Nissim takes the stop as an opportunity to heal Varuzhan.
Though he was in no way eager to prolong his stay in the park, Boros did linger just long enough to watch the finale of the slaughter at the plaza. Wincing as the beast simply heaved its amorphous bulk forward, with absolutely no regard for the presence of nominal allies among its intended targets, Boros found himself quite in agreement with the view of Barzillai Thrune held by the rebels he'd been contracted to aid. Nobody who would callously butcher his own troops just for the sake of ensuring his enemies died--and the way the Chelish infiltrators cordoned off the plaza made it quite clear who the beast's ultimate owner was--was worth giving power to. At the sight of the aforementioned infiltrators beginning a sweep of the park's environs, clearly looking for folks like himself, Boros turned his back on the last few, desperate screams and resumed his own escape.
Boros had managed, during the exodus from Aria Park, to get his weapons put out of sight, even finding a spare moment to clean his rapier before returning it to its sheathe, though the jostling of the crowd had prevented him from even trying to reload his pistol; with his supplies confiscated, every shot was worth its weight in gold until Boros could find the time and secure location in which to make more, and he wasn't going to risk spilling any by being impatient. A bit more worrisome was the wound he'd received during the fight. While it wasn't serious, Boros was only too well aware how a minor, preexisting wound left untreated could cause problems in the event of another fight. Alas, there was little enough he could do about it at the moment, so he simply kept moving.
Unfortunately, while Boros kept close watch, he saw no sign of his cell's contact, or any of the scouts either, and he sighed in annoyance as he realized that the chaos at the park had probably driven them into hiding for a time, leaving him exposed and on his own. Luckily, Boros knew who was holding on to the bulk of his gear, so at least he wasn't utterly helpless, if he could find a secure spot to hunker down.
Much to his surprise, the motion of the crowd eventually brought him alongside his small-folk acquaintance from the protest, and Boros smiled in greeting as he caught her eye, but said nothing. Equally surprising was how the cloaked duo--he eventually figured out that the one with the occasionally twitchy cloak wasn't a human, though he didn't recognize the species--had somehow remained in his general vicinity. Though they hadn't accepted his offer of aid, Boros wasn't offended or even much surprised, since recent events made it just a touch difficult to trust freely and easily.
Further back, Boros saw that well-dressed bard he'd seen at the protest--with a walking stick that Boros now realized was in truth an unstrung bowstave; how sneaky of her--and the exceptionally pretty half-elf lass as well. How curious that the only people that managed to stand out to his notice were in the same general clump of fleeing protestors, and even stuck together as the civilians among them eventually split off entirely, leaving just the six of them. As the group rounded the corner off of a street into tangle of alleys, cul-de-sacs, and unmarked lanes, the sight of what must be one of the rebels getting thoroughly stomped on by a group of Chelish soldiers has Boros reaching carefully for his weapons under his cloak. Only the fact that it is, to the best of his knowledge, four on one keeps his blades sheathed for the moment, though a short exchange of glances and nods with the fellow in the twitchy cloak has Boros revising his previous estimate to four on two.
As he waited for something to happen one way or another, Boros noticed how the human of the cloaked duo used what was pretty obviously magic to heal the wounded one while he had the chance, and he couldn't suppress that spurt of envy at the sight of the soldier's dream: on-demand healing. He gives some thought to reloading his pistol, but realizes that would be rather obvious and definitely provoke a fight. Instead, he gives the Chelish soldiers an appraising look.
As Nissim, finishes delivering the healing spell to Varuzhan, he steps back and subtly moves the hand he used to the bandolier he wears. He taps on a glass cylinder in the bandolier so that the strix can see it and hear the slight clink, clink, of his fingernail on it.
Me meets Varuzhan's eyes with his own and gives a slight nod to convey that he's ready for whatever happens.
Having used her burst-of-speed to get away quickly Miranda figured she could afford to spend some time cleaning herself up with a napkin. She would probably look somewhat suspicious with half her jaw covered in blood ... And she even managed to get herself mostly presentable too by the time she wandered into the fateful alley, merely picking some defiant treads from her teeth. Oh it is that man again! she noted and smiled. It did feel good that he hadn't been eaten by the abomination-to-nature or murdered by the guards yet. And maybe there is even an opportunity to reverse the last one right now!
