"Thank you for making sure their lives don't go to waste Sarcon. I appreciate it."
Turning to Payet, she says, "Trilby could use a hand, thanks."
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Sarcon looks quizzically at the bear trainer.
Of course, we took there lives, it would be wasteful to discard what they leave behind. is this not the norm for your group?
Sarcon goes back to harvesting, clearly discouraged by the other guys lack of a sense of decency.
From the entrance to the courtyard a familiar sight arrives, clad in his conservative and stately robe and the endlessly grinning mask, Victor arrives. He pokes the flank of one of the nearby corpses with the tip of his boots, nodding approvingly at their handywork.
"I must extend my apologies for my delay, I was halted by a rather unforseen chain of events. But I see you have mananged on your own anyway."
Watching Sarcon get to work causes Fethryth to go pale. She clamps a hand over her mouth and turns away. "Get a grip, get a grip. Cleaning kills is perfectly natural. Circle of life..just don't think about it." she murmurs.
Victor's appearance is a distraction she gladly seizes. "Hi! Yes, we defended ourselves quite admirably. We're just waiting on Sarcon to..um...to finish...err so what kept you?"
Melaphi gives a nod to Victor. "I expect our presence is fully known here after the racket." he utters a word and his shield begins to glow.
"Do you favor any particular passage Marcello?" He dismounts as he speaks and moves the horse to stand near the base of the tower, ordering it to guard the area.
"Indeed. It is only natural for the veak to serve the strong, even in death."
Though her mouth remains obscurred by her mask, her smile is audible.
Victor peered around the courtyard, gazing up at the towering building that encompassed him. He seemed busy with this pursuit when he overheard Fate's words, at first he visibly froze. For a moment he stood completely petrified, his mask still tilted up towards the building, but then he broke into an amused chortle.
"Her Ladyship is as wise as she is witty. Now, shall we get on with it? I am certain that Crystal is growing rather impatient."
"We haven't had the opportunity, but I know this is not always the practice with the urbane."
She approaches Trilby and pats his head gingerly. She turns to everyone else and asks, "Can anyone heal him?"
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Nodding at Victor's entrance, Marcello seemed pleased that his companion finally joined up with them. Listening to the sound of Sarcon skinning the wolves, he simply shrugged and turned towards Melaphi.
"Normally, I enjoy cutting down the enemy down from the front... But this one..." His hand made a certain figure in the air before it turned into a fist, strangling the air. "This enemy can turn invisible and might not be that easy to spot... So a more well thought-out tactic might help us."
Going silent for for a small moment, he seems to contemplate on the battle plan. IF they just charged in, him, Sarcon and Garroth, they might have a chance of getting him into a corner. But a creature like a vampire rarely worked alone... *Or they could... what do I know?*
Then the bear could charge from the side, making sure that the Vampire didn't just walk away. Feth and Victor would be standing on the side and blasted the Creature with magic. Melaphi could keep Sarcon and Garroth healthy while they all cut down on it...
*Cut the head of the snake and the rest of the body will fall...* Settling on that thought Marcello returned to the rest of people. Looking at Melaphi, then at Patry and her bear and shrugging at the wounds. "The bear needs to be in better shape, so healing is required..." Trailing off, he looks at Payet. Pointing at him, he asked a bit surprised. "Do you fight well?"
Returning to Melaphi, he answers with a slightly simple response "I wouldn't know Melaphi. I know that Sarcon and I will most likely charge at whatever enemy we will see. Victor will buff either myself or Sarcon. Fate will stand on the side, doing... What Fate does, temping with it." He nods at Fate knowing that she did something that was beyond his understanding.
Which he was fine with.
"So depending on your way of handling magical enemies, we might differ in plans, but this is my top plan, not knowing the layout, enemies numbers or our side's capability." Finishing at that, he extends his hand to Melaphi and Garroth, as an afterthought. "You two seems to lead your team... What would you do in a situation like this?"
Payet is about to heal the bear when a fairly strange question is asked, "do I fight well? Yeah, I mean, no matter how good I get at magic, there will still going to be a limit to how much of it I can cast in a day, so I might as well learn how to be kick ass in every way there is to be he says before turning back to the bear and gently touching it directly adjacent to two of the largest wounds and begins channeling positive energy into the beast
As Sarcon is partway through skinning one of the creatures, it turns cold as ice before flaking away into a cloud of ash carried off on a gentle breeze.
Suddenly Victor shows up, engaging the party in conversation. Payet heals the bear and reassures everyone of his myriad capabilities. In the meantime, Patry and Sarcon exchange remarks as Victor laughs at an apparent joke by Fate. Melaphi and Marcello discuss tactics and approach while Feth tries to keep it together.
