Shi briefly checks the front door and quietly determines that it is locked, then slips to the eastern alley, onto the precarious-looking wooden boardwalk extending over the embankment.
A slippery boardwalk clings to the side of the fishery, held together by barnacle-encrusted pilings that have had half of their thickness worn away below the waterline twelve feet below.
Magdo follows along with the other woman, looking for anything BAD.
Her nerves making her louder than she has been in a long time. If she can she'd like to see if she can determine the quality of the lock.
As Magda approaches the part of the dock where Shi is examining the door, they both start to hear the wood of the slippery boardwalk under their feet creak and groan alarmingly...
Coming to the edge of the building Shi presses close to the building and looks around the corner where she spots a ship. She scans the deck to see if there is any signs of activity before quietly retreating back to the group to tell then what she has found.
As she makes her way back she catches her foot on one of the loose planks and with them being so slippery falls on the boardwalk. It takes her a moment to pry her foot loose and get back up before making her way back to the group.
The rotten deck of this ancient sailing ship seems to be barely intact; its hull is worn and thick with seaweed and barnacles. The ship is held together primarily by the layers of old rope that lash it securely to the pilings that support the fishery and the nearby boardwalk. The rickety walkway leads along the ship’s starboard, a foot below its railing.
Shi is able to return to the group, no worse for wear, as Magpie looks at the lock.
It appears to be a simple lock.
Magpie makes it back a few seconds after the new woman. "Locks are simple enough, but..." she looks a little embarrassed "... I'm more of a break a door open with a spike that quietly doing so without Everyone hearing me.
I can try though, unless anyone has a better idea." she looks like she hopes someone has a better idea.
Once Shi is back she notes "The boardwalk is hazardous, I think we should avoid it. There is a docked ship, but it is in ruins and seems to be unusable. Seems like the direct approach is going to be the best."
She moves up to the side door and checks it for traps and to see if it is locked. If there are traps or locks she will work on disabling them.
Kaliyah listens to the scouts report quietly. "A direct approach it is, lead the way Hidden Tail."
Kaliyah closes her eyes and draws in a long breath, focusing herself for the task ahead. She's dreamed of this moments for six long months and she isn't going to let it escape her. The only way this ends is with Lammm dead on the floor.
Krovax nods and readies his spear and shield before following along to the door. If the masked scout manages to unlock the door, Krovax opens it and enters, shield up.
Vera just tries to get out of the way, clutching her crossbow nervously.
Letting the big armored people go first makes a lot of sense to Magda, not even needed the city's whispers on that one. She'll follow the others.
Deftly, Shi clicks open the simple lock on the front door, opening the well-lit interior. A single desk sits in the middle of this room, with a moldy chair pushed up against it. A small pile of ratty furs and straw is heaped under the desk. A dog sitting under the desk perks up its ears when the door is opened, and immediately starts growling at Shi.
Krovax steps up and thrusts his spear forward, trying to end the dog before it can bark a warning.
She is about to move in when Krovax steps up and impales the dog. She waits to see if the noise attracted anyone else's attention.
Krovax swiftly moves into the room and impales the dog under the desk in one vicious stab, skewering it through the throat.
Marcus was as a statue until the scouts came back. He nods grimly at their report, and moves up with Krovax to provide a frontline.
He was ready for trouble, but keeping one eye on Krovax slowed his reflexes and he was caught on the front foot as he entered the room.
Kali can't see inside the room and calls out in a whisper "What was that? Is that a dog? Are there anymore in there?"
She delays until there are additional enemies that appear.
Marcus stares down at the skewered dog. Now. is an auspicious omen. The wall of a man slowly reaches back, drawing the immense sword resting on his back. He enters the room slowly and begins scanning it, looking for anything of interest.
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Vera moves to get a better view of the inside and sees dog on a stick. She cringes at the sight. , but remains ready to hinder anyone who might make an appearance.
Magda likes the back, so many people to deal with the growls before she can even see a thing. Deciding there are enough people in this room, she'll break off and encircle the building in case lamm makes a break for it.
The rear door opens up to reveal a narrow hallway. The door itself is opened by a (relatively) finely dressed human with blond hair and a rat face. He appears confused at first, but he sees the dog impales on Krovax’ spear and sputters, ”my dog!!! You killed Bloo!” before he fumbles for a moment, drawing a sickly looking green vial from his pouch and throwing it at Krovax, angrily. It seems to bubble as it arcs through the air. He then shouts as the acid splashes down around Krovax and he see’s Krovax’ imposing figure.