"Shouldn't you be at the plaza defending the city instead of skulking here?" she noted cheerfully at the guards.
The flight from the Opera House had not been kind to Lily. Still uninjured the harried pace had left her frazzled. There had been a brief pause during their movement through the city, for Lily at least. The tears had begun running black lines down her face even before they had left the park, the images dancing in her mind leaving her retching. She had seen suffering, she had seen death... but never both in the same instant. There was a sizable distinction that came as a result, an intent that was difficult to swallow, which fell directly in line with the knot in her throat and in her stomach. The retching had at least stopped when she'd cleaned out her stomach, but the effect was still clear. Pain, bloodshot eyes, ruined makeup and hair were the hallmarks of a woman who had seen more than she had ever hoped to see. She had ultimately found herself instinctively following the others. She didn't quite know how she felt about them at this moment, but that hadn't even entered her mind, herd instinct leaving her simply following as quickly as she could, away from the danger, and away from the pain.
The soldier, for lack of a better word, had injuries, but he was moving easily despite them. The two herbalists seemed to be capable healers, maybe not each in an immediate fashion... but that would be good. They could... They could what? Go back and help people? No. Not likely. That left the halfling and the raven-haired artist nearby. She turned her mind away from the artist and her bow, and suddenly realized she had stopped at some point.
She looks to the men in the alleyway, eyes flicking from person to person. "There's been enough blood today." she mutters as she moves towards the thugs. "Stop." she says with her voice raising slightly, leaving it utterly uncertain whether it was a statement to herself as she stopped moving forward... a request, or a demand. Nothing she could do, really, except maybe stop one person's suffering and eventual death. "Please." she adds, solidifying the act as a request.
Varuzhan is extremely grateful as Nissim's powerful draught healed all of his wounds! In other circumstances, he would have offered profuse praise, as well as some discussion about how exactly he accomplished such healing. Varuzhan's own medicines were good for discomfort and illness, but certainly not such wounds. However, given the tension of the situation, he simply nodded his thanks.
Far more concerning was the sight of the half-elf moving forward toward the Asmodean agents, telling them to stop. That was just about the last thing he expected - Varuzhan had assumed the peaceful half-elf would be keeping a safe distance while he or maybe the blonde singer confronted these goons. Instead, she was the bravest of all, stepping forward and asking them to stop. Well, she was either the bravest, or the most foolish.
Fearful once again of what might come next, Varuzhan shifts northward so that he's close to the building and, more importantly, out of the vision of the agents. Once he is out of their direct view, Varuzhan slides westward to stay reasonably close to the half-elf. He was moved by Lily's boldness, but suspected that they would challenge her directly.
Nissim takes the cognatogen he is carrying in a bandolier pouch and drinks it.
Great, they are quite literally kicking a man while he is down. Juliette thought quietly to herself. But Juliette did not make any effort to defend the man just yet as she waited for Lily to negotiate on his behalf.
As the half-elf woman makes her impassioned plea to the uniformed thugs, Boros keeps a tight grip on his swords, but doesn't make any attempt to draw them just yet. The prospect of getting clear without a fight is not unappealing to the increasingly weary soldier, and he's more than willing to let her have her shot. That said, however, he's still examining the prospective enemies carefully, and being very mindful of the distance between the two groups, which is enough that he has some options if a fight does occur.
The man in the back kicks the cloaked figure once more, then kneels down next to where you suspect the face is, talking with the person(but in such low volume you can't make out individual words, beyond "Where" and "hidden".
All of them now aware of your presence, the three others turn towards you, blocking your way. Two of them begin to eye you suspiciously, to gauge if you are here to cause trouble, or avoid it.
