Sir Rolf could not believe it. The senior Griffon knight was sure Lord Stormfeather had placed him on Death Watch , but here he was still alive . "Death Watch" was the term used by the lower ranking knights to designate the duty of suicide mission. Amongst the weaker orders or the "milk drinkers" of Grom to be put on suicide mission meant great shame and dishonor. Rolf even heard some of the weaker warriors of the lesser Orders panic and flee if they were put on Death Watch duty. The Order of the Griffon was different however. The greatest warriors of the north did not fear death either from foes or friends. When Rolf saw his orders, his spine stiffened but he would not shirk the honor that was his duty.
Griffon Prince Stormfeather had assigned him a full quarter of the Griffon host and an entire battalion of mercenaries. There job was to assault and seize the Grom Royal Palace. Rolf knew that it was all a diversion. He wasn't sure what the true purpose of the raid was, but he knew the bulk of the enemy forces would be drawn to defend his target . His noble and glorious death would lead to the Griffon's overall victory.
The initial assault on the Royal Palace went better then expected. The outer defenses were more akin to a country club then the fortress palace designed by Alphonso . The Griffon commander's troops easily over ran them. Rolf noted that there were more butlers and serving girls then there were enemy combatants. When his forces reached the inner fortress. The Griffon knight was awed by the strength and structure of the inner defenses . He balked at the prospect of besieging the palatial keep, but was again surprised at the ease his troops defeated the defenders. There were pockets of heavy resistance from the few units that the army stationed at the palace and the lone royal adventurer and his retinue gave them a memorable fight, but most of the palace garrison fled or surrendered at their coming. He half expected the feared demon cavalry of the Dread Guard to pop up but there were no signs of King Alphonso's fiendish personal army.
Rolf knew that according to plan all he had to do was to hold the area till night fall . With the fortifications at his disposal the Griffon knight knew that he could hold off thousands maybe even ten thousand foes if they ever regrouped. Rolf began to wonder if it was possible to actually survive his death watch.
Captain Inutile paced nervously at the northern gate. The money given to him was quite the princely sum, although he probably would have done it for a much smaller fee. He was a tax collector after all. When Maiale was "disposed" of by the Silver Arbiter the post of Captain of the Northern Gate was temporarily open. Given Inutile's long association with the town guard, and a generous donation given to the chief guardsman, the tax collector quickly was promoted to that post. When a discrete offer of additional employment was given to him, the new captain promptly accepted it.
Most large mercenary companies were not allowed full access to the city . A few could come in and out to spend their gold and purchase supplies, but the bulk of them had to wait outside, mainly for security reasons but partially to keep their drunken revelries under control. All the new Captain had to do for his secret employers was to ensure the alarm was not sounded and keep the gate open while they marched in. Stay low afterwards keeping the northern gate accessible , and shut the doors to delay any pursuers when the mercenaries left. He had hand picked several platoons of trustworthy and profit minded guards to make sure that his role in this raid went according to plan. The alarm was eventually sounded , but by then it was too late.
The cries of the victims of the raid echoed throughout the burning streets of Grom City. It did not move the captain though , he was use to much worse as his stint as a tax collector. That would be the only thing he would miss when he would have to flee the city later . The feeling of civil authority and monetary control his job gave him.
Inutile guessed only a few more hours left of nervous pacing till he can retire away from Grom. Perhaps he would retreat to the tropical islands of Irendi, or the Grand Duchy of the Karamekios. Someplace warm where he can live like a pampered lord with the blood money he received. In the mean time , he and his two platoons kept a close watch on the gate. If somehow the army reached him, he would claim the door was stuck and they were working to fix it. If they didn't believe him, he would be forced to defend against their attacks. The gate towers were sturdy structures, each almost like a small keep, complete with murder holes and parapets on both sides . He figured he could hold out against his fellow guards till his mercenary or knight allies could relieve him. Failure to do so would mean death or worse at the hands of the avenging Grommers. The life of a traitor was filled with great riches and great risks.
As Inutile and his men kept their vigil, a lone cloaked man walked towards the gate from with in the city. He wore a heavy knights curiass and held aloft a distinguished war banner of one of the Orders of the North, behind him trailed two lovely barely clad ladies roped together at their necks . The captain could tell it was the first of many to return from their raid.
