Raxus' dogs move next to bandit 2 and prepare to attack him
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Bandit 3 readies his bow to shoot at the incoming Raxus but before he can attack a spear goes through his innards and he falls bleeding to the ground.
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Bandit 2 is flanked by Cyean and Dawn.
Bandit 3 is dead.
Then Cyean is up
Then Toanga is up
Thalia moves closer to the party, so that she can be heard when she says "Do not wake the sleeper. Or kill him. Information first." Then we track these bastards to their den.
Bandit 3 readies his bow to shoot at the incoming Raxus but before he can attack a spear goes through his innards
Shaking his head at the bandit that he is about to swing at Cyean readies his blade. He moves his blade to slash across the man's chest.
With a swift movement Cyean's blade cuts through flesh and bone leaving a mangled corpse at his feet.
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Toanga scans the battlefield looking for any sign of the small man but can't see anything of note
Where did that coward go? he mutters.
Perception
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Bandit 2 is dead
Felina casts Produce Flame, and hurls the flame at bandit 6.
Sev raises the musket to his shoulder and keeps scanning the area, watching for the bandit leader.
Ready action to fire if the bugger raises his invisible head.
Attack: ranged touch
Damage:
Bandit 1 is still asleep
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Bandit 5 keeps running away while bandit 6 takes out his short sword approaching Sev and swings it at him but the hunter avoids the attack easily.
Attack
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Then Mikam is up
Then Thalia is up
Then Cyean is up
"Why is the grass attacking us?" Raxus snarles pulling away from the mass.
Seeing that the fight is mostly settling down, Mikam steps out of the burning house, moving past past Cyean and Toanga.
Noticing that Sev is engaged with the bandit makes him pause. Was it worth aiding the vile, grumpy man? As he watches, Sev barely dodges a blow from the bandit's vicious blade as he appears to not want to use his musket to block the bandit's swings.
Mikam growls an unintelligible string of syllables and points an index finger at the bandit, a thin streamer of coruscating darkness snakes forth from his hand, stabbing through the air at the enemy.
Thalia moves towards the bulk of the action. If the door between the two rooms is open, she will double move to G19 to watch. If the door is closed, she will end her movement there and spend another to open it.
Cyean seeing a bandit close moves and swings at the bandit.
Toanga keeps looking for the leader but the man seems to have left the battlefield.
Perception
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Sev gives up on the leader and instead steps five feet away from Bandit 6 and fires his musket at him!
Attack: ranged touch
Damage:
Since Felina is out of shortspears and spells, she heads to the back door. "I definitely need to get a different ranged weapon."
Bandit 1 is still asleep.
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Bandit 5 keeps running taking advantage of the fact he is outside of the entangled area.
Bandit 6 takes a bullet from Sev and being, injured and outnumbered drops his weapons and throws his hands in the air I surrenda!
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Raxus is up
Map
Raxus and his dogs trudge out of the grasping grasses and look around. "One of them disappeared. He can't have gone far."
Raxus searches for trails and follows them for a few feet before they suddenly dissapear. They're not covered or less obvious, they completely dissapear.
Cyean shakes his head at the bandit before saying "Well need to tie him up and figure out what to do with them. Anyone have some suggestions?"
Desmond shows his face through the window and shouts You could leave one for my fists, at least I can enjoy my time since now I AM DEAD thanks to you boyos!
Desmond shows his face through the window and shouts You could leave one for my fists, at least I can enjoy my time since now I AM DEAD thanks to you boyos!
Cyean points at the other who surrendered "Could hit him or " He than points at the one that was put to sleep "him. Which ever you would prefer though the sleeping one might be waking up soon."
Sev barks one harsh laugh while reloading his musket. "Shut yer noise, Dessie. It wasn't much of a life to begin with."
Not soon enough, heh Desmond goes out of the house while rolling up his sleeves. He approaches the asleep man and kicks him in the head. Before he can react he is beating seven different kinds of cr*p out of him while shouting a collection of expletives that would make a drunken sailor blush. The just surrendered bandit stares with a rictus of dread in his face.
At Sev's comment Desmond turns and shouts
"That's enough." Raxus says to Desmond in a serious tone.
Winterflower observes Desmond's rage as she slings her bow over her shoulder. Thalia spares the surrendered bandit a seductive smile and struts towards him, making full use of her lithe body and beauty as she approaches.
"Now then," she says to him, "are you not glad that you surrendered your arms? Imagine if you had been left incapacitated, what evils our pet demon there might have visited upon you," Thalia hums and laughs.
"Come now, to me," Thalia invites, "Regale me with tales of your brethren, and if I enjoy your story, you may be rewarded."
Desmond turns to Raxus, anger in his eyes. Yeah... I don' think this one can feel pain anymore he says before going back into the house.
The bandit looks at the mangled body of his mate, at Raxus, at Cyean, at Thalia and back again before saying I tell yous whataves you wants! Don't kick me balls!
Sev laughs at Desmond's rage. "That's the spirit, Dessie! We might make a proper man out of you yet!"
Sev wanders over to where Thalia is "interrogating" the prisoner. "You want I should just kill him, Priestess? Or you got "plans" for him?" Sev's voice makes it clear that the "plans" are horrible, indeed.
Intimidation: to play bad cop to Thalia's good cop
Raxus, disgusted with the antics of the others, keeps his dogs focused on trying to find a scent trail for the vanished bandit. He himself checks for vital signs on the downed bandits, waving over Toanga to stabilize any he finds.
Felina looks for her two short spears as the others are dealing with the new prisoners. Once she has placed the spears on her back, she heads over towards the prisoner.
