At Colcille's words, Wymond follows after her, trying to keep an eye out for traps. Running ahead blind was how they'd gotten ambushed before...more than once!
Lilika -- who cares not one bit if killing someone unconscious is paladin-like or not -- moves between the unconscious foes and draws her short sword.
Wymond and Colcille make it to the double doors and find them open. There are many closed doors off the hall beyond and the hallway seems to continue to the southwest. Tarrin Dars could be anywhere.
Lilika, you're pretty sure that one of the women laying on the floor is one of the ones who tied you up and took your belongings. In fact... those are your pants!
"Wymond! No! That's not what I meant, although I see how you might have misunderstood my intention! Lili, Perry, please tie up one each and we'll be done in no time, yes? I'll cover you."
Lilika narrows her eyes at the woman wearing her pants, then plunges her sword into her neck.
"What DID you mean?!" Wymond replies, slowing down. Then he turns back and sees Lilika stabbing the thief. He grimaces, but doesn't say anything.
Somehow, the blind, dazed and unconscious woman wearing black leather pants survives Lilika's bloody stroke at her neck.
Wymond, Triath squeals and pushes the back of your knee hard with his snout. He's pushing you toward your murderous comrade.
No enemies appear for the moment, though Tarrin Dars is getting away.
Perfire stands frozen for a moment watching Lilika end the woman's life. The halfling quickly regains his senses and moves to put his small frame between Lilika and the rest of the helpless bandits. 'N-n-not like this' He manages to stammer out weakly.
Colcille relaxes the bowstring and draws a rope from her pack, kneeling to tie up one bandit and speaking quickly. "Well, it's a thing we did when ambushing patrols in the woods, you pick the up a few at a time, make them disappear, the ones that remain start getting unnerved, like really unnerved, and I thought that the fewer we leave around, that is by taking these happy folks out of the fight, the less likely the others will be to fight us. By the by, is there some sort of drama going around here, Lili? I thought the plan was to capture them, not stab, I left my knives back there."
Lilika rolls her eyes at Perfire. "You want me to leave them alive so they attack us again later?" Clearly she thinks that's a dumb idea.
After she blinks a few time at the absurdity of sparing the bandits, Lilika sighs, sheathes her sword, and proceeds to pull her pants off the not-quite-dead lady. "You want captives, take them. I don't. I want them dead."
"These rotters robbed her, tied her up and left her for dead upstairs fer the spiders. To say she's not in a merciful mood'd be an understatement," Wymond replies with a frown. "If'n ye want te go after some more o' them while Lili cleans up here, I won't say no."
Triath trots up to join them, not wanting to be around this grisly scene any more than Wymond does.
Triath seems very concerned about something, Wymond.
Lilika gives Wymond a rare nod of... respect, perhaps? Gratitude, maybe? Whatever it is, it's fleeting. She soon turns her attention back to trying to take her pants back.
Triath seems very concerned about something, Wymond.
Wymond kneels to get closer to eye-level with Triath.
"What's wrong, pal?"
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Triath huffs and looks between Wymond and Lilika. It seems she's upset the pig.
Perfire sets to binding one of the surviving bandits. Keeping an eye on his larger companions.
Lilika continues to pilfer.
Wymond nods and strolls back over to Lilika trying to look nonchalant and failing miserably.
"Lili? I don't mean to be pushy, but Triath ain't too keen on what yer doin'. I can respect reclaimin' what's yers, but do ye really need te slit their throats when they're down an' at yer mercy? Even they didn't do that te ye when ye were in their position..."
Lilika's rare respectful nod turns into a withering glare. "You say I cannot, then say I can, then say I cannot again. Is your mind always ruled by a pig?" She gestures at Triath, then shakes her head at Wymond's flip-flopping.
She opens her mouth, then pauses mid-breath. A moment later she purses her lips, apparently deciding to stay silent, like she so often does.
This silence. This return to holding her tongue... She didn't like it. But it felt familiar. Like home.
Was this what her life had always been? Capitulation and obedience?
With another purse of her lips, Lilika continues robbing the bandit. Her refusal to speak a minor act of defiance.
Odd that her companions were so worried over this bandit's death, and yet they let her bleed out as they debated. Lilika hadn't killed the woman. Not yet. But, inaction would -- if it hadn't already.
She decided to keep the woman's fading heartbeat to herself. Silence, after all, could be a boon as much as a prison.
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Perfire's binding of the woman slowed as the tense interaction played out. It was more habit than anything, you could eavesdrop on your masters quarreling but a slave caught watching and not working would usually become the target of all the ire.