Captain Ramirez smiled as he directed the GRS (Grom Republic Skyship ) Indomitable towards the city. The bulk of the activity seemed concentrated in the northern districts , at Lord Quick's estate and at the palace. From his tactical sky high view he surmised that this wasn't just about looting and raiding, the enemy had objectives at hand. As the most senior captain here besides Kasmir , he directed three of the other vessels to the palace while three were to accompany him to engage the fierce battle overhead Lord Quick's estate . The rest would engage the enemy where they found them, to either deny resources or tie up their ranks.
Several Griffons saw the approaching sky ships and broke off their attacks on the city to engage them. A trio of them scooped skywards and dropped rocks and alchemist fire onto the lead vessel. They use their speed and mobility to drop projectiles at their enemies before either retreating or using arrows . To most it seemed a cowardly tactic but it was very effective if not very chivalrous.
"Cowards! ", declared Rameriz at no one in particular as the fleeing griffons strafed his position.
Although he didn't expect a reply a Griffon knight bellowed back at him, "That is how the Griffon wage war! "
The skyship captain sneered at the unchivalrous response.
Rameriz knew the ship was immune to such feeble fire and rock attacks, but sadly his crew wasn't. One of the fire pots hit the ship directly setting one of the dragoneers ablaze. The man stumbled around but still had the frame of mind to roll inwards to the ship instead of stumbling overboard. The ship however sustained little or no damage as the hull was fire resistant. The dragoneers returned a volley striking a griffon and its rider several times, but failed to bring them down. The creature was wounded and its flight speed was reduced from the damage though. Ramirez took the opportunity to match speeds and directions of the injured griffon and brought his ship parallel to it.
*KABOOMMM* thundered the full size dragon golems as four of them fired a broadside into the griffon and its rider, turning them into a fine mist of blood and feathers.
"That's how Grommers fight!", shouted the captain, as the Indomitable gave chase to the scattered and panicked griffon riders.
Lord Quick and his servant fought their way to the rear gardens of his estate. Only a few of the raiders stood in his way, but the enraged Royal Adventurer made short work of them. The elf lord was a self admitted show boat and glory hound, but no one can deny his lethal skill with blade and spell.
" You ruined my party! You blinded me with your green mist ! You wreck my house ! and you chased away my future bride! Someone will pay for this! ", the elf shouted in a loud hacking whisper at his defeated foes.
"Whoa...how'd you do that?", asked his servant who cheerfully followed the elf.
"Eh? Did what?", the elf lord asked with his signature raspy voice.
"The old, whisper loudly thing. That's an oxymoron isn't it? If I didn't just hear you do it I would never have believed it. ", declared the nondescript servant amazed more at Quick's audio illusion then the elf's martial prowess.
"You have to get the air from your lower diaphragm almost at your stomach, then control the rate you exhale. Like the monks at Tornic do when they chant. It takes some practice, but I do admit it is a pretty cool trick. That's how I met my third wife you know, the opera singer. ", the elf said happily.
"Cool...so boss, I just want to confirm this, since I am just a lowly butler...but you aren't a part of this attack on Grom City...and this whole set up , the party and the sky ships ..was all an attempt to woo the Lady Sharliss?", asked the butler .
Lord Quick's vision was still a bit blurry from the cowardly attack earlier, but he still squinted his eyes at his inquisitive servant. He didn't recognize him, but that wasn't surprising. His house hold was always known to have a high turn over rate for servants. Something about him being too high strung to work for or something were their usual excuses for quitting. He felt no reason to answer the man before him, but he did feel a bit of an obligation to him. All his other servants and guards fled except for this fellow. Although Lord Quick did the bulk of the fighting, this servant did help guide him and direct him while his vision was impaired, and to the elf lord that counted for something.
"Why would I want to attack Grom City? This is the place I make my money. I believe the "criminals " in this city have a saying. " Don't shit where you eat. ". And yes , tonight's entertainment was all for the sole purpose of wooing the Lady Sharliss. She would make a lovely bride and our union would cement a powerful political union. ", answered Lord Quick with a shrug.
