The orc that had been blasted by the fire sloshes through the water, heedless of Nemo's threat in order to bash the spellcaster!
"Big mistake."
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After weighting her options, Nemo decides to attack the blinded and stunned orc before her.
Nemo advances toward the approaching orc with a sinister grin and a swing of her scythe.
"Looks like we're fighting. Can't see a thing, though," Nemo whispers. "Well, let there be Light."
Nemo stays put. Given her heavy metal armor, moving quietly really isn't viable for her without magical assistance. Instead, she plans to wait until her prospective opponents are distracted by the others. After all, strategically holding forces in reserve is a viable combat tactic.
”Or it will put them on alert and make them look harder for an ambush,” Lana counters. "That is a possibility," Nemo acknowledges. "Better to be cautious then."
"That could work. If they're distracted, they'll be less likely to notice the rest of us," Nemo remarks.
"How about we hide near that tree by the ship?" Nemo suggests. "Any further away, and I don't think we could set up an effective ambush."
"Seems likely; Saul knows quite a lot about this city," Nemo agrees. Once the conversation ends, she seeks out Saul for information about the Boneyard plus its location.
"That would probably be a good idea. Going there early reduces the chances that we'll walk into an ambush," Nemo agrees. She prepares to get go ready for the scouting mission when something important dawns on her. "Wait, where is the Boneyard?"
As she quietly watches the meeting unfold and helps herself to some of the offered food, Nemo is pleased to see that her idea appears to be a winning one.
"We could offer him a venue at the Gold Goblin to sell certain wares of his?" Nemo suggests. "That would also give him a stake in protecting this place and working with us."
"There likely are, but I don't think I can afford them. I'd probably struggle to even use the scrolls," Nemo says with a soft sigh. "I think we'll be fine. If Slyeg was completely untrustworthy, then Cromarchy would have disposed of him."
"I think we could reach a deal with Tammerhawk and Pamodae. My sister Setsuna accomplished that. As for the rest, from what Saul just said, only Avery Slyeg sounds potentially trustworthy," says Nemo. "Unlike the others, he's nominally merchant, so we could possibly reach a... business arrangement with him. Meanwhile, dealing with Ziphras sounds like it would involve a lot of risk for little gain."
"I'm not the most familiar with Riddleport politics," Nemo says as she examines Old Korvosa's longsword. To be honest, she would be fine with constantly fending off raids if they kept giving her lovely weapons like this one. "Which of them is the most trustworthy? Alternatively, which one is least likely to backstab us?"
Being rather indifferent about her current arrangement with Saul, Nemo decides to search through the bodies for anything of interest or value, starting with the well-armored man.
Once the arrow is removed, Nemo immediately heals Lana.
Lana glances down at the arrow in her abdomen. ”We’ll find a healer…we’re going to be fine,” she says as she pulls Samaritha in for a kiss. "I can treat your injuries, Lana," Nemo offers. "Removing the arrow will be tricky, but I can hold my spell and then immediately cast it once the arrow's out."
Unsure how long Lana's spell will last, Nemo once again takes the chance to ensure that the man who attacked Samaritha will stay down.
Not liking how outnumbered she and her friends are, Nemo decides that it's time to start thinning the enemy ranks, starting with the goateed man who just attacked her.
Silently wishing that she had a nice set of mithral armor like her mother, Nemo nods at Arc's request and hustles toward the fight as quickly as she can.
Nemo catches up with the raider and takes a swing at him with her gandasa. "Hey, Saul! I suggest hiding!" Nemo calls out in actually audible voice for once.
Realizing that Saul is probably in danger, Nemo quickly hustles after the goon who previously ran up the stairs.
Without a word, Nemo advances into the kitchen (drawing her gandasa as she moves) and swings at the goon attacking Thistle with a short sword.
Nemo follows Thistle to the kitchen, but thanks to her heavy armor, she really has to hustle to get anywhere close.
Nemo sighs and begins moving as quickly as she can in her heavy armor towards the casino.
The entire time Arc explains his philosophy, Nemo is busy gulping down water and wine. To Nemo, she asks, "How's your dish?" "...Spicy," Nemo wheezes.