Magpie hears and recognizes Yargin’s sneering, cowardly shriek of fear.
Well, there goes the alarm anyways. Marcus enters calmly, raising a brow at Krovax's armor bubbling. He locks gazes with the rat-faced man, standing with his greatsword resting on his shoulder. Despite the outbreak of violence he continues to scan the area as if evaluating the situation.
There’s little else in the room beyond the desk, the dog bed, and the now-dead dog.
Shi moves in with her blade drawn and heads toward the man who just splashed acid on her hoping to put him down quickly.
The man’s skin seems to be thicker than you expect, and he’s moving faster as well, but Shi manages to slice into one of the man’s flailing arms, causing him to shriek in pain more. He looks to be eyeing the open doorway behind him.
The noise and alert was what Kali was waiting for, moving into the room in the corner and firing her arrow on the run as she does so. As she runs past Krovax, she takes note of a substance burning away at him and gasps. "Krovax! Are you okay!?"
Kali is able to land a shot with her bow, which thwacks into the thigh of the shrieking man.
Some indistinct noises emanate from the room to the north , and Yargin furtively looks toward it, before cursing under his breath.
"Please, calm down, screaming will only make things worse," says young Vera to the man. Worse for us, anyway, she thinks.
Vera focuses on the man's aura, seeking to alter his conscious state to one of serenity even as the people around him seek to murder him.
Kali shoots a sidelong glance over her should to Vera. Is she seriously trying to reason with the man we are shooting after we just murdered his dog? This lady has serious comprehension disabilities.
The blond man shakes off the effect and shrieks again, ”magic! they have magic!” babbling with wild-eyed abandon.
"Yargin Yelling. imagine that...." she says to the city as she hurries around to the other door. Yargin will be missed by no one, but Bloo wasn't at fault for his master being a total asshat.
As she rounds the corner, she stops. The door is ajar, enough to see some kids. What HE'D call his kids.
A fifteen-foot-wide loading dock abuts the side of the building here. A few carts sit nearby, partially loaded with large, tar-caked barrels marked with a fish-shaped splotch of red paint on the side. Double doors to the immediate south of the loading dock’s ramp provide access to the building’s interior, while a rickety flight of stairs descends ten feet to a point just three feet over the river’s surface, where a simple door provides a secondary entrance.
The stink from this room, a mixture of fish and sweat, is enough to make the eyes water. To the east, a large wooden trough holds a hideous mound of half-rancid fish, seaweed, and brine. Filthy river water and fish blood stain the floor around this trough. A pair of wooden chutes lead from this trough through holes in the eastern wall into a larger room beyond. To the west, a desk and chair sit in one corner while a tall cabinet sits in the other.
There are five of Lamm’s Lambs in the room, four with pitchforks, and one apparently unarmed, facing the southern door, and holding their improvised weapons out towards the door.
Magpie grins at seeing Jesse and Ollie, still alive, though not looking good. Alive though meant possibilities. A future, but not if they wave those pitchforks at the steel vengeance brigade in the other room.
She's about to yell out to them to come this way until she notices the kid without the pitchfork, hovering near the back, nearest to the open door, looking all scared and ready to bolt...
isn't a kid. It is Hookshanks.
"You're a lookout, filthy half blood." the gnome leered "Lookouts shouldn't be able run without yelling to us now should they?" the memory sliced deep as did his knife across the bottom of her feet on that day, and on so many days after that. Holding in her screams was the only defense she had, the only thing she could take from him, back then.
She couldn't let him get away, couldn't let him live.
And as soon as she is close enough she'll lash out with her whip to trip the horrid little creature.
The leather slaps hard across his leg, wrapping with a snap, and the broad shouldered teenager pulled hard, yelling loudly "Jesse, Ollie, the rest of you. GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" she hopes they listen while the evil evil gnome is down on his ass.
Or at least the other vengeance-ers hear her and come help out.
Magpie shouts at the kids she knows, who notices her immediately, and then she drops the disguised gnome on his rear end. Ollie takes the opportunity while Hookshanks is distracted, to run over to the slurry, and he screams, ”this is for Kester!” and he grabs some with his pitchfork, and hurls it in the eyes of the gnome!
Hookshanks screams, ”what!? When I get through with you...” as he sits and frantically tries to clear the grime out of his eyes. The other Lambs turn towards him, amazed at what just happened, and appear to be readying their pitchforks to stab the gnome in the gullet.
