Myrandya, who has been following behind the party in the shadows, lets out a cry of shock at the suddenness of the attacks. Then, embarrassed at blowing her cover, she waves her hand in the direction of the gunmen and mutters "I vas nefer here," in what she hopes is a convincingly magical gesture. Then she sighs and draws her rifle, and checks that it is loaded. If bullets are already flying, she reasons, she may have to fire a round or two herself and it would be best to be ready. She sights the largest enemy who is still armed and readies to fire at him if he should continue the attacks on her or her allies.
As one of the far gunmen leans out from behind a pillar to take a shot at Pan Pan, Myrandya lines up a bead and fires. A red flower blossoms in his dirty shirt as he crumples back to the stone wall.
The man Nempura whose gun so recently sent flying takes a swing at her, sending her chin whipping to the side
The one closest to Isabella backs into the room, trying to keep the protection of the pillar while taking another shot at Pan Pan. But the woman moves too swiftly to catch a bullet.
Lawmen are up.
Pan Pan watches the first shooter drop to her throat punch. "You'll live," she says to him as he falls unconscious. Then, hearing Roja, she nods and steps forward to engage the bandit on Nempura.
5' step
"Eugh!" she grunts as she gets clocked in the face. He must have been pissed from her disarming him. Nempura hears Roja's order and chuckles as Pan Pan comes over and bashes her assaulter. "My hero!"
She will now hook her foot around his knee and pull toward her, right as he put his weight on it, hopefully causing him to fall to the ground.
Despite their victory nearing, she is trying to understand what these people are doing here.
Myrandya looks almost shocked as she spots the hombre taking a shot and blasts him onto the floor. She sighs and takes aim at the remaining enemy. "Anyvon else vant to keep shootink at us?" she says in what she would like to be a menacing tone (but it isn't).
Myrandya snaps a shot at the only man standing, spinning him around and sending him into the unkind arms of the red stone statue.
On the other side of the room, the recently pummeled and tripped fellow holds his hands in front of his face. "Enough, enough. I surrender..."
"What are you all doing down here?! Don't you know that guns kill people" she asks sarcastically.
She would allow Myrandya to keep her gun on the surrendered man while moving to quickly work with the others to disarm those there of all weaponry since most were only knocked out.
"Explain yourself. What is this place and what is your purpose." He could likely see a tin star on Myrandya's chest somewhere, assuming she wore it.
"What are you all doing down here?! Don't you know that guns kill people" she asks sarcastically.
She would allow Myrandya to keep her gun on the surrendered man while moving to quickly work with the others to disarm those there of all weaponry since most were only knocked out.
"Explain yourself. What is this place and what is your purpose." He could likely see a tin star on Myrandya's chest somewhere, assuming she wore it.
"Didn't know as you were people. We are just up here to keep watch, playing some cards. Heard you lot coming and thought maybe you come outta the room we boarded up. Some nasty things in there. Don't know exactly what this place is. Old for sure. Professor brought us here to watch his back. Workin' downstairs."
Moving into the room, Roja, holding the rifle in her right hand aimed at the conscious man, helps Nempura gather the weapons. As Nempura speaks, Roja starts rummaging through the pockets of the unconscious men, more out of habit, than need; while deftly taking off the gun belts one handed, tossing them into the corner.
"Wait, how did you get in here? If you didn't come in the way we came, you must have come in some other way. Was there a stairway in that room down there when you boarded up that room?" She would gesture to the way they had just come from.
"No, we came from down there..." he motions at the stairs down. "Not sure how we got down there. The professor led us to a cave and then had us blindfold ourselves. Then some walking in the dark, smelled awful, and then we touched something and when we took off the blindfolds we were down below. Got sent up here to keep an eye on things."
"Oh, okay. Well, you will have to forgive us. We are deputies of Roderick's cove and above us are the Nightthrush gang. When we came down here, we expected that they had lied about not having been down here before. There were signs of your influence down here, so we were already suspicious as we headed down this way. When you all were so combat ready, we figured it was a trap, I'm sure. No hard feelings?" she asks in a cute manner.
"Who is this professor and where does he contract out of? What's he here for?"
Pan Pan nods to Roja. A few extra pounds of gear in her backpack will not slow her down.
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Pan Pan nods to Roja. "I do not carry a backpack, but if you have one you would like me to carry I will do that."
