Verris shrugs at Lexi after she asks her question, saying “Don’t see that we need a leader. Haven’t had one so far and everything has went pretty well, fer the things we got into anyhow. Don’t see that havin’ one woulda changed anything so far.”
When the group starts coming toward them Verris narrows her eyes, suspecting trouble. She takes her bow off her shoulder, ready for trouble should it arise but not outright hostile. She replies to the woman with ”Lookin’ at yer group and what ye know, seems like ye could have attacked Natalya already but didn’t, probably because yer not sure ye can deal with what Natalya has prepared. Now, goin’ by the options you yerself just gave, either we’ve added to what Natalya has prepared fer any trouble or we’re already capable enough to just walk in and deal with it. Either way, don’t seem like that works out fer ye if you attack us. Do ye even know who we might be workin’ fer and what will happen to ye if ye attack us and manage to survive somehow? Don’t see that this needs to lead to bloodshed, we can just go our separate ways and everyone here wins!”
With his searching done, Gurk sits in the corner, testing his fire stones to see if they still work after the lack of fire before. Gurk want to set fire faster.
"That seems reasonable," Lexi chimes in. "We can probably work out some sort of deal."
"By the way, I love your hair! And your armor's awesome, too!"
Temmer frowns, pulling Lady Dusk behind him so he stands between her and the new trio. He takes the time while Verris talks to study the nearest man .
He frowns, wishing they'd found some healing. He hadn't been expecting another fight so quickly, the more the fool he. Nonetheless, he tenses, ready to fight if he has to.
The woman eases her grip on her whip for a moment as the two women talk to her. "Well, you obviously don't know who I'm working for and if I let Natalya slip away when she is so close I might as well tie my own noose. How about this, You turn her over and I'll pay you, we avoid a fight and it's a win-win all around."
The woman at least seems willing to talk at this point.
Being skinny, a weakling, and currently sick, Amelexis is easily pulled back by Adistan and repositioned behind the Andoran sailor. So many options and courses of action are cycling through the little brainiac's head that she seems currently unable to reply to the woman's offer...but does seem to be seriously considering it.
Stall? Yell for help? Attack?
"We need her for the moment, I'm afraid, and can't give her up for vigilante justice," Temmer says, despite his inclination to let what he assumes is a Sczarni gang deal with the woman who's caused so much trouble.
Damn! You're such a goody-goody, Adistan! Even worse than I am...or used to be.
When the woman had said, 'You obviously don't know who I'm working for,' Lexi's willingness to bargain had started to suddenly slip away.
With as hard an edge as is possible for someone with a voice as squeaky and twerpy as hers, Lexi backs up Adistan's words by scoffing, "Especially to a bunch of unremarkable humans, no-account rabble led by someone else's third-rate underling...."
Verris winces as the others antagonise the woman in the middle of the negotiations. "Sorry. As ye can see, my friends here are right passionate about completin' our job. We're in a similar situation to ye I'm afraid. Can't just give her up but, maybe ye can tell us who yer workin' fer and why they want Natalya and we can come to some sort of agreement and everybody wins. I have an idea, mind ye, but better to be sure."
The woman shrugs "If you aren't smart enough to take a hint, then it's your loss, guess we will just have to settle this the old fashion way." She let's out a sharp whistle as the men move to attack.
In addition to starting her naturalist bardic performance to aid her friends against the gang of humans, Lexi steps up to Adistan's side (to allow Verris to drop back and pepper their foes with arrows, if she so desires). She also draws Natalya's mithral shortsword and screams bloody murder for her comrades still in the hideout to join the battle.
Verris sighs as the woman decides to fight. "Just remember. I tried to prevent this!" she shouts over to the woman before firing an arrow at one of her companions (green).
She shouts over her shoulder towards Natalya's hideout to alert the party members that are still inside. "Davor. Bixby. Gurk. We have company. They wanna take Natalya."
Turning to Lexi and Adistan she says "We should try to move back to the building. The others will be able to help us faster that way!"
