"I've not used a weapon either! I'm not letting that guy run off, though," Astraden says, pointing her dagger towards the man who threw the bag.
Farrukh moves up to the second criminal and readies himself to grab the man if he tries anything.
The thieves exchange looks as Carina speaks. They clearly know each other very well, and something passes between them.
"Ugh." The hook-nosed thief drops the feather, rolling his eyes. "Feather tokens's for chum, neewise."
The other thief slowly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little book, tossing it to Tanith. "An' what the codger's an ink of prayers good for for folks what can't glyph it?"
The two thieves wait, both tensing.
"See, guys, no harm done."
"Looks like they have a plan to get out of this anyway. Might as well save us all some trouble."
Farrukh drops his hands to his sides and adopts a nonthreatening posture.
Carina is bewildered by the thieves' strange cant, but when they start handing back the things they stole, she relaxes and moves her hand off her pistol.
"Very well then... I'm glad you've seen reason, sirs."
Spotting his prayer book, Tanith discards his prey.
"Hey that's mine!" the big Kordite says as he picks it up.
Carina's eyes widen as Tanith retrieves his prayer book.
"Oh my... well, now I'm VERY glad you gave that back. You probably saved yourselves from worse than a broken nose."
Astraden sheathes her dagger and gestures to Eben's gooed-up clothing. "You gonna compensate us for that, too?"
Eben rolls his eyes and picks up the feather from the ground. "You wouldn't be saying that if I activated it, more like running down the street yelping as it whipped you..." he mutters as he tucks it away. Astraden's comment gets a smirk from him, though. "Aw, that's okay, Astraden... this stuff just flakes off and I can magic any stains out. And I imagine they chaps here might already be finding themselves having to answer some sticky questions of their own. Why, it was just yesterday I was having a chat with a slinky elf maiden who informed me the Assistant Guildmaster was personally keeping an eye out for me and my friends. Not sure how much he's going to like freelancers getting in the way..."
Astraden smiles. "Okay, I guess we can let them off this time." Looking over at Sald, she says, "I hear freelancers get run out of town if they're lucky. You'd better get going."
The thief (the one called Sald) snorts, looking unimpressed. "Be glad you got pretty pipes. Be a tear to shadow one of your eyes."
It's a bit ambiguous whether he's talking to Carina or Eben.
The other shrugs. "Neewise, prob'by best we—"
At that moment, the adventurers hear a crash.
In a tragic and unprecedented twist of fate, they see the great chimera smashing through the iron bars of its cage and crashing through the lightning-impervious glass. The blue dragon head gives a shrill screech as it leaps clear of its metal-and-glass prison.
The dragon head lunges towards one of the performers. The man screams as he's ripped nearly in half.
The chimera then steps to the side, its goat head ramming into another performer. Its sharp, almost scimitar-like horns skewer the man through the stomach.
People are screaming and fleeing in utter terror. The two thieves rush past Farrukh and Eben and run off the road.
However, there is one who's not running: A young urchin standing slightly behind the chimera appears frozen in fright. Even now, the chimera's unoccupied lion head is sniffing the air, seeking a new victim.
Farrukh runs in and scoops up the kid, whipping out his shield to protect himself as he moves in.
"Sorry if I'm a bit rough with you, kid. This could get nasty."
"F@$*....called that," Cuetzpalli says, drawing his trident. "Spiny, attack!" he commands the dinosaur. The spinosaurus charges down the street past Farrukh, skidding to a halt in front of the Chimera. Spiny roars at the multiheaded beast in defiance. Meanwhile, Cuetzpalli also advances a ways, building up momentum until he flings his trident at the beast.
"Cuetz, feel free to predict that I'm gonna win a million gold in the Free City Lottery..." Eben says wistfully as the inevitable happens. "Still, hey, at least I can take my newest toy out for a spin..." he says, pulling a wand carved to resemble an arrow out of his pack with one hand while removing his bow with the other, then tapping the two together while mumbling something that sounds vaguely like 'steelshot'.
Astraden sighs, then runs forward. She looks skyward, calls, "Favor our luck, and drain it from foes!" and holds her mask up as it flashes gold.