The third steps forward to Lily, glancing at Miranda for a moment, then addressing the woman in front of him:"Listen here, sweet thing, this ain't none of your business, so don't worry your pretty head about it. But for your small Tiefling friend there: we ARE defending the city. That man there is a rebel we caught, trying to sneak through these backstreets to cause bloodshed at the protest. We're protecting good citizens such as you doubtlessly are, you understand?", the same time he says the words, as in a mockery, the man in the back slams his elbow down on what is probably the hooded figures stomach, making the hooded man groan in pain. Glancing over at them for a moment, the man in front of Lily smiles, then turns his head back towards her and continues: "You must understand, we're doing very important work here, trying to interrogate that prisoner before his summary execution. So far, we learned nothing we didn't know yet, so there's a good chance he's useless to us. You see, Kintargo WILL be safe again. After today, nobody will be foolish enough to try and oppose the Paracount! Those stupid enough to try, died, and we'll bring peace and order to Kintargo in the name of Asmodeus! And all of those even thinking about dissenting will learn to see his true glory, in time!"
You swear you can literally see the gears turning in his brain, as he comes to a realization before speaking again:"Of course, that means that man could well suffer by being alive and knowing he failed, getting away with a broken arm or leg...and us having less paperwork to file. But then, what would we do with all that extra time saved by not writing a report, if we have no coin to spend on drink, or women to warm our bed - I suppose if nothing comes up that is more fun, it'll be filing paperwork for a dead rebel rather than stand around bored - "
Nissim walks over slowly and carefully to Lily. Taking her gently by the forearm, he says Step away Miss, you should not stand so close to armed men.
He leads her back a few steps. (5' if she's willing)
Lily flinches each time she hears another full-bodied thud coming from the man on the pavement concern plain on her face, with each strike drawing her attention physically away from the man trying to sweet-talk her. She... doesn't have any answers. She certainly doesn't have much money, least of all on her. As Nissim places his hand on her forearm she stands suddenly very still, tense, until she recognizes it as not a threat, given the new man's demeanor. She lets herself be lead backwards, before responding. She shakes her head. "I... don't have much money. A few gold pieces... some jewelry? I..." she trails off.
'If doing so allows me to save a life, for untold beauty can arise from an awakened soul.' she thinks for a moment, looking away and down. But, she wasn't art. How could such a small thing be worth someone's life..? Her fingernails dig into the palm of her hand, as she descends into circular thoughts.
Miranda frowns at the agents. She didn't like them before - even less now with their questionable morals shone trough. *Before* they could at least have been people just doing their job like the Dottarii. Now ... eww. And *if* all of them felt the same way they had pretty good odds. At least good enough to try and run if it fails ...
"I don't think they are looking to be helpful with that monster ..." she sighed. Then she looked to Boros and winked "I'm kinda feeling for grabbing another 'snack'."
"Eww." Juliette couldn't help but utter aloud as the men implied letting them go for more risque favors. Still, she had little in regards to money and she'd have to think fast if this man was going to be rescued.
These were Asmodean agents, perhaps something else could be worked out. "Možda možemo doći do neke druge vrste sporazuma ovdje. Ti momci cijeniti dobar ugovor, a ja mogu obećati da kuća Aulamaxa punu podršku ako pustite tog čovjeka." Juliette suggests in the infernal tongue, brandishing her signet ring as she does.
Raising an eyebrow when Juliette begins to speak, he scans her ring, then her, then stares directly into her eyes as he answers: "Dakle, ono što govorite je implikacija da je crkva asmodej i Paracount ne može ovisiti o House Aulamaxa je punu potporu , osim ako mi neka poznata pobuniti ići? Ako je istina, to bi zahtijevati istragu od strane Ordo Hereticus , zar ne ?"
Varuzhan is somewhat surprised that the agents are even talking to them - that is, until he makes a crass offer for coin or a woman. Then it all clicks. Typical human scum. Who knows if they would even let the man live after taking the coin, or their pleasure. What was needed was a demonstration of authority; not some idle chit chat.
Varuzhan's plan is interrupted, however, by a surprising new revelation - the protest leader claiming to be a daughter of nobility. He looks at the signet ring, and then at the woman again, trying to gauge the truth of it. ; . Indeed, this woman bore the true signet ring to House Aulamaxa. That would explain her talents with song. But would they accept this proposed offer? . . .
