With the combat taking place in his wagon, the drover hauls on the reigns to slow his progress. The wagon shudders and while the guard rolls off the slick roof, the rear gate slams open. The captives inside blink incredulously at the turn of events, but at the moment, no one is moving.
"I serve a higher law." Kane said adjusting back and swinging again.
Jazzai cursed as missed yet again. Then again a fighting blind woman really wasn't that good at fighting.
She lifted the spear again and tried to stab at the Hellknight.
'Law or not it is not right to chain people up and keep them as slaves. No one deserves that.' She didn't say anything because she knew if he focused on her she would fall quickly.
"You buffoons couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Peacock taunts, intending to keep the crossbowmen's interest on him.
Jazzai adjusts and jabs with her spear again, with similar results. However, she hears a sickening scrape of metal against metal and then she is whelmed by a sudden wave of the scent of blood. A lot of it. As its coppery tang invades her nostrils, she hears the death rattle of the man in front of her, the heavy thud and tinkling of his flail, and finally the collapse of his weighted, armored form.
Over at the wagons, several of the men in the caravan raise a cry as they see Maralictor Grange fall.
Peacock doesn't notice the strike, too busy flying over to the other cage and beginning to unlatch it as well.
Jazzai felt that smell come over her and froze as her body shuddered in revulsion and want. A war started inside her as the coppery scent teased her.
Luckily she remembered that their were people watching and she straightened and turned back to the group of people.
"Those of you that are bound in cages. This is a chance for freedom. It will not be easy but this is the time to make a choice. Freedom or bars." She says in a loud voice hoping to startle those within the cages to action and hopefully make them friendly to them.
"Surrender your arms and your captives, or share his fate." Kane says, standing his ground in front of the wagons and the dead Chellish slaver.
Naki charges the guard on the rear wagon
Naki rushes across the remaining distance and up the side of the rear wagon, biting painfully on the guard while the drover screams and retreats. Peacock taunts, then flies over to the same wagon and begins the same process of unlatching the cage as before. However, the two guards on the black coach abandon their attempts to shoot down the resilient fey, and instead work together to open the rear of the enclosed wagon. As the coach's gate opens, two fiery eyes glint in the shadows within as a cloud of smoke roils out. Then, stepping out with a snarl, comes a wolf-sized hound with a burnt-red coat. The beast casts about, looking for a target. The slaves in the adjacent carriage scream and cringe against the opposite bars, but none make an effort to flee the cage.
The lone guard who slipped and fell off the greased carriage stands with his sword at the ready, looking very unsure of his situation.
The guard at the rear carriage, after being bitten by Naki, lets his crossbow drop as he draws his sword and defends himself.
He scores a small slice across Naki's enlarged abdomen.
"Look out!" Adrien calls out as he finishes unlatching the cave, looking at the hound nervously. "Big wolf over here!"
He flies up higher into the sky, for a clearer view of the battlefield, ready to cast spells to help his allies.
Kane moved toward the closest guard.
"You have been warned."
Unfortunately, the blind girl's exhortation to the slaves to assist in their own bid for freedom doesn't register, as their attention seems focused on the combat happening around them. None of the slaves want to invite the evil-looking hound into a chase by fleeing.
Kane charges the lone guard on the ground and gives him a severe wound, but the guard still stands.
Naki snaps at the guard, trying to drag him down.
Jazzai will carefully move to follow Kane. She believed it was unwise to separate from him. Two reasons, the bug wolf and the grouping of where she felt the tremors. She will double move to left rear of Sir Kane.
Naki gets a mouthful of the guard's mail, and does no damage.
He retaliates, and aims a blow at the alchemist's head, but thankfully Naki twists at the last moment and the blow lands on his shoulder.
The guard on the ground steps forward and slashes at Kane, delivering a brutal strike.
The two guards on the black coach reload their crossbows and take aim again at Peacock, the only foe not obstructed or in melee.
One bolt again bounces off Peacock's skin.
Finally, the devil dog identifies a target, and runs toward Kane. Jazzai catches a burning stench of brimstone and burnt hair as it closes. Even though it risks an attack from Kane's polearm, in moves in close. But rather than trying to bite him, it opens its smoking jaws and unleashes a gout of flame that encompasses both him and Jazzai.
At Peacock's command, the songbirds of the Thistlefeather begin their otherwordly chant...