Krovax grits his teeth against the pain from the man’s attack. He mutters a ape and heals all of the initial wounds. Before he begins stalking towards him.
Frantically, Yargin withdraws from the menacing creature in front of him, scurrying away and out of sight.
"I'm going in!" Kali shouts as she dashes forward past everyone onto the catwalk in the next room to the north. She sees a room full of kids and shouts back to her the re-vengers "I SEE KIDS? AM I shooting kids?!" before locking sight on patchface. "Nevermind! I'm going for patchface!"
Kali moves into the area where Yargin retreats, and sees the room descend into a lower level. The floor here is slick with river water, bits of seaweed, and fish blood, and the air is thick with the accompanying scents. Wooden catwalks to the north and south allow access between the western part of the fishery and the floor of the room, which is ten feet lower. A wide opening in the floor to the south allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water of the Jeggare River a further three feet down, while to the northwest stands an immense eightfoot-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. Inside is a foul-looking mixture of chum, river water, and who knows what else. To the east are stacked many barrels and crates, each with a fish painted on it. Over a dozen small hammocks hang
from under the catwalks, each with its own ratty blanket and pillow.
However, the children remarkably, seem not intimidated by the half-orc, and drop their pitchforks, scuttling away from him.
The half-orc on the lower floor chuckles to himself and points his vicious-looking flail at the children, saying "hehehe, defend us, little lambs, or papa will be so sad." Grinning maniacally, he points at the form of Kali as walks on the catwalk.
Just as soon as the half-orc says this, the woman looses an arrow at him, winging him on the arm. He touches the area where he was shot, and feels the blood, "oooh, so slippery and slimy, just like the fish!"
Kali shakes her head at Patchface "Careful! He's using the kids as shields! He is definitely short in the intelligence department too! Hey fuzzy tail, get your hoppity-ass in here!"
Knowing the general layout of the outside Shi knows she must be close to the front door. Instead of chasing behind the man that Kali was already running after she opens the door in front of her to try and cut him off in case he tries to escape out the front.
Shi tries to open the door in front of her, but when she does, she can see that something heavy is in front of it and it doesn’t budge more than about an inch. She cannot see very far into the room.
With the door barred shut she instead moves to follow Kali. When he sees the kids her eyes grow sad she calls out to them "Don't be foolish and raise arms against us, your captors will soon be dead, help us to turn the tide against them and we will see you freed and taken care of."
The assembled kids do not react, at the moment. They seem confused.
What an absolute f*@#ing mess. I should have taken control of this group before tagging along. He grabs Krovax by the shoulder, then points to the door left of him . "Go through that way, make sure there is no escape. We don't want Lamm getting away." With that said he pushes past, marching forward and through Shi as well. But instead of moving down the stairs he places a hand on the railing, then leaps over!
He crashes into the floor below, causing several cracks in the floorboards as he straightens up and levels his frown at the half-orc hiding behind the children.
Hookshanks curses in Gnome as he sits and tries to wipe the fish slurry out of his eyes, ” くそー、私はあなたの耳を引き裂きます、私はあなたの足を切り取ります！”
” Damn you, I'll rip off your ears, I'll cut off your feet!”
In Taldan, he turns to where Magpie was, and screams ”And I’ll save you for last, you b*%&h, so you can watch the others die first. If you think your feet hurt last time – imagine how they’ll feel flayed off!”
As he sits there, the other kids, heartened by Madga’s return and Ollie’s successful blinding, attack Hookshanks and attempt to impale him with their pitchforks.
Only Ollie is able to connect, but he nods grimly at Madga.
Lamm’s Lambs present in the room stand there in shock at the heavily armored man that crashed down from the catwalk for a few moments, but appear to be raising their pitchforks to menace the half-orc, though they do not attack yet.
Meanwhile, the half-orc giggles at Marcus, ”Oh, I remember you. You killed that girl at the dock!” He snickers, ”Too bad the guard came so soon… how was jail, did you make any new friends?” A smile spreads across his face as he chortles happily, then lunges forward and attempts to bludgeon Marcus in the head with his flail.
Giggles is able to connect a solid blow to Marcus’ head, which leaves his ears ringing.
Vera heads into the building as the combat quickly moves into another room. She sees Krovax removing the acid burns on himself. Wow, he knows magic, too?
No time to worry about that, though. Seeing a new enemy, she tries the same magical trick from before, directed at the mad, giggling half-orc. Come on, work this time, she thinks to herself, as she focuses intently.