You can see a half dozen horses standing outside the trading post, reins tossed over a hitching post. A man was standing beside them but the moment he spotted you he hurried inside. It was clear he had saw your group coming up as he did so. Everything seemed normal enough until you saw the two gates handing askew from the front of the trading fort.
"hmmph...thats new."
You heard one of the driver's mutter when the doors became apparent. A signal was passed through the caravan and they all stopped about three hundred feet from the entrance.
"Smells like trouble."
Elsbeth Fortuna muttered glancing torwards your party. Clearly she was waiting to see your response.
Katsumi runs a hand over Yumiko's hair, then gently moves the sleeping woman so that she can scoot out from the seat.
"Yumiko's asleep at the moment, but I will gladly give them a... demonstration," says Katsumi, her fingers brushing the top of the hilt of her katana.
"Lets not panic" Arisha advices, keeping a close eye on the fort up ahead. "There is a small chance that there is an unusual, but logical explanation for why the situation looks like it does. Lets be cautious."
Yumiko had been greatly enjoying her rest during the trip. She Was exhausted from her nightly duties and using Katsumi's lap as a pillow always comforted Yumiko and gave her the best dreams. It was likely Yumiko would have slept through whatever the disturbance was if Katsumi hadn't shifted her so that the warrior woman could be in a position to get up if needed.
Yumiko took a moment or two but she woke up and mumbled out in her native tongue, "勝美ちゃんどうしたの?"
Tove walks forward, her greatsword leaning against her shoulder. ”If there is trouble, we should meet it. If there isn’t, then we should stop dawdling. Either way, we continue.”
As you all round the corner of the road and look into the open yard of the fort you can see five men who look like they have seen better days and one man in roughspun clothes. He had been holding his hands up and the closest man whispered something to him and he dropped his hands.
"Hey folks, welcome to the trading post, we will be done in here in a moment if you want to wait."
A half balding older fellow with grey in his beard spoke from a table that had some furs laid out over it. He had a very nice cloak on. Almost too nice compared to the rag tag look of the group.
Yumiko looked at the scene as they reached the gate and everything seemed normal. Her instincts told her something was off though and she realized immediately what it was. She spoke to Katsumi in their shared language and said, "Katsumi-chan o dakishime teru mitaidesu. Sono otoko ga kōeki-sho o un'ei s~%~e iru ma, wa na ryōshi wa hensō s~$*a tōzokudesu."
She takes casual, but slow, steps towards the group of ruffians. ”Speak plainly: what is your business? If I do not like your answer, I shall plainly speak of mine.” She taps the flat of her greatsword against her shoulder.
Arisha remains fairly relaxed until Angus and Tove react strongly and aggressively towards the older man. She feels a pang of guilt that everyone else seemed to pick up something and yet she herself had missed it. Mentally urging James first she draws her weapon, holding it loosely in her hand to discourage a sudden charge form the bandit group.
There was a long pause and the men in the fort all looked to one another for a long moment. The man on the far left in the nice cloak chuckled and shook his head.
"Get them boys! We will deal with you later Oleg!"
He said pulling out a vial and drinking it... he started to fade away from view.
ROUND 1 - Yurishi, Happs Bydon, Arisha, Tove, Angus, Bandits, Sakurai,Seraphina
Yumiko saw one of the men vanish and was immediately on her guard. She quickly moved inside the gate and around behind the wagon so that she could flank around. She drew the fans from her waist and snapped them open as she went.
Tove rushes ahead and hefts herself onto the cart, ready to slash at any oncoming enemies.
Arisha follows her companions with James, moving into formation behind them and ready to block any exits.
The man whom disapeared seemed to grow even more silent. The men with him if they noticed the sudden disapearance didnt seem to care. That might have had something to do with the warhorse and the warrior atop crashing into their position. Both men cried out in pain and took a step or so back but neither fell. The man in the background began hollering for wife Svetlana to bar the door.
The bandits draw weapons and move forward, one of them striking at Angus while his buddy attacked the warhorse. The third took a hack at Tove atop the wagon. The fourth man drew and arrow and backed away and took a shot at Angus atop his mount.
Clearly your presence had them shook, The only attack that ever came close to being a threat was the one directed at Tove, but the slight wall of the wagon made the bandit have to swing a bit awkwardly and she easily deflected it to the side.
Understanding that there was some sort of fight happened the noblewoman hurried forward concentrating and muttering the words of a spell. A moment later a shimmering of arcane energy coalesced about her protecting her from assault.
Katsumi draws her blade as she moves with surprising speed into the fort.
ROUND 2 - Yurishi, Happs Bydon, Arisha, Tove, Angus, Bandits, Sakurai,Seraphina
Yumiko was as ready as she would ever be for what she was about to do and jumped onto the cart before rolling and jumping again to land right behind one of the bandits in a flash of fluttering black and white and auburn. Coming down with one of her fans as she landed gracefully.
Katsumi is more than ready for battle; that is, after all, what much of her life was spent training for. She rushes with fleet feet toward the fray, drawing her katana as she goes, and lashes out at one of the interlopers.
