Mutt takes the fabric and turns to his teammates. "Guys, this is Larur's." He then scowls, rage beginning to set in. He hisses to his teammates, "Forget this. Let's go in now! Let's destroy Smeed!"
"One moment, Mutt. Let us get all of the information ..."
Varies carefully lifts the lid on the barrel, afraid of what he is going to find within...
No corpse is found within the barrel or in the immediate area, thankfully. The cloak is torn and wet with blood.
Bofur cocks a bolt into his crossbow. "What more info ye hopin' to find out here, Variel?"
He sniffs and feels the blood on the cloak. "Don't smell like the blood o' livestock. And it ain't covered in rats yet, so it's pretty fresh."
"I was worried the barrel would have a body. As it doesn't I believe it is time for us to proceed, with caution."
Variel casts a spell and makes sure his weapons are at the ready.
Speaking softly, Thaddeus turns to Mutt. "Ease off dere, Mutt. If'n Smeed dies, we may lose our only lead. Rough 'em up, but don't kill 'em."
Thaddeus gets his spell component pouch ready, and loads his sling in preparation.
Fiona's face is unreadable as the others investigate the bloodied cloak.
"...right." She readies her earthbreaker and looks at the back door. "Front or back?"
Mutt looks to Thaddeus. "Fine. Then I'll take his legs... Won't be able to run from us."
When Fiona asks about where to breach, Mutt growls out, "I'll take the back door. Cut him off from running."
"So we catch him in the prongs. Who takes the front with me?" Bofur asks, loosening his battleaxe on his hip strap.
"I will." Fiona nods.
Both groups ready themselves. A quick test shows the very sturdy front and back doors are locked. The front door has a metal plate in the front, presumably for speaking through the door or passing objects.
Variel waits with Mutt. Seeing the lock, he shrugs and quietly says, "Not much I can do about that. When the time comes, you may have to smash through."
With a small blush on his tanned cheeks, Bofur recalls his last shameful attempt to break through a door... and that was an interior one. He looks at Fiona and Thaddeus. "Do either of ye have a way to get this open quietly? Otherwise, I say we just start choppin'. If we're lucky, they might panic and open the back door to the others."
"Uhh... Maybe we should try knockin'? Least try to get in peacefully first 'fore we start breakin' stuff?"
The building is two-storey, and although there are no windows on the ground floor there are a few on the top floor. There is a chimney jutting out from the north side of the building. A thin trail of smoke rises from it. The door plate is very much set to only open from the inside. Being a moneylender in a rough part of town is a security risk.
Fiona pauses, then lowers her earthbreaker to her side.
"Hmm. Perhaps." She steps up to the door, a fist raised. "Ready?"
Mutt braces himself to charge in through the door, drawing his greataxe.
"Ready."
BANG BANG BANG
...
oooh ahahh EEE EEE EE---
"SHUT UP! Stupid monkey."
You hear someone approaching the front door, and the metal plate opens up. A pair of unpleasant, piggish eyes stare at you.
"Yeh? Whaddaya want?"
Fiona pauses in slight confusion. ...stupid monkey?
*ahem* "Yes, pardon me sir, but are you Lymas Smeed? There is some business we wish to discuss with you--it's quite important." She says, scuffing her boot against the cobblestones in front of his door. "I assure you, my intentions are strictly honourable."
Lymas takes one look at Fiona and barks a sarcastic laugh.
"I know your boss! Tell Saul that what he owes me is gonna double if he ever sends his thugs after me again! Now bugger off!"
Hearing Fiona speaking to someone inside, Variel comes around to the front. Quietly he suggests, "Maybe you should let him know we're looking for Larur ... if we can judge his reaction, we might learn how best to proceed."
Fiona pauses, listening to Variel before she replies.
"In fact, sir, that's what we'd like to speak to you about. I understand that Saul sent one of his men to you with the money he owed you--a sum of 500 gold. A Larur Feldin. Does that name sound familiar to you? It sounds like the money never made it into your hands."
