"Yeah, we're going to have to do that..." says Valexia, nodding once, "And that was a healing drink, if I'm not mistaken. Right Ben? If so... nice one. Let's get out of here." She continues pulling eastwards saying, "I've got an injured person here, let me through, let me through!"
Ben looks up from his administering of the potion to Dee with a wounded look on his currently tiny face.
"What? Frog? Newt? What do you take me for? I'm an Alchemist not a witch!" Ben squeaks in indignation in his higher-than-usual voice.
"Although that would be a really cool transmutation,...."
Ben nods at Val with a grin.
"Right-o! It is a healing draght! One of my better ones actually. Should fix her right up!"
Ben glances at Dee and purses his lips. She looks better, but still appears to be unconscious.
"Well. Mostly. She DID get hit pretty hard." He amends.
Ben shrugs. "But you should wait an hour for full potency. And she shouldn't go swimming for at least half an hour!" He adds as the currently taller persons pick Dee back up and begin moving through the crowd again. Ben hastily follows, keeping an eye out for any more thugs who look like they would rather beat on a member of the crowd than let them go,...
Ensis blinks, surprised at the idea, then cocks his head, "What I enjoy is stopping bullies who made it appear that they were more than willing to crush skulls of protesters." He looks around, then nods, "I'll go, and let you save him... But I offer the same threat. I've seen your face, and I'll take a pound of flesh for each innocent that dies today."
He raises his blade in salute, then words to push through the crowd toward Benjamin and the rest of his friends, "The dottari over there had some interesting things to say... and, perhaps, most interesting would be that they're under explicit orders not to kill.. and that we'd best be away before Nox returns... with her 'pet'."
"You mean, weirdie actually did something useful? I think turning her into a newt might have been less shocking." He takes a glance at woman they're carrying through the crowd "Well she does look better, we can celebrate once we get out of here."
Getting her feet under her slightly more, though still very unsteady in her sandals Dee murmers; "What's that drink? Damned hang-over." However she does let Bertom and Valexia still hold her up as she stumbles eastwards out of the park.
As Ensis pushes through the crowd away from the fallen dottari and his companion, he vaguely hears the bellicose woman say something to the effect of "...welcome to it if you can take it!"
Meanwhile, the group surrounding the injured Deanna sees her open her eyes and struggle to rise after Benjamin's potion takes effect. They help her to her feet and, seeing Ensis struggling to join them, wait for him under the tree.
Recovering her wits as Ennis approaches, she hears his declaration about the dottari and looks through her ripped brim of the hat. "Like hells they were ordered that. The bloody...." she recovers her composure before she says something that she'd regret too much.
"I think we're more or less out of the frying pan I doubt the goons will bother us once we're out of the crowd."
Seeing Dee come around Bertom gives a quick smile, but keeps a wary eye on the nearby club wielding fiend "Glad you're back with us... I would hate to see them when they're not under explicit no killing rules."
The short man nods towards Ben "Looks like your potion did the trick alright. Good work... I can't very well call you weirdie forever what's your name friend?"
Ben smiles with the others as Dee regains her feet, if unsteadily.
His diminutive grinning visage might make the infamous imbiber wonder exactly what Ben had been spiking his potions with. If she hadn't already seen the brewer demonstrate his size-altering elixirs before.
Ben huffs at Ensis's news.
"Methinks they need a new dictionary! Hehehee." Ben chortles mischievously. "Meanwhile,... Find out where she lives, and I'll slip a little something into her morning hangover remedy! Heeheehee!"
The short man nods towards Ben "Looks like your potion did the trick alright. Good work... I can't very well call you weirdie forever what's your name friend?"
Ben blinks, as if waking up, he looks up to the short man and nods politely. "My name is Benjamin. But any friend of the ladies is a friend of mine. And my friends call me Ben." Ben intones with high-pitched dignity. Then, slowly, a smile cracks as if escaping.
"Sometimes they call me trouble. But I swear I don't know why! Heeheehee!" The diminutive alchemist breaks down into giggles.
"Who calls you trouble?" says Valexia to Benjamin, "I'll knock their socks off! Goodness, though, I hope that these guards calm themselves. All this fuss over a little protest and a little..."
She looks around and waves the others to come with her, leading the way out, "Well, we can discuss the events of the day over some non-mint tea later, I suppose, or maybe something a little bit stronger... Let's go!"
She rushes eastward, not interested in facing death quite yet!
Looking around at the crowd they're snaking through, Deanna is slightly aghast; "We really should try and help the people, many are not as fortunate to have friends with strong liquor..."
