Girad stands behind Emma, and concentrates on the one keeping an eye on Searok.
Girad's spell doesn't reveal anything to him, but he knows it takes a powerful creature to have a detectable aura, and your average thug on the street won't register no matter how malevolent.
Grinning widely at them, "If only there were more people like that. Willing to do what is right and help just to help. Without needing anything in return."
Seeing that everything seems to be alright Makall heads across the street, enters the shop and then pushes past the others pretending not to know them. When he gets to the counter he talks to one of the men "Good you are still open. I don't like what you have in the window," he pauses looking at the others as if sizing them up and then continues. "I was told that you might have some special cuts in the back. Is this true?"
Searok winks at the man behind the counter and starts cracking his knuckles. He is surprised when Makall enters the shop and pushes past them and asks for the daily special. When did this become the plan? he muses. dosen't matter. Soon I'll be punching that one behind the counter in the nose! He looks at the counter man and smiles.
The demeanor of the two men shifts instantly from phony friendliness to something approaching the genuine article.
"Right you are sir, we'd be happy to discuss the matter, just as soon as we're finished dealing with these customers," says the man behind the counter through a bright smile.
The other man nods. "Right you lot, we've not got much left for today, but we're about to close up, so have it. I recommend coming by earlier next time." He walks over to the window, grabs some unidentifiable pork products, and hastily wraps them. Then he walks over to the door and opens it. The invitation to not let it hit you on the way out couldn't be clearer.
"Did these people have...hmm you dwarf. You look familiar? You worked for someone of celebrated status didn't you? A certain man who took children under his wing?" He stares at Searok waiting his response.
Searok is taken by surprise when Makall starts talking to him, and is even more surprised when he starts talking about Lamm! What plan is this? he thinks as he stammers, Uh...Aye! Used ta work for him 'fore he met his end. Uh...Now it seems I'm unemployed. Searok doesn't think they should mention that they are on a secret mission for the Queen, so saying he is unemployed sounds better.
"Then I'll be needing you and...your companions' as well." Makall shifts his focus back to the men behind the counter. "Well are you going to show me the special cuts? There is little time left." Makall dips his hands into one of his pockets and fishes out several gold sovereigns. "These special cuts better be good."
When the man implies for them to leave, Girad doesn't move, but tenses. This plan is not working he thinks to himself.
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The man behind the counter looks apprehensive, clearly as thrown off by the changing situation as Searok and Girad. "I...think I see. Thought it a bit funny, you lot walking in here with armor and such, hoping to get a few pinches worth of meat. Hoping to join up with the Cow Hammer Boys, eh? Well, that's not my call. But if you sir," and here he addresses Makall, "have the coin, we might be interested in a joint venture. And if the rest of you do well, maybe we could put in a good word for you. But we ain't cheap, takes more than a handful of coin, get me? Fifty for each "problem" we solve, and if that's too sweet for you, then I suggest you take these folks out side and deal with them. Away from our place of business, if you don't mind."
"Well we aren't planning on talking out in the open like this I hope. I have the coin provided you are capable of following through on the job. I would have rather you not mention your price in front of the dwarf and his companions that will mean I will need to match the price for their services as well. It will be more than I expected but the problem is worth it. Let me meet with whoever runs this operation because I am hoping there are more than only two of you." Makall turns to Searok and the others. "We shall talk about your price after we meet with the rest of the Cow Hammer Boys. Regardless I will need all of you." Makall turns back towards the men behind the counter with a exaggerated air of haughtiness.
"Now look, You're coming to us for help. We're not the desperate ones here, if you don't want to do business with us, others will. City's got lotsa' problems in need of solving right now. Yeah, we got more guys, but the two of us are the public face of the organization. Don't like it? Exit's right there."
Searok is now utterly confused. Who are we supposed to be working for? he thinks as the exchange goes down.
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F$+&ing hells! We need to work on our planning.Quietly watching the exchange. Hmm, not a bad call but it still would have been better to have it prearranged.
Glancing over at Makall, since he is taking the lead in this. Thank Desna he can think on his feet a fair bit.
Ok, I have had enough, time to do it my way he thinks to himself as this cat and mouse game seems to be going no where.
"By order of Field Marshal Cressida Kroft, you are all under arrest, for desertion from the city guard. You will either come with us willingly as respected prisoners, or in body bags. Where is Vancaskerkin and the others."
Now this is interesting! Searok thinks. Looks like I might get to punch someone in the nose after all!
The silence that follows this declaration is probably, in reality, only a couple of seconds long, but those seconds contain eternity.
The two men share a glance, and then as one start reaching for their weapons.
Baldrago calls out "We got trouble lads, get out here!"
Growling, "Oh for the love of.. why!" Glaring over at Girad.
Searok smiles a toothy grin and tries to bring his axe to bear non-lethally on Baldrago but in trying to use the flat of the axe he misses all together!
What weapons are the bad guys wielding?
Great I have nothing that will help and I am horrible with this thing. Pulling out her rapier and speaking with a level voice, "You all are going to need to go back. You could have quit but you broke your oath instead. Come with us or the whole of the Guard will come after you."