Lymas's eyebrows raise before scowling once more.
"I don't know no Larur and I ain't go nothing from Saul. So if you don't have the money I'm not interested in talking with you. Bugger off with your weak excuses and get me my damn money."
"You'd better. His cloak is outside your door, tshamek." Fiona drops all pretension of politeness and glares at him.
She gives Variel & Bofur a quick nod.
Lymas smirks at Fiona.
"If there's one less of Saul's cronies in the world it's a better world. I'm done with your threats!"
The latch snaps shut.
Fiona sighs. "Fine. Gentlemen, break the doors down."
She levels her earthbreaker at the door and swings it.
Not having the brute strength or tools to break the door, Variel instead studies it for any weak spots he can point out.
He then draws his whip and prepares to lash out at anyone revealed when the door moves.
Hearing the word, Mutt makes ready. He feels his rage envelop him. He charges the back door, swinging his greataxe at it.
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Thaddeus looks down at his sling, then glances at his sickle, and then looks up at Fiona's massive Earthbreaker currently having a heated disagreement with the door.
He feels slightly emasculated.
Variel seems to have the right idea, readying himself. Thaddeus decides to do the same, bringing his free hand to his mouth and keeping an eye on the door.
WHAM! WHAM!
You hear a shriek from inside and the muffled screaming of some sort of animal.
AAHHH! EEE!! OOO!!! OOO!!!
Mutt and Fiona smash their weapons into the door, both of which manage to make it partway through. Some more smashing may be required. Althouhg the wood is broken inwards, Thaddeus can't quite see inside yet.
Mutt takes another mighty swing at the door.
Fiona takes another shot at her door!
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Bofur grabs his axe in two hands and takes another swing.
CRACK
Between Bofur and Fiona the door manages to get busted right in, which reveals a small reception area which includes a couple of chairs, and another door which leads northwards. The door on Mutt's side is almost open. As light begins to stream in through the cracks made from Mutt's axe, he hears the strange animal hooting and shrieking once more from the other side.
Fiona rushes through the fallen doorway and tugs on the door handle.
Thaddeus, Old Horn, and Bofur head in as well. Bofur will attack the door if it's locked, while Thaddeus rereadies his readied action.
Fiona and Bofur boot open the next door which swings open to reveal the bottom floor of the shop. Almost immediately, they hear the screaming and hooting of some sort of wild animal before a baboon rounds the corner, bares extremely unpleasant-looking teeth, and charges!
Thaddeus
Fiona
BOfur
---
Baboon
---
Variel
Mutt
Thaddeus, seeing the large, hairy beast, hesitates for only a moment before attempting to put it to sleep. He raises his one hand (Still clutching his loaded sling) up to his mouth to yawn, while the other gestures at the baboon. Soft, melodic tinkling is heard and faint sparkles dance around the primate's head.
Fiona's eyebrows arch as she sees the baboon jumping around and shrieking bloody murder. She raises her earthbreaker to meet it and moves in!
"Well, this just got interesting." She swings her weapon...
...and seriously menaces a nearby potted plant.
"AAHHH! AHHH! OOOO! OOO!"
The baboon's cries become a little mangled as it staggers about. It wags its finger at you accusing you before collapsing face-first on the ground.
End of Combat
With a smash, Mutt and Variel enter in from the north.
Thaddeus dusts his hands in the classic cocky metaphorical gesture, feeling perhaps just a bit overconfident.
"Welp, 'dat was easy. Ahh, he's out fer a while. Don't worry 'bout noise, though Ah wouldn't touch'em 'nless yer really hankerin' fer a fight."
The main floor of this house has been divided into a smelly kennel to the north that the baboon emerged from, and a curiously empty room to the south. A set of stairs lead upwards to the second floor. Lymas is nowhere in sight.
"He can't have gotten far, let's check upstairs."
Whip in hand, Variel allows one of his stronger companions to lead the way.