"To be honest, I've long since concluded that studying the Blot is a waste of time. If the Cyphermages haven't figured out anything worthwhile, then we aren't either," Nemo says once she recovers. "The main reason I'm still here is because of you two and Lana." After mentioning her friend's name, Nemo suddenly becomes rather forlorn. "I wish Honey could be here," Nemo says. "I bet Lana would be happy to see her again."
"Let's ask Saul for recommendations then," Nemo suggests.
...It's so weird to actually have money, Nemo ponders as she stares at her share of the week's profits. Her parents had always made sure that her needs were met, but unlike her sisters, Nemo had never been comfortable asking for stuff like Galatea's magic ring, and she had never had much luck accumulating personal wealth. Of course, her newfound wealth isn't enough buy all those lovely magic items she wants, but it is definitely enough to upgrade her arms and armor.
...Riddleport has a lighthouse? "That sounds like a good place to start, Samaritha," Nemo says.
Wanting to keep her arms free in case of a fight, Nemo contemplates hiring some of the dockworkers to carry the crates. However, Lana takes care of that for her, which gets a soft "Thank you, Lana." from the Silver Sentinel. As she enjoys her drink, it takes Nemo a moment to process that Lana is addressing her. "Oh, uh, yes, I am interested," Nemo says quickly with a nod. "It has been awhile since I last investigated the Blot."
"Ow," Nemo says as Arc barrels into her. Thankfully, she manages to steady herself rather quickly. "Apology accepted, Arc. And agreed. Let's get this liquor back to the casino as soon as possible."
Shield in hand, Nemo waits patiently to see the man's reaction to Arc's words.
"It is, but I just wanted to be certain. Knowing for sure that Sevvard is your familiar helps me better understand how much he means to you," Nemo explains. "A few months before she... vanished from our lives, Honey acquired a familiar of her own. She met a faerie dragon by the name of Aoife, and the two quickly became thick as thieves. From what Honey told me, her bond with Aoife strikes me as similar to yours with Sevvard." For a moment, Nemo contemplates saying more on the matter, but she ultimately decides against it. Honey's fate and related subjects aren't easy topics for her to discuss. The same could easily be true for Lana. "I appreciate you telling me all this, Lana. My actions are often overlooked, so it feels nice to learn when they truly make a difference," Nemo says. For once, her voice is clear and strong.
"That's a nice name. It's very... regal," Nemo remarks. She wonders what else to say next. Nemo has never been much of a conversationalist, but this is one conversation that she certainly would like to keep going. Finally, something strikes her. "Is Sevvard your familiar?" Nemo asks curiously. "I couldn't help but notice how acute and self-aware he is."
"I see," Nemo says, nodding in understanding at Lana's explanation. She can recall meeting Lana's mother once or twice while visiting Verde Heights, and as far as Nemo can remember, Lady Blakros had always been nothing but nice to her and her sisters. Once her spell is completed, she takes a moment to study the cobra's wounds and nods with satisfaction with her work. "I believes he's fully healed now," Nemo says. She heads back to her bed and retakes her seat on its side. "Does he have a name? My apologies if you've already told me, but I don't recall hearing one."
When Lana asks if she can enter her room, Nemo nods affirmatively. For her part, Nemo is still largely dressed like she just got off the job, though she's wearing Thuvalia's masterwork studded leather armor instead of her usual scale mail and likewise barefoot. While Lana gets settled, Nemo closes the door and then looks for a place to sit. In the end, she opts for the side of her bed. "He must mean a lot to you," Nemo observes. She pouts a little upon seeing that the snake is still injured. "He still seems to be recovering. Would you like me to mend his wounds?" If Lana allows her, Nemo moves to heal the still wounded cobra.
Once outside, she lets the others do their thing with tracking as she steps over to the Kailani brood. She stands directly in front of her before pulling her in close for a forceful, somewhat uncomfortable hug. ”Thank you…” she whispers. Nemo tenses a bit when Lana hugs her. After a few seconds, though, she relaxes and tentatively returns the hug. Nemo feels her silver eyes water slightly, but she chalks it up to all the dust in the air; Riddleport isn't a very clean city, after all... "You're welcome, Lana." Nemo largely stays silent for the rest of the day; she simply nods in agreement with Lana's plan and then allows her more talkative companions bring Saul up to speed. After hearing Saul's warning, though, Nemo seems to become lost in thought...
That night, when alone in her room and everyone else is asleep, Nemo prays once more. "Hey. It's me. I... might need some help."
