The outlaw screams as his hands fly to his eyes and he drops unconscious to the forest floor.
From Colcille's hiding spot, an arrow comes whistling over Perfire's head and towards the bandit on the other side. "Wymond, the one in this direction, s'il vous plaît!"
Lilika takes a step forward, drawing her dagger as she moves, and drives her knife towards the bandit's eye!
"Aye, Cocille!"
Wymond turns from his sprint and takes a mighty whack at the bandit she shot at!
The momentum from his sudden turn, however, causes his swing to go wide.
Colcille's arrow buries itself in a tree. Wymond's swing goes wide. But Lilika slashes one outlaw's outstretched arm as he tries to ward off her blow. That outlaw responds by dropping his bow, drawing his shortsword and stabbing at Lilika. The druid dances back into the underbrush, avoiding the blow.
The other outlaws take up positions behind trees and fire arrows at Perfire and Wymond, but without much success.
STATUS
Outlaws (1 asleep)(E: 4 damage)
Perfire (12/18 hp)
Lilika
Colcille
Wymond (11/18 hp)
Outlaw Leader (asleep)
Wymond takes another swing at the bandit, silently praying in his mind that this time he'd connect.
Perfire blinks in slight surprise as the bandit he blasted with color collapses in front of him. 'That one's out for a few moments only!'
The halfling grits his teeth in determination and advances on another foe, ducking another volley of arrows. He again weaves his hands rhythmically and sweats slightly with exertion. Another blast of color envelops a bandit.
As Wymond skewers the opponent with his bardiche, Colcille drops her bow, creeping through the underbrush. A simultaneous flick of her wrists, and two metallic blades in the shape of lily leaves jump from her sheaths to her hands just before she thrusts them deep in the bandit's back.
Lilika parries the bandits attack, knocking his sword out of the way. Then she steps forward and thrusts her dagger at his unprotected side.
[oo
Wymond and Colcille cut one outlaw to pieces while Perfire blasts another into unconsciousness. Lilika attacks, but the outlaw dances back out of the way and flees!
COMBAT OVER!
Wymond gives a stern smile as the fight ends.
"Got any rope, Cocille? We should tie these knuckleheads up so we can ask 'em where they put Lilika's stuff!"
Twisting her nose at the blood on her forearms, Colcille reaches into her backpack, producing a coil of rough hemp rope. "Yes, I do. By the way, mind carrying some of my heavier stuff? You look strong as a wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack. Pun intended. Perfire, you said one would wake up soon? Hold him at knifepoint, hopefull he'll lose the will to fight."
Perfire unshoulders his spear and holds the point to the throat of the bandit closest to him. He nods to the other he had managed to magick down. 'That one will be back awake soon, as well.'
Wymond chuckles a bit at Colcille's pun as he accepts her rope and moves to tie up the two bandits Perfire indicated.
"Sure, I can carry that stuff for ye. I'm a farm-boy! Heavin' hay bales and carryin' wood has made me pretty darn strong!"
Lilika glares after the bandit as he runs off. Seeing no more enemies she cleans her dagger and sheathes it, then moves to regroup with the others.
She helps Wymond ties up the two bandits.
The bandits begin to rouse, giving you enough time to prepare.
"Whuh...? Aw, dammit."
Wymond crosses his arms and smiles smugly.
"Sixth River Freedom, boys. 'Ye have what ye hold.' Now if'n ye wanna hold on te yer lives a bit longer, ye'll coo-operate with us. Understand?"
Colcille picks up her bow and sets out to expropriate the arrows from the captured brigands. As she does that, she also goes over them with her magic-sighting eyes, just in case they had some unexpectedly precious item.
Lilika proceeds to rob the bandits.
Perfire rests against a tree trunk as his companions address the bandits, glad that they were able to overcome their foes.
'Maybe there's a bounty against them? Seems, what we hold may be worth more than what's in their pockets.' Perfire suggest after thinking for a moment.
"True, but if'n they really do have families they're tryin' to feed through banditry, we'll be signin' more than just their death warrants. You probably know better than most that Hellknights ain't gentle, so we hand this lot over to 'em they likely won't even bother with shackles and'll go straight to the noose. An' then their families'd starve. If said families do exists, of course, and this lot weren't tryin' to cajole us into surrender with false sympathy...right boys?" Wymond asks, giving the tied-up men a stern, suspicious look.
"And if they don't murder them, they'll take 'em as slaves, which again is contrary to the Freedoms. Although I wonder how You have what you hold applies when you are holding someone captive. Isn't that, technically, slavery? I mean, sure, the spirit is clear, but the letter of the law can be important, and paradoxes like these are just begging to be taken advantage of."
The outlaws goggle at the philosophical discussion, unsure of quite what is happening.
"Uh... we didn't do nothin'."
"Shut up, Red! Let me do the talking."
"Oh, like that ain't got us in enough trouble already!"
"I mean it! Shut the hell up right now!"
