Fasul looks at Rhasuel with a look of disbelief, "No s*@~? Alright c'mon in, all o' ya."
The burly butcher leads the party upstairs and to a kitchen with a few chairs and a rickety table. The man grabs a bottle from a cabinet and seats himself.
"Now, whaddya want from me?"
Paulus follows the two upstairs once he satisfies himself that the group is as safe as it can be in this area. He settles into a corner, unconsciously rubbing his sun medallion for a moment. Keeping an eye on the doorway in, he is more than willing to let Rhasuel handle the business at hand.
"Mehbe, but I ain't lived this long by crossin' those that slit throats, you should know that, Rhasuel," Fasul takes a swig from the bottle and lets out a sigh.
"Gettin' too damned old fer this sorta crap. Too damned old and too damn slow. And I'm definitely too damn wise to be stickin' m'nose in Hellknight business."
Following in with the rest of them, Annabelle looks over the demesne of this man Fasul.
"If it helps your conscious, sir, we'll be the ones getting crossing the throat-slitters. Any help would be appreciated."
Nic leans on the table, one ankle crossed behind the the other. Let the others sit; she'd much rather be standing in case they were surprised. "All we want is information. As a local, you may have seen or heard something that might help. Like Bright Eyes says, we do the dirty work."
But this particular violinist couldn't even focus on the avenue at hand. All he wanted to do right now was go home and play his violin. He was exhausted, mentally and emotionally. He learned long ago, however, that the best thing to do was often what he didn't want to do so he persevered. His friends were making a case before the businessman, and providing they got the results, he was happy to let them do it while he regained his bearings.
In the meantime, there in front of them was a man who knew, but was not necessarily willing to say. Cal wanted to open his mouth, but this was also Rhasuel's friend. So once again he countered his own heart. If he hadn't had so much training in how to be evil, perhaps this would be easier.
Mercy hangs back, listening intently but standing closer to the doorway where she can still watch the street outside with her orc-blooded vision;
:
"It's not the Hellknights I'm worried about crossin', boy," he says to Rhasuel, "I don't know what it's like in the other parts of the city, but Old Korvosa's turned into a bloody pit of Hell. I ain't crossin' the gangs runnin' around."
Fasul's comment, coupled with with her own observation, causes Mercy to mutter an aside from where she keeps sentinel;
"Seems no-one is. Streets are empty. Unnaturally so..."
"Not surprised, everyone's too scared of the thugs trying to carve out their own little fiefdoms to go out and about their business."
Fasul sighs heavily as he gazes at the bottle in his hands.
"Why are you lot so ready to go out and die? You go out, get killed and before the week's out, everyone that's ever known you is struggling to remember your name, so why do you do it?"
Zev just stands with his arms crossed. He is contented to deal with the brusque man, and be in a neighborhood where he feels more like he stands out less.
"What he said," Annabelle indicating Rasuel, "Plus, it was my job to work for the city." She gave a nonchalant shrug, sure Fasul probably doesn't care for any guard's motives.
Paulus walks to Mercy's side, frowning as he sees what has got her guard up. His green eyes concerned, he nods to the holy warrior. "You're right. At this time of day, there should be activity out there. Something is amiss."
Glancing over at Paulus and Mercy, Elise slips away from the conversation with Fasul; she had nothing to add to the conversation anyway.
Approaching them, she studies the concerned look on their face and inquires concernedly "Is everything okay? You both seem bothered by something."
Glancing at the other Paladin, Paulus smiles at the blonde before returning his gaze to the street. "Perhaps it's nothing. Everything just seems too quiet outside. The calm before the storm, you know? Like the people around here know something is about to go down and got inside in a hurry."
He shrugs, turning his attention back to her, "Like I said, maybe it isn't anything but nerves, since our last encounter with thugs almost ended us all."
Mercy nods whilst still eyeing the barren streets with suspicion;
"Indeed. We can ill afford such a battle again, especially if more dangerous foes guard these lost hellions..."
"Bah, you lot are fools, but no one's ever 'cused me of being wise," Falus snorts as he waves a meaty paw of a hand at the group.
"You'll need to look northwest of here. Word has it that one of the gangs ran into a group of Hellknights out that way. They're known as the Korvosan Crusaders, bunch of thugs that are actually hurting the people they claim to protect. If you see them, give one for me."
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"The way I see it," Nic says evenly, leaning further on the table, eyes fixed on Fasul, "People need hope. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. But sometimes, it needs a nudge. A deed, a symbol. An act of kindness in a dark place; a gentle word to those hurting." Her voice raises as she continues, a spark igniting in her eyes. "This city's going to hell, and those with the responsibility to set it right are being imprisoned for it. All that leaves is people like us. With your help, we can start setting things right again. Give people a bit of hope. Hope that things'll get better."
