The noxious cloud of gas caught Tamra's attacker full in the face, burning his eyes, nose, mouth and lungs. He swung the sword desperately in a wide arc above her, but his eyes were scrunched tightly shut against the burning gas and he took a step backwards in an effort to escape it. In doing so, he lost his bearings slightly and backed right over the open trapdoor, falling down just as Takao had done, and landing with an "ooooph" just as Takao was "watering" the corner of the chamber.

Charlie's adversary only managed to slow himself slightly before his shoulder collided with the hard stone of the battlements and he grunted in pain. However, he did not seem deterred and turned quick enough, lunging himself at the monk, attempting to get an arm around the man before he could turn back around with his quarterstaff.

The third danced backward as Arnold parried his blade with his gauntlet, barely avoiding the cleric's blow, but also failing to realize that he was backing right toward Ronan.

Charlie ducked as he twisted his staff and slammed it parallel to the ground. His entire weight on one leg and his other extended into a split position his heel planted on the cobblestone. Then with both hands now free he caught the brute's thumb and pinkie finger. Then pushing his weight down and forward he yanked the man's fingers in an attempt to flip the man and mangle his hand, using the brute's very own momentum and Charlie's strength.

Ronan had remained hidden or at least rather unnoticed and patient where he was. It seemed the patience and waiting for a specific opening was paying off at this moment. He questioned how often that such was used in the past but it was likely that now was not the time to think about such. This moment was the time to strike directly while one of the assailants remained rather unwary of Ronan’s presence and was heading toward Ronan without noticing such.

Ronan quickly used this stealth advantage. Aiming and quickly swinging the rapier as to strike the assailant. Specifically, Ronan aimed to deal a fair blow toward the assailant’s temple with the use of the rapier’s pommel. Aiming not to deal a fatal blow but to render the man unconscious, yet again.

Just as Takao have completed his business, a crazy guy fell through the same trapdoor and started screaming. "Took you a long time, what happened?" He asked as he turned around to look, realizing that that person isn't someone he know, instead its a someone who seemed like he had been beaten out of shape and it seems to him that he's looking for a duel. "Oh well, I've stranded from my group, just like you haha" Takao drew his sword out on his ready, typical stance of his sword pointing forward. "So, its getting boring down here, so lets duel to pass the time~"

Takao smiled, approaching to his engaging distance, has the tip of the sword positioned lower than his opponent's. He charged in, raising his sword just slightly above his opponent's sword tip, and with a slight twist of his right wrist, he uses the slight curvature of his sword to jeer his opponent's sword away from his center, creating a good opening, then making a small swing downwards, cutting towards his opponent's hand.

This is his favourite technique of initiating a swordfight , because its easy to leave his opponent alive & also that pattern would be good enough to tell apart good opponent. He hoped that his opponent would be worthy enough to counter his strike so that his duel would last longer ~.

"Tsk..." Takao hissed while realizing that he can't leave his opponent alive. Feeling the opponent's tip now pointing back towards him, he took a step back to suppress his opponent's thrust, slightly angling his sword upwards. With his opponent's sword now at a much lower height than his sword's like a fish being close to the fishing pole, all Takao had to do to remove the threat of his opponent is to slam his opponent's sword downwards. Takao now raised his sword, making a diagonal slash towards that man like a fisherman reeling in upon his catch.

Arnold leaned out from behind his shield and nodded at Ronan. “That was good,” he grunted, before he turned to take stock of the situation. His original target was nowhere to be seen, his aggressor was at his feet, and the third appeared to be in the middle of a tumble toward Tamra. He rushed to put himself between Tamra and the larger man’s path. With a deep breath he, braced himself against the back of his shield, dipped down, and threw his weight against it, pushing upward and outward in the tumbling man’s direction, intent to send him back the way he came. “Again, Charlie!” he called to the monk.

Takao's blade ripped through the man's shirt as he barely managed to step back and avoid being split open from waist to shoulder. The tattered fabric fell to the sides, revealing a large 'V' branded on his chest. He lunged forward again, this time faking toward Takao's right side, trying to draw him into a parry, then dipped his blade low and brought it back up toward the mercenary's left side.

--

The large brute clipped the edge of Arnold's shield on his way to the ground, but it was enough to keep him from landing on the woman, instead landing right beside her with a heavy thud. Finding himself in a bad position, he directed a strong kick at Arnold's shield, simply trying to push one of his opponents away. Regardless of if the kick accomplished the goal, he reached out with his non-broken hand to get a hold of Charlie's ankle, trying to drag the monk off his feet.

Ronan was somewhat relieved to see the man crumple onto the ground below. Hopefully and through assumption that person was unconscious. Ronan would try move the sword carefully away from the man’s hand, just to be safe before trying to pick it up and take it for their own for the time being. It may be useful as a backup, to sell later, or simply to keep it out of the drunkard’s hands if they had tried to attack at some later point after waking up. They felt rather well or in a better mood in believing this opponent to still be alive. Ronan took more notice of the call out from the trapdoor rather than Tamra’s situation.