Garroth stood in the center of the group, looking this way and that as conversations happened all around him. All the while he scowled. "If vampires are as stealthy as the books suggest, I dont see much point in not simply going through the front." He took a few steps forward, shield raised and looking at the others. "Way I see it, its gonna be an ambush either way."
"The invisibility is problematic. Victor or Fate do either of you have the means of revealing such a creature? A simple detect magic cantrip can locate the aura, but its a slow and laborious process, not well suited to combat - rather a last resort if all other options are expended."
He pauses to consider other options, "Patry, how good is Trilby's sense of smell? Could he locate the creature in that manner?"
"The creature we dealt with in the city streets the other night was quite agile - and resistant to our weapons. It took quite a good beating from Garroth before it succumbed and turned to dust. If we can neutralize the invisibility I have no doubt the creature will fall to your blades."
"Feth or Victor? Arcane magic is your specialties, any thoughts on neutralizing its advantage?"
Melaphi keeps his shield and dagger ready, and waits to follow Garroth or Marcello into the central tower.
Fate waves dismissively at Melaphi.
"Do not presume to lecture Fate on the mechanics of magic. Fate sees all contingencies."
Her voice has taken on an acidic, displeased tone.
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Hitting himself on the chest, Marcello produced a sound not much different from hitting your shield with a sword. The sound resonated almost proudly from it before it died.
"Ambushes are not really my strength. This armor does not help with it either, nor the sword."
Shrugging it off, he turned slowly towards the central part of the tower. "I say that we just walk in... Prepared for the tricks, we might take it more by surprise than it did with me and priestess Shalhoume."
If no one else had any objections, Marcello would move towards the central door and give it a good look for traps... Like the front door.
payet sees nothing odd about her word choice
"My apologies Fate. I meant the explanation for Marcello and others not as versed in the magical arts."
Victor runs his hand through his robe, pulling out countless scrolls and paper-laps. After reading through each and single one of them at a time, he shakes his head solemnly towards the group. The ever smiling porcelain mask smiling its mocking grin towards them as he murmurs a reply.
"I fear that I am unable to locate an invisible creature, however I should be able to make a single individual invisible, if only temporarily."
Seeing Marcello march off, he quickly follows alongside him. Frantically tugging at his robes to return his scrolls to their respective pockets.
The bear's wounds close, and he's nearly restored to full health. He gives Payet an indiscriminate lick across the face causing Patricie to giggle.
Patry answers Melaphi with a proud pat on Trilby's head, "Trilby can sniff out anything with a scent, to be sure!"
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"I don't have anything for detecting invisible creatures. I could make someone invisible for a brief time but that's about it." She thinks for a moment. "I do have some protection from evil scrolls. I mean, I'm assuming the vampires are evil. Beyond that I think the best thing to do it to keep throwing magic at the creatures. They seem resistant to everything else "
Garroth looked at Marcello, rolling his eyes. "Thats what I was sayin'." He took a few more probing steps, trying to make the group advance. "We aint gonna get the jump on it, so lets just go in and expect to GET ambushed."
"just a thought, but why are we attacking vampires at night? Wouldn't a morning assault be better"
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Looking over the shoulder at the man with the axe. "So... Instead of going into the dark castle wing by night, you want us to wait... Now that we have made ourselves known by violently and about as subtle as a..." Marcello stopped for a moment, trying to figure out the proper word to add.
They had been loud... Not enough like a war, more than a sermon... *I wonder what would be fitting...*
Shrugging it off, he continued. "After being in a skirmish that costed us... Nothing in terms of strength, and only made our arrival even more known."
Looking at the sky, he shrugged again. "Rest will only slow us even more and give the vampire even more time to prepare."
Not considering a rest a chance, he moved instead.
"On the other hand," the cave druid chimes, "If we wait until morning one of two things could happen: either the vampire or vampires come out to attack us, removing the possibility of an ambush; or we go in when it's daylight outside, giving us a very nice safety net should we need to retreat." She stops walking and thinks a bit before saying, "Although that might put the priestess in undue danger," she thinks a bit more and adds, "Although if they were going to kill her, they would've done by now anyway. No point in the rest of us going down with her because we're in a hurry." She nods pointedly and says, "I vote for the morning."
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Stopping like a statue Marcello froze, dead in his tracks. Not sure if he could believe his own ears, he turned slowly, very slowly towards the Bear woman.
