The taller porter stepped into the room and looked at the scene. He produced a speckled grey stone with one hand and a water skin with the other. He placed the small stone in the skin - nothing happened.
Please be calling for backup, Cairee hoped, remembering how Voltus had given her similar instructions to contact him. He had said to use the pink stone in their room. Who would the speckled stone summon?
In the corner of Cairee's eye she could see one of the beams of light hit on the upper floor area. What looked like a clump of burned parchment with feathers sticking out of it filled out into its' full bird form. A feeling of confusion mixed with self-righteous fury came to her as Ousel hopped to her feet and took to the steaming air.
Aliss looked at the priest of Saiph and spat out, "WHO … ARE … YOU"
You'll find out, the cleric thought with cold, clear rage, mentally adding names to her List. Then two darts hit her, nearly knocking her over and, thankfully, bringing her attention back to the fight.
The relief of seeing Ousel lasted for a heartbeat. The appearance of the Blackbirds and the Porters were not stopping the fight and the little thrush could easily be taken out again. "Get help!" she cried, willing the bird to leave before she was caught in the crossfire.
Cairee turned to the tangle of fighters in front of her. She was mostly depleated - her connection with animals would serve no purpose in this battle. She had one prayer left to offer. She raised a hand, pointing a finger at Candor.
Prem watched as two icy bolts smashed into Kingsworthy. Then Tymythy cut a fierce slash across the dastard's chest. The colour drained from Kingsworthy's face and he fell to the floor just as the spear dancer raised to hit where he'd been standing.
The relief of seeing Ousel lasted for a heartbeat. The appearance of the Blackbirds and the Porters were not stopping the fight and the little thrush could easily be taken out again. "Get help!"
Ousel darted for the closed door to the hall and swooped about it unable to get it open.
Candor, focused on finishing her work with Dounia, managed to push out a, "Nnn - oooo".
Prem turned about and faced off with Simone, "Looks like the aristocrat's gone to bed and the work-a-days can get to business. I tell you it's hard to duel while curtseying." He had lost a lot of blood and winced as he moved but still looked down at Dounia and winked.
The relief of seeing Ousel lasted for a heartbeat. The appearance of the Blackbirds and the Porters were not stopping the fight and the little thrush could easily be taken out again. "Hide!" she cried, willing the bird to get safe before she was caught in the crossfire.
Ousel used the refresh of steam and the commotion in the room to dive around the room's perimeter and hide.
Dounia's burns were cooled, and then suddenly Tymythy was standing over her. There was a lot of shouting, and the clang of weapons, and then Kingsworthy was on the floor, dead or just unconscious, she didn't know. She did know that Prem and Tymythy were in terrible danger because of her, they all were. Because of her naivety, stupidity, and pride.
Lying on the floor wasn't an option. She threw herself between Tymythy and Prem, using her skill and her small size to slither between moving legs and gain her feet, a knife in each hand, ready to kill the entire group of these murderous sisters.
As Dounia attempted a subtle roll onto the corpse-still Kingsworthy, Simone and Candor tried and failed to get around Tymythy's guard-stance.
Candor couldn't hold out any longer. She glanced to Cairee and then turned and fled towards the corner of the room. For a moment, her back was turned on Tymythy and Prem and they each had an opening .
The woman who had dealt him an almost mortal wound made a move to a better position, perhaps thinking Tymythy was distracted by finishing off Kingsworthy, but he managed to notice the movement... and reacted by sheer instinct. The usriev came down in a heavy chop on the back of the woman's left knee, the wavy blade almost cutting off the leg in a spray of arterial blood.
As Tymythy swiped through with his usriev Prem thrusted home with his rapier. Tymythy's strike was so deep that he was sure he broke the bone! Prem's blade point pierced through the back of Candor's neck and emerged from her throat.
When he withdrew the blade she was already collapsing over the leg Tymythy had rendered useless. Candor fell forward into the wall and remained motionless on the floor. Her body at awkward angles to itself.
failed
missed
failed
Simone, ""
She made a desperate slash at Tymythy, which he easily evaded. Her wedge-shaped short blade collided with his waved edge and it went spinning out of her hand!
Patallia took a short step backwards and, seeing Zahra help down Kingsworthy, intoned he spell again, "TIER L'ARCH DE PEINE". Dark purple bolts struck the sorceress twice just as Aliss rushed up behind her, hooked her right leg with an ankus, and knocked her to the floor.
The two guards looked at the pool to the south and then to each other. They backed against the wall.
In the centre of the upper pool there was a ring like someone tapped a spoon against a crystal glass, only magnitudes louder. A blue expanding ripple grew outward. Three forms rose halfway out of the surface.
In the centre, looking like a half-drown cat, was the grey furred catfolk Nadj. To Nadj's left was a sturdy, well-muscled half-orc woman in loose robes. On his right was an olive-skinned elven woman, svelt and sharp-eyed. The three wore the same heavy leather bracers.
Nadj spoke like a general, "Temur, drop anyone who doesn't lay down their weapons. Patarcam, subdue any adept that tries to speak."
A slight pause, "And! …"
Temur and Patarcam responded sternly and in practiced unison, "Don't let you kill anybody."
Nadj blinked his eyes like he was trying to get used to the light. He raised his fists to his chest height. They were thickly gloved in water. His right palm turned into a blur and the water lashed out to strike Patallia. The force of the hit to her jaw almost felled the sorceress and was followed up by the water freezing about her body and locking her in a prison of ice.
Temur rushed from the water with impressive speed and darted in an unerring line until she was side-by-side with Prem and beside Simone.
Patarcam glided right in a smooth curve until she was standing nearly over Zahra and in reach of both Cairee and Aliss.