Tanith tucks his prayer booklet away and barks out a laugh. "Ha! The beast wants a fight. I'm happy to give it one."
The big Kordite draws a potion and quaffs its contents.
Carina's eyes widen as the chimera escapes its cage and starts rampaging!
"Guys, watch out for that thing's lightning breath!" She calls out, moving behind Farrukh and levelling her pistol at the beast.
She aims... focuses... and takes the shot!
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Farrukh runs in and scoops up the kid, whipping out his shield to protect himself as he moves in.
"Sorry if I'm a bit rough with you, kid. This could get nasty."
Farrukh rushes in and grabs the child, hurrying back away from the action.
Cuetzpalli's trident flies through, sinking into the chimera's side. It instantly pulls back out, eliciting a bleat of pain from the goat head, and flies back towards Cuetzpalli's hand.
Any signs of guards or any other official sorts coming to the rescue?
Carina draws the strange device she's had at her belt for the last week and pulls the trigger. A great thunderclap issues from the magical wonder. Clouds of orange smoke spill out the sides and barrel. At the same time, a bloody gash appears in the lion head's cheek as something—the quicker-eyed of the party can make out a streak of metal—grazes the ferocious beast.
All three heads look enraged as they focus on the band of heroes that has engaged them. The chimera claws, gores and bites at the nearest target: The dinosaur.
The urchin clutches Farrukh, eyes wide. He doesn't say a word.
Astraden clenches her fist, sending specks of purple energy fizzling out of it, and runs up to the chimera. Glancing over to assess Spiny's condition, she opens her palm and reaches for the dragon's head.
Eben moves up to within point-blank range of the chimera and drops the recently-used wand at his feet before lining up a shot at the triple-headed monstrosity. *Twang*
Astraden rushes ahead, afflicting the beast with the curse of her god, and Eben sinks an arrow into its long lion's tail. The lion head howls in pain, as the goat head gives a hiss of anger.
Farrukh unceremoniously drops the kid on the street.
"Run, if you're up to it. I've gotta go help my friends out with this thing." He says.
He dashes off, pulling out his bow as he moves.
"I should stick to the sword." he sighs.
In a blur of motion, Carina steps forward, shoves her pistol back into her belt and brings her light crossbow to bear.
She aims and fires at the chimera, trusting in Astraden's magic to help guide her aim...
Tanith rushes toward the multi-headed beast, beating his chest as he does.
"This way you ugly bastard. You looking for a fight? Come at me!"
Tanith rushes toward the multi-headed beast, beating his chest as he does.
"This way you ugly bastard. You looking for a fight? Come at me!"
Farrukh unceremoniously drops the kid on the street.
"Run, if you're up to it. I've gotta go help my friends out with this thing." He says.
He dashes off, pulling out his bow as he moves.
1d20+11
[dice=Damage]1d8+5"I should stick to the sword." he sighs.
Farrukh's arrow hits the dragon in the head, but lacks sufficient force and bounces off the blue scales.
Carina's bolt has similar luck, barely grazing the beast's armored neck.
Cuetzpalli runs forward to help Spiny, drawing an attack from the Chimera. Spiny steps into flanking position with his master, and together they unleash the storm of brutal attacks that the last months have taught them.
The dragon head lunges over, ripping at Cuetzpalli as he passes by. But it's not enough to keep Cuetzpalli and Spiny from stabbing and tearing at the beast in turn, delivering terrible wounds to the chimera's sides.
The chimera's six eyes glitter with hate. Her blue dragon head locks eyes with Cuetzpalli as she edges away from her attackers, but she seems too stressed from her wounds to do what she intended.
Seeing a clear line of fire to the monster, Eben takes a step to the side to line up a series of shots.
Farrukh drops his bow and charges leisurely saunters at the Chimera, sword in hand, circling around him.
Astraden draws her rapier with a scraping sing! and feints forward, stabbing under the chimera's maned chin.
Carina curses under her breath as her bolt skips off the beast's hide. She steps forward while reloading.
"Come on..." She aims her crossbow and fires once more.
Although I think you've got it well in hand...
