As Goggles and Jenni piled through Fain made some room by walking down the long corridor.
"The corridors do look narrow. Doubt they'll pursue us up the ladder, so we'll have to find a room down there if we want to ambush them."
Vard descended the ladder and followed Fain carefully along the narrow corridor.
Fain continued to whisper, "Vard, if you go where I am now you can catch them as they come out, but, if you can, stay hidden. Go for the second or third one out. If there are whispers in there, there are at least two." Fain checked the east door.
Seeing the east door opened to the familliar room, Fain motioned for Luk Luk, Alenka, and Jenni to enter and hide. "Wait here. Stay out of sight. Thrym, please guard the hall. Don't let them get out."
With everyone tucked away, Fain walked up to the west door. He opened it so that whatever was whispering can see him and then he shut the door as quickly as he could. "Oh! Goblin Farts! Gotta tell the sheriff!". He ran directly east and dove to the floor like he just sprained his ankle.
"Wait here. Stay out of sight. Thrym, please guard the hall. Don't let them get out."
Nodding, Thrym nodded his head, moving to block the corridor, eyes and ears open as he stared into the gloomy hallway that faded into darkness. He kept one eye on the others, though, moving step by step back towards them as they creeped further into the underground base, trying to balance the need to remain far away enough that all the metal he wore wouldn't betray their presence, but close enough that if an enemy did appear to challenge him, he wouldn't be too far from the others to receive support. For while alerting any enemies lurking behind closed doors would be bad, allowing those enemies to gang up on them and take them down one by one would be worse.
Vard moved into position, gripping his hammer. As the others moved down the passage, he closely watched the door where Fain had heard whispering, then once people were through, he backed around the corner.
I've got a lot of catching up to do...for now, somebody put Jenni where it makes sense to have her.
Luk Luk took Fain's advice on where to ambush from and tried to keep aware of what he says through Message. That way she can tell the others if he is having trouble and they need to charge. She'd armor herself after the trap is sprung.
As everybody was still getting into position, a voice from the other room muttered, "What was that?" The door opened revealing Rhett and two other men. They looked across the hallway, straight into the next room, "You're gonna regret coming down here girlies..." One said as he drew a weapon. "Careful!" Rhett warned "They're stronger that they look and there's more of..." However, his warning came too late, as the man had already stepped into the hallway.
As the armed man moved out into the hallway, Vard quickly stepped forward with a swing of his hammer.
"Better listen to Rhett - drop your weapons and surrender and it'll go easier for you."
"Aoy neyn! Hail vider."<Oh no! Here comes the hail>
Fain was cringing as people moved about. He was used to creeping up on thrushes and fox but on his own. He didn't realize how loud ix people creeping would be. When the door opened he half turned and fired an arrow at the front guard.
Then, realizing how cramped the space was about to be, he ran to the east room as he had planned and fired again, only just realizing that Vard was moving out of his hiding spot.
Taking advantage of the enemy's blunder, Thrym rushed at him before the man could reconsider and retreat back into the room. The shaman charged at the enemy, a wordless cry of challenge echoing in the halls. Shield leading, Thrym’s charge knocked the man back towards the small paladin, then before he could recover his footing, the battleaxe followed, thirsty for blood, sinking deep into the man’s left shoulder.
When she has the opportunity Luk Luk will take a five foot step to get clear of Jenni. If the man in the door is still standing then the elf will take a shot at him with her light crossbow.
A barrage of attacks flew at the man trying to leave the room. Some missed, but an arrow and an axe strike connected and he collapse to the ground.
Rhett got a fearful look in his eyes as Vard addressed him directly. "I'm sorry, I can't go back to prison!" He lifted up his bow and shot an arrow that flew over the halfing's head. Meanwhile, the other man looked far less conflicted, lifting vial and tossing towards Thrym. The vial felt slightly short, bursting into a cloud of powder. Fortunately the powder did not rise close enough for Thrym to breath it it.
Jenni lumbered forward, her greatsword swinging, intent on dropping the enemy in front of her.
