"I still need rest but I no longer feel as if a breeze will knock me over. Thank you Iona."
The last of Nicholas's injuries disappearing in the wave of healing energy. "I still have reserves of eldritch power but I'd be concerned over Victor is we pressed forward."
"Still I can take some advantage from the situation if we rest in using the last of the power. I know a spell called Ears of the City by some. It would let me gather random bits of information from about the city in moments. Consider it like ease dropping in a tavern for an evening but in moments. Now there is great discord about the city and likely much misinformation but I think it could garner us some insight into things. So aside from letting us rest up it might see us better informed."
Iona use the wand five more times to bring Viktor back up to where he needed to be. "There!" Iona said with a nod and weak smile. "Now we've little worry about you falling down again." She joked a bit.
"We don't have time to rest." Iona stated as she put the wand away. "We've more things to do." She said as she looked to the others. "We will return here to rejoin you and go to Defender's Heart together. With luck we'll have wagons or at least carts to move things."
Bakji looked at the map and over the details of everything that had been presented thus far.
He looked up at the others as he saw Iona knitting the last of Viktor's wounds. "I agree with Iona, if we were to attempt to take and save the people of the Blackwing, then we must do it now. Any more waiting and we should expect more casualties if the earlier encounter was a glimpse into the state of things." he said somberly.
He looked to the others "Out of the rest of the choices, the others are more heavily defended and capable of holding their own so long as it isn't too crazy."
Viktor stretches his newly healed flesh with a smile. "Aha, good as new! Damn, having this much magic available truly is a blessing."
"Very well but we will have to rest at some point. We're no good to anyone if we die to demons from over extending ourselves. I'm happy to be able to keep going today however."
Now that you are fully healed up, the group head back out toward the Blackwing library. This area of the town as suffer more damage than the other part that you have seen so far. The once majestic building is now mostly a pile of rubbles except the great hall that is still standing. The double doors hang ajar and you hear some noise coming from inside. It would seem someone is in there, be are they friend of foe?
Nicholas casts mage armour in case things turn to combat. "Bakji perhaps you could scout ahead so we're not running in blind?"
Bakji nodded, while it hadn't worked out well the last time, perhaps this time would be better.
Iona kept her position, waiting for Bakji's return. While they where unsure what would await them she hopped it was friends. The fear of being too late though settled in her stomach as she tried to keep her mind off of what might be.
Viktor stays completely still. He knows he is like a walking kitchen.
You move silently toward the ruined library. Inside you see a human in heavy armor and two tiefling. The human is barking orders at a frightened woman. "Stack the damn books better!" You see that she's stacking a pile of books in a circle around four other humans tied together in a sitting position. You are wondering what they are up too went you notice that one of the tiefling is holding an alchemist's in his hand. It seems like they are about to burn those people alive.
Bakji looking alarmed, poked his head around the side and waved frantically for the others to come. He wasted no time though in moving in himself.
For a moment Nicholas considered trying to move up covertly but looked at Viktor before deciding it would be a waste of time. He would try and position himself near a window of the building if possible.
Seeing Bakji waving them in frantically, caution was thrown to the wind and Iona swiftly closed the gap to enter the area and see what was going on.
Bakji signals the rest of the group to join him. He then swings the door open and start the attack, hoping to prevent the sinister plan that they have going. The human, surprised, looks toward the Inquisitor and can only get a few words out. "Who? How dare..."
Bakji draws his bow and aims at the tiefling with the alchemist fire, hoping to send it flying.
Nicholas moves closer while Bakji launches his assault.
Viktor charges forward, all semblance of stealth gone.
Iona swiftly charged in as well.
Bakji sends an arrow flying. It hits the tiefling in the arm, making him almost drop the alchemist's fire. The human moves toward Bakji. The is a crazed look on his face as he speaks. "Another would be hero. Your death will be quick, but your soul will burn for eternity." He swings his mace in a powerful blow, but the weapon only bounces off the armor.
Bakji grunts as his armor takes the blow and he stumbles a few steps back. He does his best to ignore the man in front of him and studies the Tiefling he hit before.
Bakji's second arrow hits the Tiefling in the chest this time. The thug looks down at the arrow in surprise before collapsing to the floor. The other Tielfling walks out to attack the Inquisitor. He lunges with his dagger and get past Bakji's defense. The blade bites deep into the flesh and leaves a trail of blood. After the attack, he notices that there are more people on the way and seems to regret his decision to move out of the building.
The human also closes in on Bakji. Using the fact that the Tiefling managed to injure Bakji, he takes advantage of the moment of weakness and inflict a serious wound. Contrary to the Tiefling thug, the human doesn't seem concerned at all about the rest of the group.