"Oh, okay. Well, you will have to forgive us. We are deputies of Roderick's cove and above us are the Nightthrush gang. When we came down here, we expected that they had lied about not having been down here before. There were signs of your influence down here, so we were already suspicious as we headed down this way. When you all were so combat ready, we figured it was a trap, I'm sure. No hard feelings?" she asks in a cute manner.
"Who is this professor and where does he contract out of? What's he here for?"
"Professor Tilarsk, he calls himself. Looking for something down below. Hired us out of Wolf's Ear."
Myrandya blushes slightly when Nempura alludes to her shooting down two of the men, but she prudently keeps her Winchester rifle pointed at the one who surrendered. She can't keep the interest off her features when the man mentions someone called "The Professor", however.
"No," she answers directly and not quietly at all to Roja asking whether they were going to let the man bleed out. "If we can, heal him up. We didn't come here to take you all out. You all were just doing your jobs. Just know, we are law. If we heal him up, are we good here?" she asks the conscious man. If he nods yes, she will look to Roja, "Return their gear. Can someone stabilize or heal him? We have no quarrel with law-abiding citizens. Just know, this isn't your property and we'll need to discuss this with the professor."
Myrandya looks dubious. "Zhat bullet vent ferry stronkly srough hiss flesh, but if you are sure I vill shee vhat I can do for him." She shoulders her rifle and gingerly approaches the fallen man that is still breathing. She looks over his wounds and then attempts to staunch the bleeding.
"Alright, that's fair. Apologies, gentlemen. We'll hold these for now in trust and keep them safe to the best of our ability and will return them to you upon our parting."
With Myrandya working hard to bring the man back from the dead, it soon becomes apparent that he is not living anymore.
"Our condolences."
Nempura had noticed the efforts of her teammates utilizing methods of fighting that mostly hindered their foes, but the little tiefling didn't, clearly. It wasn't her fault, but she did just kill a man in self-defense. Hopefully, he is not well connected to the men subdued. In either case, Nempura is pained the next moment she speaks:
"Did you know him well?"
Myrandya looks dubious. "Zhat bullet vent ferry stronkly srough hiss flesh, but if you are sure I vill shee vhat I can do for him." She shoulders her rifle and gingerly approaches the fallen man that is still breathing. She looks over his wounds and then attempts to staunch the bleeding.
[dice=First aid (Heal DC 15), flash of inspiration]1d20+11+1d6
Myrandya's small hands tear a packet of powder and pours it into the other man's wound, then applies pressure with a clean handkerchief. The wound is none too grievous, and the bleeding stops quick enough.
"Did you know him well?"
The man shakes his head slightly, "Just since Wolf's ear. Name of Conel, not a bad man, but he woulda kilt you just the same."
"Well, my condolences regardless. We will have to work to send him home to his family's burial plot." She shakes her head about tying them up and whispers back, "No, they are disarmed. No reason to detain 'em further." She will look back to the man speaking with her and will state, "I know you are meant to protect the professor, but stay up here instead. Recover from the fight and prepare yourself to leave the area. We will return and check in on your professor for you."
If that is agreeable, she will nod for them to continue onward, but first she wants to study the statue a bit more. Meanwhile, she calls out to the man:
"So what was so dangerous in that room that you boarded it up?"
"Well, my condolences regardless. We will have to work to send him home to his family's burial plot." She shakes her head about tying them up and whispers back, "No, they are disarmed. No reason to detain 'em further." She will look back to the man speaking with her and will state, "I know you are meant to protect the professor, but stay up here instead. Recover from the fight and prepare yourself to leave the area. We will return and check in on your professor for you."
If that is agreeable, she will nod for them to continue onward, but first she wants to study the statue a bit more. Meanwhile, she calls out to the man:
"So what was so dangerous in that room that you boarded it up?"
"Well, this won't make much sense, but it was sort of like if a wolf and a mushroom had a bastard child. Didn't seem to care at all about bein' shot."
Myrandya blinks, her attention to the injured man faltering briefly as she curiously thinks about this new information.
Sensing that the man has little left to offer the group, and with Roja already moving toward the stair, Pan Pan takes the lead and progresses to the next area downward.
The stairs descend to a landing, change direction, and then again. All told they go down about 80 feet into the stone, the walls, stairs, ceiling all tiled with ancient stone. The air is close, smells of age and dust, but there is a newer smell of kerosene, flayleaf, gun oil, tinned meat.
