Edmund and Antonio only keep them waiting a few minutes before arriving with the others.
”Such a delightful party. Let’s never do that again.”
"Agreed. The atmosphere was so ripe with villainy I feared my fingers would fall off - much like those suspect to extreme colds. So shall we head for the Glory?"
Edmund and Antonio only keep them waiting a few minutes before arriving with the others.
Just meant joining you.
As Antonio and Edmund came into view, Gray stepped into the shadows, changing his look slightly and stowing his outfit for the ball. Using his hat of disguise, he swathed himself in a neutral, dark gray layered look. Perhaps the cap he wore looked a bit silly, but he needed the hat to be on for the look to work. Oh well.
As the two became four, Gray looked about and made sure they were alone and then spoke. "Alright...let's start towards where we were to meet. I can slip ahead and scout, and then wave you onward when the coast is clear. In that way we can possibly escape any traps that might be set. What say you?"
”I have a few of those invisibility spells left, but they only last five minutes. I can also make some mist if we need some cover.”
Edmund holds his mist wand in hand.
As you are gathered, a quick glance up the road shows Tarken approaching. His scales have returned to his normal color, and have a wet sheen to them. His morningstar, that he hadn't been wearing at the Ball, is now hanging on his back.
He gives a quick nod in greet and says, "Ready."
As they proceed towards the meetingplace, Ziera also takes advantage of a dark corner to change her clothing from a ball gown to a comfortable outfit she can move in. She scouts around for a suitably deserted place, and makes sure her bow is at hand for when Gray signals the attack.
Gray nodded to Tarken and they started on their way. Gray's initial plan is to create a magical silence on the dragonborn to rob him of his spells, leaving him to fend off his opponents in melee 4 to 1. The inquisitor cursed his lack of foresight as he realized his allies were just as dependent or even more so on spellcasting, so he scratched that idea.
At an appropriate (meaning there is no traffic and hopefully isn't too brightly lit) spot on the way, Gray holds up a hand to halt the group's progress and cocked his head as though listening intently. He reached into his bag and pulled out his beautifully made spiked chain, nodding to the others, including Tarken. He closed his eyes for a moment, calling upon Zon-Kuthon to grant him the strength to punish this treacherous infidel.
Saying no words, yelling no threats, and asking no questions, the inquisitor instead just started to swing his weapon at the dragonborn as he closed in, his mouth set in a grim line. His eyes narrowed and a ghastly smile appeared as his weapon bit deep into Tarken in multiple places, the inquisitor making sure to yank hard on it as it unwound to increase the agony.
Ziera, seeing Gray start to make his move, attacked as well, stepping back and loosing an arrow at Tarken.
Edmund manages to hide his nerves and as Gray swings his chain, he intones a quick spell and a glob of acid flies at Tarken.
"You may as well give up now. You have no chance." Antonio barks, his voice tinged with anger.
Keeping the pressure on the dragonborn, realizing that Tarken's spellcasting is likely his most menacing attribute, the inquisitor again struck out with his weapon, seeking to avoid the plates of the man's armor and find the seams where his barbs will dig in, slowly but surely cutting the dragonborn down until his body couldn't take it any longer.
Tarken roars again as the chain connects. He turns to face Gray, his eyes wide. His right hand twitches to his morning star, but he stops that hand and pulls on the holy symbol chained to his neck.
Power bursts from him, and some of his wounds bind before your eyes.
"What is this? Why are you attacking me?"
If you seriously want to deny that you are the traitor, then throw your holy symbol away from you, surrender without reservation, lie down on the ground, and let us bind you. That is the only way anyone here will listen to you. Otherwise, you are a dead man. And maybe even then, but that is the only choice you have.
Ziera waits to see if he agrees. If he does not agree instantly, she will proceed to shoot again.
Tarken frowns.
"Traitor! What are you talking about!"
Ziera shoots.
Hearing the strange language going back and forth between his allies and Tarken, but Ziera continuing to attack, Gray shrugged and continued to press the dragonborn. The battle might take longer than necessary because of the creature's healing ability, but if he was healing he wasn't inflicting damage, so ultimately he would lose with that strategy. He whipped his chain about again, determined to steadily grind Tarken down to paste.
“Yes, i kept them alive. Is that what this is for?My calling and connection to my diety is life. Life for all, indiscriminately. I’ve seen what a philosophy counter to that can produce and so i protect the life of everyone i can. ”
”Stop,” says Edmund in Common, before posing one more question.
Tarken grunts as the acid burns him again.
I don’t know. I don’t really know anything right now. They might have known my divine calling? Did they know other stuff?
Speaking Common so that Gray can understand, Ziera responds.
No way am I going to stop until he does as I instructed. Of course he is trying to save his life, and the more information you give him, the more convincing he will be. If you want to question him, we do it with a potion, like the other guy, or not at all.
Tarken looks confused as Ziera talks, but then snaps his focus back to Edmund. His hand again drifts to his morning star but he once again pulls it back.
“I can’t do what she said. I protect life, including my own. Your reason for distrusting me doesn’t warrant this kind of response, even as complicated as our situation is. ”
Ziera continues to attack.
Antonio stands to the side, judging Tarken's words.
"Tarken, you have my word that if you stand down and speak the truth, you will see no harm come to you. It matters not your past deeds, but how you intend for further on."
I won’t attack; I haven’t attacked yet but I will not give up my ability to heal. .