"They should die." Lilika remarks coldly. She pauses and thinks about her words. "Is that not the local practise?"
Wymond frowns and sighs.
"Kinda...I learned how te fight by helpin' protectin' our farm from raiders like this lot...but killin' a man when he's tied up an' helpless is different than when yer fightin' him fer your life. At the same time, they were gonna kill us if we didn't cooperate. Only two things'll drive a man to that: greed and desperation."
He looks at the bandits.
"So which are you lot? Do you REALLY have families that need feedin' or were you just spinnin' us a line o' bull$h!t?"
"Bit a both, really," admits Red. "I ain't gonna die for nobody," he says to the other outlaw.
"We got families, of course. Or some of us do. I don't, but some do."
Lilika considers Wymond's words. Logically she supposed there was a difference... But, at the same time, her gut was telling her something else...
Interesting... Who was I?
Lilika steps forward. "As I told your leader, I have questions. How does your gang of thugs come and go from the Emerald Spire?"
"I suggest a test: we leave them a bit deeper in the woods without weapons, if they promise not to take revenge in case they make it back. If we, especially Lilika, like their answers, we may even leave them untied."
"Gods damn it, Red. Shut up or you'll live long enough to regret it!"
"Uh," says Red, mumbling. "I got nothin' to say."
Colcille's voice is calm and her smile is pleasant. "Look into my eyes, you sorry creatures, for I am not what you see, no simple elf. Tá mé an scáth sna crainn, I am the shadow in the tree. I am of Faerie, daughter of the Fae. And the Fae only are allowed to prey in these woods. Be it for me, you would be feeding those who crawl this land when you wish the night was darker, to hide what comes for you. But I have a contract with an ally of these companions of mine, and for that reason with you lies their mercy. And I'm not sure where their thoughts lie, but defiance does not breed friendliness."
And technically, it's all true!
Lilika raises an eyebrow at Colcille's long-winded threats. When she's done Lilika looks at the squirming bandit and draws her short sword. "Answer my question or I will cause you harm."
Wymond sighs.
"Lads, I'd be honest with these ladies if'n I was you. It's the best chance ye've got to get out of this mess with yer hides intact. Please, don't try te salvage yer pride by actin' tough now."
The unnamed outlaw glowers, obviously unwilling to talk, but "Red" starts singing.
"Fine! Fine! There's a hidden entrance! Only, I'm kind of new and I've only seen it once. It's under a tree...by a rock... and, uh, there's more trees. The right tree has a big hollow in it, and a door."
"Red," says the other outlaw, "They'll kill you for that. You know they will."
"Shut up!" cries Red. "What am I supposed to do? Just shut up."
"You were supposed to keep your mouth closed." says the outlaw.
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Wymond nods.
"Thank ye, Red. Now, I'm gonna ask ye somethin' else: You really think the bandit life is for you, now that ye've had a taste of it?"
"Uh, maybe not. But farming wasn't ei... uh, no sir."
Perfire tries his best not to fret. He's seen human threats turn to action too often. Trusting his companions to do the right thing, he tries his best to shrink into the trunk of the tree he rests against.
"Why not, Red? Not excitin' enough, or what? I farmed too, but I left 'cause Erastil needed me for somethin' else. Adventurin's excitin' but I've almost died a couple o' times in just the past few days down in the Spire. Banditry's little different, except people respect adventurers a bit more. So maybe yer not cut out for riskin' yer life every day, but ye don't wanna go back and till fields. I get that. But I bet yer good at other things too. Things that yer kin and neighbors would find useful. Ye figure out what that is, and you'll find respect and a long, clean life to boot," Wymond says, his tone firm but gentle.
"Uh, if it gets me out of here alive, I'm willing to try anything," says Red.
"Good man."
Wymond works to untie Red, but only Red.
"We'll let ye live, Red. Go on and lead a good, clean, blessed life!"
Lilika raises an eyebrow at Wymond.
"It this normal?" she asks after Red runs off. "That doesn't feel normal to me."
"I haven't been doin' this paladin thing long enough te know what 'normal' is, Lilika," Wymond replies with a shrug. "But I do know that he'll be a lot less eager to try an' take another man's life in the future, knowin' he was once at another's mercy an' was spared, an' that'll definitely make him a better person. One step closer te Heaven than he was before, anyhow."
Triath gives an assuring nod, and Lilika's almost certain the pig is smiling as Wymond looks at the remaining tied up bandits.
"So...anyone else rethinkin' their lives now?" he asks with a smirk.
Red gets up and rubs his wrists from where he was tied. "Uh, thanks. Really. You're not going to, uh...?" he gestures at his unnamed companion.
"That's up to him. If he insists on being stubborn, he can take his chances with the Hellknights," Wymond replies.
"Or the forest."
She thinks on this for a while.
Heaven? Where's that?
Deciding now is not the time to ask, Lilika waits to see what the others do with the remaining bandits.