Shrike aims her crossbow at the tiny flying devil directly ahead of her, which fortunately is too distracted by tormenting the child to have noticed them yet, and looses.
She drops the crossbow and draws her guisarme as she moves forward slightly to make herself a target, anticipating that they will move in to harry her instead.
Audria, seeing the fiends, doesn't hesitate. She rushes forward as quickly as she is able to put herself between the imps and the rest of the group.
"Face me if you dare!"
Be brave. Be Brave. Be brave. Remember what Bartholomew taught you.
Garrett fires a shot that misses wildly.
With her armor down and not wanting to be noticed quite yet, Lina quickly moves up and takes cover behind the side of the building.
I knew this city was infested, but it looks like everything is coming out of the woodworks now.
Abella taps Shrike on the shoulder with the back of her hand. ”Slice and dice, Butcherbird.”
Pip slows Donnal to a stop and draws his bow.
Pippip slowly rides ahead and fires a thistle arrow after imbuing arcane power into his arrow at a different imp than Strike hit .
The arrow shot is pitifully bad.
Shrike drops the crossbow, draws her guisarme, and moves forward to be even with Audria without blocking Pippip's bow. If the imps take the girl's challenge, she wants them to have to contend with the spear-point before reaching her.
Focusing her attention on the imp closest to the screaming, Lina wove her hands in the practiced pattern, chanted the incantation, and unleashed a blast of force.
“Go away, uglies!” A young girl’s voice is heard, shaky with tears, and a small rock is seen hurtling through the air.
It passes through the air between the two imps.
Garrett moves forward stealthily and takes another shot!
Audria takes up her sword in both hands and charges the imp in front of her. It is reckless, but there are children in need, and she remembers what it was like when no one would come to her aid.
Unfortunately, the cobbles here are slicker than expected and she misses with her swing.
Abella moves and passes on a guidance to Garrett as well. While she is trying to avoid exerting herself more than necessary, she does consider this an opportunity to gather valuable information about what they are fighting.
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Having approached the imps directly, Audria can now see the source of the concerned cries. Two children are standing before what appears to be a pile of refuse. One is a boy holding part of a broken wagon axle like a club in one hand and a bit of broken stone in the other, and slightly behind him is a younger girl leaning on a makeshift crutch while fumbling with a sack slung around her chest for another stone. The piece of brick goes flying from the fist of a young boy doing his best to stand strong despite the fear warring on his face.
The imp dodges out of the way deftly.
Hope appears in both their eyes at the sight of the young Chosen One of Shelyn.
Both the imps appear briefly flustered with the appearance of the party, but as their beady little eyes zero in on Audria, evil grins appear.
"Much fun today!" one cackles.
"Indeed! So much Goodness to nettle and tease!" the other chortles.
Imp-ly Awful pulls the crossbow bolt Shrike shot it with out and the wound heals right before the party's eyes. It cackles again and then poof! disappears from view.
Imp-lied Evil does an acrobatic loop (making it too hard to pinpoint for a pre-emptive counterattack from Audria) and then zips forward towards the petite paladin. She feels the creature's tail whizz through her hair, but thankfully makes no contact with her skin.
Pip is totally surprised and frustrated.
"These imps are not playing fair."
Pip puts arcane power into his bow and waits to get any clear shot at an imp.
His readied shot is far off target when the next imp is in his line of fire.
Pip is totally surprised and frustrated.
"These imps are not playing fair."
Pip puts arcane power into his bow and waits to get any clear shot at an imp.
His readied shot is far off target when the next imp is in his line of fire.
Shrike steps up and says to Audria, "Together."
She waits for her moment, when the little monster seems distracted by Audria's blade as well, to strike.
She snarls, "Buzz off, pipsqueak."
Dashing out from hiding, Lina hustled past the others, rounding the corner and interposed herself between the imps and the ragamuffins.
She forced her best strained smile and tried to comfort the kids.
"Don't worry. It's gonna be ok."