Lana makes it a point to seek out the Kailani offspring a couple nights after the incident where her familiar nearly died. There is a gentle knock on her door on her door not long Goblin had closed down and everyone had gotten ready for bed. "...One moment please." After a brief delay, Nemo (?) answers the door. "Hello, Lana. How may I help you?" she says in her usual soft tone, brushing some silver hair away from her monochrome eyes.
By pure warrior's instinct, Nemo nearly moves to fight Smeed alongside Arc, but something brings her pause. ...Lana's snake is still alive? Given the severity of the serpent's wound, she had reflexively thought that Lana's familiar had been killed by Smeed's attack. However, upon further inspection, it appears that she had been mistaken! After contemplating her options, Nemo opts to heal the snake.
"Drop your weapon and surrender, Smeed," Nemo orders bluntly.
Hmm... If this guy has any brains, then he'll probably call for help, Nemo thinks. Better take this chance to prepare. With a wave of her hand and some chanting, Nemo magically reinforces the courage of herself and her allies.
"You have to use a little more muscle, Arc. Like this," Nemo says with a slight grin.
"It appears that no one in our group knows how to pick a lock," Nemo observes after a long moment of silence. "So how about we break down the door the old fashion way?"
Shortly after searching around the back of the building, Nemo presents the group with a slashed and bloodstained green cloak with a sable trim. "...Larur's cloak," Nemo says grimly.
After making sure that she's alone and that her quarters are secure, Nemo begins to pray. "Hey. It's me. Sorry for the silence; I've been... busy." She sits in silence for a moment. "I've found myself in interesting company these days," Nemo says. For the next several minutes, she goes on to recount her recent experiences. "So Saul is trying to rebuild after losing almost everything, Thistle plans to make Riddleport a new center for Cladissa's faith, Arc is intent on bringing the rule of law to this city, and Lana... Well, to be honest, I have no idea what Lana's ambitions are these days." More silence. "I don't see us becoming friends. She... doesn't seem to think much of me. If memory serves, Gal's the only one who gets along with her these days." Nemo sighs. "I don't know if the Blot is going to amount to anything. I mean, the entirety of the Cyphermages are confounded by it. Archmage Silva is probably the only person in the region who could solve this mystery, but he's away with Mom hunting Runelords." Nemo sits in silence again. "On a related note, the others are well... more or less. Shiloh is apparently immortal now. Ariel is a delight; she's currently touring Varisia with Galatea. Gal is... trying to reconcile with Kallie. It's a shame, really; they used to be so close. Otherwise, Gali spends her time tending to Silvie, who is an absolute cutie. I miss them all very much." Nemo sighs once more. "I think that's all for now. Hopefully, we'll talk again soon. Thanks for listening to me ramble. It's... always nice to know that someone cares about what I have to say." After Nemo opens her eyes, she studies the holy symbol is her hands for several moments. She sincerely doubts that anyone in Riddleport would recognize it. Before tucking the trinket away, Nemo says one final prayer. "She will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and Death shall be no more." With that said, Nemo goes to investigate that phenomenon she noticed earlier about the magical purple (pink?) mist drifting toward the Blot.
As the (self-proclaimed) head of security, Nemo joins Arc in his efforts to enforce the rules of the casino.
Nemo is surprised when other people actually start asking for her opinion, so it takes her several moments to figure out how to respond. "...For the most part, I actually agree with Lana. Arnando Rolf asked us to check on Father Padrich. Arnando helped us out greatly for free, so we owed him that much. Then, with his and Father Padrich's lives possibly in danger, Jhonas asked us to investigate those goons, who almost immediately tried to murder us. I mean, one of them stabbed me in the ribs with a shiv; self-defense was justified," Nemo finally says. "As for Beltias, if he wants to pick a fight with us, then I'll be happy to end it. However, until then, I've got my orders to investigate the Blot, so that's where my focus will be."
Since she and her allies aren't exactly in a rush, Nemo decides to thoroughly search the room from top to bottom.
"How many other people are in your gang?" Nemo asks. To help the elf given her a precise list, the Silver Sentinel lists individuals that she and her allies have... neutralized one way or another.
Since Thistle asked nicely, Nemo tries saving the half-orc from dying.
Granted, the Silver Sentinel's lack of enthusiasm is quite obvious, which reflects in the manifestation of the spell she casts.
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