Alas, the answer was obviously not. He didn't know who this Ordo Hereticus was, but it was time to intervene. He directs his words at whomever is speaking. "Što govori da je ona plemenita žena koja bi mogla imati što zajedničko rulja odbio , u zatvoru , ili još gore za stavljanje vlastitog požudu i pohlepu ispred interesa Asmodeus ili Kintargo . Ili misliš da će tvoja Ordo Hereticus ljubazno na takvo ponašanje od strane čin i datoteka."
"Ono što sam rekao je da je kuca Aulamaxa je daleko više uključen u ovom gradu onda crkve, a mi bi htjeli ispitati ovaj čovjek sebe, a ako se ne pruži prilika ne mogu ne obećavaju pomoć mojoj kući. The infernal tongue didn't really suit Juliette, still she continued her conversation in it.
While Boros sneers internally at the thought of a sworn government agent accepting a bribe of one sort or another, it means that these useless thugs--as he's now classified them to himself--are still ta!King instead of fighting. And since the group he's with clearly has people to handle any talking that needs doing, Boros is willing to follow their lead for the time being. As such, he keeps his weapons under wraps and his senses on alert, particularly to the rear of the group he's with. It would, after all, be a damn inconvenient thing for Chelish reinforcements to get in behind them unnoticed, especially any that recognize him, the small-folk lass, or 'twitchy cloak' from the park.
When the lass at his side makes reference to her getting another snack, it momentarily brings a broad smile to Boros's face, though he doesn't stop his surveillance of their surroundings. Far from being unnerved or disgusted by the comment, or the thought of which part of the thug would likely get introduced, however briefly, to her teeth, Boros clearly finds the thought amusing, and that amusement colors his tone as he quietly responds. "I don't know about that now, lass. I doubt ya'd find enough there to satisfy ya. Best save yer appetite for somethin' worthwhile. He thinks for a few moments before continuing, just as quietly. "I'll get ya some streetmeat after this. That'll actually fill ya up, and the meat's likely to be cleaner too."
When the conversation shifts to another language between the thug, the bard, and 'twitchy cloak', leaving him unable to follow along, Boros can barely stifle his annoyed groan. He also doesn't know what to make of the bard suddenly brandishing a ring at the Chelish thug, but since the thug is apparently responding appropriately, Boros keeps his mouth shut and and his eyes and ears open.
Nissim follows the conversation in infernal. Since the agents' attention seems to have shifted away from Lily and toward Juliette, he walks her slowly back a couple more steps.
"I'm clearing you from the line of fire." he whispers to her as they move.
Miranda puts a finger on her nose and grimaces. "Trust me, it's not a question of appetite. But sometimes its for the greater good - like ... Hmm. Did your parents ever force you to eat spinach or something?" Miranda continued her banter while waiting to see how thing would resolve. And the promise of free food was always enticing, so she made a note to hold the stranger to it later.
Turning to Varuzhan for a moment, speaking in common again, he shakes his head:"I have no idea whatsoever you mean to imply by that. But if you don't mind your manners, I'll have you arrested and questioned as well!"
Turning back at Juliette, he answers:"You mean that your house WAS far more involved. The church of Asmodeus is here to stay, and take the prominent role destined for it. Any and all interrogation of the rebels caught today is to be done by us. If you wish for this man to be released into your houses custody intact, for extra interrogation, you will have to discuss your reasons with my superior - that kind of thing is beyond my rank. Acolyte, fetch the Sergeant!"
The man on his right salutes, then starts hustling down the backstreet, while the man in the background seems to do something that looks very painful with the cloaked mans arm.
And that has it. The bluffs and offers have failed and there is no going back to start over. If the man is to be saved, and there are several reasons to see that happens, it must be done immediately and by force. The only other choice left is to leave immediately.
Nissim moves as if he's finished escorting Lily back and wishes to get a better view of what's happening between Juliette and the Thrune agents as he clears his line of sight on them.
; .
Varuzhan saw that words had failed. The time to act was now.
Juliette didn't like the idea of the man fetching his superior any more then she had liked the idea of them sending the inquisition down upon house Aulamaxa, action had to be taken now, before any of them could get away.
Taking her bow, she pulls out an arrow and shoots at the man attempting to leave. "I cannot allow you to do that."
After loosing her arrow, she takes a 5 foot step back from the agents.
NIssim sees Juliette move and dismisses Heightened Awareness in preparation for the fight.