"You think because you've got numbers, we can't take you? We don't get 50 sails a head by being pansies!"
When the first of them goes to draw a weapon, Shaeda will reach out with her whip to disarm him...
Disarm, Trip
I'd prefer to call it a Ready action, so I get a chance to preempt their attack.
Knowing he will do more bad than good being that close to his opponent Makall hastens to the back corner of the room and then taps into his esoteric pool and sends a ray from the elemental plane of ice at the man behind the counter.
"Body bags it is" replies Girad to the two men as he swings at the closest man. "Searok, protect Emma"
If Shaeda is wounded, Girad takes the first five damage instead of her because of Life Link.
Makall's ray goes wide, hitting the wall behind Baldrago.
Malder curses as he realizes he left his weapons out of reach, and desperately snatches a dagger from his belt to defend himself. His run of bad luck continues however, as the dagger is immediately dashed from his hands by Shaeda's whip and clatters to the floor.
Baldrago has more luck, as not only is he missed by Makall's ray, but he has access to his longbow and fires back at him, first stepping back to avoid retaliation.
He misses, however.
Girad vaults the counter and delivers a mighty blow with his falchion, slicing Baldrago along his torso. He lets out a choked cry of pain, and collapses to the floor.
With one opponent down and the other disarmed, it briefly seems that the battle is won. But the southern door bursts open and two more men arrive, both with weapons at the ready.
Searok 20 (to be played by Girad until he returns)
Emma 19
Shaeda 14
Makall 11
Malder 8
Karralo 8
Parns 4
Baldrago 3 (bleeding out)
Girad 2
Searok looks at the new folks and decides that just bringing them unconscious is not useful, "aye, ye will put down yer weapons or die" and he swings at the nearest foe.
Searok isn't wasting any time, swinging his hammer directly into the chest of one of the newcomers, who doesn't even have time to react before he is slammed to the floor by the force of the blow.
Shaeda will take a 5' and then attempt to disarm the second newcomer with her whip...
Disarm, Trip
Moving to the closest foe, "remember you choose this" he tells the man, as he swings his falchion and wounds the man.
Stepping forward to the large man near the door. Oh Gods this is going to go horribly.
Catching her hip on the counter and that pulls her swing very wide.
Emma's swing misses, but Shaeda successfully gets the longsword out of Parns' hands. He still has a bow on his back however, and isn't out yet.
Searok 20
Emma 19
Shaeda 14
Makall 11
Malder 8
Karralo 8
Parns 4
Baldrago 3
Girad 2
Makall summons another ray of frost and sends it this time at Malder.
With an oath Malder takes a barefisted swing at Emma.
But misses due to Makall's ray suddenly hitting him in the side of his head and covering his ear in frost.
Parns has lost his sword, and sees from Karralo's swift defeat that the dwarf is no one to mess with lightly. He backs away, drawing his longbow as he does so, and fires at Searok.
The dwarf's shoulder sprouts an arrow shaft.
Girad pursues the archer down the hallway, and slices him up thoroughly with his falchion. Parns screams in pain, realizes he's no match, and drops his bow, raising his hands above his head. "Enough!"
Malder glares around the room in rage, looking briefly like he's prepared to take you all on by himself. But the sight of Parns surrendering, and Baldrago and Carralo on the floor gives him pause. Muttering under his breath, he lowers his fists.
"Aye, you've got us, damn the lot of you."
”We very well may end up damned, but it won’t be by the likes of you.”
Makall moves over to Baldrago and attempts to staunch his wounds. Grabbing his kit he grabs some sterile cloth and applies pressure to the massive gash left by the falchion and then begins to wrap around the wound with another cloth as he does so he calls out to the men who have surrendered.
"What is the purpose behind your operation? A store front giving out free meat during a riot? You are up to something and we would know now." Makall moves over to Malder who slumped on the ground a purplish blue bruise forming where his body met Searok's hammer and starts to work on him as well. This time gets out his dagger and makes a slight incision letting the blood leak out of the wound before attempting to close it.
"How many more are of you? And where is Verik? Or if you wish we will cut through the rest of your friends until we find him in here."
Parns is the only one who seems at all talkative. Malder simply glowers around the room.
"It's just money. I was a butcher before I joined the guard, Verik asked me to help. I don't know why he set this up, and he doesn't know about-"
A sharp glance from Malder silences him. He finally joins the conversation.
"Yes yes, we're awful folk, just the worst, right? Imagine, goin' round the city, hitting people 'cause we got paid and told to. Not at all like when we was guards. Not at all like what you're doing now."
Searok shrugs at Malder's words. I ain't above hittin' people but if ye hit tha wrong people, then ye gotta pay. 'pparently ye hit tha wrong people, now ye gotta pay! Searok says as if there was no use in philosophizing the argument.
"Oh yeah? Who've I hit, that's so worth your sympathy? Croft just doesn't want to look weak, so she sent you to drag us back in chains as a message to keep the other guards in line. There's a hundred other things she could have you doing, the city in the state it's in."