Jazzai avoids the worst of the fire, as Peacock begins his magic.
Kane stepped to the side avoiding most of the flames. His cassock briefly caught fire. He opened his wings and tossed it free behind him.
"A Hellhound!" he snarled. He raised his voice. "Slavers! You traffic with demons! I have offered you mercy and the chance to repent! Now you face judgement!"
His wounds hardened, not healing much, but sealing over and looking like little more than gouges in his stoney skin.
He stepped to give himself distance to employ his polearm and lashed out at the guard that had struck him, ignoring the demon dog for now.
Kane's strike drops the guard immediately after he scored the devil dog a wound as it approached.
Jazzai moved to keep Sir Kane between her and the Hell hound before she reached out to touch him as she called upon the Dryad's power to heal him.
The two guards on the black coach reload their crossbows and shoot at the fey, not really having another viable target (not that Peacock is a very good target, either).
Another bolt deflects off Peacock's skin.
The hellhound moves forward and tries to bite Kane with its infernal, smoking jaws.
plus
The guard squaring off with Naki strikes back.
Kane backstepped next to Jazzai to get room to swing his weapon. His wounds continued to knit closed.
Jazzai moves again staying out of reach of the hell hound as Sir Kane called it. All she knows is the sulfur and brimstone was making her nose itch. Her head turned this way and that as she listened and tried to see if anymore threats were nearby.
Jazzai senses no new threats, though she is having a hard time telling what's happening with the guards on the wagons.
The hellhound finds its surroundings growing blurry as the melodious birds ring to its ears, soon starting to sound like the reassuring growls of its mother when it was just a pup all these years ago...
The fiendish hound slumps over, falling asleep.
Though she couldn't see what was going on, Jazzai knew that the hell hounds slumping body knew it was vulnerable. He teeth ached as she felt the pull. This one was much stronger that with the hell knight. Its blood still pumping fresh. Her ears could make out its heart beat and without knowing how. She knew where its hide would be softest.
'NO! I will not give in. I am not some beast to feed on everything.' She shouted mentally to herself resisting the compulsion.
"Kane, let's end this quickly. My teeth ache." She told him.
When the creature slumped over Kane brought the curved edge of his polearm down as hard as he could.
"This is nearly finished. Follow me. Adrian is engaging the last of them."
The hellhound's spine severed with the blow, it expires immediately.
Naki uses his numerous spidery legs to move down the side of the wagon and stay out of the reach of the guard's blade.
The other two guards have finally had enough of trying to shoot down the fey flitting about. Instead, they load their crossbows and shoot at the cloaked figure that brought down the hellknight just as soon as he moves around the cage and gives them a clear shot.
"Hey, hey, eyes up here, lawthumpers!" Peacock taunts, before diving for one of the guards.
"You paladin types are always so serious! You could use a good laugh!"
Peacock attempts to pull the guard's helm over his eyes, but fails to grab him.
Jazzai would smell the blood coming from Naki as she followed Sir Kane slowly. She motioned for Naki to come to her so she could heal him.
She figured the panicked figures in the wagons weren't going to move so she just kept alert for danger. After all right now she seemed the most harmless of the bunch and she was good with that.
As Naki tries to scramble to safety, the guard who he was fighting raises his blade for another strike. But just as he was about to move into position, hands reach up from the cage and grab onto him, spoiling the attack. Suddenly off-balance with the hands around his ankles, he pitches forward. He begins to scream as the former slaves take their revenge.
Naki then reaches Jazzai, while the other guards and drovers in the caravan push their animals in a bid to flee.
Jazzai reaches out touching Naki and channels the magic into him.
"Here, this should help you Naki." She said gently and hearing the screams of the man she winces slightly.
Hearing some take off she tries to listen to see if any of the slaves are being taken with hoping they would at least be left behind. She couldn't give chase but knew the others could to rescue them.
Once things kind of settled she would call out.
"Are any of you hurt? I know a little bit about healing. Are you all alright?"
At first Naki nods to Jazzai, then realizing she can't see that gets a little flustered, "Ah yes, thank you, appreciated." Looking after the fleeing guards he turns to look at Kane to see if he should be persuing.
Adrien, feeling the rush of battle leave him, lands and approaches the freed slaves.
"Is... everyone okay?" He asks one of the men hesitantly.
Most of the slaves are malnourished and dehydrated, so Peacock finds them many of them listless. Most of the men bear recent, barely-healed wounds.