Boros snorts amusedly in response to the question. "No, lass, that sort o' thin' was never a concern in my home." He's about to add something, when the switch back to Common catches his attention. Listening, he curses softly as one of the thugs departs for reinforcements.
"Well, I do believe that the 'greater good' isn't much o' a concern now, lass. Looks like ya'll have to sink those little teeth o' yers into other parts, if ya do so at all."
As he dismisses his spell, Nissim pulls a vial from his bandolier and gives the cap a twist, breaking the seal separating the chemicals inside. Now all the bomb he holds needs is air to ignite it. He readies to throw and looses it at the closer of the two Thrune agents.
Between all of the devil's tongue, veiled threats, and innuendos, Lily just becomes hopelessly confused by the entire situation. Right up until everything goes to hell. She hadn't had much hope for this situation from the point that her request had been rejected... but now she knew that this could only end in blood... but whose? Her nails dug deeper into her palms as the tension grows.
Seeing the bard fire an arrow at the back of the thug who is fetching the reinforcements further confirms that things have well and truly gone sour for them, and Boros doesn't bother to conceal his pistol as he draws and prepares to loads it. He on!y gets as far as the former action when the unassuming human half of the cloaked duo does something that Boros can't quite make out, throws what appears to be a vial at the two Chelish enemies up front, and blankets their position with a rather satisfying, albeit wholly unexpected explosion.
Though Boros can't clearly see the final result for a moment, having unintentionally looked at the blast as it occured, he can hear--over the ringing in his ears--the tell-tale shrieks of at least one person having a very bad day indeed. The sound brings a rather savage grin to his face, and he privately vows that the fellow responsible for that is going to be his new friend and colleague in the fine art of applied demolitions (fancy shorthand for using things that go *boom* to kill people and break things).
While Nissim's turning around and throwing of a Bomb surprises the Asmodeans, their paramilitary training and expectation of trouble allows them to react more quickly than the other members of your rag-tag group.
The one directly hit by Nissims projectile seems to be seriously hurt, until he touches his own breast with his hand, mumbling something in infernal, followed by his wounds all but closing.
He grins at you while drawing his heavy mace.
The paramilitary thug next to him, was also too close to the explosion to escape unscathed, and in fact, doesn't even manage to shield himself from the sudden blast.
Ignoring his wounds, he moves forward to engage Nissim, staying near his superior to keep his back guarded, but his swing is not aimed well, still squinting with his eyes, and misses.
The one in the back cuts across the leg of the cloaked figure with a shortsword, then stands back up and moves forward to close the ranks(not too close after having seen the bomb).
The courier Asmodean they sent to fetch their captain realizes what is happening and speeds up, turning the corner.
Round 1 - The Bold may act
Asmodeans(Green-2 HP, Red-7 HP)
Juliette
Varuzhan
Nissim
Miranda
Lily
Boros
"Oops. I think I dropped a bucket-of-stupid ..." Miranda chuckles and weaves a complex pattern in the air. The spell quickly manifests as the ground underneath the Asmodean thugs turns exceedingly slippery.
Boros quickly shakes off the lingering effects of the blast on his senses, in time to see one of the two wounded thugs--that's some mighty fine blasting, he muses in passing--clearly healing his wounds. As the more seriously wounded of the pair steps in close to the bomber and takes a swing, Boros resumes his interrupted loading. He then draws his rapier and steps closer to the enemies, in the process twitching his cloak open to fully expose his armor and weapons.
Boros is rather casual as he speaks up to his allies of the moment. "If one o' you lot needs something a bit stabby to use on this pile o' gnoll fodder, I'll loan ya one o' mine. But mind the edge on the short one, yeah? Bit sharper than usual." As he draws nearer to the front line of the building fight, he notes that the two closest enemies suddenly seem a bit unsteady on their feet, though he can't figure out why.
Lily, pulling herself from her inner turmoil has just enough time to yell "Stop!" as she arcs her hand upwards blood that had pooled at her fingertips from the broken skin glows golden as it floats through the air, each droplet grows like a seed into a golden rose, which then blooms, releasing golden, glowing pollen on everything in the small area between her allies and the man on the ground.
