Cimri laughs. "I guess you were too busy thinking about the work to hear Vigo's panting and moaning as we walked here," she ribs Sicaria. "I'd have offered to help carry something, but it was simply too funny to stop."
"But I like this ladder. How we get back out is certainly a good question Wolfgang. Maybe some of that rope our wonderful pack mule is carrying around?" She nods. "After you. Remember, the job is to get inside and ransack Louslik's office. A dead man can't pay taxes."
Sicaria gives Cimri a genuinely confused look followed by a shrug.
”My attention was on other things, such as a plan to get inside.”
Vigo returns Cimri's comment with a grin. "The day I let you carry my goods Miss Staelish is the day I bid them farewell. Ladder in, rope out seems like a sensible enough plan." Without pause he begins rummaging through his pack and withdraws the rope, tying knots at every foot to make it easier to climb.
Cimri helps Vigo with the knots, her fingers quick and deft. "Sicaria, Nomed, find a good place for that ladder and get it set up," she directs. "I'll watch our tails and set the rope up in case we need a quick escape. You all get inside and get the job done. Can't leave this stench behind us fast enough."
Sicaria exhales, deep in thought. She is silent for but a second before she speaks once again.
”If we’re to leave a message it would be best to do so in that office of his. The northeast corner might be our best bet. Secluded enough for us to slip in. The only thing I’m hesitant of is the guard dog, and even that’s a minor bump in the road. Other than the dog it seems all we have to worry for are the gong farmers and perhaps Louslik himself. I find those odds good.”
Wolfgang nods. "Sounds like a piece of cake. It probably won't be, but we're as ready for it as we're going to get." He gestures at the ladder with a nod to Sicaria. "I would be happy to scout ahead, but if you would like to go first, please be my guest."
Vigo climbs the ladder, quietly muttering. "We may have to kill the pup. Hope you all aren't squeamish."
Wolfgang rolls his eyes. "We're getting paid to burgle a s%+# factory, Vigo. What gives you the idea any of us might be squeamish? But I agree, I'll be surprised if we don't need to kill the hound."
Sicaria takes out a black scarf and wraps it many times around the lower part of her face—the woman finds it clears her mind if her face is covered, even if it doesn’t hide her identity particularly well; keeping out the stench is also a bonus. The human plops down on the other side of the wall. She listens to Vigo’s muttering and smirks.
”Well, if it is a message that needs to be sent and the hound is a casualty, it would be a shame to let the remains go to waste…”
She leaves the thought tensely hanging in the air as she pulls out a pair of daggers—one of cold iron and one of alchemical silver—each with serrations along their blades. She instinctively wields them in a reverse grip without even noticing.
”Let’s go!”
Moving with the party Wolfgang keeps his eyes and ears open for potential threats and makes his way slowly and quietly to the building housing Louslik’s office.
Seeing Sicaria wielding her twin daggers, Wolfgang draws his rapier and holds it ready as they proceed.
As the scoundrels creep into the muddy yard, they spy cart furrows and disturbing stains marring the ground.Around the perimeter, murky water pools in rows of sunken tubs. Unspeakable muck encrusts each vat and half-submerged skins float within. From these scabby concoctions drifts a sinus-assaulting reek - a dizzying miasma of rotten eggs, lime, and far worse.
Sicaria, Vigo, and Wolfgang start gagging from the stench, but over the sounds of retching Nomed hears the sound of growling and laughter. "What's that, Abbie?" a creaky, bouncy voice asks. "Pippa's fallen down a well, you say?"
"Oh stuff a cork in it you old geezer," an equally ancient cackle answers. "Maybe she smells that ol' cat again."
Near the gate, a pair of elderly gong farmers stand paused in the process of unloading their cart. Their eyes follow a large dog that is advancing towards the trespassers.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Vigo (Nauseated 1/??)
Sicaria (Nauseated 1/??)
Nomed
Blue
Yellow
Wolfgang (Nauseated 1/??)
Red
Sicaria thankfully only initially dry heaves, not ruining the scarf around her mouth.
This is much worse than I thought it’d be!
The woman moves over behind the office building and lowers her makeshift mask as she loses her lunch.
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Nomed barely makes a face at the reeking stench permeating the tannery yard.
Hiding in the cart full of s#@* was worse than this..
Nomed moves over to stand by Sicaria, his instincts kicking in he stands guard to react should the large dog or even the s%&~ farmers come within range of his deadly beak!