Myrandya blinks, her attention to the injured man faltering briefly as she curiously thinks about this new information.
[dice=Knowledge (dungeoneering), flash of inspiration, heightened awareness]1d20+10+1d6+2
[dice=Knowledge (nature), flash of inspiration, heightened awareness]1d20+10+1d6+2
Myranda thinks to ask whether the creature seemed to waver in and out of sight, and when he replies in the affirmative, she thinks it might be a fungal phantom, a kind of strange mobile plant with legs like a four legged predator and a maw of rocklike "teeth." The things blend perfectly with their surroundings. They don't have organs or veins or such things, so they are resistant to harm unless you chop them up.
Pan Pan smiles at Roja as they descend the stair together; it's nice to have the light. Her senses detect the change in air and the intrusion of men into this ancient space. Her mind wanders; did equally ancient structures exist for the people who built this place? That's how life worked, right? One civilization rises from the ruins of another, and so forth.
"Huh?" she responds to the suggestion that they shout ahead. Wait, was that meant to be funny? Pan Pan paused, confused. The monk shrugs and continues to approach, not exactly stealthily but not making a ruckus, either.
Nempura nods with Myrandya's assessment of the creature and would consider abandoning the situation for now in search of the professor (assuming the boarding up of the beast seems solid for now).
When it comes to shouting out that they are on their way down, Nempura wonders what the group had to endure to lock that beast away. The professor might be at the bottom of the stairwell hoping the rest of his support didn't die.
"Let's be stealthy at first, then if we see the professor and anyone else down here, let's let them know we are allies."
Nempura then will blend into the walls nearby and will walk far quieter.
Low-light
As Pan moves down the steps, Roja gives Nempura a quick nod, letting her know she'd watch over their monk. Turning she follows Pan down the steps.
-----------------------------
As they carefully move down the steps, Roja leans forwards so the ioun torch illuminates the tiles. commenting to Pan, these tiled stones look ancient. As they near the bottom, the smells reminder her of many semi-permanent camps Red had been a part of in the war. "Smells like someone's set up camp down there. Should we give them a shout to let them know were headed there way?"
[dice=knowledge (geography)]1d20+5
[dice=knowledge (local)]1d20+6
There are some familiar runes picked out in the stone. The most common one being what is commonly known as the Horn-Fang rune. It can also be found back in Roderic's Cove in the big central stone circle and on lots of standing stones in this area.
The stairwell finally empties into a room. Clearly not a cave or natural formation, but a geometric room that was once supported by 4 columns but now by only three. To your right, a cave in has left a pile of rubble and your light paints the walls and ceiling of another room beyond.
Across from the stairs is a closed door of some metal that isn't quite bronze or brass but somewhere in between.
Myrandya follows behind Nempura, trying to also remain unobtrusive. She still has her gnome-sized rifle out, and she looks a little manic as they scan around for enemies. Perhaps she has not often been involved in a shoot-out? Her breath is very quick and her hands and eyes are twitching slightly.
Nempura will pause on the stairs to evaluate the rune. If anything, she likely would come to the same conclusion. Her ancient Thassilonian schooling however may very well come in handy when looking at it. Could she discern its origin or its name?
She can see into the whole of the room. Nothing is hidden from her. Everything is clear as day to her elf eyes with the light around them, however, it doesn't mean she can see through pillars. Before she crosses over the rubble, she looks for traps and/or people by poking her head to the left and right so see if someone is behind the pillar looking their way.
"I am wondering if the professor made an exit that way. It'd be a darn shame not to meet him. And even darnder shame to get ambushed in this big ol' room. Keep your wits up ladies...and Wes."
She struggles getting up over the rubble.
"Not used to trompin' through cave-ins."
Although it's clear to Pan Pan that Nempura is the leader of this outfit, she doesn't see why anyone else could not check the door.
Once Roja has cleared the metal door for traps, the monk attempts to open it.
"We are all down here, doing what we can to find these gauntlets. Feel free to check the door." It was her way in telling Roja she didn't need permission for such things. Perhaps just how to handle delicate matters of the law...despite her not being some great leader or lawwoman herself.
Pan Pan pushes firmly against the door. It swings open and there is a sudden jangling as a pile of tin cups and plates clatter to the floor on the other side.
Beyond the door, a corridor stretches in two directions. To the right a larger room opens up, and to the left a beautifully embossed door of the same metal as the one you just opened.