Kelda just shakes her head with an amused expression, before turning her attention back on her meal, while making idle chatter with her family, her girlfriend, and their other companions. She really hoped that her family would make it home safely, and that they still had a home to go back to once this was all said and done.
Kelda shakes the thoughts from her head. Worrying about things she had no control over, wouldn't help them. She couldn't afford to be distracted while facing the enemy. She feels a kind of dread down in her stomach though, as the information they have gathered so far tells her that this problem goes a lot deeper than bands if goblin raiders and generals working together. It wasn't their typical pattern, and that worried the still somewhat young Dwarf.
Astoria's weasel scampers out of the tent a short while after she leaves and goes off in search of breakfast (probably).
Marina fusses over her daughter as they eat. "Now, don't take any unnecessary risks and remember to get plenty of rest. Drink plenty of water and make sure ye're eating well. Ye can't fight on an empty stomach."
"Cooperton's only a day away," Gavril remarks. "I'm sure they can manage to survive for that long."
Finishing up her meal, Kelda nods in agreement with her Da.
"I promise that we'll be careful and that I'll take care of myself. I'm sure Lysithia will see to it, won't you love?" Kelda replies, in an effort to put her Ma's mind at ease.
"Yes. I promise to make sure she takes care of herself, and to take care of her as well." Lysithia tells Kelda's mother with a warm smile.
Marina sighs, her face taking on a expression of reluctant acceptance. "Whenever you finish with all this goblin business, you come home and see us."
Getting up from her seat at the table, Kelda goes to her folks and gives them each a hug, "I love you, and I promise we'll come home once we've dealt with whatever it is that's going on. We should probably get going if we're all ready. Be safe on your way home." Giving them one last hug, Kelda turns and goes back tuo where she had been sitting to pick up the rest of her gear, as she waits for everyone to be ready.
Looking around she asks, "So, are we all ready to go?"
"I think so. Lup? Astoria? All set?" Lysithia asks, adjusting her gear.
"Oh yes. I believe I have everything in order." Astoria answers with a nod.
”Yep yep.”
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Once everyone is ready, and final goodbyes are said, the group leaves the Dwarf's camp and continue on towards Cooperton.
Kelda tries to pay attention to their surroundings, just in case.
Even though she tries to pay attention, her thoughts seem to be occupied by other things, as she keeps stealing glances of her lovely Druidess, and the way her body moves as they're walking....causing her to trip over a rock in the road.
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Lup tried his best to be on the lookout... though most of his attention was distracted watching Kelda get distracted by Lysithia.
They had to be careful to make sure she didn't walk right into a tree or brush.
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Astoria walks along with the others while nibbling on her leftovers.
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Feeling Kelda's eyes on her, Lysithia can't help adding a bit more sway to her already fluid movements, stealing glances at her love as well, and paying minimal attention to their surroundings.
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Somehow despite most of you being as oblivious as Inspector Gadget the entire party manages to spot five armed individuals skulking in the brush that lines the road.
"That is the second most adorably awkward thing I've seen today." Lup comments on seeing the heavily armed shrubbery.
Distracted from her distraction by the rustling of the brush, Kelda holds up one hand to signal the others to stop, while drawing out her warhammer with the other.
"Who goes there?! Show yourselves!" Kelda calls out to the unknown figures in the brush.
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Lysithia shifts into a fighting stance, with her staff in hand, waiting for a response to Kelda's command.
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"Oh, do you think they're friendly?" Astoria asks.
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"They see us?" one voice mutters. "I thought you said we were masters of stealth, Kevyn."
"They're bluffing," another voice says in hushed tones. "We're completely imperceptible. The dwarf asked 'Who?', right?"
"I think they know we're here," a third voice adds.
"No, no, not at all," the second voice responds.
"How about we pretend that we're captured maidens?" a fourth asks.
"You always want to do the captured maiden routine, Boris," the third groans.
"I like dresses...I've got a pretty yellow one in my pack" the fourth says sadly.
"We are so fired," a fifth voice says. "We need a plan."
The voices fall into inaudible whispers for a moment before five figures spring out of the bushes. A haughty-looking human woman with long blonde hair points at the group. "Congratulations, you have passed the test!"