"Didn't she just get in town like last week? You're going to marry her when you hardly know her?", asked the confused servant. Lord Quick chuckled at the man, he clearly did not know the mysteries of the heart like the elf lord did.
"I would like to point out I married my fifth wife after meeting her at a party in a mere four hours. That happy union lasted a whole six years...one of my longer lasting and more pleasant marriages. ", smiled the elf.
"Ok...that's what I thought, but I just wanted to confirm it . Good luck on the raid. ", said the servant to his master as he walked away from him heading towards one of the outer rooms.
"Where are you going? Come back here! ", declared the elf lord at the retreating servant.
"Nah you don't need me anymore. I was just checking to see if I needed to kill you. However it looks like your summoning of the fleet might have saved Grom City. You'll probably get a medal or something for this. ", the servant chuckled, as he continued to walk away from the elf.
"What? Kill me ? Do you know who I am ?", declared the elf with his strange loud whisper, as he began to shake violently in rage.
The servant turned around and threw a dagger directly at Quick. Quick flashed his blade towards the projectile but was a fraction of a second too late to deflect it. Luckily the blade just missed his head by a fraction of an inch.
*Akhh...gurrrgglle*, came a voice a few feet behind the elven lord. Quick turned and saw the dagger imbedded deeply into a sneaking Griffon knight's left eye socket. The once stealthy warrior slumped to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.
"Yeah you're Sir Ricardo Belcadiz, Royal Adventurer, Grand Duelist, Queen's Champion, Prince in exile, Scorpion of Grom, Grandson of Carnelia de Fedoriad also known widely as Lord Quick .", said the man as he turned back and continued to walk away.
The elf looked stunned at his servants reactions and aim. Somehow the man was...quicker...then he was. The elf was shocked but quickly rationalized it was the green dust that had slowed his reactions, there was no way that any man could be faster then he was. Before he could confront the man, the nondescript servant disappeared into the darkness but shouted once more, " That's a mouthful you know, I know everyone loves big long titles, but you should think about shortening it. Champion Duelist Quick or something else paraphrased like that ...anyways if you're still alive after this, maybe I'll pay you a visit. For your sake though , lets hope not."
They fired a few volley of arrows at Halvor and his small group , but the big knight and his friends were firmly under cover. Sensing they had their foe pinned the Griffons screeched downwards on their power dive. A monstrous eagle also joined the final assault, but Halvor did not let its presence break his concentration.
As the enemy grew closer and closer, Halvor looked at the handkerchief tied to his axe and knew he couldn't die like this. He had to win and return it back to her. As his enemy was almost upon him , he thought this little "dance" with Sharliss , was a stupid little game, but she was young and so was he. In the end he didn't care. This final gift of hers meant she at least still cared about him and that was enough for the big knight.
"NOW!", he shouted to Petrus as the griffons were almost upon him, thoughts of anything but the battle driven from his mind.
The summoner unleashed the spell he had prepared and a wall of fire 20 feet high sprang from the ground. The lead griffons were too committed to their dive to pull up, and the first three flew through them , burning hide, skin, and feathers. The rear three and the war eagle managed to stop barely in time, but they were still assaulted by the wall's intense flames. As they stopped their flight a roar from the hidden guards and tieflings came from the canyon walls as they assaulted their aerial tormentors that went through the fire. Halvor did not know the workings of magic, but thought it curious the wall was only hot on one side, which thankfully wasn't the side he was on.
The orange painted Halvor swung his great axe like a meteor at the lead griffon. He struck it deeply in the side and the force of the blow sent it crashing into the ground. Kirgi took quick advantage of the fallen griffon and pinned knight . He descended upon them and swung a war axe at each of his opponents. The first axe felled the wounded and burning griffon, while the other bit deeply into the pinned knight's shoulder. The dwarf followed through with a step towards his wounded opponent and gave him a swift kick to the head, knocking the man out.
"I don't normally boot guys while they are down, but three or four guys who looked a lot like you , with tattoos that looks a lot like the one on your tabard did the same thing to me a few weeks ago. ", smirked the dwarf at the unconscious knight as he quickly spun to face the other griffons.
