Kali drops her shield and steps back into the flames. She doesn't take any time to be gentle and grabs the boy before leaping back out of the fire.
"Hmm..." Laetitia makes the contemplative sound in response to Median's spell taking effect. She eyes the priestess briefly as she steps past her to stand over the enchanted thug, but whether it's grudging respect for the other woman that is reflected in her gaze or mistrust remains to be seen. After all, she rather preferred being the only one in a room that could mess with people's minds. Trust issues and all. Still, even Tish, occasionally, has to give a person their due. "That's a neat trick," she comments just before turning her cruel gaze down at the hysterical man and pulling the trigger on her crossbow.
Irian continued to rush up the stairs, huffing and puffing in his heavy armor as he tried to close on the thug who was not ensorcelled.
If he can reach the man, he attacks.
Laetitia and Median prick the helpless man, still wheezing painfully as the dart and arrow penetrate his body. His laughter stops, and he no longer draws breathe. Irian charges up the stairs, and lands a blow on the fleeing thug, wounding him.
The formerly disguised man scowls and leps through the open window with the child in tow.
He lands roughly, but he and the child are unharmed. The young girl is crying, but clutching him tightly, after his decision to run through the fire.
The thug by Irian desperately tries to flee, opening the door and finding Kali smoking lightly, clutching a small boy.
"Demon!"
Median grins that Laetitia liked her spell, and then walks up the stairs to see if Irian needs help with the thug that just went up.
Owl calculates the fight here is won about the time he hears the sound of shattering glass. And a child crying? Kali didn't? Did she? Owl dismisses the illusion (didn't really help anyway) and runs towards the sound.
Owl was not confident he could hit the thug engaged with Irian, on the second floor, with objects in the way. So he dismisses the illusion (didn't really help anyway) and waits for an opportune moment. When the man moves away, he takes the opportunity to shoot the man in the back.
Seeing the man flee with the girl, Kali lashes out again, hoping to stop him before he can flee.
Missing him by a wide, margin, she turns to see one of the thugs open the door and shout "Demon!"
She answers by putting her full weight behind a thrust at the man's belly.
Median hears Kali's shout and thinks
Nope. Not running off on a wild goose chase again, only to be called back. Sticking with the party.
With her associates seemingly wrapping things up on the second floor, Tish takes a moment to look around the finely appointed foyer of the Braeton Manor. While not as opulent as her family's estate back in Absalom, it was clear that Arhaneem is—was—doing well for himself. And Tish had been hired by the Carnival to investigate the murders their sphinx was implicated in, not to thwart kidnappings. She deserved a little something extra from the late dockmaster's estate. But as she's quietly appraising the knickknacks on the shelves, Kali's shout brings her out of her larcenous thoughts.
Dropping the bauble she was inspecting back on the shelf, Tish gives an irritated sigh before addressing Lia. "It never ends, does it? Right. So here's what we do. I'll—" The sound of the front doors slamming open cut her off. She makes a wry face at the empty spot where seconds ago stood the northerner. "We have got to come up with a buddy system." To think she would be the one advocating for teamwork...
And so, being uncharacteristically cooperative, Tish hustles through the back door and around the side of the house to confront the impersonating kidnapper.
Irian took another swing at the thug up top, sighing in irritation as the man managed to get under the errant blow. He glances at the two women running outside, but is determined to finish off the threats inside first...no sense in letting them regroup once again.
Median throws a dart at the remaining bad guy.
Owl's shot goes wide as he dismisses his disguise. Perhaps with more lawful folks, it would have served better.
Kalisuel picks up the slack and guts the man who screams that dreaded word at her, his eyes go wide as he slips into unconsciousness and begins to bleed out.
Median and Irian race up the stairs to find a soot-covered and slightly singed Kalisuel, clutching a crying boy who is holding onto her tightly, sobbing into her clothing.
Lia races outside and finds a man standing up from the bramble, his hand grasping the arm of a young girl tightly. He spots you and holds a dagger to the girl's throat.
"Not one step further, or she goes to the Maker with her parents."
He eyes are cold, and the dagger point presses into the girl's neck.
"No magic, no attacks, or this blade is painted red with her blood. We're both leaving, unfollowed."
He will begin to leave, but has a readied action should Lia try and move, attack, or really do anything other than talk. Though that's your call to make.
Laetitia, he hasn't seen you yet, but without stealth, as soon as you round the corner, he will issue the same warning.
Irian's brow wrinkles in confusion at the sight of Kali and the young boy. "Ummmm...where is the man?" He knew the villain could shapeshift, but surely Kali wouldn't be comforting him if he had. This must be one of the other children. The warrior waited impatiently for the small woman to answer, wondering what was going on outside.
Laetitia skids to a halt before she can round the corner once she hears the man's threats. Heart racing, she presses her back against the wall and considers her options—and if asked about it later, Tish will admit to being a little breathless on account of all the running and adrenaline, not because she was worried about the man making good on his threat. But in truth, she is more concerned about what might happen to the girl if they let the man leave rather than how letting him escape would rankle her pride.