The two children appear visibly relieved at Lina’s appearance. The girl sets her jaw and throws another rock before turning and dropping to all fours to wiggle under a cleverly hidden open section of the refuse pile behind them.
It sails past the imp’s back by a good foot.
Audria nods and ducks under the cackling imp's barbed tail before spinning around to put it between her and Shrike.
Unfortunately, her feet slip again as she tries to hit the wicked devil.
Garrett stays hidden as he moves slightly forward and then fires again aiming for a tender part.
Abella advances and draws her sword. ”Oh bother. These little bastards aren’t interested in making this east for us, are they?”
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The young boy retreats to the opening and stands guard wielding his broken axle club in two hands.
Imp-lied Evil screeches as the sharp edge of Shrike's gisarme slices across its tiny flank. A strange ichor sprays out. Immediately following this, Garrett's arrow strikes it in the gut. It shouts some curse words in Infernal before turning into a loop-de-loop to dive towards the paladin and get close enough to try prick Audria with its tail.
The little evil bugger finds a gap and scratches the tip of his tail across Audria's neck all while giggling uncomfortably.
With an evil chortle, Imp-ly Awful appears next to Shrike's head and attempts a poke of its own!
Fortunately, the tail catches in the grooves of Shrike's armor and doesn't connect.
Pip begins a clear oration after dismounting.
”The imps sting and fly and disappear , but the heroes take heart and do not fear!”
At Pip’s encouragement Donnal attacks the closest imp and misses.
Audria bites back a cry of pain as the imp's wicked sting leaves a burning gash on her neck. The wound is thankfully shallow, but it stings worse than it should.
"Audria, do that smite thing!!"
Her hands shaking, Lina let's loose another force missile at the nearest imp.
"That's easy for you to say!"
"No fear, yeah right." she muttered to herself.
The young girl disappears completely from view taking her crutch with her.
Garret shifts forward as he fires another arrow at the creature but stumbles forward instead.
Audria steps to the side and puts herself between Lina and the imp before trying to hit it again.
Shrike swears inwardly as she sees the girl's focus flicker toward the children and her friend. "Together," she rasps again, and hastily ducks in an attempt to avoid the second imp's stinger as she circles out to keep dividing the attention of the one attacking Audria. Once again she waits for a moment when the girl begins to swing to also stick her spearpoint into the cackling thing; but this time it is ready for her, and she can already tell she is out of position and won't connect.
Abella steps into a flank with Pip and charges up thanergy around her free hand. ”Oh I have been wanting to try this out on something. You seem worthy enough, little beast.” She grabs for the “little beast” with her charged hand.
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The young boy watches with wild eyes as Audria attacks the tiny bully which had been pestering him and the girl.
Imp-lied Evil shrieks as Lina's magic bolt and Audria's slice cut into its tiny body. A fearful look appears on its features, and it begins muttering some words. Teeny tiny words of Infernal text begin to appear near its mouth activating some kind of power.
The evil outsider disappears from view!
Imp-ly Awful squawks something.
Imp-ly Awful suddenly ascends into the air flying away as fast as it can. A moment later it also poofs.
After a few moments, it seems clear there will be no further attacks.
The boy looks around in the sky before slowly lowering the broken axle. His eyes are wide as he turns them on Audria and Lina.
"Wow, that was incredible! Just like at Lamm's fishery. You're amazing!"
Talanaliel flutters back onto Audria's shoulder as she turns to the young boy.
"Is anyone hurt in there," the young paladin asks, ignoring the pain in her neck as the adrenaline begins to wear off.
Pip takes a final shot at the departing imp, trying to use some deadly aim and arcane power.
He continues to miss badly. He stomps his foot and puts his bow away and his face turns red as he stomps a foot.
"At least they are gone. Let's find the young master and the other children. CHIP!!"
The boy suddenly looks very guarded, his mouth set in a stubborn line.
“Why would you need to know that?” He crosses his arms. “We’re strong enough! We’re going to survive just fine!”
