:(
you are too tall. let me
Armanus is indeed too tall to get a good look, but Elsa’s seemingly natural talent for snooping comes in hand.
On the other side of the door is a slim but muscular Vudrani man, scholar’s robes clearly mussed up from captivity. He matches the description of Suradesh exactly.
"Be quiet and don't be scared! We are invisible and we're here to get you off this ship." An voice from just outside the barred door said.
Lift the bar, and get him out of here.
”You’re not Conclave. Who’re you with? Aspis Consortium? Pathfinders? I won’t go easy if you want to take what I know!”
Well I guess you could stay here if you want. I'm certain locking you up is a simple misunderstanding Elsa snarked.
She sighs.
Look, we have been hired to find you, but we don't know or care why. But I think your situation is better not locked up in a dimensional hidey-hole. And this is a one-time thing. We have little time.
"Fine, fine, suppose I'm not in a place to look a gift horse in the mouth. Get this bar off the door so I can get out of here. My employers are waiting on me."
Slip the bar. Armanus. I'll keep watch
The invisible tiefling attempts to quietly lift the bar off the door.
Elsa notices a man coming down the hallway just after Armanus gets the bar out of position. Seeing the bar apparently levitating off the door, the man raises his eyebrows and sighs, ”Damn, it’s always something…gotta get the Mate.” The man walks off, leaving the two sorcerers in an awkward situation.
Armanus, Aakif, and Lanatir see a crewman walk up to the first mate and tell him something quietly. The first mate curses before saying, ”Something’s up with our guest? Get Ozek and check it out.”
Dammit! Get him out, or we are in trouble. Tempus Fugit!
"Calm down, everyone," Armanus said with an air of superiority. "This is why I'm here."
The tiefling casts his last invisibility spell on prisoner, then snatches his hand.
"We are all leaving now. No talking. Step lightly."
Aakif pretends everything is perfectly fine, and continues his speech about profiting without having to lift a finger after recruiting a dozen active people.
If only he wasn't mortally concerned for the well-being on his companions.
Lanatir looks to Zyrel and Aakif.
Aakif's sales pitch is not compelling, and our stealthy sorcerers have been discovered.
He expects the worst, but does not yet draw his sword.
Suradesh mutters, ”Oh, so that’s where you are.” He follows along without resistance. They sneak down the hallway without incident and are within sight of the door as three burly sailors walk through the door. They’re coming down the hall fast.
Outside, Aakif’s concern is obvious. Maybe a little too obvious as the woman he’d been pitching his sale to narrows her eyes in suspicion and says, ”Listen, I don’t know what you’re playin’ at here, but I suggest you peddle whatever your selling to someone else.”
Aakif grimaces before he begins casting a spell. "Ruin and damnation be upon you." He says as he conjures an image of barren treasure chests and mouldy bread in the mind of the female sailor.
Zyrel tenses as Aakif curses, ready for the 'client' to turn aggressive.
The woman's eyes grow wide and her breath gets shaky. Her hand, too is shaking as she moves it towards the sword at her waist, "Wh...what did...what did you do? Tell me...tell me real damn quick or I get the crew to give you a real bad time."
The invisible sorcerer squad follows Elsa's advice. They wait on the other side of the hallway for the guards to check out the cell, and slip past once they've gone, the crewmen none the wiser. There's some sort of mild commotion going on where Aakif, Lanatir, and Zyrel have been distracting the guards, drawing a fair amount of attention to the gangplank.
Aakif fakes a snarl before taking advantage of the sailor's lack of understanding. "May the bread you eat taste of mould, and the gold you hold be taken before your very eyes. I will not let you dishonour me like some drug-addled riffraff! Bring your crew to bare if you can't deal with me yourself, you faithless coward. You undignified mongrel."
The sailor sneers, running down the gangplank as she yells at Aakif, ”You weasely little turd! No talking your way outta this!” She swings a fist at Aakif, her anger and fear overtaking any tactical thinking.
Whether it’s her inaccuracy or Aakif’s agility, she misses the silver-tongued priest. A few guards come over to watch the fight, a few of them cheering the sailor on.
As the commotion starts, Elsa and Armanus see their opportunity. The crew clustered around the gangplank might make escaping that way tricky.
Aakif takes a step back as the sailor charges in. He says "If she fights fair, then we should not gang up." Now out of her reach, Aakif casts another spell.
Zyrel considers previously witnessed human dominance behaviours, and believes he understands where Aakif is coming from.
He moves to create a 'human fighting circle'. A strange ritual he has seen before that somehow non-magically transmutes turns a brawl into a sport.
As is traditional he calls out the traditional combined challenge and boast "5 gold on our guy. Any takers?"
Lanatir hangs back and will also watch the fight.
It is only fisticuffs at this point... his sword is meant for more lethal work.
Armanus gropes to find his fellow invisible prisoner and make their way off the ship.
Elsa follows along
The woman powers through Aakif's spell despite her fear. Again, though, she misses Aakif with her punches. The sailors are mixed between cheering for her and for Aakif.
Using the distraction, the sorcerers slip off the side of the ship into the water below. Few notice the splash, and with the commotion going on at the dock, nobody cares.
Elsa swims to a boat ramp if available, or ladder.
Aakif takes his last step back, before casting Ironskin on himself. His skin turns incredibly dark, with wrinkles of rust-red lining his face.
The sailor's fist bounces off Aakif's stony skin as the prison break team swims away. The water of the port is grimy and the swimming isn't exactly easy, but eventually they make it to a dock with the help of Aakif's distraction.
Gods, I need a bath after this
Lanatir's not going to interfere with single combat.
But he does see the sorcerers making it to the dock.
He waits patiently.
Zyrel nods to the sailors. He coughs once and starts the traditional chant, albeit in a less enthusiastic tone than he remembered most of the human soldiers used to use. "Fight. Fight. Fight."
Aakif begins punching back, confident that his spellcasting will now protect him from the worst of the sailor's punches.
Elsa and Armanus slip into an alley with our prize, out of sight.
Now stay quiet a moment. We seem to have gotten away clean.
She cast prestidigitation to dry and clean her clothes
The sailor throws a few more punches at Aakif but her fists bounce off Aakif's iron-hard skin. She curses under her breath, "Gods damned sorcerers." She sighs as Aakif's goading begins to cool down as she stares daggers at Aakif, "I can't beat you now, but mark my words you pompous sot I will beat you someday." With that, she storms off as the sailors wander off, clearly let down by the end of the fight.
With the sorcerers and Suradesh visible, he stares at his rescuers quizzically, "Well, you two don't look like what I had expected. I feel I'm owed something of an explanation for exactly why you broke me out of there."
"I am no sorcerer. I am a priest." Aakif calls back as she walks away, somewhat insulted by the misidentification. He looks to his two companions and says "Thank you. I pray our gamble has been favourable. Let us return to the rendez-vous."
Zyrel nods. "You did well. But yes, let us return. Perhaps, though, a circuitous route? So your opponent will not send someone to follow us so she can try for another bout in the morning?"
"That is a good idea. Are you capable of obscuring our footprints?"
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," says Lanatir.
"Anybody following us out of sight of the docks would be taking a very large risk. They can see our swords. The eyes of their friends are their best guarantee of safety."
"Very well." Aakif says, before leading the two back to the rendez-vous.
Wait a moment for explanations. Basically, we were hired too, but it is a little complicated. When the others join us, we can say. Elsa explains