Adria's hands flashed with lightning as she ducked the flaming griffon emerging from the wall. She grew to almost 12 feet tall and managed to grasp the wing of one of the beasts as it flew by. Her increased size and mass allowed her to hold on and swing the shrieking creature and yelling knight riding it back into the wall. The pair screamed from fiery pain , but the orange painted giant paid no heed to their pleas of mercy. The griffon quickly expired from the inferno while the knight dismounted and staggered through the fiery barrier. As the knight gasped air from the smoke and fire he escaped, the large eidolon flattened him with an electrical fist before he could recover.
The third griffon suffered fire damage but evaded the bulk of the initial engagement. The mount and rider flew past his ambushers and quickly spun around to charge again , this time without a wall to distort its aim of its target. As the griffon turned it was met with a hail of sling stones and crossbow bolts from the regular and tiefling guards. The griffon reared back and fell to the ground and was soon set upon by the Big Zax and his compatriots. The tieflings stabbed at the monster mercilessly, but it returned their ferocity with beak and claw. A tiefling fell under the avian monster, and another was struck heavily in the back by the griffon knight after he restored his balance on his mount.
The knight prepared to finish his staggered foe , when he suddenly looked at Big Zax and a hint of recognition crossed his face. "ZAX! He's not in the middle. He's right here !", the knight yelled.
The rear griffon echelon hovered back and over the wall and saw that the ambush had slain two of their compatriots. Halvor sensed that they wanted to engage his group first to exact revenge for their comrades, but instead they dove straight at the recently spotted Big Zax.
The human guards, Kirgi and Petrus all fired at the tight mass of mounts and knights that had presented such an easy target to them. Halvor and Adria rushed the attackers and struck the rear one with axe and fists. Halvor's axe struck the knight square in the back and he could feel his weapon shredding his spine. Adria grasped the griffon's leg. She was met with an instinctive rake with the lion like claw, but she twisted the appendage swiftly. The griffon and its now dead rider rolled heavily into the ground, but the eidolon did not relent. She continued to twist till a sickening snapping sound and pained piercing shrieks could be heard through the canyon.
Big Zax was overwhelmed but fought like a true professional. He knew he was outnumbered so fought defensively till his allies could thin or disperse his fresh attackers. It would have worked great, but an extremely large knight atop the giant eagle swung an over sized mace towards him. Even though his magical blade attempted to parry, and his enchanted shield was in the perfect position to block. The massive object shattered blade,shield, and arm as it struck. Big Zax staggered back in pain from the blow, but his massive attacker jumped off the eagle and pressed the attack. Big Zax backed up from his attacker till he hit the canyon wall. Sensing there was no place left to run he lunged at the massive warrior , and struck him squarely in the center , his short sword biting through armor and flesh as it sank into his opponent's chest.
The big knight looked at the annoying blade and smashed his mace like a battering ram into Big Zax's midsection. All the air was knocked out of the tiefling's lungs, as he slumped to the ground. Before he could act again, the tiefling screamed in pain as a pair of large hands grasped his head and began to pull upwards.
Everyone from both sides of the battles stopped as a horrifying ear splitting scream erupted from the tiefling. The shout was quickly silenced when his head was literally ripped from his spine. A guard paused and threw up and so did Sir Tollis from the sickening sight.
"ME WIN! ME WIN! ME KILL ZAX ! ME KILL ZAX! ",shouted Iceclaw as he happily hopped back onto the giant Eagle with his grisly prize and his slain victim's sword
"BUYS BYES! US PLAY AGAIN!", waved Iceclaw happily as the monstrous eagle and two remaining griffons retreated skywards.
Sarin regretted abandoning his fallen companion, but knew it was for the best. If he would have attempted to grab her, the sheer volume of arrows directed at him would have most likely slain her from stray shots. The healing aura he evoked was the the best decision he could have made if he wanted to save Isula's life.