But there is something refreshing about freedom, so most of them nod and look about in wonder from outside the bars of the cage. As the party calls out to them, a few step forward, still wary. You have our thanks, a tall, bronze-skinned man croaks out. I am Hassim. Thank you for freeing us. He clasps his hands together at his chin and bows at the waist.
What are you? What do you plan to do with us? another asks, clearly eyeing the monstrous nature of the party.
Other liberated slaves work to open the second cage, while others still locate the water stores and begin passing around water skins.
"Please, do not judge us on appearances. Strange accidents have befallen my companions and I, but I promise that we are every bit as human as any of you... or at least we used to be."
Adrien looks to Sir Kane for confirmation before adding:
"You're free to go, we wanted nothing but to return your freedom to you."
Hassim nods, and a few of the others also seem to. There's a number of different languages that can be heard amongst the freed slaves. When the second cage opens, there are a few tearful reunions.
The remainder of the caravan -- notably the black coach and the pack animals -- have pushed on at its best speed to get away from the fighting. The two wheeled cages and the teams of horses are still there, though their non-combatant drovers have abandoned them and run on foot after the caravan.
Maralictor Grange's horse has also stayed behind, nuzzling and pawing at his corpse.
Jazzai would be able to create water to refill the water stores and would check the old wounds and administer healing as she could. The smell of the hell hound while distasteful, also kept drawing her towards it.
"Indeed do not judge us by how we look. As you see, I can not judge you by what you look like and would ask the same." She would turn to the one she heard call himself Hassim. "It is a pleasure Hassim, I am Jazzai. We are headed somewhere mostly unknown to us, though if you wished to come along and my companions are fine with it I don't see why you can't. If not I would suggest the town of Trollfork. Its to the south. Unfortunately I do not have a map and I can only lead back the way we came which is dangerous. It would probably be wise to hurry though. I am sure once they get free they will spread word and you will be in danger again. I do not wish slavery on anyone." She would carefully pick her way through the group once her healing was done and would head towards Sunflower her little pony. Even if they didn't notice her eyes they would notice the way she is moving.
Turning she addressed Sir Kane.
"But I believe we should give those that have died here a proper burial. I know we don't agree with them but there is no reason we can't treat their bodies with respect. If you don't mind helping we can do it quickly."
Passing the hellknight's corpse and his loyal horse she would pause. "You are a good companion. I will make sure he gets a proper burial." She told the horse before carefully making her way to Sunflower to bring her over. Sunflower reached for a carrot in her pocket and munched looking around the battle having not seemed to faze her.
Once she motioned for her to follow she would approach the other horse carefully and slowly letting him get use to her being there. She wanted to at least let the horse approach so she could position the mans body to get ready for burial.
I believe we shall try to return north. We were part of an Andoran freedom network that was raided by Grange and his Hellknights. I do not know what's left, but perhaps we can restore the network, Hassim explains. As for your appearance, I judge you by your actions alone.
Digging into the parched, hard-packed ground would be exceedingly difficult work, so piling rocks over the corpses is the much preferred option. Several of the former slaves do assist in the task, so before long the corpses are covered and protected from scavenging animals.
Grange's steed might be a magnificent animal, but unfortunately would probably be too much for anyone to try to retrain. Jazzai is able to calm the beast long enough to get its saddle, bags, and bridle off of it.
Grange had: masterwork heavy mace, a masterwork heavy crossbow with 10 bolts, 4 bolts that radiate magic, masterwork full plate (hellknight armor), three flasks that radiate faint abjuration magic, a cloak that also radiates faint abjuration magic, and a set of manacles that radiate magic. He also had a pouch with 130 gp and 15 pp.
His warhorse's saddle bags includes animal feed (5 days), a bedroll, a belt pouch, a bit and bridle, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, a riding saddle, 50' hemp rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin.
The guard had chain mail, a long sword, a light crossbow, and only 3 bolts left.
While the work goes on burying the corpses, Jazzai drags the body of the hellhound off the road. When she comes back, Naki feels the sympathetic relish of hunger sated -- and something triggers in his body. He feels his own mutations in his body continue to progress.
"Oh!" Adrian exclaims, looking over the equipment. "Looks like there's a few enchanted items in here!"
Zipping over to the items, he attempts to identify what he can, hoping the strange fey instincts he had been having would enlighten him.