"Gods and Devils, it smells like Pazuzu's privy!"
Clutching his stomach and holding his breath, Wolfgang staggers around the corner of the office building seeking cover, only to find Sicaria and Nomed - the former vomiting, the latter in no apparent distress - hiding there already.
"Dammit," the tiefling chokes out, glaring at the enormous tengu. "Thought you two were supposed to be the muscle on this ..."
The rest of Wolfgang's thought goes unspoken, as he spews forth a fountain of bile against the wall.
The half-elf joins his companions in retching next to the fence, the food and cheap wine from the tavern dribbling back down his chin. From the yard, the gong farmers cackle. "Oi, we got ourselves some mighty large cats tonight!"
"Mighty sick ones too - they must have seen your face and lost their suppers!"
Furious barking joins the laughter as the miscreants feel the nausea fading - though the smell still sets their limbs shaking.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Vigo (Sickened 1/??)
Sicaria (Sickened 1/??)
Nomed
Blue
Yellow
Wolfgang (Sickened 1/??)
Red
Stupid mutt will give us away!
Despite the bitter taste of vomit still lingering in her mouth, Sicaria moves gracefully yet quickly to the barking hound. She takes a swipe with her dagger to silence it!
As Sicaria and Nomed enter the yard, they are greeted with uproarious laughter and gifts of chamber pots sent flying at their faces...
...and while the pot itself doesn't hurt Sicaria badly, the flith inside splashes onto her hands and skin.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Blue
Yellow
Vigo (Sickened 1/??)
Sicaria (-1 Nonlethal, Sickened 1/??)
Nomed
Wolfgang (Sickened 1/??)
Red
Sicaria manages to dodge one of the oncoming chamber pots, but is hit squarely in the face by the other!
The horrid aroma enters her nostrils as she tries desperately to control her gag reflex.
Wolfgang hears the fighting start and chokes back another spasm. Can't afford to look bad on this job, he thinks. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he turns to look across the factory yard at the tanning vats on the south side. He hears a clang and a splash, followed by Sicaria yelling.
Nothing for it. Let's go.
Staggering a bit from the smell, Wolfgang darts across the yard into the gap between two of the vats.
Sicaria manages to not gag at the contents of the chamber pot as Wolfgang moves stealthily through the yard.
"Oi! These cats just keep coming!"
"Oh, is that a cat? I thought it was your mother for a second, come back from the grave and looking better than she ever did alive!"
Vigo yells at the dog threatening Sicaria...
...and the animal whimpers - but still tries to bite at the invader next to her...
...but the assassin twists away before the dog's teeth can land.
"What 'n tarnation is going on here!?"
The office door opens, and a man stands bewildered in the doorway with a heavy crossbow in one hand. He shakes off his confusion and throws something at the ground between Vigo and Nomed...
...that explodes in a sharp BANG, deafening the two miscreants.
"Jabral sure knows how to make an entrance."
"What can we say - he's a natural showman!"
A smaller dog rushes out from between the man's legs, attacking Vigo...
...but its teeth bounce off the half-elf's armored shins. The gong farmers send more pots flying at the terrifying tengu...
...but the fragile clay containers smash on the ground, leaving small piles of refuse that melt into the muddy yard.
Round 3! Bold may act!
Blue
Yellow
Vigo (Deafened, Sickened 2/??)
Sicaria (-1 Nonlethal, Sickened 2/??)
Nomed (Deafened)
Wolfgang (Sickened 2/??)
Red (Demoralized)
Green
Cyan
Stomach still roiling from the stench, Wolfgang yanks his bow from his shoulder and quickly nocks an arrow. Hands shaking, he takes aim and fires.
Sicaria shoots a glance over her shoulder and curses under her breath.
I was hoping to not reveal my affiliation, but with us being attacked on all sides, I guess I have no choice.
The red-haired woman steps away from the dog and drops both of her daggers as she reveals a necklace with a pendant of crimson-dyed oak wood depicting a pair of crisscrossed mantis claws. Dark red magical energy dances between her fingers as she utters in an almost mesmerized voice.
”May the Blood Mantis Guide my hand toward my goal—let my blades be stained as the carapace of He Who Walks in Blood!”
Sicaria moves both sides of her cloak in a sweeping motion to reveal the sheathed weapons at her hips. She places her hands on the hilts—her right hand on the weapon on her right hip and her left hand on the weapon on her left hip—and draws the swords with points pointed toward the ground, revealing the heavy serrations upon the longswords.