It's the work of a few second to push clear of the crowd, aiding the wobbly Dee, who cannot proceed faster than a slow walk without assistance. The side streets are much clearer than the park, as citizens have their choice of directions and scatter through them like rabbits through a warren.
Shuffling through the streets seeking safety, Dee hears a clear but faint cry and thud. Peeking right, she makes out a group of the armbanded thugs surrounding a fallen man in an alleyway. The Chelaxian Citizens' Group bend over him, truncheons raised.
Pushing slightly away from Valexia, she motions to the woman. "We must help him..."
Stumbling towards the alley, slightly unsteady she calls to the 'militia'. "Remember your orders, he's in no position to fight back!" She shouts at them, trying to halt the attack.
Ensis' breath catches, I thought I'd lost him... but if I don't raect quickly, I might still... He draws his longsword with a flourish, making sure to scrape the blade against its scabbard as it comes clean, and starts walking toward the men, his voice cool and almost as sharp as the blade in his hand, "But, if you're looking for a fight, we are in a position to fight back.... and I, for one, will defend any citizen of Kintargo from a group of bullying louts like yourselves.... " He closes half the distance, the expression on his face clearly one of challenge, "...or you lot could just go find some protesters to shout at and earn your pay without any blood being spilled." He tenses as he watches the reaction, making ready to spring into action if they move to finish off the contact... or, better still, rush the swashbuckler.
Seeing that both Dee and Ensis seem determined to save this perfect stranger, Ben rolls his eyes, then pipes up from behind Ensis,...
"Come along boyos! This one isn't worth the effort! Come, let me buy you a drink!" Ben says chipperly, leaning out from behind Ensis to wave a flask temptingly.
Dee, Bertom and Val can see his hand dip into his carry satchel slowly as he speaks,...
'Come on you lot. Step away from the nice man on the ground. I've got something with a real KICK to it for you!' He thinks gleefully,...
"Huh?" says Valexia, as Dee draws her attention on over to the person in the alley, "Excuse me, this person looks like he's good and defeated. You proved your point, there's no sense in violence." She moves her hands fluidly as she speaks, idly making a motion that is similar to some of her dancing when on stage, trying to catch the eye of whoever is in charge here.
Initiative:
Contact
Deanna
Chelaxian Citizens’ Group
Bertom
Ensis
Valexia
Benjamin
The young man on the ground waves a hand and feebly cries ”help!”
Deanna shouts at the Chelish Citizens’ Thuggery to stop their nasty work. They look up and laugh. ”He’s goin’ nowhere,” one says, ”We can do for him later.” Forming a line between the fallen man and the end of the alleyway, they beckon, maces in hand. ”You want ‘im? Come take ‘im! one calls.
Ensis takes them at their word, drawing steel and advancing, while Valexia tries her charms on the one who seems to be in charge. Unfortunately, the man is more focused on the shining blade in Ensis’ hand.
Benjamin offers a flask. The leader laughs again. ”Sure, we’ll have that once we’re done here. This is thirsty work!” They make no move to leave the alley, but wait for their assailants to advance.
Bertom draws his weapon and moves...
Bertom makes a grimace towards the group of men "I guess we're not out of the woods yet, and they don't seem to want to listen to reason..."
The newcomer to the group looks like he's pretty confident with his blade, but Bertom figures he can't leave one of Valexia's friends to face four armed guards alone. Ben seemed to have something up his sleeve, but so far hasn't seemed very used to a fight, Dee seemed capable of handling herself, but obviously wasn't in any shape for a fight now, that only left one viable candidate.
With a soft sigh he sets off after Ensis drawing his rapier and dagger as he moves "I'd say it's been a pretty rough day on everyone" the short rogue says rubbing a trickle of blood away from his eye with the back of his hand "No need for further bloodshed, how bout you lay off the guy and just walk away?"
The diminutive Ben seems nonplussed at the failure of his presumably alcoholic bait. (Something Dee at least is fairly certain would usually upset him.) But he simply smiles pleasantly at the presumably violence-intended responses. Until the bullies line up in a unified front to face the group.
Ben grins happily. "Ah. I do love stupid people. They make me look even smarter than I actually am."
Still smiling, Ben pulls a small ceramic globe from his satchel, shakes it once, and expertly tosses it in a slow, casual arc over Ensis' head,... and directly towards the group of thugs.