As the paladin retreated into the estate, he could hear the sounds of knights in pursuit. A large number of them had clearly dismounted and were making their way into the estate. Were they after Lord Quick or was it Sharliss they were after? Regardless of who it was, the paladin rounded a corner and readied an attack with his spear. A knight followed in pursuit and was surprised to be greeted by a 250 lb half elf of pure fury. Sarin's spear thrust was text book perfect as it ran the knight through the stomach, and brought it out again in a split second. Two more knights tried to stop their advance but Sarin speared one of their hips. As the knight crashed to the ground, the paladin stepped forwards and swung his massive elbow into the remaining knights face. The force of Sarin's attack combined with the man's rush , brought the knight to a grinding halt. A crunch of bone and a spurt of blood accompanied the impact of the attack , as the knight fell gibbering from pain on the ground.
Sarin heard the remaining raiders pause and regroup, and the paladin took the opportunity to once again retreat deeper into Lord Quick's estate.
"Hey let me in! I did a hard day of looting in there and I need to take a break. Look , let me in and I'll let you fool around with one of these fine bitches I caught !", yelled Zax to the gate tower. The trio made their way to the north gate and pondered how to break in. As stealthy as Nymph claimed she was she did not think she could sneak into an alerted Gate house full of defenders. Darwen suggested a frontal assault, but noted she had little spells to aid in siege warfare. Zax thought about it and he wondered if he could convince the defenders if he was a knight returning from a hard day of looting with two prisoners . The fact that he actually was a knight had no bearing on it since despite his credentials he certainly did not look like one. Nymk and Darwen both greeted his suggestion warily , but the tiefling smiled and transformed his chain shirt into a full suit of plate mail and changed his club and rapier to their original broadsword and war banner shapes. The two women stripping to their underwear and donning loose leashes was Nymph's idea but Darwen was very reluctant to agree to it . Zax however, thought it was an excellent idea.
Zax recalled seeing the two gate towers when he awaited his duel over a week ago with the former Captain Maiale. At full capacity the pair of them could hold close to 50 men a piece. One of the towers contained the mechanism to open the gate, the other closed it. The fool hardy maid said they needed to seize both positions to stop the invaders. Zax of course scoffed at the idea, but Darwen fully supported the plan. Zax reluctantly agreed, but they were going to do things his way. He hoped his disguise of his magical plate armor and a scavenged knight's helmet would fool the defenders long enough for him to gain entry. Afterwards he would use his powers of oration on them. He knew Grom, and he knew guards in Grom. He suspected the traitors weren't radicals or rebels, but just guys who wanted to make a buck. The tiefling thought if he was given a chance to talk to them, it would be easy enough to pay them off to either open the gate or flee . If things got rough, he still had Darwen to do the heavy fighting, and as much as he hated it , he could always push Nymph in the way if he had to run.
The defenders did not fire at them as they approached, and Zax thought that was a good sign. They didn't open the door at first, and that got Darwen and Nymph a bit worried. Not Zax though, the tiefling knew they were just discussing things amongst themselves . If they weren't attacking yet that meant they were open to dialogue and of course a hefty profitable "suggestion".
As the sounds of bars and mechanisms being raised and unlocked sounded from within, Zax turned to his scantily clad companions. Darwen turned red at his gaze, she was wearing her exotic leaf undergarments that Zax absolutely adored. Zax always wondered how they stayed affixed to her body, but decided now was not the time to pose that question. Nymph seemed more calm as she stood before him in a simple form fitting white cloth shirt and shorts. Zax expected something racier from a maid that was attempting to attract the attentions of duelists. The leashes they were both wearing were of course for show only. The maid tied the rope so that they easily snapped off if any pressure was given . The women had no armor but Darwen enchanted both with an armor replacement spell. Something Zax thought was very useful and wondered if it was more protective then the plate armor he was trudging along with. Nymph had stowed her weapons in a bag similar to Zax's satchel. Most likely used to store heavy cleaning equipment the tiefling guessed. With Darwen's blade hung loosely at Zax's belt, the tiefling nodded at the pair a final time. This was it, there was no turning back now.
"Ok, be ready but stay relax. Act a bit fearful if you have to. Let me do all the talking OK. We'll have this tower in no time.", instructed Zax as he flashed his heroic swashbuckling smile to his leashed beauties.