I, for one would like to know what prompted this attack. If I were you, I would be truthful. Buster here is mighty hungry, and doesn't really care if his food is alive or dead when he starts feeding.
Winterflower reaches out and touches the bandits face, drawing his attention to her and only her when she speaks. "Fret not, my friend. Your decision to cooperate is quite well with me, and my voice carries more weight with the largest threat here than theirs," Winterflower says and hums. Her eyes flick to the host of his dead companions. "Care to step away with me a bit?" she suggests, turning away from the sight of combat.
"Of which camp are you?" she inquires first.
The man seems to calm down a little bit as he says I... we works for the Ox... the Weasel thoughts we could get you to work for us in exchange for free pass through this lands... guess he wasn' expectin' you to figh' back
One of Winterflower's perfectly sculpted eyebrows rises. "Ah! I see, or rather, I am beginning to see. Your 'Weasel' had not much by way of experience with negotiating, had he?" she jests and chuckles softly. "One does not open such sensitive proceedings with demands for payment! You would not know what particular cause the Ox has for seeking our aide, would you? Tell me then, darling, please, other than this unfortunate incident, has your camp recently seen a decline in numbers?"
He shivers at the mention of "Weasel" before saying I heard them say sumthin' abou' a sub inside mission or sumtin' like tha' he looks at Thalia when she asks about the numbers We is bandits we get killed all the time, no more than normal boss said
Winterflower touches the bandit's face again, patting his cheek softly. "Very good," she says, stepping closer. "Now then, I have been remiss in my introduction, and you have in yours as well. I am called Thalia. And while your use to the others may have been exhausted, your use to me may never be."
Winterflower leans in and takes the bandit's scent, and whispers in his ear. "After a wash, likely. Although, I would be pleased to serve in that regard, and others," she suggests, voice a low, seductive purr.
Cyean shakes his head at some of Thalia's comments as he watches her speak with the bandit. He than says "Do not stay to long Lady Thalia, we may have to leave here quickly." He than turns to head back to the house wondering about what will happen now.
The man seems as much aroused as startled as he says Whateva you wan' jus' let me go
"Yes yes, I am quite aware that this Weasel was likely an usurper interested in Ox's demise," Winterflower snaps, not taking her eyes from the bandit at all.
Winterflower's eyes widen at the bandit's request. "You wish to leave me so soon, darling? And... where, pray tell, will you go?"
Raxus is clearly confused by Thalia's behavior. Flipping his hood up to easier ignore her he trudges over to the door he'd used as a weapon in the fight and picks it up.
"I'll be back soon." he rumbles to no one in particular and begins walking back toward the house he got it from.
It's not tha'... look if the Ox knows I tell you I am tortured, then dead, then tortured again, the Weasel an' the Raven make sure.
"Cyean, I cannot even make sense of what he thinks he knows! Its probable that the Weasel and Raven will kill him anyways just on the suspicion that he told us something. If I was him I would actually be throwing myself at us for protection. That way there would be a chance of success instead of a life of constant fear that someone was going to knife me in the dead of night.", Mikam observes to Cyean. "I meant to ask, did the spell help you at all?"
"Cyean, I cannot even make sense of what he thinks he knows! Its probable that the Weasel and Raven will kill him anyways just on the suspicion that he told us something. If I was him I would actually be throwing myself at us for protection. That way there would be a chance of success instead of a life of constant fear that someone was going to knife me in the dead of night.", Mikam observes to Cyean. "I meant to ask, did the spell help you at all?"
Cyean shrugs "I would of killed him for that reason better die now than later slowly. As for what he is saying he is still in shock. Most bandits are not use to people fighting back so well." He than thinks for a moment on the spell before saying "Yes it did indeed."
Winterflower laughs softly, smile genuine. "And what is it you believe that you know, darling? An incompetent priest could sooner draw information from them that lie dead there," she says an shakes her head.
"Though I am loath to admit as such, in this instance the knight is correct. Alone, you will die sooner rather than late."
The man seems to ponder your words for a few seconds and then says It ain't what I know, it's that I talked to you instead of fightin' to death... But they don' know I'm alive... yet, I could try to make a run to Pitax or Brevoy... he stops for a moment thinking and goes on But the Raven sure has you guys watched, his f*cking animals are everywhere! he seems downhearted Whateva... I'm dead may as well be dead in company
"That defeatist attitude is what separates you from us," Winterflower notes impassively. "I will not be brought low by a pair of vermin."
Winterflower finally looks away from the bandit, and rests her eyes on Felina. "Mistress, if you would, a word please?"
Raxus walks to the hovel where he had procured the door and steps to loom in the entryway. He begins to open his mouth but stops, standing there a moment, no words coming to him. Finally he digs into a pocket for a few silver coins, tosses them inside and props the door up in the rickety frame.
As Raxus stands in the doorway he sees the man, once more speechless, the boy sitting with an empty plate in from of him and the girl grinning at his appearance Monsta' Billy ate his food you don' eat him!
"You did good Billy." Raxus says before setting the door back in place. Looking over his shoulder to the bodies he'd left scattered about, he frowned. No reason to make these people clean up our mess he thought and began dragging them around toward the rest.
Desmond goes out of his house once more, this time he carries a shovel on his shoulder. He approaches the yet conscious man and say
Well boyo, you'd better be good at digging cos' I've got a lot of compost that needs to be put under the ground he turns his head around looking at the party And don't you tell me to dig the holes on my own or I will make sure you get no more news from me, and you are going to need all the information you can get if you wanna survive