She drops her tangent and runs a hand through her thick hair with a sigh. "If I go out there and die, I'll die trying to set things right. And that's better than spending my life just waiting for someone else to do it."
Fools? Maybe - but sometimes fools can get things done. Annabelle thought.
" 'Crusaders', eh? Let us thest their so-called vigilantism with our own brand."
Despite his resolve to remain silent, Cal begins talking once the information was already gathered. "Thanks for the directions. We'll take it from here." He nodded his respect toward the man who spoke, knowing it took courage to do so and walked out the door.
Northwest from here they would find the kidnappers. The odd thing was that it seemed these crusaders thought they were doing something good. We'll see what their true motives are when we get into their lair. These streets were even more dead than they were around the hellknights. That didn't speak well of this particular gang's method of justice.
The priest follows Calcedon out the door, idly holding his holy symbol. His green eyes sweep the streets quickly as they wait for everyone to make their way outside. He takes his position directly behind the Sword and Shield of the party, regardless of where the others may lie. He lays a hand on Zev's shoulder. "Be careful...let's stick together this time." He smiles at the half-orc.
Zev winces at the reminder of how rough their last fight with a gang of thugs went. He adds, in his defense, "Hey, I wasn't the only one to rush in, and didn't even go as far as others. We all need to look at consolidating our tactics."
Mercy looks round with her own half smile at Zev's retort:
"I have your back Zev... and yours of course Brother..."
The warrior recovers her composure and sets her jaw for the job to come.
Paulus accepts Zev's retort mildly, not meaning to have implied the half-orc was the only guilty party. In truth, over half of them had rushed forward, seemingly suffering from blood-lust as they found the thuggish guards, and Zev had strategically tried to cover an entrance. What was done was done, though, and the priest smiles warmly at Mercy as they continue on their way.
He gives a brief nod of his head to Rhasuel to signal his understanding and agreement of terms. Helpful the man might have been, but Paulus was all too eager to be out of Fasul's home. As the group progresses down the street, the priest closes his eyes, asking for Sarenrae's blessing in the sunlight struggling over the rooftops of the cramped buildings.
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Nic remains at the front of the motley group, walking abreast with Mercy and Elise. After all, she reasoned, there was no point in being quick if you were stuck behind a pair of turtles.
After a while, she says, "Well, Whiskers, your friend's a real barrel of laughs, isn't he?"
Listening to Zev with a wince, Elise can't help but remember charging forth in the last encounter, and nearly losing her life for the effort. Foolhardy as it was, Elise felt even now that backing up Nicoletta was the right thing to do. Scratching her neck with a sigh, Elise responds with a guilty tone "Yeah, sorry about that everyone. We really should do as Zev suggests with respect to our tactics, it would seem the prudent thing to do."
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Nic sighs, already feeling slowed by the pace of the others. "If anyone wants to actually suggest something, I suggest they get to it before we get there," she points out.
Rhasuel's reply makes her chuckle. "Is there a good time with a man like that?"
"As we work together, we will become more accustomed to each others' capabilities and styles. We had had nothing but success until that point, and it is failure that breeds improvement." The priest opens his eyes, smiling serenely at Elise, then Nic, as they walk.
Zev shrugs at the tactics discussion, he forgot to bring it up like he said he wanted after that fight that went downhill. "Well, first we gotta establish what we do best. I do my best hitting when I can pair up on a guy, allowing me a shot at the kidney or kneecap. Also, I got a concoction that doubles my size. Like that, I can hit from behind some of the heavy metals up front."
Looking at some of the others, he notes, "We got a lot of blades, and not a lot of bows. Maybe a turtle grouping? Heavy front, medium sides, and soft on the inside. Not to mention, if you are just as good from a distance as you are up close, that could expand our potentials. It is the job of the bows to take out runners. Just some ideas."
Paulus listens intently to Zev's suggestion. He nods at a couple of items, clearly in agreement, before he adds anything himself. "I can see one problem with that, Zev. If our foes have casters or something similar, all grouping together could be potentially disastrous. How about we split into two teams, but otherwise follow the tactics you wisely offered?"
"Fencing doesn't exactly allow for tight formations," Nic points out, glancing back over her shoulder. "I need room to move around. I'm quicker on my feet than our Sword and Shield - I can parry and riposte, and just plain not get hit. So, where does that leave me?" One red eyebrow raises questioningly, her lips curling in a slight frown.
Zev nods, and shrugs at Paul's advice. "Good point. Working as four-man teams could do the trick. Maybe we can partner tactics together." He turns to indicate Nic as her question brings up a great example, "See Red, good point. Since I do better when someone can distract my enemy, you getting around them with all that fancy sword-fighting could work for both of us."
