Luminosity

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

It wasn't shaping up to be the easiest first day for a group, and Fiona felt a little uncomfortable being caught in the middle. Watching the separate exchanges from Tobias and Sana, she was quite certain that while both had strong points, neither really understood where the other was coming from. They were very different people from probably very different backgrounds. Tobias wasn't a warrior who dealt with problems like this, and Sana... well, Fiona was choosing to believe that she was not herself currently. Seeing a loved one in a great deal of pain could make a person do things they normally wouldn't, and judging by the way she and Hugh were together, they were definitely in love.

She was willing to forgive Sana the brutality, and she was willing to try and understand Tobias's viewpoint as well. That said, she was a very forgiving and understanding person, and there was no guarantee the rest of the group would take things as well. She'd make sure to try and speak with Tobias when she got back. For now, Sana was right. These slavers were a serious threat, even more than the sickness. It would be a great waste to find the ingredients only to return and see the village ransacked by thugs and kidnappers.

And apparently she would be riding with the goblin. Fiona's young adventuring career had led her to do a number of things she thought she never would, but very few of them had involved goblins. Considering that her horse wasn't the most trusting animal, she hoped nothing would go terribly wrong here. Swinging her leg up over the saddle and mounting up, she listened to Sister Agnes speak to Sana. It was starting to remind her of another situation, the one she'd found herself in when she met Tobias. That one hadn't ended well for her, largely due to a lack of planning on her part.

"We should try to scout out any traps or ambushes they may have set up, rather than just charging in. Make sure we know what we're up against." She knew Sana was currently acting a bit rash, but hopefully that would cool down quick enough, and hopefully Lob or Drizzak would be of use in getting them the upper hand. Looking down at the goblin from atop her horse, Fiona took a small breath, and held out a hand.

"Come on, up you get."

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona held the mercenary still while Sana questioned him, observing her methods with interest. She had a feeling she wasn't quite capable of what Sana was doing, waving a an eyeball around on an arrow like it was some kind of shish kebab. She wondered if it was just the extra years of adventuring that had hardened her enough to be able to be this vicious. Or perhaps it had something to do with Hugh's injury. Fiona couldn't say.

She was a bit shocked, however, when Sana chose to execute the mercenary, deliberately misleading him, and Fiona as well, into thinking she would spare his life. Seeing as he was dead almost instantly, Fiona released her grip on him, and he thumped to the ground on his back, one more body among the others to be cleaned up. Fiona opened her mouth to protest, but the words died when Sana spit on the corpse and walked away. She stood still for a moment, glancing down at the body, but in the end went to retrieve her own horse from the stables.

She spent a few moments debating what had just happened with herself, realizing that she really hadn't thought it through. Her gut told her that killing the man, a defenseless prisoner, was not the right thing to do, but wondering what he might do if they let him go made her doubt herself. He worked for slavers, meaning he would probably return to them, maybe even bring more, or warn them. Nothing good would come of his release, surely. But executing him? Fiona shook her head. At least the decision hadn't fallen to her.

By the time she returned, leading her horse, Sana had proposed an attack on the remaining slavers, splitting the group to account for those that needed to recover. Hanzo's healing having restored her to just about full strength, Fiona felt that she was definitely up for another fight. It would likely be a no-prisoners affair, and while she wasn't fond of killing if it could be avoided, it seemed their only option here.

She nodded at Sana, resting a hand on the hilt of her sword. "I'm up for it. This fight here will have been a waste if the slavers are just allowed to regroup."

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona's with group A, going after the slavers.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona's instinct told her not to let anyone else lay hands on her while she was wounded, but all the same, she made no move to get away from Hanzo, and moved her hands away from the injury when he knelt down beside her. She wasn't the most experienced in judging character, but for whatever reason Hanzo struck her as completely trustworthy. Something about his demeanor, perhaps. She had to remind herself that she often jumped to conclusions, but in this case, she went with it.