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Bixby makes his way back across the plank to investigate Lexi's bloodcurdling scream. Seeing trouble, he moves his illusion out the door, this time re-forming as his Natalya look-alike.
Though it doesn't look just like her, hopefully with the distance they won't know...
'Natalya' exits the building with her hands up, as if she's prepared to surrender.
Bixby makes his way outside after hearing the call for help. Lexi starts up her performance once again as she steps next to Adistan. Verris let's loose an arrow that sticks into one of the thugs but doesn't seem to stop him from advancing. When Bixby's illusion comes out the blonde woman shouts out "Kill these fools and then kill Natalya!"
The three men advance on Lexi, Adistan and Verris. Also, from behind a door opens from the leanto that was next to Natalya's hideout as two more men come out to join the fight, hearing the woman's order they circle around the building to move toward the fake Natalya.
One of the thugs lands a solid blow on Verris and drops her to the ground. Another hits Adistan but not nearly as hard. The final one misses Lexi.
Hearing the noise, Gurk follows the fake shortshank outside to see the men running at them. "Gurk stab now? Or not stab?" Gurk calls as he moves at them.
Lexi's eyes widen and her jaw drops as the lowly thugs advance, dropping Verris and adding to Adistan's injuries. How is this possible? This woman and her muscle were supposed to be nothing more than third-rate lackeys, not capable combatants!
A bit belatedly, Lexi begins to suspect that something's not quite right about the way she's been reasoning things lately...but then her poor judgment again seems to get the best of her.
"By all means, stab away Gurk!" she calls to the goblin. "These thugs mean to kill your queen!"
HP 5/12
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 16
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1 (+2 vs. emotion spells, effects)
Effects: studied target (Blue), +1 insight bonus to AC, attack rolls, and saves vs. any spell-like/supernatural/extraordinary abilities these folks might have
"Stab, dammit!" Temmer encourages him, wishing rhe cumulative wounds weren't taking quite so much toll.
He slashes the nearest of the attackers, trying to cut him down and get to their leader.
"If you can do anything more, Lady Dusk, now's the time!" he implores.
Adistan slices into the thug in front of him. He leaves a significant injury but the thug still seems ready to fight. Gurk comes out to join the others in the fight.
The blonde woman with the whip sees the damage Adistan does and drops her whip as she pulls out a short sword and maneuvers herself behind him without opening herself up to an attack.
Lexi weighs her options. Surrender seems the wisest, but...she's never been particularly wise, and she still feels in her gut that she and her friends can't be defeated by some woman who admits she's just someone else's underling! "We've got this! she tells Adistan in a confident tone that she belatedly realizes seems to come not from her heart or mind but from...her backpack.
One foe at a time, she thinks, trying to stab the wounded thug with Natalya's sweet mithral blade. When her stab proves pathetically inept (How is that possible??!!), Lexi takes a step back to the east and shouts to Adistan, "If we cut off the head the snake will die!"
for
Verris manages to get a solid hit on one of the men, her arrow penetrating a weak point in his armour, to her satisfaction. Unfortunately, the man is much faster than Verris expected and he quickly crosses the distance to her before she can get her defences in place. She has just enough time for a surprised expression before the man's blow strikes her and darkness follows.
She collapses into a limp heap on the ground, chest rising and falling rapidly as if she struggles to get enough air into her lungs.
Davor moves out to join the others just in time to see Bixby cast a spell as brilliant colors wash over the thugs nearest them.
Both of them collapse to the ground unconscious. Verris continues bleed out into the dirty streets of Underbridge. As the thugs continue their assaults on those still standing. Two focus on Adistan while the third strikes out at Lexi.
Luckily for both Adistan and Lexi all of the thugs miss with their attacks.
Seeing the two longshanks that were close drop, Gurk decides to go stab the ones still standing. "Gurk go stab!" He rushes up behind the blonde longshank, preparing to shank her.
HP 5/12
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 16
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1 (+2 vs. emotion spells, effects)
Effects: studied target (woman), +1 insight bonus to AC, attack rolls, and saves vs. any spell-like/supernatural/extraordinary abilities these folks might have
Temmer nods at Lady Dusk's words, surprised as the callousness of them -- perhaps another effect of the item she's holding -- but also not able to disagree with the sentiment.
