Arizhel screws up her courage, and peeks out from her hiding place, trying to discern the status of the battle.
Malak stays back and sends another quartet of magical bolts into the remaining Gnolls.
Tolus sheathes his rapier momentarily and rubs his neck carefully. Remind me to watch where you swing, Taldor. With a groan he asks more loudly, Is everyone still with us? Kara? I saw you go down, are you ok?
"Anyone still in need of healing? Now would be a good time to do so, if I can get you all to gather round, away from the dying gnolls so I don't accidentally heal any of them."
Tolus raises his other hand and trots over to Fionn. Please and Thankyou, you wonderful little Gods-send.
Khat takes a couple of steps back. Blood pours from several cuts and her breathing is fast and shallow. She looks at Fionn, her eyes still hard as flint.
"Thank you little one, but be quick."
When all who need healing are gathered around , Fionn channels energy.
When she is done, she says, "I can do it again, if you are still in need of healing, or I can do individual heals if it's just one or two of you left."
Arizhel remains in place, hiding, doing her best to look small and helpless in case the giant notices her.
"Hush little eagles don't say say a word. . . Mommy's going to feed you a mocking bird . . . "
"I can make these things, but I am not sure I can force them to attack the giant, perhaps one of you is better at speaking to animals? I will do my best when he arrives. . . Sorry for all the guano, they get excited."
When she is done, she says, "I can do it again, if you are still in need of healing, or I can do individual heals if it's just one or two of you left."
Fionn casts two spells in succession... THe first on Khatijah
Then a second spell on Tolus...
Also, I count 4 rounds of combat, and 3 rounds thus far out of combat (1 channel, 2 spells from Fionn.) The flock lasts 30 rounds.
Kara looks stern but nods. "I think I'm alright. Wasn't expecting to fight them all at once though." She gathers close to Fionn for the healing and smiles at her. "I suppose I have you to thank for still being alive?" She rubs the spots where she was wounded and looks around warily for the next fight.
"Thank you."
Khat nods to Fionn, most of her wounds have closed, but they are still present.
"Stick with me little one. Bravery is good, but is not all in fighting."
She smiles down at Kara, but her eyes still gleam with a fiery anger.
Tolus waves reassurance to Taldor. No worries, my friend. Fionn has me pathed up, good as new. Just remind me to not get on the business end of that weapon arm ever again.
"It is not cowardice, I simply find the tile work in this particular location to be absolutely fascinating." Arizhel politely waits until the others begin to move before she considers leaving her hiding place. Once the group has committed to leaving, the halfling moves to a position as near the center of the group as possible.
Finally having caught her breath from the brief exertion, Kara spots the goblin that led her to the stage and furrows her brow. "You, greenie! You part of that rabble? Need us to cut you down too, or you gonna give me a nice discount on whatever you're selling?"
Malak also steps forward with Kara and adds a little bit of extra menace to her words. Yes... Malak says smiling and rolling his shoulders ...I know how much you goblins like fire. I have already roasted a great few of your gnoll campmates, I could do you the same courtesy.
Kara glares at the goblin, pointing her blood-drenched kukri at him menacingly. "No dresses. I need another blade, like this one. And if you try to give me a hole-ridden dogslicer you're going to find yourself with one less ear."
Kara reaches out to cautiously take the weapon and weighs it in her hand, comparing it with her other blade and testing its grip. "Ok...Jank. We can deal. What do you want for it?"
Laughing cruelly, Kara shakes her head. "I'd be a fool to pay that kind of price for any weapon...unless it's enchanted." She cocks her head to the side and looks back curiously at Malak. "Can you tell if it's magical?"
Peace, Taldor. You may not trust magic, but I suspect it saved Kara's life just a few seconds ago.
Khat watched Kara and the goblin out of the corner of her eye, but most of her attention was on the approaches to the center stage.
"Instead of worrying about magic, perhaps we should worry about our next move."
Malak will cast a spell to determine if the item is magical before turning to the goblin and saying You might want to come down a bit more...if you do I will come up a bit on the percentage of your body that will be unmaimed when I finish with you should you try and bilk my companion out of gold.
Arizhel does her best to look intimidating with the dozen celestial eagles hovering about the group. hoping to help Kara somehow by doing so.
"Not magical, eh? Hmm." Kara smiles sweetly at the goblin as she approaches. "Let's see about that kiss then." She leans in close, as if to kiss him, then thrusts the knife deep into his gut, twisting a bit before pushing him down to the ground. "I told you not to screw with me. Thanks for the discount." Without bothering to see if he lives or dies, she turns around with a flourish and walks back to the rest of the group, wiping the blood off her twin blades.
As Kara turns Tolus smiles broadly with fangs in full view, before saying You executed that most gracefully, Kara. Many noble-born Mistresses I have known would be jealous. Well done. We'll see what else he had in stock when this is all over. Hopefully he had some poisons and alchemical reagents. He turns to face the approaching foes before half-turning back and adding with the same unnerving grin, Don't forget your coin, if you even got that far. He has no more use for it.
Malak looks down and says with mock sincerity What a pity. I was just starting to like him.
Fionn looks shocked at Kara, blinking in surprise. "He came down to a fair price... there was really no call for that... "
"I thought we were the good guys? How will the Mistress regard us when she learns we slaughtered on of her potential subjects?"
Arizhel attempts to staunch the bleeding,
"There there little beast. Bet you won't be trying to steal from her again. . . Fionn? Would you please lend a hand, you are way better at this than I am?"
Fionn moves to the fallen goblin and with small cry of despair tries to determine his condition. If he's unconscious, he's obviously no longer bleeding after Arizhel bandaged him... so no need to stabilize him. If he's dead, there's nothing she can do,
but if he's alive still, she will cast cure light wounds on him,
"Sorry, little fellow. She shouldn't have done that."
Fionn turns to Kara with a disapproving little scowl. "You owe this fellow for the knife. I think you should pay him the fair price you settled on. You might also consider that if I run short of healing later when you are in need, why that is so."
Tolus's eyes narrow. He steps beside Kara, physically taking her side.
Kara was in the right. This cretin is not worthy of the Mistress. He is supplying Gnolls and has undoubtedly supplied weapons used here to kill us. Better that he be eliminated. If his intention was to serve the Mistress, he would not have resisted us. His supplies are better suited to the Mistress's use than his frail green waste of a life.
His tone is more than a little annoyed, as if he was having to teach a stern lesson to novice house slaves about their place in the world.
"I disagree, as would Sarenrae herself. What Kara did bordered on evil. She tried to slay someone who intended her no harm and with whom she had made a bargain. She failed to keep her promised part of the deal, and while I care not for the law of it one way or another, the attempt at the taking of his life for no reason, I take serious offense at. You may serve your Mistress, but I am no slave, and I saw no offensive action on the part of this goblin. He's just trying to make a living in this horrid place. Kara's action on the other hand was wrong. If you try again to kill the goblin, I will heal him again."
Fionn stands protectively over the recumbent form of the goblin, protecting him, fairly trembling with anger.
Kara shrugs. "What do I care of good or evil? We've got a job to do, and he was trying to cheat me and wasting our time while more gnolls are surely regrouping to attack once more. Throw your own coin away if you want, but I gave him what he asked for, and I won't give more."
She scowls and looks around at the group. "Bunch of hypocrites with your finger pointing and calling evil. While you're at it, why aren't any fingers being pointed at Khat? I had just secured safe passage without bloodshed when she almost got us all killed. Now quit wasting more of our time on the goblin and let's get out of the open before we're attacked again."