He narrowly caught Arnold’s comment before heading over toward the trapdoor himself rather slowly if undisturbed. It seemed one man remained above, and one below. Although the larger enemy had to deal with at least three people already, one of them with a shield and what appeared to be some armor, the other.. likely had fewer opponents or perhaps just dreadful danger down below. In either case, Ronan would try to quietly make or climb his way down below if nothing interrupted him before or during the process.

Charlie stood steady as the man reached for his ankle. He looked down at the man with pity, this poor sap tried so very hard. A man too big to know what to do with himself. A shame his journey ended so soon, he could have proved a useful ally.

"Hands. Off" He said as he stomped toward the man's hand. He then dropped to one knee and grabbed the man by the throat and whispered.

"Destiny has not been kind to you this day." He released the man's throat and stood again defiantly unwavering at whatever the man attempted to do. Then when he raised his head just right he swiftly kicked under his chin and forward. Pointing his toes and using the full force of his knee to control the momentum.

Tamra had been too busy searching for her spell component that she didn't notice the huge man stumbling toward her until he was nearly on top of her. Her concentration momentarily broken, she pulled her hand from her component pouch in order to quickly move to the side, as the large man did as well. She spat a curse at her ineptitude and started to stand up, but as she reached a sitting position, she heard her previous opponent cry out for help from within the tower.

Knowing that one of her companions was down there as well, and that he may be soon outnumbered if her opponents call was heeded, quickly reached into her component pouch and withdrew a small glowworm. She waved her hand outward and chanted, "Lux Et Via!" and in an instant, four purple, flame shaped lights shot out from the glowworm and began snaking their way down the trapdoor hatch. She quickly ventured a glance at her other compatriots and determined that they had the situation handled where they were, so she made her way down the hatch and into the tower, making the Dancing Lights arc and sway in an effort to distract her poisoned opponent.

Charlie watches the man roll just to insure he stays down. He then moved to pick up his staff quickly snatching it off of the ground. He runs his hands along it dusting it off and finding his grip again at the same time. He holsters it onto his back once more and starts off towards the others. However when he gets to the edge he stops.

That totem... Something doesn't feel right here. He shouts to the others,

"Mind the totem!" Nothing more nothing less needs to be said. But the last thing Charlie wants to do is get himself caught in a trap. However for fear of being left behind he continues after the others and down the ladder to help his companion.

Did I just break his spirit? Takao thought at the sight of his rather desperate-looking thrust, that wasn't even pointed towards his heart. his opponent's arms are rather open, so Takao instantly raised his sword a bit to swing down & chop his arms, only to realize that his opponent lowered his sword so avoid it. Shit, its a trap! Takao hissed at the realization that he's being at his opponent's killing zone. In an instinctive attempt to preserve his life, he thrusted his sword forward towards his opponent's heart (with his opponent's sword being lower than his, it would be quite open). It was more of a defensive move than anything, and he doesn't really like to be on the defensive side.

Takao, noticing his opponent's sword now pointed towards him at his last breath, hastily let go of his sword and jumped back. Though he didn't avoid that stab completely, and got a light graze from that last exchange of strikes. Let it be a reminder for taking my opponent too lightly... He thought as the battle concluded. His natural regen would be more than enough to cover such a light wound. And once his opponent falls, he will retrieve his sword.

"Took you quite a while, accidentally fallen into this elaborate trap, my bad..." Takao scratched his head while making that explanation.

As Tamra reached the bottom of the ladder, the man fell to Takao's blade. She let her lights hover over his body as she strode over and knelt beside him. She then pulled a small symbol of Wee Jas from around her neck and clasped it as she positioned the man's hands over his wound. She closed her eyes. "Go in peace. Soon you will be in The Stern Lady's embrace, and she will decide your fate." She kissed the symbol as she replaced it around her neck and stood up, taking in the scenery of the room as she did so.

She spied the totem that Charlie spoke of and took a few steps toward it. Surely a book like this held some sort of arcane knowledge undiscovered. But as Charlie implied, it could also be some sort of trap for the unwary. If she ran her hand over the cover, perhaps she could detect any magic that it emanated...

Ronan himself was rather caught off guard by the four purple flame shaped lights that had formed and went down the trapdoor hatch with him. He was somewhat angered by this display of lights as it had come down with him both distracting and likely making his presence all the more obvious to anyone else that had remained below. There was not much that he could do about it now however and someone else was already on their way down as well.

Ronan was rather trying to remain self-concerned in the situation in order go back into a better defendable and perhaps surprising position in case of enemy attack. He was having trouble with such in the brightly lit room and perhaps because the flames had thrown him off earlier. Either way, most of the current threats seemed to be gone or eliminated for the time being. One of the Ronan’s crew members had mentioned something about a totem, but Ronan had not noticed such an object yet. He felt very, awkward at this time.

The main thing that seemed to catch Ronan’s attention currently was the red skull in front of fireball, Tamra’s holy symbol. He knew not of whom it was for but thought it to be an interesting accessory or ‘neat’ for a better term. For now seeing as there was nothing much to speak of and it felt rude to interrupt Tamra he kept quietly to himself instead.