He takes a moment to refocus himself on the women between him and Gurk and slashes her.
Gurk rushes up to assist Adistan by distracting the woman as Adistan seizes the opportunity and stabs her with his blade.
The woman returns the favor and even though the injury is minor it is enough to drop Adistan to the ground.
Verris' breathing levels out for a moment but then returns to it's previously laboured rasp. The pool of blood beneath her gets a little bigger.
Lexi gasps and then yips as Adistan is dropped and Davor charges and impales the blonde woman in short order. There's a wild, panicked look in her aquamarine eyes, and it appears she's seriously considering fleeing the battle before she joins Verris and Adistan, dead or dying on the street.
Instead, she stands her ground, albeit rather shakily. Taking a more defensive stand, Lexi makes a weak stab in the woman's direction, doubtful that she can actually hurt her but hopeful that she can provide enough of a distraction for Gurk to slip a dogslicer blade between her ribs.
for
Davor charges the blonde woman and jabs his trident into her. It leaves a signifcant wound but she is still standing. Bixby starts tieing up one of the men while the battle rages behind him. Lexi strikes out at the woman as well, but she misses completely as she focuses on defending herself.
The thugs advance to attack Lexi.
Luckily none of the attacks connect though.
As the longshank's attention begins to shift toward Dusk, Gurk slips around by her ankles and swiftly stabs at her with both of his dogslicers.
Gurk slips behind the blonde woman and stabs up into her kidneys dropping her to the ground in his swift attack. Adistan struggles to stay on his feet but lashes out once again at the thug that had tried to attack him after he studies him for a moment.
He scrapes across the thugs armor and looks like he is about to collapse to the ground in the process as he opens one of his wounds further in the strike. However, he manages to stay on his feet, taking the pain and struggling on.
"You boys could always run away, you know," Lexi comments to the thugs as the blonde woman is dropped. "If they don't, feel free to end them," she tells her friends.
Instead of attacking any of the remaining thugs, the aasimar bard begins to call out in a sing-songy tone. "Verris! Though our mortal lives ebb and flow, your voyage is not over. Swim back through the murk to me."
Verris' chest continues to rise and fall rapidly and her bleeding continues unabated. It seems as though she did not hear Lexi at all.
Between Davors attack and bite he drops one of the thugs to the ground. Bixby finishes tying up another of the thugs then moves to come help with the others. Verris tries to sing Verris into not bleeding anymore but it doesn't seem to work as she continues to bleed out on the ground. With the blonde woman down and the tide of battle obviously turning against them, the two remaining thugs turn and run.
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Bixby has no inclination of running after the fleeing thugs.
"I have apprehended a pair of them--we can question them once they stop seeing stars. But someone should help Verris."
Stooping over her, he isn't sure what to do.
"That someone should not be as concerned about infections and communicable diseases as I am--"
Gurk grins as the cowardly longshanks run from his shanking of just one of them. Gurk win fight, cause Gurk is Gurk. Rather than waste energy running after the longshanks, Gurk climbs atop the longshank he had downed and stabs her with his dogslicers again just to be sure.
"Gurk stab longshanks like before. Now all be fixed. This why Gurk stab longshanks."
"Well, I'm more accustomed to and comfortable with using magic or a bit of mysticism to heal or at least stabilize the dying, but...we can't let Miss Verris die!"
Lexi does her darnedest to bandage Verris and cease her bleeding out. As Verris's breathing becomes more steady, Lexi's eyes widen in surprise. "By all the gods fair and foul...I think I did it!"
Verris' breathing evens out and the pained look on her face fades away. Lexi's bandaging seems to have stabilised Verris but she still remains unconscious.
As Lexi stops Verris's bleeding Gurk cuts the blonde womans throat for good measure. The two thugs that Bixby had tied up eventually start to come to.
As the two bound longshanks begin to stir, Gurk points one of his dogslicers at them. "Gurk stab them?"