While your attack misses Angus, your Harbringer does not. His first hoof impacts with the bandits face and caves it in and he falls in a heap twitching on the ground. His partner horrorfied, goes to sprint for the exit only to meet with the sharp end of Katsumi's katana. A fountain of blood erupts from his cleaved side as he too falls to the ground clearly dead.
Arisha you do watch as James head turns to peer into what appears to be the stables. you dont see or hear anything.
Tove brings down her greatsword in a powerful overhead blow on the bandit in front of her below the cart.
The bandit distracted by the killer horse and the others clearly wasnt paying as much attention as he should to you Tove cause your blade cleaves straight through the man's skull. He falls down dead. You hop lightly down over the corpse. The last remaining visable bandit looks very frightened but screams in a fury and draws a dagger slashing the closest target.
Even pannicked he was quick with a blade and cut you deeply on the forearm.
Arisha moves up
ROUND 2 - Yurishi, Happs Bydon, Arisha, Tove, Angus, Bandits, Sakurai,Seraphina
There only appears to be the one man left since the leader of this small group seems to have disapeared.
Yumiko knew they were missing one enemy and she tried to figure out where they would go. She knew they would try to escape but their options were limited. The gate or the ladder onto the wall and over seemed the most likely choices. She looked at Katsumi and then nodded at the gate before she quickly began to move again to the only ladder she had seen before.
Yumiko once again flipped up into the air, vaulted over the cart, and quickly moved to the ladder leading up to the wall and took a defensive stance to try and block it off.
Tove moves up farther to scan around more for any more enemies.
With no enemies in sight, Arisha delays.
Katsumi gives Yumiko a nod, pivots on her heel, and kicks up dust as she moves into hot pursuit of the fleeing brigand.
The only sounds heard are your own breathing and a few dying gurgles of the bandits in the courtyard. The sound of a few horses whinnying, James slight whirring noises and a far off cry of a hawk drift through the air.
"HUZZAH HA HA HA! You sure showed them!"
The heavy set man that stood in front of the only housebuilding clapped his hands excitedly. His mirth was short lived. He suddenly sighed as it was clear he realized something.
"Thanks folks, glad someone finally came and showed your damned bullys what is what. It will lead to trouble but still you did me and my wife a deed. Im Oleg, this is my trading post."
He began even as the door behind him creaked open, you could see a much shorter woman poke her head out clearly worried.
After a moment Yurishi came to the conclusion that there must have been another way out or the vanished thug would out wait them and slip out later. She could go hunting for him but decided it would be unnecessary since he likely wouldn't fight them now and simply flee. Snapping her fan closed Yumiko slid it back into her haramaki and went to stand with her Katsumi once again though a yawn did escape her lips as she stood there obediently.
[dice=perception]1d20+7
[dice=Harbinger]1d20+9
Looking around for the leader, Angus Sheaths his still clean blade patting Harbinger on he neck, as the stallion prances back slightly. Shifting the greys reins so the horse won't step on the body again, Angus nods in agreement with the man, as he turns to his companions 'Yes well done all."
As he begins to Dismount, Harbinger shifts again, dancing skittishly, Stepping out of the stirrup without too much loss of balance, Angus looks at Harbinger, "What's gotten into you boy?" Looking at the ground, assuming it was the bloody bodies, he ignores his mount, Walking nearer to Oleg, Extending his right hand, "A pleasure to meet you Oleg, I'm Angus of Elphinstone tower." He gestures back towards his cousin, then the others. "I am part of Seraphina Medvyed entourage."
Seeing the small woman behind Oleg, Angus takes off his bronze elvish style helmet, nodding his head politely, "Ma'am." Returning his gaze to Oleg, he asks. "Did you happen to notice where their leader went?"
Released from your hold, Harbringer immediately moves to the front of the stable and stamps his front hoofs irritably.
Arisha glances around, noticing the disturbance but pretending she hadn't. James wordlessly flies to her side, and she presses something into the constructs hand. Lazily, James flies around before dumping ink in the area where Arisha had noticed the disturbance.
Katsumi wipes down her blade and sheathes it as she rejoins the group, staying near Yumiko.
"Master Oleg. You say this will lead to more trouble? I presume there are others?" she says to the rotund man.
At first Angus, you thought perhaps one of the two mares in the stable must be in heat or something because thats all you saw in the stables, some hay, the two mares, four empty stalls. Harbringer too seemed agitated and confused. When Arisha came forward and peeked her head inside somehow her sharp eyes saw a strange depression in the hay that made no scientifical sense and when James entered and began dumping ink, you quickly saw the outline of a leg.
"Gods damn you meddlesome pricks!"
A rough angry voice roared out, you could see it rushing for the back of the stable. There was a ladder there that led to a loft, and perhaps a potential escape route.
When Yumiko heard the yelled insults she perked up immediately. When she realzied that the bandit was heading up higher in the stable she understood the implication of that move. She quickly move to get to the ladder and get up on the wall. She instended to move around in case he intended to jump to the palisade and try to get out that way.
Expecting the others are finding a lingering fugitive, Tove rushes back outside of her own accord and without telling anyone to try to circle around to cut off an escape route.
As soon as Yumiko is off, Katsumi turns to follow her, albeit not quite as quickly.