There was no getting past Jenni. Fain knew that for a certainty. But, being a smart halbmentch, he knew that sound traveled. He threw himself against the wall and watched the doors north and east of him.
Alenka tried to reason with the already frightened receptionist."Rhett, you may not have to go back to prison. Sometimes those who help the law are given leniency themselves." Seeing the confused look at her words, she said, "You tell the sheriff what you know and maybe she'll give you a break. But if you don't help, you'll probably die down here."
Vard edged up next to Jenni, then jabbed his warhammer in the gap between her and the wall, managing to strike the man in the knee with the head of the weapon.
"You tell the sheriff what you know and maybe she'll give you a break. But if you don't help, you'll probably die down here."
When Fain heard Alenka talking to this Rhett fellow, he suddenly perked up - listening carefully for any reply.
Jenni and Vard clobbered the nearest man to the ground leaving only Rhett who gave the others an uncertain looks. He lowered his bow slightly. "You...won't arrest me?"
Luk Luk decided to try with words. It was worth a shot, "Rhett, cooperate and you can avoid jail. Just claim you were a victim of blackmail! Victims do not get jailed."
Just in case it does not work she takes the time to reload her crossbow too.
Vard stepped into the room - weapon relaxed, but still in hand - keeping distance from Rhett and giving him he opportunity to drop his weapon himself.
"It's ultimately up to the Sheriff - if you're helpful we can put in the good word for you. I'd suggest being honest though. I gotta tell you - if you're trying to avoid going back to prison, seems like you're working for the wrong people - how'd you start working here and what have you been doing?"
Fain, unsatisfied by Rhett’s reply, turned his full attention back to the doors. He crept up to them and gave them a listen. that kerfuffle aught to ‘ave drawn anyone nearby. He fought his curiosity and waited for the team to reorganize before taking a peek.
go ahead Fain m’boy. Open one. Vard’ll be a while with that Rhett or whomever. They’ll thank you for, you know, clearing the way.
you just wait, you
Trusting in the others to speak sense into Rhett, Alenka turns her attention to the doors in her room to see if she could hear anything beyond.
The area was quiet and there was no indication that anyone was rushing towards the party.
"When I got out a friend brought me in. He said it was good work...I thought he meant..." He shook his head. "Apparently good don't mean honest no more." He looked as if he was carefully deciding his next move, eventually he sighed. "I'm not gonna do this for them. I'm not gonna stall and fall on my sword for another boss that don't care about me. You gotta stop wasting your time with me and get going. There was another guy in the office back room when you were bashing Ferdis. He already told Robella you were here. Right now she probably grabbing anything incriminating before taking off! But their meeting room is through that door! I know that they wrote stuff down and I'm sure Robella went for the money before she went for the papers! But if you take too long, she'll destroy all of it and they'll get away with all of it!
"Thank you Rhett," Luk Luk looked to the door then back to her comrades, "let us make haste then, so the evidence does not become waste." Luk Luk hefts her crossbow as she points towards the door Rhett pointed out, "Let us kick the door in, defeat the villain, and loot the room of evidence."
"...But their meeting room is through that door!
"Miss Alenka, we should go after any evidence first. Did you get a good look a'the door frame? or the handle? If they're keepin' anythin' important in there we should be careful about how we open it."
Ole Rhett there wouldn't be leadin' us astray now would 'e
The door Rhett indicated opened up to a room with a long wooden table surrounded by many chairs. A hand drawn, poster sized map of Illsurian was nailed to the north wall and the table was covered with several maps, diagrams and notes.
Vard watched Rhett closely as he answered, then glanced through the corridor to Luk Luk and Fain as they opened the door. "Looks like they're not there yet. Where was the money stored? We'll need to be alert for an attack from that direction."
"And while you are at it, who was this man who warned your mistress her secret was about to be revealed?" Thrym asked. "Someone you hadn't seen before, since you didn't call him by name? What did he look like?"
"I don't know!" Rhett said defensively, "Look I'm not gonna pretend I didn't know the bosses were doing less than legal stuff...But I was just a warehouse guy. I tried to keep my hands clean and I sure as hell wasn't given a tour of the vault when I joined. I'd guess its deeper in the complex, but I've never really been past the training room. Even the planning room I've only glance the inside of as people came and went..."