The woman assumes an odd fighting stance—she hunches her back while keeping on the balls of her feet, to move at a moment’s notice. Her blades hypnotically sway through the air as she continually shifts her center of gravity, ready to strike at any moment.
Vigo scowls darkly at the new pup...
...and it whimpers too. The first dog growls and lunges at Sicaria...
...but her eyes follow the weaving blades instead of the woman wielding them and she catches only air in her teeth. A sharp whistle from the man in the doorway sends the other dog at the assassin, while he takes aim at Vigo...
...and while the bolt catches the half-elf in the chest and knocks him over into the muddy yard, it remains sticking too far out of his breastplate to have struck an internal organ. "Hooligans! Bandits! Get outta 'ere!" he yells as he slides another bolt into his crossbow.
Meanwhile, Sicaria finds herself the target of a charging dog...
...but this one shies away at the last second, the memory of the mean half-elf still fresh in his memory.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in! I've never seen such a mess of feathers since you bought that ghastly hat a few years back." Crash!
"That was my grandmother's favorite bonnet, and you know I was wearing it just so everyone wouldn't ask me if I knew I was being followed by a ghastly swamp creature." Smash!
"Oi!"
The gong farmers step back and launch more projectiles at the tengu, but they seem more interested in bickering like an old married couple than hitting their target.
Round 4! Bold may act!
Blue
Yellow
Vigo (-10 (-1), Unconscious, Bleeding out, Deafened, Sickened 3/??)
Sicaria (-1 Nonlethal, Sickened 3/??)
Nomed (Deafened)
Wolfgang (Sickened 3/??)
Red (Demoralized)
Green
Cyan (Demoralized)
Sicaria glances back to see Vigo unconscious on the ground, but her face shows no emotion or concern—her focus is singular now that her blades have been drawn. Not that she could do anything about Vigo at this moment. She moves swiftly, striking at the hounds about her with her blades!
She steps away from the dogs, and subsequently toward the crossbowman.
|
|
With Vigo now unconcious the urgency of the situation goes from annoying to very dire. The constant barrage of s#&% pots, along with his companions near fatal injury, trigger the tengu's suppressed fury.
Release me from my pain, and deliver it upon my foes tenfold
Nomed begins to reach slowly, his clawed hand almost trembling, and removes the cloth wrapped from around his forehead. Fully exposed, a third, mutated red eye begins to slowly open up from the tengus forehead. The eye sets its intense, soul piercing gaze upon on the old man, focusing on him. Nomed's demonic taint now unleashed, he bellows out a loud, guttural screech into the air...
"SCCRRAWWWWWW.."
His muscles swelling with corruption, the tengu moves swiftly to be in front of the farmer, appearing in a blur and unleashing his claws and beak equally as fast!
Now that could turn out to be useful!
Wolfgang stares at Nomed's transformation for a moment before turning back to the newcomer with the crossbow.
Ah, s&*%, the little a@#@**! is down! The boss isn't going to like that. Maybe it's time to ... No. As long as the others are still fighting, I'm going to stick this out. Maybe we can even save the poor bastard.
Still shaky from the stench, the tiefling tries to focus on Jabral and lets another arrow fly.
Sicaria's blades taste blood, and with a whimper the dog falls to the ground. "Abbie!" the man yells before a bolt from Wolfgang catches him in the shoulder. Over by the cart, Nomed flies into a rage and knocks the old man down with a single swipe of his massive claws.
"That's the ticket, birdbrain."
A familiar voice, muffled behind a scarf, emerges from the shadows as Cimri drops the other gong farmer. "Try not to kill anyone though - bad for business." She doesn't seem to realize that the tengu is unable to hear her.
In the muck, Vigo tries to keep himself from dying...
...and the half-elf's breathing steadies. "Begone, ya ruddy pests!" Jabral hollers as he points his crossbow at Sicaria...
...and it is the assassin's turn to fall! The remaining dog growls and races at Wolfgang...
...tearing at the rogue's throat in a fury of fur and fangs.
Round 5! Bold may act!
Blue (-8, Unconscious, Stable)
Yellow (-8, Unconscious, Bleeding Out)
Vigo (-10 (-1), Unconscious, Stable, Deafened, Sickened 4/??)
Sicaria (-11, Unconscious, Bleeding Out, Sickened 4/??)
Nomed (Deafened)
Wolfgang (-3, Sickened 4/??)