Coming to a decision, Tish draws a quiet breath before slipping around the side of the house, praying to whichever Gods she hasn't yet ticked off that she doesn't accidentally get the girl killed. Hell knows I'll never hear the end of it if this goes poorly.
Quiet as a whisper, Tish slinks up behind the man, her baleful glare eroding his will. "She's a little young for you, isn't she?" she says by way of announcing her presence. "How about you try threatening a grown woman instead?" Tish taunts, bringing the totality of her psychic might to bear down on him in an impressive display of confounding colours.
"Sorry, I have to go save your sister," Kali tells the boy as she hands him off to Irian and Median, "These people will keep you safe, though, Okay?"
Kali comes bursting through the flames of the bedroom and rolls as she hits the ground. She's going to be sore later, but the acrobatics have softened the landing enough for her to rise to her feet and point her sword to him.
Then Tish blasts him.
Median looks the young boy over and attempts to tend to any injuries despite the fact that she has no healing magic left.
Unfortunately, she is heavily reliant on her magic and is temporarily unable to remember how to help in any significant way.
Irian scowled as Kalisuel just spoke to the child and ignored him (and to an extent, Median), leaving the child in their care and then jumping out the window, of all things. Seeing Median start to attempt to care for the young boy, the warrior gave her a quick pat on the shoulder and a smile of encouragement before he clomped down the stairs, choosing a more conventional means of making his way outside.
Owl hears a muffled shout from Kalisuel but does not manage to pick out the words. ANd now everyone is headed outside. Where is everyone going? Am I missing something? He follows Irian as the human warrior moves swiftly by.
Median kneels down by the boy and says
I'm sorry I can't take away all the pain right now. Would you like a drink of water? Where do your parents live?
The man blinks as he feels something press against his mind, but his alerted state banishes the spell as he whirls around to spot the spellcaster who had targeted him. Just then, Kali falls from the second floor and lands without damage, ready to chase after the kidnapper.
In a quick move, the man takes the dagger, and cuts a long mark on the girls cheek which stretches to her ear.
"I said no magic! he shouts angrily. "The next sign of anything I don't like, the next time one of you moves, and I cut out her throat!"
"Momma...P-Pappa..." he stutters and cries, burying his face into Median. A tinge of a coppery smell drifts into your nose, and your eyes drift over to a room on the second floor, the door only slightly ajar.
[ooc]Players up!
Whoops. Don't ask about the parents.
Median picks up the boy and carries him over to the door that is ajar (with his head towards her, not towards the potential bodies), and casts Stabilize on any bodies she sees, just in case there is any life left in any of them. She doesn't have any magic left to heal, but she can prevent people from dying if they aren't dead yet.
She checks all the rooms on the second floor to see if there is anyone else she can attempt to save, and then takes the boy downstairs.
Irian charged around the corner of the building only to find the tense standoff. The warrior kept his weapon at the ready, but didn't move any further forward. His eyes had picked up on the long gash on the girl's face, and the man seemed ready to add a more serious injury. His eyes flicked to Lia and the others, hoping they would be able to talk the man down.
Kali's eyes narrow at the man, then focus on his knife. Some part of her reaches out for the metal of the blade and claws at it to rend it asunder. A high ringing fills the air and focuses on the dagger.
A slight hum, barely perceptible over the tense situation, is all that precedes the violent splintering of the metal dagger wielded by the kidnapper. Both he and his victim are surprised as small slivers cut them both lightly, though really doing no damage.
Roaring in fury, the kidnapper throws the girl aside and sprints away (off map) trying to make an escape.
"Ah," Owl says as they round the corner. So that's the leader. But how... he starts the thought but sees the glass in the ground. He looks up at the broken window. He jumped out the window with the child in tow? I definitely misjudged these people. They are absolutely insane.
"I think we should listen to what the man has to say," Owl says, unaware of Kali's impending action. And then *Ping* the dagger and the danger is gone. Huh. Who... Owl does not have time to think about who as their culprit rabbits. "Damn," he mutters, giving chase.
As the dagger exploded into splinters, Irian looked on in shock for a moment before he started rumbling forward, giving chase to the man. Heavily armored and already winded from the earlier fight, the warrior doubted he'd be able to catch the man, but he'd at least give a good go of it.
Kali, unencumbered by armor, takes her sword in both hands and charges after the man.
Once downstairs, Median looks through the windows to see if she can spot her team. If she sees the girl outside and it looks safe, she'll bring the boy out as well, so they know they still have each other.
Back at the manor, the sounds of battle are replaced by the slowly quieting of thumping boots as two of your own chase the kidnapper down. The girl seems in shock, breathing lightly, and staring off into the distance. It isn't anything arcane as far as you can tell, just the regular reaction to having her parents killed.
Then, a new pair of boots appears on the scene as Sheriff Feldane steps up to the estate, her mouth, agape as she survey's your group and the two traumatized children.
She draws her blade cautiously.
Realizing that she was only keeping pace, Kali begins looking for a way to head the fleeing murderer off.
