The thug takes another wallop across the face, and looks wobbly, but is still game to continue apparently. He attempts to disarm Gaius, trying to emulate his movements. He ends up slapping himself in the face as his hand slips off Gaius' wrist.
Had enough yet?
Gaius laughs, mockingly.
Gaius contemptuously draws his hand back from Grasping Jubrak, but his attack clangs off the man's mail. Undeterred, he strikes out again, hitting the man in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.
Devargo's excitement over this is remarkably less so than the previous game. Still, he gives a short clap and nod of approval as one of the four remaining thugs cuts the bonds holding Gaius to Jubrak. His fellow cronies drag him over to rest beside the nameless fellow Wednesday laid out earlier.
"Good work, clever man. Not as entertaining as your friend, but you came out of it with noticeably less scarring. Alright, I do have the documents you are looking for. But I really enjoy my game with the Ambassador. You'd have to offer me a bit of...extra compensation for me to part with that." He grins widely.
Meanwhile, one of the thugs comes up to Gaius, holding his hand out for the dagger.
Agreed--Daud has a knack for such entertainment. I'm still a novice, but I suppose I learned quickly enough for Jubrak. As for the documents--400 gold. You can bet on Knivesies for a long while on that. What do you say?
Zart bows once more, "Thank you sir, I will wait outside. Best of luck with your work."
As he does almost everything in life, Zart the Lost steps quietly out into the hallway and takes a seat.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Raamanti asks with a soft booming voice, "YOU REALLY DON'T MIND HIM CALLING YOU 'SIR'?"
Tolenn watches Gaius toy with the thug, noting how disparate his strategy was from Daud's.
She keeps her eyes on the crowd, even though Devargo seems to have formed a better opinion of the group, her opinion of the master-pimp remains the same.
Perception
Devargo shakes his head, smiling. "I think not. I can make more than that just selling them back to the Ambassador. Not to mention that I love to see the man wriggle every time he comes to visit. One thousand pieces of gold and they are yours."
Could make a bet with some Apple-Shoot, he'd probably be into that kinda thing... Unfortunately I don't know how much money we have left over to gamble with.
Raamanti nods and takes a seat next to Zart. She said 'I understood the intent', not 'it is how I prefer to be addressed'. Ha! I knew my master was making a hash of it. Best not to rub it in.
"I can't believe you asked her that," says Zart with only a slight tone of admonishment in his voice, I knew she was okay with it. Kinda glad he checked, though, he thinks, clearly interpreting things differently from his eidolon, "Next time, the polite thing to do is to just follow me. If you must speak, perhaps try saying thank you instead."
Zart remains unaware that Raamanti is gritting his shadowy teeth - mostly because they are indistinguishable from the rest of his face.
Devargo shakes his head, smiling. "I think not. I can make more than that just selling them back to the Ambassador. Not to mention that I love to see the man wriggle every time he comes to visit. One thousand pieces of gold and they are yours."
Well, I don't want to deny you your fun, and truth be told I don't need all of the letters. What if you sell me half of them for 500? We'll keep quiet until you've had a chance to sell him the other ones. Then when he comes to retrieve the last of them, you can say you've sold them to another bidder. That look alone should be worth 500, no?
Gaius returns the man's smile, genuinely pleased at the thought of the Chelish ponce's uncomfortable reaction.
Devargo laughs, shaking his head. "I have no interest in parting with a portion. You purchase all or nothing, sly one. But letters are on special. Nine hundred, and they are yours."
This one speaks out of both sides of his mouth--he is cruel and stupid, but we need him.
Very well, I accept your price.
Gaius nods to Tolenn.
Tolenn reaches under her chain shirt and retrieves Cressida's bribe money, a heavy leather pouch.
Hefting it, she passes it to her 'boss' , then steps back, arms crossed, still surveying the room for the double-cross she's sure is about to happen.
Devargo accepts the money as Gaius hands it to him. He grins, then nods to his cronies. "Keep this lot company while I go get what they paid for."
He departs, leaving an awkward silence between your party and the four conscious thugs. The groans of the other two can be heard in the background, making things even more tense. Finally, after almost a half hour, The King of Spiders comes back, a satchel of letters in his hand.
"Here you go...the foolish dalliances of a Chelish ambassador and his lady friend. May you make the worm dance!" He laughs evilly, tossing the bag towards Gaius to land at his feet.