Cimri
Red (-14, Unconscious, Stable, Demoralized)
Green
Cyan (Demoralized, Charged)
A crossbow bolt flies and lodges itself into Sicaria's shoulder blade, sending the woman crashing to the ground!
"Urk!" Wolfgang grunts at the dog's bite, then slides away, moving a step closer to Vigo to fire an arrow at the angry mutt.
After firing, the tiefling drops his shortbow and draws his rapier to fend off any other attackers.
"Right, next we... Oh for crying out loud!" Cimri's musings are cut short by the sight of Sicaria and Vigo's unconscious bodies in the muck. Pulling a softly-glowing bottle out of her pouch, she heads towards the fallen warpriest.
Jabral blanches visibly as Nomed lumbers into view, then slams the door shut in the tengu's face. The sounds of sliding padlocks can be heard even through the thick wooden door. The dog, angry enough to ignore the arrow in its side, continues after Wolfgang...
...but its rage does not give it precision, and its snapping teeth catch only air.
Round 6! Bold may act!
Blue (-8, Unconscious, Stable)
Yellow (-8, Unconscious, Stable)
Vigo (-10 (-1), Unconscious, Stable, Deafened, Sickened 5/??)
Sicaria (-11 (-2), Unconscious, Stable, Sickened 5/??)
Nomed (Deafened)
Wolfgang (-3, Sickened 5/??)
Cimri
Red (-14, Unconscious, Stable, Demoralized)
Green (-2)
Cyan (-1, Demoralized)
Sicaria continues her dreams of unconsciousness.
Gods and demons, I'd rather be fighting goblins than these damned dogs!
Wolfgang lunges at the dog with his blade.
Wolfgang and Nomed make quick work of the other dog as Cimri forces Sicaria's mouth open and pours the contents of the vial down her throat. "Wakey wakey," she mutters as she tilts the assassin's head back to allow the liquid to run down Sicaria's throat. "No sleeping 'til we get paid, no pay 'til we finish the job. Can you get big mouth back on his feet?"
Round 7! Bold may act!
Vigo (-10 (-1), Unconscious, Stable, Deafened, Sickened 6/??)
Sicaria (-6, Prone, Sickened 6/??)
Nomed (Deafened)
Wolfgang (-3, Sickened 6/??)
Cimri
Green (-2)
Cyan (-12, Unconscious, Bleeding Out, Demoralized)
Sicaria opens her eyes and listens to the woman facing her.
"Unfortunately...not...I can only do so much, and that's not one."
The woman surveys her surroundings and an idea forms in her mind.
"Cimri, how do you feel about adding some breaking into this breaking and entering?"
Wolfgang deliberates for a moment, then sighs to himself.
You'd better be worth it, little man.
He pulls a scroll out of his pack and reads off a spell, touching Vigo lightly on the head. For a moment, the half-elf seems to blaze with hellfire before the worst of his wounds slowly begin to close. The tiefling lets go of the scroll as it crumbles to dust and wipes his hand on his trousers.
"That's all the healing magic I have," Wolfgang says. "Better hope nobody else gets hurt."
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|
Nomed slumps over, beads of sweat running down his plumed chest. His breathing is ragged and harsh, the exhaustion from the taint pumping adremaline into his blood taking its toll on his stamina. The large tengu reaches and ties his cloth around his forehead, the mutated eye slowly closing as the wrap covers its presence. Nomed takes a second to survey the carnage as he catches his breath
Wolfgang's stomach lurches again as he pulls a well-used set of lockpicks from his pack. "I'm going to need a few seconds to get that lock open. Nomed, can you cover me?" The tiefling notices the tengu's heavy breathing and slumped posture. Not realizing Nomed has been deafened by the thunderstone, he asks, "Dispater's Bowels, you look terrible. Is the stink finally getting to you?"
Wolfgang staggers across the yard to the door Jabral has locked. Assuming someone - Nomed, Sicaria, Vigo, or Cimri - covers him to make sure he isn't surprised by a crossbow bolt from one of the windows, he begins working on getting the door open.
Wolfgang's hands shake as he fights off another bout of nausea. He fumbles with the picks, then tries to steady himself for another attempt.
"Oh, did you expect the door would be wide open for you to waltz though as you climbed over the fence?" Cimri replies, a grumpy scowl on her face as she helps the assassin to her feet. "I thought I was hiring people who could get the job done, not back out because of a minor inconvenience." She heads over to check on Vigo, patting Wolfgang appreciatively on the shoulder as they pass each other.