The priest follows that red eyebrow up as she turns her head, drawing a blank as he remembers that same look as he bandaged her...wounds. "Ummm, well..." As Zev talks, Paulus nods, grateful for the distraction. "A great point, Zev. Play to the strengths of each group. Perhaps you, Nic, Rhasuel, and Cal can form our more mobile group, while Annabelle, Elise, Mercy, & I can work together. Or however everybody wants to do it."
Listening, Annabelle nods her agreement about the need for group tactics. "We've still some way to go, to get into our respective niches. As for me, I'm sure you've seen I'm handy with a bow." She adjusts her quiver. "Unlike some, I prefer a nice precise shot to spitting out haphazard shots."
"Hmm. You know, Chuckles, I like the sound of that." Nic's frown twists into a wicked grin, a scene apparently playing out behind her eyes. "I go in, keep them distracted with some fancy footwork, you come up while I'm keeping them occupied, and cut out their kidneys!"
At Paulus' suggestion, the frown threatens to return, a faint tugging at the corners of her lips. "Not so sure about that, Choir Boy. What happens if I get shanked again, and you're not there to patch me up with that fancy feel-good magic of yours?" The tugging shifts into a smirk instead - it was such fun to try to fluster him.
Heat rises to his face, both at the praise and...what else was it. The priest would have to delve more deeply into that another time. He tries to remain focused. "We'll be close by. Besides, you wouldn't want to wait on me, I'm not exactly quick on my feet, either."
Zev lifts an eyebrow at 'Chuckles' wondering who she's talking to, before quickly realizing that she was responding to him. "Okay, how about a split based on the rush last time? Me, Blondie, Red, and Strings will be the Strike force. First in, hit hard. Mercy, Paulie, Annie and the Old man are the reinforcements. They've got support, with healing, defense, and ranged weapons. We keep close, but not too close. Alpha can't get too far ahead to where Omega can't get to us in time of need."
Listening to the group getting to know each other more with comradarie and some flirtation, it all brought a smile to Calcedon's face. He wanted to describe his role in battle, but for a man of words, he found himself at a bit of a loss. [b]"I'm okay with a sword, but I dabble in all sorts of things. I'll fill in wherever it's necessary."
Paulus thinks things over, then shakes his head. Paulie? What am I now, a parrot? "That would be unwise, I think. The idea is to split things up to not give too great a target for a blast effect, not have one group engaging before the other. Of course, some stratification is expected during a wild melee, but sending only half the group ahead intentionally invites the same outcome as last time." The priest looks around at the others, to hear their input.
Absorbing the various ideas, Elise finally chips in after Paulus adds his thoughts "Paulus makes a good point, though a strike team could makes sense so long as it's executed with more intent than last time; Nic and I ended up taking too salient a position from the group, which cost us."
Stopping, Elise draws her sword and draws a diagram in the dirt "If the terrain permits, we should aim for a pincer movement. Anna, Cal, Nic and Zev are the quickest on their feet amongst us, so they should move to the flanks where possible; I could join them if I traded in this clunky armored coat for something a little more... light and lithe." Tracing her sword up the middle, she points forward "That would allow the slower moving amongst us to take up the center position, spreading our front to prevent area strikes and allowing them easier range for support magic to either flank."
Glancing up, Elise suddenly blushed and suddenly wondered if her friends thought her somewhat presumptuous or long winded. Finally shrugging lightly, Elise added somewhat meekly "Umm, it's just, well, it's just a thought anyway... Iomedaens get this kind of training drummed into them at the temple."
Mercy raises an eyebrow at Zev's varied descriptions of tactics;
"Reinforcements!?. I am a redeeming warrior of the Dawnflower. I can neither redeem the fallen nor fell the unrepentant from back wherever you think me to wait..."
Elise's sounder stratagem tempers the tall warriors ire, and she concurs with her sword-sister by tapping the Iomedaen's shield with her own;
Sound training sister... Sounder tactics..."
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Zev heaves a sigh, even though he nods in agreement at where Blondie's head is at. "Paul, we can't spread out and stay together at the same time. The streets and alleyways aren't always big enough for that. At some point, some of us are going to have to be up front, and some of us in the back. Without a gap between us, we are no more spread out than my first suggestion."
To Elise he adds, "Sound idea, but Annie shouldn't be up front, not if she's keen on being a bow to our blades."
He's about to speak, takes a breath, calms himself and addresses Mercy. "Look sister, no one said you guys had to wait back somewhere. I'm talking a mere few yards at most. Which is going to end up happening naturally anyways when you, Paul, and Blondie trudge around in all that heavy armor."
"Overall, the point is, we need to think in terms of street tactics, which don't always agree with battlefield tactics. The limits of terrain make that all too clear. We may even run into spots where we can only move single file. ANd like I said, someone will have to be the front, and someone the back."