I hope Uprising is smart enough to check to see if they're legit before turning them in. Don't wanna ruin his chances with the Commander.
Seeing their business at an end Daud will recover his shirt and coat from the floor, giving them a few good shakes in doing so to free any errant spiders.
Devargo accepts the money as Gaius hands it to him. He grins, then nods to his cronies. "Keep this lot company while I go get what they paid for."
He departs, leaving an awkward silence between your party and the four conscious thugs. The groans of the other two can be heard in the background, making things even more tense. Finally, after almost a half hour, The King of Spiders comes back, a satchel of letters in his hand.
"Here you go...the foolish dalliances of a Chelish ambassador and his lady friend. May you make the worm dance!" He laughs evilly, tossing the bag towards Gaius to land at his feet.
Pleasure doing business with you. We shall! Gaius gathers up the satchel, and departs the spider's den. Outside, only after they all retrieve their weapons will he open the satchel and examine its contents.
Perhaps there is a smattering of honor among thieves, as Gaius discovers that the racy letters inside are indeed the real deal. Everyone gathers their things without further incident, and the group seems largely ignored as they stand on the deck of the Eel's End.
Pyron smiles at the spider king when he mentions dancing worms. He leaves with the others and gets his weapons before leaving the boat.
They're here, Gaius says, nodding. What do you say we track this fool down, sell him a few of them, and turn the remainder in to Croft? He's already proven he's willing to pay for them.
"Works for me."
"Actually I'm hoping to go for a bath real quick once my wounds close. 'Blood soaked' is probably not the best way to meet Ambassadors or Commanders."
I am sure your friend you meet earlier would be willing to help you get out of those and wash your wounds for you. Pyron says with a knowing smile on his face.
Daud arches an eyebrow at Pyron. "Maybe if I had just a few scratches, instead of being on Death's Doorstep."
Daud looks up, seemingly lost in thought before speaking. "Actually it might be better to give all of the letters to the Commander, you'd get more favor from her that way. Plus we don't know how toxic those letters can be, this is an Ambassador we're talking about."
Tolenn watches the thugs as Gaius leaves, then favors Devargo with a few extra moments of examination.
She then turns and gathers her weapons, before stepping outside to joins the others.
Hearing Gaius' suggestion and Daud's sensible observation, Tolenn speaks for the first time in hours "Indeed, our last mission for the Commander wasn't completed to her satisfaction. I would not like a repeat of that... disappointment." she says, pointedly looking at Gaius, but softening the her statement with a little smile.
Turning from the sky to Tolenn Daud begins to ask, a bit sheepishly, "So is now a good time to badger you for your touch? Exsanguination really isn't on my list of things to do."
Raamanti paces back and forth in front of his master. The shadows created by the torchlight flicker across the floor. Two shadows are noticeably absent, however, and neither Raamanti nor Zart darken the floors and walls where they should.
”I ENJOY MY TIME WITH YOU,” the eidolon begins, "AND I AM HAPPY TO SERVE AS YOUR SHADOW, BUT I DO MISS MY HOME PLANE. YOU MUST MISS IT ALSO. HOW IS IT THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DEAL WITH BEING STRANDED ON THIS PLANE OF BRIGHTNESS AND SOLIDITY?” To Raamanti, calling something bright or solid is nothing short of an insult.
”The pull is strong,” replies Zart, the tone of melancholy in his voice a little sadder than usual, ”But being in such close contact with you helps more than you could know. There will come a day that I will travel to the land of my ancestors, but for now I must content myself with this… material plane. At least there is Donna. I do not know yet if she will be kayal like me or take after her human mother.” Zart becomes quiet again at the mention of his daughter.
Zart eyes his companion thoughtfully. Yes, Raamanti, I am jealous of you. No, I will not give you a telepathy evolution.
"Of course, Daud. Let us move a ways away, so not to alert Devargo's
men of my true nature..." Tolenn says gently, leading the other's in silence off of the warph-o-ill-repute.
Once clear, she places her hands on Daud's shoulders, and lowers her head, eyes closed. A low hum starts deep in her chest, slowly rising not in volume, but in....depth. Until, Daud could swear he could feel the vibration from Tolenn's hum in his shoulders, and arms and chest. And where he felt the vibration, a sharp heat as his wounds slowly closed and disappeared.
As his wounds sear close in a pleasent warmth he'll take the healing hands in his and gently bring them to his lips. "My most sincere thanks."