He sighed in frustration at Thrym, "His name's Byrten, but what does it matter, man! He's a nobody like me! I already told you Robella's running the show! Now you're gonna let her get away while you grill me? I guess me and the other small fries are gonna be the one's hung out to dry, huh! That's how it always goes. Boss gets off clean. Sheriff gets someone to blame... "
Fain rushed to the table of diagrams and notes and gave them the quick once-over.
He hurriedly rummaged about the room for a leather scroll cover or tube - stopped for a long pause to marvel at how banal the leatherwork was "Now wha's a fella' ta'do with a plain piece of suede like tha'. Not a touch of decoration on it" - then rushed over to the hand drawn map. He gave the wall poster a quick look - then snatched it off of the wall letting the corners tear.
While he gathered the table notes with the wall poster and neither looking to Alenka and Luk Luk or waiting a response, "You ladies dun with these???" The whole roll he stuffed in his now nearly half empty quiver.
<halfling> "Vard?! Did you toss the room? Any evidence in there? We should get a move on."
As Fain loots the room Luk Luk does the same while trying to find any useful evidence. An advantage to her current robes was the plethora of pockets for stuffing things away, which Luk Luk shall do for anything that even looks criminal or financial. She was not delicate about it.
She stops as Rhett's argument registers, "Wait, we should indeed haste to this vault, allowing Robella to escape could put us at fault." After a pause she adds, "We can search for aught once Robella is in custody."
The map on the wall showed the entire town of Illsurian, with about a dozen locations circled.
The Vault and Braeton Manor are both circled.
The marked locations are all local businesses or homes of prominent citizens.
Scattered amongst the papers on the desk were a few rather incriminating notes. There was a rough sketch that illustrated the route home that Archivin Walder would have taken from the circus. There was a smaller map that indicated the tree where Filton Legg had been strung up. Last, but not least, there was a list with each member of the party's names on it, with a big circle around Thrym's name.
The map means nothing to Alenka considering she wasn't from Illsurian but she recognized that many of the notes on the table were damning evidence against this Robella and would exonerate the carnival. She helps scoop up the notes, making sure the most important ones were tucked in with her alchemy notes so they'd remain safe.
"Which way to Robella and the vault?"
"Rhett, is there any chance of more reinforcements other than Byrten? How many foes can we expect?"
Fain’s right foot almost tripped over his left as he rushed to get back to the other room, ”There’s some important stuff in here. Did you notice? Both the Breton mansion and the Walder vault locations were circled on the main map.”
"Not sure, to be honest. You took out a lot of us already." Rhett said as he scratched his head. "I know at the very least one of those slinky camo tribe guys is probably down here somewhere. They don't go out and do jobs during the day and I heard the Monchellos were having the girl one guard something down here "
That meant they had to watch out for a sneaky type waiting to poke their kidneys. Luk Luk decided to point something else out to Fain, "And a list of our names. You seem popular Thrym," she nods in the northerner's direction. "This is plenty of evidence plus the good Rhett's confession to guarantee Robella's arrest. We just need to find her. And at least one Skulk. Good to know she has run out of minions."
The elf looks to Alenka, "If you can't talk or bribe the Skulk into surrender, I could burn it to hinder its sneaking. I have no alchemical powders that cling to aught." Left unasked was the question if Alenka had any such powders on her person.
"If there's a chance they'll run off with just the loot, we'd better get searching. Shall we try this door first?" Vard says, indicating the southern door in the narrow corridor.
The southern door opened to a long corridor with three more doors. To the south were several piled crates and a wooden ladder, leading up to yet another trap door, was bolted to the eastern wall.
Alenka contemplated Luk Luk's musings. "At least we know there's another skulk to deal with. I'm tapped out until I have time to spend time with my formula book. I have nothing but my cleaver to fight with. Too bad we aren't in a bakery because we could toss around flour."
Once they got to the three doors Alenka asked Rhett, "Do you know what's behind any of these doors?"