Wymond goes and tends to the woman's injury.
"I ain't sayin' ye CAN'T Lili. I'm sayin' ye SHOULDN'T. First River Freedom, 'say what ye will, I live free.' Triath ain't controllin' me.
He's advisin' me. I'm still new te this whole 'hedge knight' thing, an' though Triath's a pig, he's a wise pig, likely wiser'n any other pig in the River Kingdoms, so I'm learnin' from him, an' maybe you'll learn somethin' too if'n ye take the time te listen."
"Like I said, I can understand wantin' te take back what's yer's. Last River Freedom, 'ye have what ye hold,' ye know? But revengin' yerself by killin' em when they're down? I dunno, just seems a wee bit mean-spirited. Yer better'n that, I think. Better'n them. I believe that, an' I believe in ye."
Finally in possession of her pants, Lilika folds them up and places them in her backpack.
...And continues to rob the bandits.
Apparently she has no response.
Wymond thinks the bandit isn't going to immediately die on him, but she's not looking particularly hale.
Seeing his efforts aren't amounting to much, Wymond turns to prayer.
"Erastil, I know ye see everythin' that goes on in the wildlands, an' while ye don't take kindly te robbers like this 'ere woman, ye aren't one te let someone die when they can be saved. If'n it be yer will that she lives, I ask of ye to give me the power to heal her."
He then lays his hand upon her wound.
Her wounds heal slightly. Erastil is merciful, but he has no love for those who would prey on communities. The bandit woman isn't going to die, but she's not going to wake up any time soon, either.
Colcille followed through the discussion sitting on another of the bandits and idly eating some of her beloved hazelnuts. "To be fair, the Hellknights will most likely hang them if we bring them back for bounty, and we don't even have a cart to move them. Unless you're happy with taking them at their word again, like those others up there. Things were easier in the forest, we just left whoever didn't die straightaway to fend for themselves against the woods, sort of a trial. Maybe we can lock them in the back room and think about it later."
With a yawn and a stretch she retrieves the knives she had dropped and starts rifling though the pockets of casualties and prisoners.
"Maybe at least this one'll rethink 'er choices a bit, considering I just saved 'er life, and she'll have a scar across 'er throat te remind 'er for the rest o' her days. We just need 'em bound with rope fer the time bein'. Once we make sure this level o' the Spire's cleared, we can talk more about their fate."
He rises and takes up his bardiche again, waiting for the others to finish pilfering before they hunt down the rest.
Lilika pointedly does not pull out her rope. Instead, she keeps robbing the bandits.
Wymond gets rope from his pack and sets to work.
'We should catch her before she's able to dig in too deep.'
After dealing with the bandits, Perfire keeps a lighted rock in a pouch and a stone loaded into his sling as they give chase to the fleeing bandit leader.
'I've about run out of power, but I'll do what I can' He whispers to his companions.
Lilika drinks one of the healing potions.
Then packs the gear up into her bag.
STATUS
Perfire (20/24 hp)
Colcille
Lilika (13/27 hp)
Wymond (21/29 hp)
"Here, allow me."
Wymond lays his hands on Lilika's shoulders.
"Yer healin' lifted me up when I was falterin', now let me do the same fer ye."
Warm radiance fills Lilika's wound, like the soft and patient touch of a caring father. She finds it doesn't hurt so much anymore.
STATUS
Perfire (20/24 hp)
Colcille
Lilika (17/27 hp)
Wymond (21/29 hp)
Lilika drinks another potion, then packs the last one up in her belt pouch.
The fiery drink glows in Lilika's stomach, sending tendrils of static along her nerve endings as the muscle and skin knit together rapidly.
STATUS
Perfire (20/24 hp)
Colcille
Lilika (22/27 hp)
Wymond (21/29 hp)
Lilika loads her last magic sling stone into her sling and takes up a position near the prisoners, watching the nearby double doors to ensure no one attempts to escape out the back entrance while Wymond and the others lead the way forward.
Wymond steps forward and tries to push the door on his left open from a safe distance with his bardiche.
"Diiiiie!" When Wymond cracks open the door, he has a momentary image of a figure standing in the doorway. Immediately thereafter, a stream of brilliant colors blasts forth from the figure, bathing the paladin's eyes in painful light.
"This place's too much of a deathtrap for me to want to rush after someone who knows it, I'- Starsong's cloak!" starts Colcille, getting interrupted as hostilities are renewed.