"I would like you to rephrase that, and think very carefully of your choice of words." The voice seemed to be low and menacing as he took one step from the door and against her. "You want me to go out from here and set up a camp right after we announced our arrival." Lashing out with his hand towards the gate they came from as to how which way to go.
"By all means, leave if you think this is beneath you. If you truly think that leaving a comrade, a companion you have traveled with and enjoy the company of, to certain doom then" Another lash towards the door as if he was punching the air between them, "Leave!"
Another step towards her and the air between them seem to cool even more. His voice had grown to shouting. "OR is that not how you would feel for your companions?! Your friends!? Are you so secluded in living with your nose down on the ground that you only care about your bear and your horse?!" His entire body screaming hate against that statement and possibly towards her. "Because I am going in to save a friend, comrade and my superior!" and with that he turned and stormed through the door, fuming with rage.
Fethryth watches Marcello march through the door. She shrugs her shoulders. "I've read books about this kind of thing. The vampires probably have Crystal suspended over a fire, waiting on us to arrive so they can threaten to drop her in." This is clearly the plot of some novel but Fethryth seems serious. "I don't think staying out here is an option anymore." She swings her bag over her shoulder and follows Marcello in.
Melaphi follows in close behind, "Wait, do you hear that?" he pauses to listen carefully, then shakes his head, "For a moment I thought I heard singing."
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"Thats enough!" Garroth interrupted, pointing at Marcello. "Now ill be the first to admit that Patry is a little...special. Growin' up like she did doesnt just vanish over night because you enter a city." He looked at Patry as he continued to speak, giving a reassuring smile. "And I can certainly get behind wantin' to save a friend so dearly, most respect worthy thing ive seen from you." He turned back to Marcello, his face once more hard and angry, though showing the reluctance with which he had made his last statement. "All the same, we are here, because YOU asked, in spite of everythin'." He started pacing forward, stance nonthreatening but shoulders and neck visibly tensed with anger. "Now I can tell when a man speaks with his passion and not his mind, so ill let this be what it is. But from now on, kindly think before you speak to my friends...Its either that or learn to appreciate the acquired taste of knuckles."
Meeting Marcellos gaze, he stood there for a moment, then nodded, satisfied he had said what he needed to. He then began to advance towards to door, readying weapon and shield. "Now lets go save your friend."
Marcello turns to open the door, but perhaps to his surprise, it's already open. Within, oddly, there appears to be a single rope hanging from the rafters, going down past where one would expect a floor to be. Strangely there seems to be no further internal structure, though evidence suggests there was at one time.
Once Sarcon safely reaches the bottom, Melaphi follows, re-equipping his shield and dagger once down.
Patricie looks a bit indignant, "Where did you get 'leave' from? I just wanted to wait. If they know we're here like you say, we draw them out and fight them fairly, rather than being ambushed. If they don't, we go in when we have a solid exit strategy, i.e. if the vampires are too much, we can retreat to the sunlight and regroup. I never once suggested we abandon your friend. Forgive me if I came off cold, but I'm not interested in getting everyone killed, just because you think we're wasting time."
She turns to Garroth, "I appreciate the effort, but I don't need your help. Especially if all you're going to do is make excuses for me. Yes, I grew up in a cave with a bear, and yes," she turns back to Marcello, "I would readily choose Trilby's life over each and every one of yours, but that doesn't make me any more savage than your precious priestess!"
Calming down, and staying Trilby who had assumed attack stance during her rant, she continues monotonously, "If you all want to go in there and get stabbed in the back by invisible vampires, be our guest." She sits, "We'll be out here to cover your escape should you survive."
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Victor, realizing that the courtyard is quickly emptying of individuals, scurries down the rope as well. After having made sure that Marcello didn't die horribly after having reached the button.
He quickly dusts off his robe, and prepares himself for whatever troubles they would face.
Fethryth makes her way down the rope. She's clumsy, almost falling twice. When she makes it to the bottom she goes to stand with Melaphi
Payet stands next to Patrice and watches the goings on, he doesn't go down unless everyone else does too
Patricie hooks up Milley's feed bag, and gets some food out for herself and Trilby. She sits pointedly and begins eating, making sure her crossbow is close by on the ground.
She looks at Payet and offers him a handful.
"Its all of us or none of us." Garroth said, stood by the rope and looking at the pair. "I dont fancy givin' them any opportunities, if you catch my drift." He added in a lower tone, looking into the darkness below to check on Feth.
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"Then you should all come back up, the fact that the entrance is a rope into a hole just better spells 'ambush' to me." She was clear in speech despite the mouthful of food.
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"we're going to have to pull a 'Big Damn Heros' on them in the morning aren't we" he says in an amused but resigned voice.