It isn’t very difficult to see fear and concern warring in his eyes while he puts on a brave face for someone else’s sake. Who knows how long it’s been since this child was shown an ounce of kindness…
Garrett collects his unbroken arrows and says, "The fact two of those...things...are just floating around the city is terrible."
"Because I don't like seeing others hurt," Audria answers. "And I was worried when I learned not all of you made it to the temple last night. There's a lot of nice people there, and I remember what it was like when I was under Lamm's thumb. I'm sure even a tough, young man like you likes a hot meal every now and then."
Shrike holds still and listens for the wingbeats of the tiny devil that vanished in front of her eyes until she is sure both it and its friend who more obviously fled are retreating to lick their wounds. She puts up the guisarme and goes to collect the discarded heavy crossbow, bringing it back to the cluster of people at the mouth of the small alley.
Garrett collects his unbroken arrows and says, "The fact two of those...things...are just floating around the city is terrible."
"They're getting bolder. Plaguey flying rats." Shrike's voice is grim. While every Korvosan knows that escaped Acadamae familiars roost in many of the city's rooftops, where they enjoy tormenting small animals and engaging in convoluted hostilities with the other denizens of the Shingles, she is not used to having to think of imps as a real threat to people's health and safety. This new behavior of descending to street level to menace children and attempt to slash at intervening passersby disturbs her.
Audria is attempting to convince the boy of their good intentions. Standing close by, Shrike says nothing at first and with practiced movements tilts the head of the crossbow down, puts her foot in the stirrup and re-winds the winch of its mechanism to pull the string back far enough to slot a new bolt into place. The heavy crossbow is a clunky, slow, ugly human thing, nothing like the strong yet fluid longbows she trained on; but there is something to be said for holding a string exactly at tension, ready to release, for minutes or hours even as one lies flat and unnoticed. And unlike those graceful elf-made bows, deceptively hard to draw despite their lightness, this one was affordable.
Heavy crossbow reloaded, she slings it over her shoulder again. The weight of it aches against the scratch left by the greasy man's knife, but at least it doesn't seem to be bleeding any more. And she got his dagger and cosh out of it.
The mask turns to the boy. Her croaking voice is as gentle as she can make it, just as it was when talking to the other children in the Fishery. "You've got good instincts. Don't show weakness. Tough it out on your own. But you don't always have to. Sometimes the strongest thing is being able to accept help."
"You were very brave, but you need to be smart too. The smart move would be to stay off the streets for a while. Things are getting uglier than normal" Lina said, fishing two copper pieces out of her pouch and holding them out to the boy.
"And stick close to your friends."
Abella nods along as the others give their goes of convincing the kids. She thinks back to various things she has heard Cainabeth has said and steals one of them that sounds appropriate. ”Abella’s first rule of being on the streets, dears: if someone offers you a bed and a hot meal, you take it. Second rule: wait for them to eat first and sleep with a blade under your pillow.” She grins her yellow-toothed grin. ”Take what you can get, and keep others from taking from you.” She pats her sword. ”Strong people take help because they can protect themselves from people trying to take advantage.” She winks at the kids.
Pip listens to all the advice.
"I was a spoiled rich kid, and my problems seem small compared to yours. But keep up hope, and keep working. The cream always rises to the top, even in the slums."
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The young boy's attempt to show a strong face wavers in the onslaught of concern and advice. However, upon seeing Pip, the boy goes from shock to watery eyes in seconds. His strength crumbles and he's nothing more than a terrified and traumatized boy again.
"T-teacher puh-puh-Piiip?" he whispers in disbelief. Then with a sob, he rushes to the halfling and buries his young face in Pippip's tunic sobbing.
"I-I-hic-I'msoooooooosorryhuhuIshouldnarunhuhuawaythatdayhuhu," he blubbers. "I-IhuhuwasmadyousaidhuhunodessertcuzIpulledhuhuTwila'shairandIwantedhuhuto getyouintroublehuhuandIgottakenbythebadmenhuhuit'sbeensoawfuland....and..."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"
The boy loses all ability to speak as he simply sobs and hiccups while tears and snot stream down his face and onto Pippip's clothes.