Baalphzon left the door to the store slightly ajar. The deceptive looking imp waited above the entrance, patiently waiting his next victim. So far he had dispatched six of these so called knights as they saw the door to this magic item store open before them. The locals of course were too smart or scared to fall for such a simple ploy, these invaders however were ripe for the picking.
A pair of brawny men with heavy half plate wearing the tabards of the crab entered. Baalphzon chuckled at the sight of the carnage to come. Several years ago , when he was released from his magical bonds, Baalphzon was set upon by a pair of crazed but powerful paladins. He would have been destroyed but the paladins' daughter intervened on his behalf. He agreed to a series of binding pledges in exchange for his life. It was a deal made under duress and he knew it was not binding to him, however his enormous pride and his own strange code of honor was enough to ensure his compliance with the pact. He was bound not to hurt innocents by oaths to both of the Mistresses of the Lionblade, but invading a city and rampant looting clearly made these two men fair game.
"Look at all this stuff! I wonder why anyone didn't loot this stuff yet! ", said the first crab warrior.
"Well let's fill our sacks. We still have to find some fine Grom women after this to celebrate with ", the other replied triggering a laugh from the pair.
Baalphzon wanted to strike, but knew this could be just bluster. If he killed them now the Mistresses of the Lionblade might confront him and claim it was purely circumstantial that they were in the shop. She would probably claim they might have just been seeking shelter from the attack. Baalphzon was well versed in dealing with lawyers both Grommish and Infernal so he waited till this pair were caught in the act.
One of the warriors grabbed a gleaming blade, and another a shiny jewel. The imp knew they were both enchanted to appear more magical then actually were, but that was still theft. Baalphzon smiled then leaped into action, that was good enough for him.
In a flash , the muscular imp pounced on one of their backs, knocking his target to the ground in the process. He stabbed his poisonous tail into the man's left leg. The warrior screamed as the stricken appendage quickly turned black and purple. Before the other looter could react, Baalphzon jumped on his shoulder and wrapped his barbed tail around the man's neck. The surprised man froze as he knew he was just a tail yank away from having his throat slashed.
Baalphzon purred as he yanked his captive's ear,"Before I decide to kill you ...I see you two are knights of the crab. Do you know a Frank, Hank, Frank and Tank? or more specifically a Frank and Tank, since the former died I believe. ", hissed the imp into the terrified man's ear.
"No..No...sir...we're just bandits. We were given these tabards to wear. ", the man replied. It was the truth but he was unsure if that was the correct reply or not.
"Thank you for your honest answer. ", smiled the imp as he tore the man's throat out. Before the body fell to the group Baalphzon hopped on the back of the other man. He wanted to finish him off but the poison beat him to it. He sighed and waved his hands, both bodies incinerated to ashes . The imp then waved his other hand and the items purloined were returned to their original relative positions. He could have slain both intruders with his magic, or even transformed to his true form and crush them with his titanic strength, but the pitlord preferred the simple things in life.
The imp looked at the carnage outside , he wanted to rush out and begin wanton slaughter, but that would hurt his reputation as a member of the Dark Eight. Besides he was being paid to watch the store.
"I wonder how Sharliss and Sarin are doing?", he thought.
Sarin should be OK, and Sharliss too if she was with him. The imp wondered if he should check up on them, he owed his old master and only real ally that much he mused. If he actually shut the store's door, none of the bandits would be able to enter without magical assistance. As he thought about this he watched an invading warrior attempt to cut down an old woman with his axe. For some reason the sight made his blood grow hot (hotter then normal that is) , he told himself it was the blood lust, but the imp had to admit he felt something else at that moment. The desire for justice ? Pity for the weak? He wasn't sure, but before he knew it , the imp was perched on the back of the axe wielding man.
Baalphzon wrapped his tail around the man's neck and shredded it with a simple motion. As the man fell to his knees, the imp started to cruelly rake his face , leaving the eyes of course so his dieing victim could watch the carnage he inflicted on him.
The old woman stopped as she realized her attacker had been stopped, "Thank you Thank you great hero...I never would hav...", she said but then stopped. The horrid sight of the muscular imp ripping her attackers face apart caused her to go green from revulsion . She quickly turned and stumbled away as fast as she could from the monstrous sight.
