The two items continue to protest loudly over their close proximity, bickering back and forth until MalaKi can barely hear himself think. Meanwhile, the rest of the group makes hasty preparations to depart, with Faindrac retrieving the remnants of the staff, and Aso hefting Issiki’s remains in a miniature fire brigade carry.
The rear of the complex appears clear, save for the bodies of the two dead nobles. The cause of their demise still uncertain, it is difficult to ascertain just how safe this path may be. Certain harm may be the better option than certain death, however, for the noise of battle reaches you as you peer around the front desk to gaze outside the complex.
A large group of humans and half-giants are here, engrossed in combat with…nothing, as near as you can tell. A semi-circle of Templars, badges of office held aloft, concentrate fiercely on maintaining a shield of shimmering energy to protect an assemblage of nobles, unseen objects colliding repeatedly with the screen. Not your desert-variety social climbing nobles, these true paragons of Raaman high society clearly don’t take pleasure in the thought of explaining chaos at home to a returning Dregoth, and evince their displeasure by raining fire and acid through the power of The Way. Imperceptible perhaps, but not unbreakable, the hidden opponents blaze and liquefy, screams piercing the predawn as indefinable silhouettes become shapeless blobs of caustic green and charcoal black.
Lumbering forward in a line formation, the half-giant enforcers raise enormous bronze falchions and pass through the shield. Switching to double time, the heavy guard moves towards the spa entrance at a jog.
"Order: We go. Now. Rear. Run good; hit-hit not as good. Try get clutch giantkin into not large clutches, we decide hit-hit. Go. Now."
"Way ahead of you! Women and priests first!"
MalaKi calmly ignores the bickering items and runs for his life!
GAAAAAH!
(Schenker throws sand in his face and attempts to disembowel him and strangle him with his intestines, but his left calf goes into spasms and he falls over.)
"That is their decision, not yours, degenerate."Don’t leave us Radik! We could do great things together. Ignore the hammer, it’s just a bauble.
Radik smirks sadistically.
"Last chance, ladies."
As he waits for their reply, Radik stares detachedly at the chaos in the street.
"Scared, are you, bug?"
If anyone stops him he's going to wail like a mourner and act like a grief crazed.... ummm... halfing.
If that doesn't work and they are city guards I'll guess he hand over the corpse in obeisance to the law, although he'll grab Issiki's stuff first.
"Street chaos!!! NGGAAAAAAAA!!!!! Favritt kind!!! C'mon, lassie, I'll call you my little bitty pretty one.(to the sword)
Let's go mayhemming, far into the madding crowd.
Quit telling me what I oughtta do or do not. Just enjoy the ride, lassie. Enjoy the ride."
to Radik
"YOu can have your knivesies, grim mug. I'm more a one woman kinda jinker."
"Scared, are you, bug?"
"Sarcastic Query: Suicidal, are you, thin-shell?"
"Scared, are you, bug?""Sarcastic Query: Suicidal, are you, thin-shell?"
I'm both and thus neither one at the same times!!! I just want to try my lovely.
"This kreen intend raise many, many little larva, eat many meals, live many days. Thus, this kreen leave through rear door at high speed. Templar, giant, too many."
Holdrus grabs any un-grabbed weaponry, including the Maul, and high-tails it for the rear exit.
"You keep waiting for the ladies to make up your mind, Radik, me and the maul will head this way...."
Faindriac galnces around the room one last time, trying to make sure they don't forget anything important, like Issiki's remains.
'Women and Priests my @$$, Manifesters and Casters first! Come on Cair, that's our cue!'
Seeing that Aso has the halfling's body, Maliki has at least retained enough of his own free will to run, and that everyone else has grabbed what they can, Faindriac replies out loud,
"Directly behind you my Carapaced Companion. Lead on." He tucks teh broken staf under his arm, and flees the room through the back door. With Haste and dignity competing for dominance.
"I'll dippity do too, darntanter be ther last one standinin the kitchen win mum comes back in, and take the blame fer oliver older kids, what did all the bad stuff and so I get to stand aroundin get beat with a leather strip of crodlu hide because I look gulity."
Schenker shuts up when he realizes he's giving up a little too much background info's.
"Pong it! Lits go!"
"Was there a set of masterwork leather for me; read there were two sets and one was taken; not sure about the other.
One wonders if such a glorious shapechangin rod can become and wonderous bow of strength and power. Nothing pierces the truth like an arrow hehe "
stealth and move out; ready to all out sprint if necessary. Try to listen for the guards talking or any templars giving order to see if they are looking for any of us specifically or just investigating.
roll 16 hide equal 28
roll 15 move silent 27
Listen 9 ack equal 18
I took one off the noble. Not sure about the numbers of them; if you want it and there's only one, it's yours. I got a funky talking sword, yo.
"Scared, are you, bug?""Sarcastic Query: Suicidal, are you, thin-shell?"
Radik gives Kirrish a predatory grin.
"I like the way you think, bug."
Is sure a lot better than my padded; will take it if no one objects. I think there were at least two though.
The party stages a rapid withdrawal, careening out the back entrance with little regard for decorum or each other. Fortune is on their side, as the half-giant’s movement is somewhat restricted within the compound, and the rear courtyard shows no indication your mysterious “benefactors” have lingered.