The feeling was very warm without being painful, pulsing gently through her body, and the tingling made her shudder slightly, though nothing about the experience was unpleasant. Fiona had never been healed with magic before; if the Sister hadn't been able to help her, she was prepared to just try and stitch the wound up on her own when she got the time. When Hanzo removed his hand from her, she examined the injury through the small tear in her clothes. It seemed now that her jacket and undershirt were the only things that needed stitching.

"Wow," she said quietly, looking back up at Hanzo. "Thank you, that's much better." Noticing that his hand was still dripping blood that was clearly not her own, she pointed to it briefly, some concern showing on her features. "You should get yourself looked at, too. That looks painful."

While she may have wanted to speak with Hanzo some more, it appeared as though the fight was now over, their enemies all dead or scattered. Indeed, Fiona was a little shocked to see the ways in which some of them were dispatched, but she wasn't weak stomached, and resolved to mostly ignore the dismembered bodies. Looking around, she didn't immediately see Tobias. She did hope he hadn't run off... and that he was alright.

Sister Agnes was assisting by healing those that needed it and hadn't received any attention from one of the others, while Wylsen was handing out items to the party. Fiona accepted the potions he offered with a grateful nod and a brief thanks before he moved on to the others. Potions of purify food and water would undoubtedly come in handy, if they were out of any towns or villages for a while.

Lastly, there was the matter of the man in the dirt, with Fiona's knee still digging into his back. He had been offered no healing, and would likely receive none, unless his facial injuries were preventing him from speaking. As of now, he looked as though he could speak just fine. Perhaps he was just too humiliated to open his mouth. Glaring down at the back of his head, Fiona stood, grabbing the back of his collar and hauling him to his feet.

She marched him over towards Sana, watching him closely for any sudden moves. She'd noticed the scene between Sana and Hugh, and while she didn't want to interrupt anything, the bow-armed woman seemed to be their elected leader, and she would probably have quite the say in what to do with this man. "Thought we might want to ask this one some questions," Fiona said, presenting the captured mercenary to the rest of the party. She kicked her foot into the back of his injured leg, forcing him down to his knees.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

@Penultimate_Pi Yup, that's fine by me! She won't turn away the help, haha.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

@Penultimate_Pi The fact that you're worried about messing something up is a really good sign, trust me. It's the people that feel like they can do no wrong that tend to cause the most trouble.

I happen to think your posts have been completely fine so far. Lots of effort and detail. Hanzo is awesome! :)

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

The mercenary standing over Fiona obviously did not expect her to rise quickly after the wound she'd received, as he took his time in winding back for a kick, ignoring the brutality around him while he neared in on a kill. Fiona was hardly beaten yet, though, and she pushed back up much quicker than the mercenary anticipated, ramming her shoulder into his gut and trying to drive him backwards in a tackle. He was taken off balance for a moment, but frustratingly he managed to dig his feet into the dirt and bring her momentum to a halt.

"Give it up, I'll make it quick for you," he sneered, reaching down and grabbing the crossbow bolt in her side again. Fiona couldn't suppress another gasp, but she soon converted it into anger.

"Screw you... asshole." She brought her right knee up as swiftly as she could, ramming it between the mercenary's legs. He had some protection there, but not nearly enough to be unaffected by the hit; his face instantly showed his pain, and he released her, reeling. Fuming, Fiona slammed an uppercut into him, dazing him heavily, before she grabbed him by the back of his armor and charged him forward, slamming his face into the wall of the inn as hard as she could. He left a bloody stain on the wall, turning away from it, only for his nose to find Fiona's palm, and it easily cracked, blood running freely now. His face was a bloody mess, blocking off his vision, and allowing Fiona to have her way.

Rather than kill him, she spun about him and slashed her sword deep into the back of one of his legs. Howling, he fell to his knees, and a hard kick to the center of his back from Fiona was enough to land him face first on the ground. Descending on him, Fiona planted one knee into his back, the other in the dirt, and pinned him down. Looking around, there were no other immediate threats to her, so she sheathed her sword.