Prem was suddenly nose-deep in the emotionless expression of the half-orc Temur. He put his weapons to his sides and lowered them slowly, "Comon! If we knew you were invited to the ball we would have waited. But, honestly, I had to crash it, myself." He put his blades down and raised his empty hands.
Nadj spoke like a general, "Temur, drop anyone who doesn't lay down their weapons. Patarcam, subdue any adept that tries to speak."
A slight pause, "And! …"
Temur and Patarcam responded sternly and in practiced unison, "Don't let you kill anybody."
Tymythy was about to lash out at the last Sister who remained standing within his reach when the exotic trio appeared in a flash of azure light. The young hunter took a step away from Simone and did as instructed, leaning his usriev against the wall and crossed his arms. The reaction had been impressively quick - after all, hardly a minute had passed since they had rushed into the steam baths to turn the ambush intended to Dounia - or perhaps for Prem? - on its head.
"These two might yet survive," Tymythy said, nodding at the Kingsworthy's and Candor's bleeding bodies, "if provided aid. Perhaps long enough to explain themselves."
Candor started to flee at Cairee's command, only to be skewered by Prem and Tymythy. Blood gushed from her neck and knee as she collapsed on the floor. Cairee's stomach lurched at the sight and she had to swallow hard to stop from retching.
She turned her gaze away, and saw three figures emerge from the pool. The guards had called for backup! And just in time, as she had no more prayers to offer.
Patarcam glided towards her and Zahra. Cairee started to reach a hand to help her friend up off the floor. She saw Patallia suddenly hit by a jet of water and incased in ice. The cleric stopped in her tracks, closed her mouth and raised her hands. She did not want to be similarly 'subdued' by the elven woman.
Zahra cried out in pain before the wind was knocked out of her as she landed on her back. She instinctively put her hands up defensively as she expected further assault.
She was just about to scrabble away when figures emerged from the central pool. Relief visibly showed on her face as Nadj, Temur, and Patarcam arrived.
Hearing the authority and seriousness in the words spoken, she made no move to get to her feet and made sure her lips stayed firmly together. Now that her friends were no longer in mortal danger, there was no reason to accidentally provoke those who came to settle things.
Dounia screamed in rage as Patallia and Aliss ganged up Zahra. With Candor down, she figured that Tymythy and Prem could handle Simone. The burnt-skinned thief was launching herself across the room when everything went blue and tinkly. She ignored the obvious distraction, her attention laser focused on the Silken Sisters. In the back of her attention, she heard weapons being dropped, but she had a knife in each hand and wasn't going to be tricked.
She was raising for a strike when Cairee shouted, "Dounia! Stop" Her voice was so commanding that Dounia skidded to a halt and finally took in the room. That tabaxi looked familiar. And he was raising a fist covered in...water? And Patallia was already frozen? As she slowly realized that the danger was over, Dounia dropped her knives.
"They started it."
Temur was suddenly between Dounia and Aliss but saw Cairee's effect on her and was satisfied with keeping keen watch over the youngest Black Bird.
Patarcam moved to strike Cairee for speaking but held back. No spell was being cast. She glanced at Nadj who held his paw out in a gesture of 'Hold'.
Nadj walked out of the water and looked at Patallia. He listened for breath, nodded lightly to himself, and then looked about the room to assess it. He growled disappointment lightly.
Nadj, "Quiet, little desert bird. I can't take sides." He looked over at the fallen Zahra and then to Simone. "No matter where my spleen points. Be angry but use that anger to smelt your future. Tell it to the seneschal. Sugarcoat nothing."
He pulled out a pale pink stone and dropped it in one of the baths. He didn't rush to have Kingsworthy and Candor looked at but went over to Zahra and helped her off the floor. He put a claw to his mouth to mime 'shhhh'. His eyes were gentle but serious.
Temur went over to Candor's body, "This one's gone." Simone fell into a sitting position on the steps where she shivered and rocked.
Patarcam checked on Kingsworthy, "This one's near death."
Nadj, "Get the judge-healers. Save His Radiance the cost of a diamond." Temur rushed out with bewildering fleetness. "And for the burning Sa'eer's sake, someone turn off this steam!"
There were moments, perhaps minutes of quiet.
Dounia's adrenaline was up, and it was hard to just stand still and silent and wait. She had gone from the excitement of a clandestine meeting, to shock of betrayal, to the terror of mortal combat, to the fury of friends in danger, to waiting.
And poor Prem stood there, bleeding, still a quirk of a smile on his lips from his last joke.
She couldn't help herself, she took a step and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "You saved me, you big dummy!" she whispers. Then she turns to Tymythy, hesitates, then hugs him too. "You too, double dummy."
The pink rock - they were summoning Voltus. Good. Was it good? He seemed to be on their side. But would the Blackbird's involvement in...whatever had happened here....be understood or forgiven? Could they be kicked out of the games? Would that be a bad thing? There were two more to go and the likelihood of them all surviving felt less and less likely. She shifted nervously while she waited.
"Get the judge-healers. Save His Radiance the cost of a diamond."
Cairee raised her hand tentatively, aware that Patarcam was watching her closely. She gestured to herself, then to Kingsworthy, and mouthed help? Despite her anger at this senseless attack, it was hard for her to not offer aid where she could. Besides, it might gain them some favour with Voltus.
So they were not to speak before asked to say their piece? That made sense to yhe young warrior. So he planted his feet, straightened his pose and prepared to do nothing more than what was directly commanded until the seneschal was summoned... although he feared the mighty elven warrior might have had his fill and more of the Blackbirds for the day, concerned as he had been of the appearance of preferred treatment before.
Then she turns to Tymythy, hesitates, then hugs him too. "You too, double dummy."
The hug caught Tymythy by surprise. He flinched, then forced himself to relax. "Anytime," he murmured back, smiling. That's what companions were for, after all - looking after each other.