Knowing there is little he can do in chasing the man, Irian trusts that Owl and Kali can handle it and instead started to help in the aftermath. He pulled bodies to the walls and bound those that were only unconscious. As Sheriff Feldane approached, the warrior kept himself in a non-threatening stance, but looked to the three ladies in the party to start talking.
Median walked over to the sheriff with the children. Both of these children need medical attention as soon as possible. Also we need to find them someplace to stay. She glances meaningfully at the house, trying to convey with a look that their parents were dead without actually saying it.
Seeing Kali break off from the chase to cut the man off, Owl continues to pursue vaulting, sliding, and squeezing through obstacles to keep up the pressure.
Tish raises a hand as Feldane draws her sword, but, unlike Lia, her gesture is not meant to placate the other woman or seem less hostile, but rather to forestall anything the Sheriff might have to say about the scene. "Lady..." she starts in a warning tone, but she is thankfully preempted from finishing what would have likely come across as a touch too threatening by Lia's rushed explanation.
Tish cants her head at the orphaned children Median brings forward. "Ask the kids who it was that tried to kill them. They'll tell you it wasn't us."
The kidnapper stumbles, but is able to get back to his feet as Kali and Owl catch up to him. You're deep enough in the woods that the other's can't hear if you yell, and the light hitting the canopy of the small clearing gives an almost twilight feel to the area.
"And things were going so well till you lot showed up." the kidnapper says, rolling up his sleeves and pulls the longsword out of its sheathe on his back.
"You there!" he calls to Owl. "You seem the clever type? Tell me, how much to stay out of this matter? In fact, how much to help in putting this spawned wench into the dirt? I have both money and contacts. I'm sure you could use both..."
He readies himself for a fight to the death.
====================================================================
The Sheriff seems hesitant at first, but she has always been one to go with her gut, and her gut tells her you are all good folks, despite teh number of crying children around you.
She sheathes her sword and opens a small side pocket strapped to her thigh, pulling out a small vial of murky red liquid.
After treating the children, and sending word to get a few men over, she begins to talk.
"Most of my guard is doing its best to quell the unrest. Even with something like this, it may not do much to stop the outbursts of violence."
She pauses.
"I can guarantee Almara's safety, but this is an opportunity that's hard to come by. Would you be willing to do one last service for this village, and clear the carnival's name for good?"
Kali laughs as the man tries to bribe Owl into ganging up on her.
"'Spawned wench' is the best you can come up with," she asks with mocking incredulity, "c'mon, you've got to be a little more creative than that."
She flashes him a toothy smile as she spins her sword around in graceful arcs.
"Do you mind trying again? I'm sure you can do better than that!"
We will if we can Median assures the Sheriff.
"You, good sir," Owl said it as an insult as he brandished his blade. He wasn't as confident in his bladework as he was his bow but he was very good at looking confident about it. "Have tried to besmirch my good name with your magical ruse. That isn't to say I don't have a price. Just that it will be very high for the first option. You can't afford the second. So, for the price of walking, make me an offer. And it better be a good one." Owl was intentionally goading him to strike. He wanted the man to think he had no chance. Then he'd likely attack Owl and Kali would put an end to him (he didn't look like a man that would be taken alive). Case closed. But if he somehow said a high enough number with attached information, Owl'd listen.
Irian nodded his agreement with Median's statement, waiting to see what the 'one last service' might be. If Almara was now guaranteed safety, they technically had performed their contract, but the warrior wasn't above helping out. He hoped Owl and Kali were having luck with giving chase to the instigator of all this.
"To the good sir who can think with his pockets, I offer my connections and my personal backing into the infamous thieves guild that is spread through the land. In every city, a contact. In every metropolis, information that only can be given in whispers."
He smiles and turns his attention towards Kali, and gives a mock bow with a flourish of his hand.
"And to demoness, I offer her the finest of eulogies.."
"Go to hell, or should I say, go home."
===============================================================
"These thugs here have been part of a suspected branch of the gilded thieves. Before, I didn't have enough evidence. But now....if we keep things on the hush-hush, you all could raid the remnants of the branch with complete surprise."
She looks around.
"Where are the rest of your companions?"
"I do think you're getting more stupid the longer you stand here," Kali quips as she stops her idle twirling of her sword. She begins to chant and runs her fingers down the fuller of her blade before taking up a ready stance.
"Your word and backing are about as valuable as paper's that's been used at an outhouse. I don't think you've met Owl's price, but please, do try again. I'm curious to see if you can get any dumber."
Irian's eyes lit up...a chance to not only clear the Carnival but utterly lay low an entire Thieves' Den? Now THIS was what he called adventuring and making a name for himself. Somewhat taken aback by the Sheriff's question, the warrior looked off in the direction the others had fled to. "Kali and Owl chased after the leader of this ragtag group...I hope nothing's wrong. I ought to go check on them, actually."
Irian blushed in shame at leaving the others to fight while he had been conversating, taking off at a jog in the direction the bad guy and his two companions had ran off in.
We are interested, Sheriff. We just have to wrap some other things up first, like making sure the children are safe, and catching that last bad guy.