GM
Initiative:
Contact
Deanna
Chelaxian Citizens’ Group
Bertom
Ensis
Valexia
Benjamin
As Ensis and Bertom stride forward to stand between their friends and the thugs, an innocent-looking flask arcs gently overhead, landing on one of the Citizens. It bursts in a flare of flame, catching his adjacent friends in the spray of liquid fire. It also bathes the area at Ensis’ feet in the same weird flames, and stretches back to almost touch their contact, who rolls away from the sudden flare.
The burning Citizen screams and staggers back towards a corner, frantically beating at the flames engulfing him. From their front vantage point, Ensis and Bertom can see that he winds up in the midst of a cluster of prone men, carnage with which they were uninvolved. The downed man must have acquitted himself well before falling.
Another Citizen appears from around the corner, rising as if he had been tending a comrade. ”Do I have to do everything myself?” he yells as his comrades char-broil and he advances towards the fray, drawing his mace, ”Advance on ‘em, then they can’t throw stuff without hurting their friends!”
The two caught in the fire’s fringe, seeing the flames dying, step forward to meet Ensis and thus be protected by him. The uninjured man makes a headlong run at Bertom, weapon waving.
The man in back yells as he sees his thugs connect. "Attaway! Show 'em who's the new authority in town!"
Earlier in round 2...
for
On Ensis' turn..
Ensis smiles as he knocks the blade of the first guardsman away, using the opening he created to quickly slash into the man... then winces as his partner strikes. Too much focus on the one target and ignoring the other... You know better - your blademaster would have whipped you for that. Just because you were able to toy with the first group of thugs in the park, you shouldn't underestimate this lot.
He lets his arrogant mask fall back into place and he calls back, "The guy hiding behind barely competent thugs? I'm not sure why I'd think that's a new authority.." With that, he turns his attention, and blade, against the other thug that closed with him, striking deep with the sword.
Though one connects, both of Ensis' opponents drop to the ground, maces dropping from their nerveless hands as they sprawl in the filth strewing the alleyway.
- Red dot lower right = staggered
- Yellow triangle = lowered AC
- Red circle=incapacitated
- Blue circle = prone
- Grey X = disabled (out of the fight)
- Red halo = armed and actively hostile enemy
- Blue halo = armed but not actively engaged potential enemy, or armed friendly
- Yellow halo = running away
I think Bertom may be grey X'd.
"He is hurt, protect him!" says Valexia, drawing one of her regular arrows and taking a single step forward to aim it at the thug in front of Bertom, letting the arrow loose, deciding to give this fellow a proper greeting.
[dice=""Hello."]1d20 + 3[/dice]
"Certainly." Dee replies softly to Valexia, before advancing towards the group of thugs. He movement is measured and light as she scans the group with a slow saunter. She stands before Bertoms fallen form, glances across to Ensis before she makes up her mind.
"Well, 'Come & take him' that's bold words for one with such a cowardly façade." She waves him forward with one hand taking a fighting stance like at the practise hall.
The thug gloating over Bertom's fallen form takes an arrow just below the waist and whoofs against the wall next to him. Holding his side, he sees his fellows fallen before Ensis' blade. Fear creeps in to replace triumph as he realizes his plight.
Initiative:
Contact
Deanna (staggered)
Chelaxian Citizens’ Group
Bertom (down)
Ensis
Valexia
Benjamin
"Hehee, When did YOU get to be such a expert on throwing stuff?!?" Ben Chortles as he draws a knife.
"Here's a new trick I bet you didn't know!" He Cries as he flips the knife around his fingers in a move that looks far more complicated than it really is, and then casually tosses it. And it flies like an tiny arrow at the thug who still stands threateningly over the fallen form of Bertrom.
"Hey En, do me a favor and show the 'new guy' what we think about his 'authority'." Ben calls to Ensis, no longer giggling.
Initiative:
Contact
Deanna (staggered)
Chelaxian Citizens’ Group
Bertom (down, need CON check)
Ensis
Valexia
Benjamin
"Incompetents," the leader-from-the-rear scoffs. Showing command-level decisiveness, he spins on his heel and sprints past his wounded comrade, rounding the corner and disappearing. The wounded man continues his feeble stagger around the corner, yelling faintly, "Hey, wait!"
The thug who dropped Bertom staggers back again as Ben's knife takes him in the face. Howling and spraying blood, he flees, following the path of his leader.
From the direction of Aria Park, the shouts of confusion and anger turn to screams of terror, through which a deep baying roar can be heard.
The man lying in the alley pushes himself to a sitting position and looks around blearily.