There's a rustling from the refuse pile where the boy had been standing, and the young girl who had been using the crutch is peeking out with concern as the boy cries clutching Pippip.
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Seeing Chip appear, after Chip cries Pip begins to cry too. He wipes his tears and puts Chip up on his dog.
"Everything is all right. There, there, ... All is well that ends well and your strong character is revealed. Keep this a secret, but I am already sure you can lead your house capably. The rest of your education will pale in comparison to the lessons learned here."
He looks around:
"But I think we both agree it is time for this street education to end and get you home."
Pip tousles his hair and hands him the reins. "You can drive."
Pip knew fool well the dog knew where to go, but it was important to show the kid some respect and responsibility after what he went through. After Pip got Chip back to the temple, he was sure word could be sent for the parents. Leaving himself to go back to a rich manor house was out of the question when the city was in chaos.
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"Is Chip alright?" the young girl asks tentatively from the opening.
The young girl with the crutch (who is a tiefling) is with three other children, two gnomes and a half-elf, who have injuries from broken ribs to poorly healed lacerations while one is nursing a dirty bandage around the stump of their lost hand at the wrist. It's almost enough to make one wish they could kill Gaedran Lamm and his goons all over again.
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"I think he will be," Audria says as Pip and his charge sob after finding one another. She turns to the girl and sits on her heels, a more awkward feat than she would have thought with her heavier armor.
"May I come in," Audria asks the girl who hesitates, but then nods as and makes space for Audria to slip through the entrance. The state of the hideout is about what she would have expected, but seeing their injuries and that one of them is missing a hand sends a wave of shame crashing over her. It was useless to berate herself, she knows, but she also can't stop from doing it.
"I'm sorry," she says to them. "I--"
The word hangs in her throat as she tries to find the words to express how deeply and truly sorry she is that she wasn't there to keep them safe, to keep Lamm from beating them and mutilating them.
"I'm so sorry," she says, her voice soft and her eyes wet with tears.
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The mask shows nothing, but Shrike's shoulders drop slightly at the touching reunion between the boy and his halfling tutor. Though there is no knowing what psychic scars may linger, Chip seems physically healthy, much as Isi had. And according to Pip's words he has a family and a home to return to. Her head turns to the pile of refuse under which the crutch-using tiefling girl had first vanished and then poked her head out again.
Shrike approaches the entrance to the Street Hole after Audria, but does not attempt to enter with her. She can see more than enough just by looking down into the dim, twice-collapsed pocket of rubble and dirty blankets and battered children.
Her sharp eyes take in the state of the four urchins in an instant, and for just a moment her cloaked figure goes perfectly motionless: an unbreathing stillness that holds the promise of violence like the air holds lightning before a storm. It is a wave about to crest, a bowstring drawn back to breaking.
With an effort, she turns aside, relaxes her posture and unclenches her hands. Anger has its place but this is not that place. Giving vent to her feelings now would be a form of self-indulgence that would help no one, least of all these children.
Instead she sits down, with one knee upright and the other leg placed flat on the ground, outside the tattered merchant awning that provides a fragile modicum of cover for the inhabitants, and greets them quietly. She gives her name as Shrike and asks for theirs in return. She waits for a less threatening member of the group to make the case for going to the temple of Shelyn with them, and adds her voice to persuading them if needed. "The temple folk are kind. They'll heal you up and make sure those cuts don't go sour. You'll have enough to eat and you'll sleep inside in a warm bed every night. You'll learn your letters and figures if you haven't yet. No one will threaten you or beat you or make you cut purses or gut fish."
When they leave, Shrike carries the tiefling girl with the wounded leg on her own back, to avoid aggravating the injury and keep the group moving as fast as possible. They are too many to move with much discretion, so speed will be essential to get everyone back to the temple safely.
Her attention is on watching for danger, yet at the back of her mind something is crystallizing. The flame of her rage has been tamped to coals, but they burn with white-hot clarity and certainty.
Their deaths were not enough.