Lily watches, confused, as her inherent magic manifests in such a... flamboyant way... though doesn't balk at the effect, as all of the Dottari now sparkle in the sunlight.
Seeing as her allies were hitting the others with magical effects, Juliette decided to focus on the unharmed agent. "Your more talkative compatriot wants someone to spend some quality time with him, and I think that someone should be you." She suggests, casting Unnatural Lust on the man to try to get him to occupy the one who had been talking.
Round 1
"You should've behaved when you had the chance, cretin!"
Sometime after Lily blinds the enemies, Miranda trips them, Juliette causes them to make out, and (if applicable) Nissim throws more bombs at them, Varuzhan enters the fray and tries to attack the least-debilitated enemy near him - this time with lethal force. ; . But in the utter chaos of the situation, he misses terribly!
Nissim's heart is thudding in his chest is he steps back from the Thrune agent that came at him with deadly intent. This is not at all how he expected the day to go.
What in the heavens am I doing? This is crazy, I don't do this sort of thing! I'm not cut out for this sort of thing! What am I going to tell my parents? I still have to pick up a portrait of Abrogail on the way home..
Still, there seems to be no way out of the mess at the moment other than to keep on.
Once out of the man's reach, Nissim grabs and arms another bomb. He throws it at the central agent hoping that the flurry of spells hitting them suddenly will make it easier to his bomb to ake this fight closer to the end.
As Boros moves forward, the uncoordinated nature of the group's movements suddenly become apparent to him, and his eyes widen in momentary horror as the implications are driven forcefully home with yet another thrown bomb.
"Torag preserve us," he all but shouts, worry apparent in his voice. " Spread out, ya fools, spread out before one o' them catches us the way those bombs are catchin' them!"
In a weirdly coordinated array of actions, your rag-tag party unleashes a multitude of debilitating effects and conditions on the poor asmodeans.
Red prone
Red and Blue blind
Blue not feeling lustful for his boss
upper right
Blue, Green -3
Acolyte Red has it worst, prone and blinded, while blue merely loses his eyesight, and Green shrugs off all of your attempts to affect him, shouting:"Feel Asmodeus will!"
Yellow is further running away, making his job the easiest of the bunch.
With Varuzhan wildly swinging at him, Green has a target right in front of him. He raises his mace, and two-handedly brings it down on the Strix with all the force he can muster.
Varuzhan -11
Red attempts to get back up from prone, but his blindness and the grease make things difficult, making him slip again and remain prone.
Blue, blind but otherwise fine, attempts to stab whatever moved in front of him.
His swing goes, by sheer luck, right for Varuzhan's throat. Yet even lucky-ier for Varuzhan, the force of the blow with the Mace makes him stagger back just as the blade would have made contact. Momentarily, Varuzhan see's his life flash by in an instant, having evaded a close brush with death.
Red can see again, Blue is still blind.
Round 2 - The Bold may act
Asmodeans(Green-5 HP, Red-7 HP, Blue -3 HP)
Juliette
Varuzhan(-11 HP)
Nissim
Miranda
Lily
Boros
Lily pushes to the front, and presses her hand to the bird-man... thing. He was incredibly violent... but he was also the only thing standing in the way of the man in the alley bleeding out... and that was assuming that Lily was able to reach him before things went further south. As golden energy spreads throughout her palm, etched with thin lines of crimson... and into the man she's somewhat disappointed at how little effect it has.
With a frown Miranda braced herself for another mouthful of Asmodean minion. She really really wished she had time to retrieve her daggers - but she really couldn't risk it the way things where. Those guys almost made chicken stew of that tall guy! she thought as she slipped around and under her 'allies' until she reached the fallen man that had disappeared from her view earlier. Taking a short moment to savour the feeling of actually having height advantage on her foe she grinned and leaned in. With a solid *Chomp!* she sunk her teeth into the mans weapon arm.
"Shhoopid Achhonodes tchug!"
edit:
Round 2
Varuzhan is nearly dropped by the cocky man swinging his mace. But the incredible magics unleashed by this group save him from a follow-up sword stab. He was tempted to retreat, but dared not expose his allies who were likely less trained in close combat. Instead, he swings powerfully at the blinded man beside him.
;