Bakji grunts as the first dagger digs deep, but the mace almost makes his legs buckle out from under him. He looks over his shoulders to his allies looking pale. He nods to them and grips the wrist that held the dagger in him and shoved himself off.
He stumbled back a few steps. "Must be getting clumsy..." he said as he pulled up his bow and eyes the human. This was the greatest foe to his comrades and if he could land at least a single blow on him before he fell, they should be able to save those inside.
Nicholas throws a large portion of his remaining arcane reserves at the armoured human figure who looks a little too confident... before moving back beside Iona, getting closer to her and Viktor seemed like a good idea in case of reprisal.
Bakji backs away from his foes and ties another attacks. The two wounds he suffered however are sapping his strength and the arrow is unable to pierce the heavy steel of the human. Coming to his rescue, Nicholas uses one if his spells to attacks the human. The attacks no only hits but it also staggered the man.
The Tiefling moves around the human to keep Bakji between him and the rest of the group. He keeps an eye on the others, while he tries to finish off the Inquisitor. Distracted, he is unable to score a second hit.
"Bakji! Move!" Iona shouted to him before she ran into the fray, grabbing Bakji and forcing him behind her.
Knowing he needs to keep the melee fighter off the party, Viktor crashes full-bodied into the armored human, bringing down his warhammer with his full weight behind it and roaring!
Iona pushes Bakji out of the way while Viktor charges at the warrior. The blow looks powerful, but the man is able to deflect it with his shield. "Finally, a worthy foe." Locking gaze with Viktor, the man seems even crazier than before, if that's possible. "Your death will provide me with the attention of a most worthy patron!" The attack is a strong one, but his new fighting style is solely focused on Viktor, leaving him more open to other people's attacks.
Bakji seeing the attention driven from him only to watch a blow that would have surely killed him... He shakes his head and fires again.
Nicholas casts at the deranged man.
This time Bakji and Nicholas attack both hit, but the crazed man seems to barely notice as he keeps his attention on Viktor. The tiefling circle around Iona, trying to get an opening, but he badly time his swing and hits nothing but air.
"You, are becoming a problem. Much like a fly. You're annoying!" Iona told the Tiefling before her before she swung at him.
Viktor bares his teeth at the wound, and quickly stitches up the worst of it. "I will not fall to a blasphemous bastard like you!" He shouts, returning the blow.
Iona's sword slash misses the tiefling by mere inches. Viktor attacks land a solid blow on the crazed man. After the impact, the man spits a glob of blood at Viktor and start laughing. "Hahaha... Yes... YES!!! More blood, more carnage!!!!" by sheer strength of will he raises his mace again. The blow landed on Viktor's shield and the impact his felt throughout his body, but at least, this time, he is able to shake it off.
Bakji pulls another arrow and fires.
"This battle really is bringing out the worst in the scum of Kenabres."
Bakji and Nicholas both come close to hitting their target, but just not close enough. The tiefling look at the madman and then at the group. "To hell with it. This is too crazy for me." He moves away from the battle hoping to get away.
"Surrender, if you flee we will catch you!" Viktor shouts as he continues to trade blows.
With her opponent gone, Iona stepped up next to Viktor and swung at the man trading blows with the paladin.
Viktor's blade finds its way through a weak spot of the man's armour and stick out on the other side. For a moment, clarity comes back to the man's eyes. "You... cough... You can't stop the horde... Only join it." He then slides off the blade and collapse on the ground, dead.
The people in the ruins gather by the door and look at the group. "Thank you for helping us! We would probably be charred corpse by now if it wasn't for you."
As the mad warrior slides of Viktor's blade, he does not look down in anger or triumph. He looks down in sadness. I am sorry. I could not help you in your madness. I pray your soul rests easy.
Viktor turns to the people. "We are glad we could help. Are any of you injured?" He inquires.
Bakji watches the man slide off the blade not really hearing his words. When the citizens rush forwards, his bow draws on them automatically hut a look of relief on his face before he slumps to a knee and then onto his ass. Adrenaline wearing off, he looks paler than normal and he finds a way to prop himself up.
"Foolish move on my part...almost cost me too much. But it is good to see the innocent safe. he said tiredly
Iona quickly sheathed her blade and moved to the survivor's sides. "We came at the behest of a friend. Aravashnial believed there might still be someone here, so he sent us to check." Iona explained. "I'm glad we made it in time."
"Do you have somewhere ye can go or are you going to try and stay here?"
"Only minor injuries nothing too serious. We were caught unprepared, most of our arcane energy is spent, so we couldn't offer a real fight." The woman looks ashamed of having been captured so easy. When Iona mentions Aravashnial, she looks surprised. "Aracashnial is still alive? That is good news. We lost so many of our group. As for a place to go, I'm afraid we don't have such a place. We managed to stay out of sight for a while, but now we are out of provision. So we came here to save what book we could and try to run out of the city."