offer that piece of scrap technology when combat erupts.
Fireday lifts up his spear-staff into a defensive position as the battle begins.
Kaska is very wrapped up in looking over her new friend and thinking about names (I think I like Darzee) when the swaddled humanoid accosts them.
There are a couple of moments of talk, but thing go bad breathtakingly fast. When the second, the "brother", jumps Fireday, Kaska thrusts her arm upward, giving her hawk a bump up into the air and off her arm.
She draws her falx as she moves to support Fireday with a strike at his surprise attacker.
The creature snarls in pain as Kaska's falx slices into its chest. Dark blood drips from the wound as it turns to face her.
The first humanoid rushes in to flank the ranger and both stab with their short swords. The wounded creature scores a good hit, driving his sword into Kaska's back. The wound burns with poison!