Tarken slowly pulls the Morningstar off his back, hesitates, and then chucks it to the side away from the others.
Gray's eyes narrowed as the conversation continues flying in a foreign language. He sees the dragonborn take off his weapon and cast it aside, and the inquisitor tensed. The veins in his forehead and neck bulged with eagerness, to see Tarken stripped of his scaly hide bit by bit for nothing else but the pure satisfaction it would bring Gray. He exerted his considerable will, sweating as he pushed aside his sadistic desires and looked about at his comrades, wondering what was to come next. For all he knew they were deciding that he was now the traitor. He recalled his gifts from the Dark Lord that remained to him, just in case.
Ziera, speaking common for Gray's benefit, says
Antonio has given his word that if Tarken stands down that no harm will come to him, leaving him with his holy symbol and unbound. Edmund has also already told him what we learned from our other prisoner. So, I have no way to ensure that he tells the truth, or to prevent him from harming us.
There is a very doubtful bare sliver of a chance that he means us no harm, but instead has merely acted incredibly foolishly to place us in mortal danger. Either way, he should not be part of our group anymore because if he is willing to heal our enemies so that they can hunt us down over and over and over again, knowing who we are and where we gather, he is perhaps a very compassionate person, but he is useless to us in a group that REQUIRES SECRECY. I leave it to you two, who have given him information that should not have been shared, and who have given your word to spare his life, to do with him what you will.
However, if I ever see him again, I will kill him. Not that it will matter if he leads the Thrune mercenaries, or whoever else is trying to kill us, back to kill me first, which is looking increasingly likely.
She puts her bow away and leaves.
Tarken watches Ziera leave and then looks at the other, confused. He eyes Gray’s chain, still concerned that it’s not done being used.
Gray thought to leave with Ziera, but then decided to linger, in case Tarken was indeed being manipulative and decided to go after the soft Edmund and Antonio after he left. He relaxed his posture to a less threatening stance, his eyes still narrowed and his nostrils flared but no longer subject to the lust for violence he had almost succumbed to. He cut his gaze over to the other two men, waiting to see what they had to say.
Edmund quickly pursues Ziera. ”My dear, please wait a moment,” he calls.
Edmund, first of all, if that is needed, I can make myself invisible. Secondly, I'm not sure what sending Gray away will accomplish, other than placing you in danger. I can't fight as well as he can, and we've already given up the chance to bind him without betraying Antonio's word. I'll tell you what I will do. I will give you this very expensive potion.
Ziera hands Edmund an Elixir of Truth.
It's the same thing we used on the guy in the sewer. If you can get him to take it willingly, and you monitor him with detect magic and make sure it worked, maybe he'll tell you the real truth... if it matters to you. Either way, as I said, I don't want him in the group anymore. Whether intentional or not, he is a traitor, and there are more people out there who know exactly who we are, who already tried to kill us and will likely try again... because of HIM. I am done with him. Like you, I have no stomach for this sort of thing, and I understand why both of you wanted to stop... but all we are accomplishing by second guessing this decision is placing ourselves in more danger, not less. You are welcome to save him if you can, and believe him if you like, but do not ever tell him anything more about this group. He is OUT. And I *need* to leave, because he said Vince told him where the meeting was... which means the whole group could be in danger. Take care of this yourself... or not... but I need to go.
Ziera leaves. In the next alley she changes her clothing and hair color again, both to something darker, less easy to spot in the evening shadows. She heads in a different direction, and circles around to scout out the new meeting place and watch to see if it looks compromised.
Antonio moves to pick up the morningstar, noting it's weight. "Tarken, if you do not mind, I'll keep this while we talk."
"Tarken, you say you healed the mercenaries that attacked us in the Rest. Do you know what happened to the mercenaries after?"
Edmund returns.
”That can wait. We shouldn’t talk here. Ziera is gathering the others at (insert name of the original decoy inn for Tarken here). We should split up and make our way there in say, half an hour?”
Tarken keeps looking at Gray’s chain.
I won’t be able to understand common until he puts that away.
Edmund repeats himself in Celestial.
Apparently, he’s a much better liar when speaking the language of the heavenly realms.
Gray's eyes narrow once again as the banter continued back and forth. They were wasting time with this. The self-discipline he had exercised so far appeared to be slipping, sweat beading on the man's brow at the restraint necessary to not tear the dragonborn apart piece by agonizing piece. He looked to Edmund and Antonio, eyebrow raised. "So split up, then? Or does the dragonborn die? I tire of this game."
Edmund pauses a moment as he searches his memory for something.
Gray listened to the older book connoisseur, then nodded reluctantly. He gestured with his hand, indicating that Edmund should take the lead for now. The inquisitor stowed his spiked chain back into his haversack for now, but the glance he gave Tarken left little doubt that he would relish the chance to use it again if provoked.
Tarken peers at Edmund closely. As soon as Gray puts his weapon away he says, “That’s it? You attack me and now you just believe me right away? ”
”I don’t believe you at all, but if we kill a man when there’s even a chance he isn’t a traitor, then we’re no better than the diabolists. Meet us at that inn in half an hour and we’ll sort it out with Ziera’s truth potion. If you don’t show, then I guess we have our answer about you and we’ll kill you next time we see you.”
"And even I won't save you in that case. Trust me when I say I wish to believe you, but a measure of doubt must be made. I expect to see you at the inn."