"Awww. They don' wanna play no more! Heeheehee!" Ben chortles as the thugs stagger off at various speeds.
The still minuscule man then frowns, and moves quickly to Bertrom's fallen form.
"Hey. Hey! Wake up kiddo! Your missing all the fun!" Ben says in his high-pitched voice as he examines the wound.
Ben's nimble fingers deftly pack the wound with a kerchief to stop the bleeding, and he pops a cork off of a small vial and waves it under Bertrom's nose in an attempt to wake him up.
Ben shakes his head.
"I make that FABulous throw, and my new best friend here didn't even get to see it. Guess he'll still call me 'weirdy' too,..." Ben giggles as he pulls out another flask from his satchel.
"Alright Dapper Dan, open up and take your medicine!" Ben smiles mischievously as he begins carefully pouring the healing potion down Bertrom's throat.
"Hey Ensis. Wanna see if the 'New World Order' had anything of value? These potions are simple enough to make, but the ingredients aren't cheap!" Ben calls over his shoulder, sounding more like his usual, (medium sized) self.
"THAT should do it. Hrm, mostly." Ben notes as he observes Bertrom's wounds start to close under the effects of the potion.
"Wakey-Wakey! Eggs and bakey!" Ben cries, again waving a foul-smelling vial under Bertrom's nose.
Valexia approaches, looking down at Bertom's fallen form. "Oh dear, I hope that he's okay... We should get you guys somewhere safe with plenty of drinks. Stronger the better. This day has taken a toll already!"
She seems to realize something and she approaches the gloved man, stowing her bow and holding up her hands as she does so, similar to how one would approach a wounded animal. "You need a hand up? Why were those losers giving you trouble?"
As the healing potion starts to take effect Bertom wrinkles his nose, and recoils from the fowl smelling liquid. "Wugh I'm up, don't make me drink that!"
He painfully pushes himself to a sitting position and looks at his hands "Ow... I had a feeling that might happen... and also had a feeling you'd pull through for me if it did Ben thanks for that, and thanks for y'know not turning me into a frog."
Looking around he slowly climbs to his feet, he's relieved to see that Valexia, and everyone else of course, seem to be alright, more or less, he got dropped but at least he was a successful shield.
Looking around a trifle unsteadily and very gratefully that her friends have managed to scare away the assailants, though a part of her feels a trifle sorry for the thugs. She moves to the ones on the floor & ensures that they aren't going to expire before she moves to the gloved fellow. There's a look of concern written across her weary visage.
Ensis nods, "Aye, I can search -- but let's not take too long. I'd hate to have spent all that energy saving that fool's life just to have him run off and get killed."
"Wugh I'm up, don't make me drink that!"
"Of course not!" Ben waves off the idea as obvious lunacy.
"This is for smelling. An extremely pungent and generally unpleasant aroma that stimulates the brain and the body into motivated movement."
"THIS is for drinking!" He declares, pulling out his personal flask and taking a deep swig. Ben makes a nummy sound and smacks his lips together happily.
He painfully pushes himself to a sitting position and looks at his hands "Ow... I had a feeling that might happen... and also had a feeling you'd pull through for me if it did Ben, thanks for that, and thanks for y'know, not turning me into a frog."
Ben looks at Bertrom with a moue of disbelief on his face, he starts to turn away, then turns back with an even bigger look of 'really?!?'.
"What is it with people and frogs these days? Even if it WAS a witch-thing, I'M no witch! Why would I waste perfectly good meta-mutagenic infusions on something as pedestrian as a frog is beyond me."
"Now a cute fluffy bunny perhaps. Or maybe a cat,... then you could have your enemy chase mice and rats. Oh! Or perhaps a ferret, THEY seem interesting!"
Ben notices the look on Bertrom's face and stops, clearing his throat nervously.
"Erm,... I mean,... your welcome, of course. Just try not to get hit any more today alright? That was my last Healing elixer. I'll have to get more ingredients to brew up another couple of batches. In the meanwhile, I have this if you need it." He offers Bertrom his flask.
"It's not medicinal per se',... but it packs enough of a kick to act as a painkiller!" He grins.
"Now, while Ensis sees to our newest friend, I'm going to check these thugs for donations. And taxes. I definitely think that an imbecile tax is due here. Don't you agree?"
The gentleman on the ground nods at the approaching women as he pulls a small flask from his belt pouch. ”Good, this wasn’t broken.” He quaffs the liquid inside and immediately looks better, color returning to his cheeks. Rising a bit painfully to his feet, he bows, including the party in general in the courtesy.