Splitting up briefly and staying out of sight, the companions slowly regroup in ones and twos, eyeing the collective haul and heading back towards the city proper. Giving the position of the sun, the horns should sound soon, leaving the party exposed and carrying a sorcerer king’s ransom in iron. Iron that continues to argue amongst itself as the party walks.
"I'm waiting, ladies."
This may not be the best means to navigate; I could take all this iron which within arise such loquacious spirits and fly ahead to our rendevous atop the roof; shenker knows the place; in which I am making jerky, thus none of you risk capture; perhaps one would come with if you like; I could carry one; perhaps others to flank and preceed in tactical manner lest we be surrounded and lest we look like trouble to wary heavy handed masters of this city.
what say you?
"That's is a good idea. Though I worry that loquacious spirits may give you a splitting headache."
"hrr...mm....you could tote wee Aso mayhap."
Sounds good to me...(?)
"Not wise carry large amount iron in street - especially ghost-iron. Plan good one!"
"Very wise, Indeed. Proceed Klick. We shall follow. Though I also suspect that the cacophony of all the items together may drive you mad."
Aso adjusts Issiki, who is starting to stiffen.
"Let's get outta here!"
Tik's. We're splitting up and losing tails.
"Outta here, Outta here"
MalaKi sticks close to Faindriac. He motions for Zuko and/or Marada to join them.
Zuko follows the big (Malaki) guy.
Faindriac nods to Maliki and Zuko, and glances casually around at the corner.
He smiles pleasantly at any passer-bys who happen to glance at them. (That should make any 'normal' person run for cover in this city!) Then sets out for Tik's, Taking a more or less direct route, but on mostly side streets. He glances back occasionally to try and see if anyone is following them.
Famous Fighting Words: Run away!
:)
ok; will bundle up the iron so it is easy to carry and maybe muffles the sound; will carry it and the leather armor with my feet claws, not carrying much else; might be able to carry one of the lighter guys; will land on a roof not far away but out of site and strip off the padded armor and put on the leather; will change my appearance with might help in the long run, will dump the padded up there for later retrieval and sale if am too wieghted down; will make short flights roof to roof if I have to; want to be very careful and cautious when flying back to our starting place that I didnt like much; will land on the roof there and check my jerky strips drying in the sun and heat and keep watch for the rest of the parties arrival.
Chirp!
The weapons complain bitterly about your packaging them together, at one point forcing you to place layers of cloth between them so at the very least they aren’t laying contiguous.
Kha-Chik alights on a rooftop not far from the Brown Elf, noticing a small crowd gathered around the elder Kreen gladiator’s place as she does so. An imperfect angle leads to a reduced line of sight, but something isn’t quite right about the shape of the building from this vantage. Perhaps a trick of the rising sun?
As the group reassembles piecemeal, they find Tik’s place far different from when they were last here scant hours ago. For lack of a better word, the amber hive building has melted. Fully half of its former size, the structure now has the appearance of a lumpy “M.” Encased within the translucent shell is Tik himself, Gythka in hand, a look of stony determination fixed upon his insectoid visage.
A ring of templars appear to be investigating, and though none of the freeman are foolish enough to stop and gawk at their progress, you notice the same faces finding reasons to pass repeatedly in front of the former business. One of the spectators, attempting to get a little closer to the building, trips over something unseen and falls into the back of a probing overseer, earning himself a series of lashes and an empty purse. He got off lucky, overall.
A middle-aged human with the look of a grizzled combat veteran approaches you, attempting to stay out of sight of the templars as he does so.
“I’m sorry about your friend. I can give you more information about what happened here, and about the weapons you’ve recently located, but not here. I’ll be spending high-sun inside a bar across town, “Iz Z’tal.” Do not bring any of the items with you, or I’ll be on my way.”
"Aye. We'll be there..."
hehe i dont go any close; hide on rooftop and wait till i see a party member; find a rock to throw at him/her when i see em.
Is anyone with me?
spot 6 +9
hide 16+12
throw: 12+9
Is anyone with me?
“If this is the way we are to be treated, Radik can keep his stupid mallet."
"Fine then."
Radik snatches up the protesting dagger, and digs it brutally into his own pectoral muscle. Burying it deep, he moves on to Lady Onyx, then, to Lady Dusk. Showing no pain, and with dark, purplish blood running down his chest, Radik grins his familiar predatory grin. The hilts of the three daggers protrude grotesquely from his flesh like burned, blackened ribs.
"You must learn your place, harlots."
The gladiator turns to Holdrus, still grinning horribly.
"Hand me my weapon."
"Hrrmmmm.....there's him that calls me a deviant, as I live and breathe....ironical, ain't he."
Kirrish tries his best to avoid looking overly distraught, keeping a distance from the templars. He looks over the crowd for any more suspicious sloshy pinklings, particularly any disgusting long-ears. Definitely for some disgusting long-ears.
...but he's a bit too distracted formulating conspiracy theories involving talking weapons, long-eared psionicists and a nest full of jankx with a desire for revenge.
"This kreen confused. Why Radik stone-man cut himself? Him try attract bloodsucking insect? Him possessed by dagger ghosts? Him have head boiled by hot-hot sun?"