"Got any rope on you?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "Of course you do, look what you're here for. Stealing people and dragging them away, right? For coin? Despicable." She pulled a line of thin rope from his belt and proceeded to bind his hands together behind his back, digging her knee painfully into him all the while. She was panting from the fight and obviously pained by the wound in her side, but the thrill of victory was clear on her features as well.

"You're one of the lucky ones, you know that?" she asked, temporarily shoving his bloody face into the dirt. "You could've had the goblin go after you, or the half-orc, or a bloody wizard, but you got me. Harmless me. And you thought you'd have some fun, didn't you? Didn't you!" She'd nearly choked him on dirt and his own blood before she let up, and the mercenary coughed heavily when he could breathe again.

"Sorry I wasn't as fun as you hoped." Having finished binding his hands, Fiona moved to take hold of the crossbow bolt, still keeping her knee dug into him. "Now... gah!" She carefully pulled it free from her, discarding it. It was a small bolt from a small crossbow, but painful all the same. She pressed a hand to the wound to slow the bleeding. "Now the others can decide what to do with you. You'd best hope none of them want to have any fun of their own!"

Her voice had been little above a hiss, but she now looked up and raised her tone to a shout. "Hey, got one still breathing here!" She winced from the effort, looking down to see some blood slipping between her fingers. She moved her other hand there to help. "And Sister Agnes, when you get a moment, I could use a little help."

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Hugh is so adorable, and then he just goes and kills a man with a fork. I love it.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Having finished her breakfast and paid for the meal, Fiona had just been about to leave the inn and go check on her horse in the stables when she noticed what was outside. She saw Sana, her arm gripped by an unfamiliar man, who was accompanied by a number of others, all armed and dangerous. When Sana called for help, Fiona immediately knew a fight was on hand. She didn't know who exactly these men were, but the village was obviously in danger now, and she felt compelled to act. Drawing her blade, she was one of the first out the door, searching for a foe to cut off and engage.

She didn't have to look very hard. A well-built mercenary in leather armor moved straight for her not long after she stepped outside, a heavy broadsword in hand, his other hand free. Immediately Fiona made the judgement to dodge rather than block; his swings were heavy but slow. She avoided the first slash and immediately went on the offensive, lashing out with quick strikes from her lighter blade. Her pressure was relentless, giving him no time to return strikes between her attacks, and she was soon forcing him away, towards the side of the inn.

Her blade work was superior to his, and soon she landed a quick slash to his sword hand when he missed a block, severing two of his fingers. The mercenary dropped his sword and roared in pain, Fiona following up her attack with a slash for his face. He leaned back, but not enough to avoid getting cut by the edge across his lips and nose. He spun away and stumbled several steps back, dripping blood down into the street.

Fiona was just about to press her advantage when the mercenary pulled a small, one handed crossbow from his back with his uninjured hand, the weapon already loaded. He didn't take long to aim, but she was an easy target this close, and the bolt ended up hitting her in the midsection, near her left hip. She gasped, staggering a step backwards, the mercenary rushing at her, dropping his crossbow. She made an overhand strike for him, but was too slow, and he caught her wrist, his missing fingers sending blood dripping along her arm. His other hand went to grab the bolt, painfully twisting it, and Fiona cried out, struggling to extricate herself.

His weight pressed her backwards, and she was unable to hold her ground, instead being forced away until her back slammed against the wall of the inn, the crossbow bolt still digging in agonizingly. The back of her head hit the wall hard enough to daze her, and Fiona slid down to the ground on her side.

"Stupid girl," the mercenary thug said, looming over her, "shouldn't have tried to fight." Injured though she was, Fiona was hardly out of the fight just yet, as he would soon find out.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Oh, sorry. Must've missed that. I'd still like to have 10, though. Is he just on the street?