"And that test would be?" Lysithia asks, still on guard.
Kelda slaps her hand to her head and shakes it slightly, while still holding her hammer at the ready.
"Please tell me you have another job lined up, because whatever this is that you're trying to do....is clearly not cut out for you. We heard your entire conversation. The whole "captured Maiden" routine is so last season." Kelda gives them one of her warmest smiles, "How about you just drop the pretense and tell us who you are, and what you're doing here, and we'll decide if you get to keep your bones in their current and whole positions." While her smile gets slightly wider, her tone remains eerily soft and gentle, with a somewhat jovial sound to it. Almost as if she found this entire scene rather amusing. She didn't think they really posed too much of a threat. More like an inexperienced group of kids, than a band of roughian bandits. Since they didn't know who they were working for though, she wanted to get some more information before deciding what to do.
As she stands there assessing the possible "threat", Kelda's eyes glow blue as she looks the group up and down for anything of magical origin that they might have on them.
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Kelda looks the group over and determines that they are magically disguised owlbears they have absolutely nothing magical on them nor are they magical in any way.
"The...ah...the test of perception!" the woman exclaims, blatantly ignoring Kelda. "You have spotted us highly trained stealth artists with no difficulty whatsoever. You may proceed down the road to the next test, which is...uhm..."
"The test of cake!" a portly man finishes.
"What the hell?!" a skinnier man with a sharp nose mutters.
"There's a house up the road...with an oven...and you have to bake a cake. The person with the best tasting cake gets to take the final test," the portly man says.
;
Kelda shakes her head again and pinches the bridge of her nose, "You're not even good at lying. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She asks simply, tired of their games.
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"If you have any plans of ambushing people on an already dangerous road, to rob them, we probably shouldn't just let you carry on." Lysithia says giving them all a look that says she clearly knows that they're lying. "The fact that you're not very good at it, aside."
Kelda nods in agreement with her girlfriend, "Exactly."
"Well, darn...would you just hand over your money then?" the blonde woman asks, hand on her weapon. "Then we don't have to do the whole violent killing thing."
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"Oh. Not friendly then. Such a shame, I was really looking forward to cake." Astoria bemoans.
Kelda looks towards the others and gives them a nearly imperceptible nod as she raises her hammer at the band of bandits, "Bless us Mighty Torag, and grant us victory in this fight!"
With a sigh, Lysithia begins chanting in druidic, the staff thrumming with power as she begins spinning it in front of her.
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”Aww, you could have lived if you stayed silly. Funnier too.” Lup mumbles as he draws his sword. Now I want cake too…”
Initiative:
Without another word the bandits fan out and advance, attacking Lysithia and Kelda with their blades and firing upon Astoria and Lup with their bows.
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Round 1: Bandits, Kelda, Lup, Astoria, Lysithia
Even though the blade bites deeply into her side, Kelda brings her hammer down on the bandit in front of her, even as she tries to move through the pain.
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"Cakeless knave!" Lup calls out as he steps to Kelda's side to slash at her attacker.
Astoria glares darkly at the bandit that attacked her. "Leave now or else!" She commands.
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Crying out in pain as both bandits land substantial strikes, thier blades biting into her flesh, Lysithia strikes one with a powerful rising blow, her pain throwing her second strike off.
"I don't think so," the bandit replies to Astoria, firing off another arrow.
Lup viciously cuts down the bandit in front of Kelda, but the others refuse to back down.
;
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Lysithia and Astoria fall to the ground, still clinging to life.
Round 2: Bandits, Kelda, Lup, Astoria (stabilize), Lysithia (stabilize)
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Lysithia falls to the ground, everything going dark. Her last sight, Kelda furiously fighting for survival.
Even though the odds are against them, Kelda can't bring herself to give up. Knowing that every moment counts, Kelda says a quick silent prayer before opting to attack the heartless brigands.
Holding back the scream of anger, frustration, and fear that she feels bubbling up inside of her as she watches her love and Astoria fall, she swings her hammer at the next bandit.
Snarling Lup will step towards the next nearest bandit and swing.
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Astoria quickly recovers from the near miss and growls back at the bandits. "Last chance."