Malder blinks a couple of times and shakes his head. Looking a Laijiri, he draws his longsword and starts unlimbering the shield on his back. "Alright, witch. You and your friends have ten seconds to be out of here. If you don't leave, or if you start getting fiesty, I'll cut you." Baldrago looks at his friend, back at the party, and then at Laijiri. "You'd best do as he says. You're much too nice to be killed here."
Litsy took a deep breath.
Alright. Let's see what I can do here.
"Calm down! Nobody's going to get killed!"
She put her shortbow back at its place, and looked at Baldrago:
"See? We're not dangerous... And we don't want to cause you any arm! You can leave us with your friend. We won't attack."
Or at least, not first.
Malder looks at his friend, shaking his head. "Hells, man, she's got you good and bewitched." Without another word, he turns his back to the party and runs through the double doors, slamming them behind him. A few moments later, his voice shouts out. "Hey, you rats, we've got snoopers snooping! Get your swords in hand and let's drive 'em out."
Baldrago looks from Laijiri to the door. "Listen, you're a friend, so I'll tell you now you'd best leave. He's got the others in there."
Baldrago looks over his shoulder at the double doors. He opens his mouth to say something when a series of loud thumps come from upstairs. A man's voice, perhaps 22 and whiny, comes down the stairs. "Asmodeus's balls, men, what's the racket down there? Sounds nothing like prepping meat. Who are you talking to?"
The guard looks at the stairs. "Look, Malder won't talk civilly with you tonight, and now you've gone and woken up the boss. If I go in and try to talk to Malder for you, will you leave?"
Bran looks at the others. As he was the most recent adition to the group, he doesn't feel like his voice should be heard first in important decision making.
What a charming expression!
Litsy looked up at the others.
"In my opinion, it would be best if we could talk to him directly. What do you think?"
Ignoring Litsy, Baldrago looks toward Laijiri for a moment before taking her silence as an order. He steps through the double doors, saying "I'll be back in a moment with Malder's response."
A few moments later, there's a crashing sound, a muffled grunt, and some whispering from beyond the double doors.
Giorgio strains his ears, trying to hear what's being whispered on the other side of the door.
That would be a possibility, but why would I do that, by the holy forge of Torag? These people have done us no harm.
"We have to do something anyway, and I doubt that they would accept to follow us peacefully. It's even safer for them if we could knock them down instead of injuring them."
Gio steps up fully to Laijiri, laying a hand on her shoulder, and after chanting a protection spell, murmurs softly to the group, "They're going to rush Laijiri as they come out the door. Prepare yourselves. Something else is going on too."
Litsy took her tanglefoot bag calmly.
"Ready. What are they saying?"
For a long moment, there's nothing but quiet from the other room, and then the door slowly squeaks part-way open. Through the partially-opened door, the party can see a scene of slaughter.
slabs of meat hang on hooks, each suspended from a cable on several pulleys hanging from the ceiling. Even in the Pharast weather, flies buzz throughout the room, and blood both dry and wet covers the floor and cakes the walls. Also in the room are three men. Malder has a longsword and a shield, while the other two have arrows nocked to their bowstrings. A fourth figure is down in the blood, gore, and straw, covered in blood. From this distance, it's difficult to tell whether it's his own or just an effect of being down on that floor.
EDIT:[/ooc]Also, don't forget that the map is linked under my name. It should be editable, so you can move your characters as needed.[/ooc]
Bran readies himself for whatever will happen...
especially a fight.
Gio whispers to Litsy, "Something about putting someone in a pen..." He is cut off by the swinging door. Taking a few steps forward, staying close to the wall, he rests a hand on Kaz's shoulder, channeling a bit of divine inspiration into the big ranger.
Litsy got ready to throw her bag at Malder as soon as possible.
If only it could neutralise him...
Kazadarin looks up stairs , "You up there are you Vancaskerfin? We come on behalf of Field Marshall Kroft! Tell your men to out away there weapons! We have much to discuss!"
"Shoot! Shoot, damn you!" At Malder's shout, the two men loose their bolts, both aiming for Laijiri. However, their shots are foiled, one slamming into the half-open door, the other sailing harmlessly into the wall at the other end of the hall.
As he watches the two bolts fly, Malder turns the corner, sword drawn, and launches a quick strike against Bran, whose armor takes the blow and turns it aside.
There's a couple thumps from upstairs, as if someone's pacing loudly, but no other response to Kaz's question.
Bran valiantly goes through the half opened door, hoping to block any other crossbow bolt.
He rises his warhammer, and delivers a powerful blow to Malder's belly
This agression has to stop here and now. We are commissionned by your own previous leader.Don't you respect hierarchy anymore? I won't stand such uncivic behavior. Put your weapons down. You are arrested. We work for the guard, to uphold the law and pacify the city, all the things you fought for only a few weeks ago. There's no need for bloodshed. Please take the honorable way and surrender.