Eben's first two shots ping off of scales and thud uselessly into the cobblestones, joining Carina's second crossbow bolt, but his third catches the goat right next to the throat. It chokes, eyes going wide in shock.
Meanwhile, Farrukh rushes around to stand beside Astraden, whose feints almost seem closer to hitting than her actual attacks, and slashes brutally at the chimera. Its severed tail flies through the air, and the lion unleashes a pained howl.
The badly bleeding chimera looks offbeat and disoriented now, unsure where to focus its attention.
"Spiny, back off, you're too hurt buddy!" Cuetzpalli commands his friend. The dinosaur whines, but does as he's told and moves back from the dangerous monster.
Cuetzpalli then turns his attention to the chimaera. "That hurt m~@$!* f$@!*$!" He stabs at the thing as hard as he can, as fast as he can with the enchanted trident. It is a spectacle fit for any arena in the land.
Hit? Hit? Miss :(
Cuetzpalli skewers the dragon's throat, then breaks the goat's skull with his next blow. The chimera struggles, its lion head lunging as if seeking one last spiteful blow, but falls to the ground with a whump.
It twitches and is still as blood begins to pour onto the cobblestones.
Carina breathes a sigh of relief as the chimera falls. But she's not one to rest when there's still work to be done--she starts checking the bodies of those attacked by the chimera, silently praying to Fharlanghn that some of them were still alive.
Eben slips his bow back into his magic quiver and, after tilting his head to the side to survey the scene for a few moments, saunters over to the chimera corpse to gather up any intact arrows.
"So the chimera roared something about escaping meaning not having to face the champion? Something like that, I'm still new to Draconic. But sounds like that's how it would have gone down... guess she was bound for the arena after all."
He gathers up one unbroken shaft and stashes it back in the quiver as well. He then gazes back up the street at where he'd dropped his wand during the fight, purses his lips, whistles, extends a hand, and the stick rises up and comes flying through the air to his grasp. He stows the wand at his belt with a flourish.
Farrukh walks over and retrieves his bow, stowing it away.
"Is that what it said? The Champion must be one scary son of a b%!!& if a thing like this is too afraid to face him."
He looks around to see if the kid got away safely. If he did, Farrukh breathes a sigh of relief.
"Well..." Cuetzpalli says, looking around a bit dazed as the adrenaline leaves his body. "That was easier than I thought it would be, but that bugger almost got Spiny!"
The olman moves over to his pet, who is rigid with pain. "Poor guy...Can you help him Astraden?"
Happy that the beast was dealt with, Tanith turns his attention to the injured.
"Red, are there any that we can save?"
Carina breathes a sigh of relief as the chimera falls. But she's not one to rest when there's still work to be done--she starts checking the bodies of those attacked by the chimera, silently praying to Fharlanghn that some of them were still alive.
[dice=Heal: Are Any Still Alive?]1d20+13
The second man who was attacked (the one who got gored) is alive, though his heartbeat is faint.
Farrukh sees that the urchin is already gone.
Carina immediately produces an extract of cure moderate wounds and kneels next to the gored man. "This one's almost gone. Not if I can help it."
She tips the extract down the man's throat.
Astraden stands between the wounded man and Spiny, holding her mask up and sending out shimmering waves of energy. Cuetzpalli, as well, feels his wounds quickly mend.
She then touches Spiny with the wand several times, mending his wounds further.
The man's injuries fade away as Carina's potion takes effect. His eyes flutter open, and he stares up at Carina. "Th-thought I was dead."
A moment later, Astraden's healing magic courses through the area, mending the wounds of all assembled.
The party sees a bunch of guards rushing towards the scene, led by a burly armored man with a bushy mustache, prominent sideburns, and an ugly deerstalker. They stop short, looking at the dead chimera in shock.
"Good response time." Farrukh says. It's hard to tell if he's being sarcastic or not.
"No need to thank me, sir. It's my job." Carina helps the downed man to his feet and turns to face the guards.
"The chimera got loose and started rampaging, sirs. It attacked two people and tried to escape. We were here to put the beast down." She explains, brushing off her pants.
"The chimera mentioned wanting to escape before the Champion arrived. Clearly, said champion was the least of its problems."