”My thanks. I had hoped to clear the way since one of you was injured, but a second group of those thugs popped up to assist the first” He turns to Valexia, brandishing the flask before he stows it in his belt pouch again. ”I am well enough now, though I’ve always thought it unfortunate that these potions do nothing for one’s garments. These are in a rather sorry state now, though I’m in good company.” He nods to Bertom, whose clothing also carries some of the filth from the alleyway, though the cloth showing through their new friend’s filth is much finer and richer than that of Bertom’s. In fact, the man is either an agent of House Thrune or the Holy Church of Asmodeus, or cares not one fig for “Proclamation the Fourth” about embroidered clothing being reserved for such agents.
Seeing Ensis and Benjamin examining the fallen, he begins scrabbling through the debris of the alley. ”Yes, take whatever their dignity can spare. Somebody’s gone to expense and trouble to outfit these “Citizens” - you’ll notice they are all equipped alike, and in the rather fetching colors of House Thrune. Since they’ve cost us, it seems only right to compensate ourselves. Saves all that time in court suing for damages, doesn’t it?” He straightens and grins, brandishing a slim sword triumphantly before striding to the nearest fallen Citizen to wipe it clean on the man’s remaining garments. ”Excellent, they didn’t have time to steal this.” The slender blade sheathes not into a belt sheath, but into a black wooden cane, which he flourishes.
”We might want to get to a better spot to finish our conversation. I know a bookstore near here. They are friends, and have a private back room for book clubs. I suggest we retire there and become scholars for the next while, until that clears out, anyway.” The shrieks from the park are still clearly audible.
Bertom chuckles slightly at Ben's reaction, and winces as the motion causes a jolt of pain. "Yes I know you're not a witch, though I'm not sure I really know the difference other than you use potions instead of curses." He smirks towards the taller man "Well I think the intention is that being a frog is a decidedly unpleasant experience I ain't no witch, but I assume something soft and cuddly like a bunny n't bad enough, gotta be a slimey, wart covered toad. Though you may have taken me little too seriously."
"Yeah, I think not getting hit anymore is good advice, I'm not really that good in a straight forward fight." Bertom says eyeing the offered flask for a moment before accepting it, and taking a drink, what could it hurt? He makes a grimace as he swallows the strong liquid, handing the flask back.
Watching the man they saved scurry around, Bert opens his mouth when he beckons them to follow to some kind of book store "Hold on pal, you say you came to clear a path for us? Not that we ain't grateful, but why stick your neck out for a bunch you don't know? the young rogue asks hypocritically "How do we know this isn't some kinda trap, you could be leading us out of the pan and right into the fire."
Ben looked down at the shorter Bertrom with a smirk.
Then he realized that he was looking down at Bertrom. When he most assuredly been shorter than him, much shorter, mere moments ago.
"Ah, fertheluvuv,... Rat's eggs and Pickled Parsnips!" Ben grumbles as he realizes that his Shrinking Infusion must have worn off while he was bandaging Bertrom. Then he breaks out into giggles once more.
"Oh well, at least my Mutagen is still viable!" He snickers at something the others obviously aren't getting. Ignoring yet another round of 'looks' he addresses the dandy newcomer.
"Hell's Bell's and well-met fellow disagree-ee with the current administration!" Ben chuckles, indicating the man's laced finery.
"I for one would love to see this bookstore. As some of us ARE scholars. Any chance we can get a cup of tea while there? My last mix of potions left a funny aftertaste." Ben adds, sticking his tongue out as if to air it out.
He leans towards Bertrom, and says in a stage whisper, "We don't know that this isn't some kinda trap. Makes it rather exciting, don't you think?!?" He asks with a wink and another uncontrolled snicker.
Ben takes the time to gather the loose coins and the medallions from the fallen foes, muttering about wasting good coins on bad armor. He hefts one of the maces experimentally, then shrugs.
"Not my best weapon, but better than my daggers it would seem. I say, Lead on good sirrah! better a bad bookstore than another 'good' meeting with these rapscallions! heheheheee!"
"A bookstore is fine by me," says Valexia, "It's not like I ought to be taking random bloody strangers home." She approaches the gloved man, touching him on the shoulder and using prestidigitation in order to at least make his clothes look a little bit more presentable.
She gestures Bertom over so that she may do the same with him, making sure that he at least looks presentable for the bookstore people! "With a couple of our number worse for wear, I think it will be good to put up our feet and have a few drinks if it's possible. At least it will make the pain fade a little, for a short while."