Now you die."
Charge:
Damage:
Giorgio waits for Malder to cease being a threat before darting up into the room and attempting to magically confound the guardsman on his right.
Litsy threw her bag, trying to aim at Malder...
Litsy's bag smashes into Malder an instant before Bran and Kazaradin begin swinging. Both weapons connect, and Malder turns a pale shade of grey as Bran's hammer smashes into his thigh, followed quickly by Kazaradin's blade into his stomach. Giorgio darts into the room, casting a quick spell at one of the archers, who lowers his bow and blinks rapidly. The other archer fires again, leaving a bolt quivering in Bran's shield, before dropping his bow and drawing a longsword and shield of his own.
Litsy shouted at Kazadarin and Bran:
"Boys, don't butcher him! We need him alive!"
The young rogue drew her rapier.
"Lower your weapons!" she said to the other enemies. "It's your last chance!"
Kazadarin frowns at the new swordsman and charges.
Attack:
Damage:
Seeing Kazadarin's charge, and the mighty blow that follows, Bran is shocked
Have you no sense? How can they surrender if you kill them before they can say their peace? Stop now, everyone. Don't let chaos rule your minds.
"Well, Litsy answered to Bran loudly enough to be heard by the swordsmen. Either they surrender like very quickly, or we'll have no choice but to knock them off. They'll have to go with us either way, it's up to them to decide whether they want injuries or not. They already had their warning."
She didn't like having to hurt them, but after all, they attacked first. She was merciful, but not that much; besides, she didn't want to take the risk of any of her partners being hurt by these guys.
[u]Round 3 action[/u]
Gio bites his lip, debating between running up and punching the dazed guard, or doing the same to the other to buy his people some time. Remembering the lesson of the crocodile all too well, he decides prudence is the better path, and repeats his spell while moving to cover the other door.
The swordsman recieves Kazaradin's charge awkwardly, his shield hampered by a slab of meat, and the cut takes him in the crease between helmet and shoulder-plate. He stays on his feet, but is unable to steel himself for Giorgio's spell. Unable to do much of anything else, Malder struggles into a sitting position on the floor just in front of the door, a look of fear passing between him and the final archer.
The archer drops his bow hurriedly, drawing a longsword. Though he pauses for a moment to consider his shield, he instead opts for a two-handed grip, sending his blade crashing into Kazaradin's side under his arm.
Before anyone else can move, a soft, almost hesitant voice sounds from about halfway down the stairs. "What's all this, then? You lot were supposed to be getting tomorrow's cuts ready." The man on the stairs is more properly a boy, not quite twenty. He looks at the ongoing battle and blinks. "Alright, you're trespassing. Explain yourselves or clear off, now!" He readies his spear, falling into a combat stance.
Bran attacks Baldrago, trying to trap the ex guard between himself and Kaz
The ranger looks shaky after the attack, blood flows freely from his wound as hr turns his attention to the guard that attacked him.
2 HP!!
Power attack:
Damage:
Gio darts across the floor to the bleeding Malder, and does his best to keep the man from bleeding out. They're still citizens, he thinks, and appropriate justice in the midst of the riots could be a balm on the city's frayed nerves.
If I can cast a spell without fear of being interrupted
If Kaz can be attacked, I'll will defend him
So he's the leader, uh? Pretty young, I guess, but that doesn't mean a thing.
Litsy looked at his spear. Then down at her rapier. Then at his spear again.
His pointy thing is longer than mine... We're doomed.
She couldn't wait to see if he was going to attack them.
"Oh, it's a long story... You don't wanna hear it."
Litsy took Laijiri by the arm, and started to move back.
Kazaradin's sword and Bran's hammer come down upon Parns's head, making sure he's down. Verik comes down the stairs, raising the tip of his spear to well above his head, and looks down the hall into the killing floor.
"You killed my men? They were...they were my men. We were just doing the right thing here, and you killed them." He shoots a glare at the two ladies. "You've got about five seconds to explain yourselves, before I use my authority as a Guard to arrest you, or worse."
Kazadarin wraps his arm across his chest in attempt to stop the bleeding from his wound as he points his sword at Verik. "You lost your authority as a City Watch when you left. We are here on behalf of Field Marshall Croft. Now put your spear away. It is time to talk."
"Well... We've tried not to. But they attacked us first, so we had to defend ourselves. Besides, maybe some of them can still be saved..."
Litsy sheathed her rapier.
"Now... Why do you still pretend to be a guard? Aren't you a deserter? Haven't you reject the Queen's authority?"