Baalphzon stopped his attack and stood. He looked at the pain and suffering he had inflicted and grinned. , "Hmm...I can get use to this hero stuff.", he said with a knowing nod.
"Zax! You can stop that screaming now! ", shouted Nymph from atop the stairs. " Like sheesh, you're the one in armor not us!"
"Ummm...I was just perpetuating our ruse . Since you two girls forgot to scream . Someone had to! ", the tiefling said as he recovered from the initial shock of battle. He took off his sweat filled helmet and surveyed the scene. A half dozen guards laid slain by mostly Darwen's blade. Despite his instructions, when the door opened she seemed like a woman possessed and struck them with an anger that Zax had never seen before. Before either Nymph or Zax could stop her, she drew her side at the tiefling's belt and then she promptly slew the guards on the lower level. After a frenzied massacre she bolted up the stairs seeking more victims with Nymph attempting to following her.
Besides that little incident, the plan went well. Zax never met a city guards men that couldn't be persuaded by two fine looking women in their underwear. The tiefling though it must have been their low salaries. Unlike the army which had decent wages, city guards were recruited from the lowest strata of the job pool . If you could walk and show up for work you could qualify to be a guard. Zax thought if they were paid more then they could have afforded proper prostitutes like the guys in the army . Sure the army "camp followers" were not that much to look at , but they set their prices competitively for their clientele, while the guardsmen had to go to red light districts that mostly served merchants, bureaucrats and minor nobles. All the bribe money that everyone heard about that guardsmen received all went to their officers, the simple rank and file patrol men had scant opportunity to fill their pockets save for the rare shake down of criminals they actually caught. This left them of course vulnerable to his clever plan . The guards were all too happy to open the tower to them for the promise of "soft" company.
Sadly , after his initial diplomatic success , it all went awry.
Nymph quickly returned to the top of the stairs, while putting her light armor on. "I lost track of Darwen . Did she double back here? Is she with you?", she asked looking down at Zax while tightening the last few buckles and straps of her leather breastplate.
Zax snapped out of his thoughts ."No, I was covering the exit, to make sure none escaped. ", claimed the tiefling with no indication that he was actually lying.
Nymph jumped down next to him, sticking a perfect landing as she hit the tower floor. "Seriously, we are now committed to attacking a tower right now. Who knows how much reinforcements they have. There's no time to lose, even if we get to the gate mechanism, I'm not sure if all three of us can close it. What are you doing?",she demanded. Zax thought for a maid she was pretty bossy, but he didn't pay it too much attention, since he still felt in control of the situation.
"Umm...I was thinking about economics. ", stammered the tiefling as the scantily clad maid's cold gaze drew out an answer from him.
Before Nymph could reply. A shout shot from outside. " FOR GROM! ", cried about a dozen battered looking guardsmen with weapons rushing the slightly ajar door.
Zax froze, where they friends or foes? If they were friends, he was still in his knight uniform, would they attack him? If they were foes should he shut the door? If they were friends and he shut the door, the other gate tower would cut them down with arrows , that meant that any survivors would be foes if they were formerly friends. If they were foes and he shut the door, he might be able to convince them he was just paranoid and slip up the tower to find Darwen and get her to dispatch them. He doubt he could hold off a dozen men while protecting the maid in the process though.
Before he could react, he saw maid push the door fully open and wave the men in. Zax face palmed himself and reminded himself to have a little talk with Nymph later about quick combat decision making. The guards quickly filed in seeming more relieved they have found cover then ready to do battle.
"Are you friend or foe!", Zax declared at the exhausted group.
The largest guard, who Zax assumed was the leader looked at him puzzled.
"We are friend to Grom! But we just really want a place to hide out till this chaos is over. ", the man said while catching his breath. Despite the bloody bandages on him the battle scarred guard looked the most dangerous looking of the lot.
"I'm a friend of Grom too. ", Zax said while watching their reactions.
"Wait...", the big man said. "Are you friend to the Grommers that have opened the gate, or friend to the Grommers that want it close. More specifically are you one of us or one of them? Because right now you definitely look like one of them . Which is cool with us as long as we can hide out here till the fighting is over. "
"Ummm...currently I want it closed. So that makes me one of ..um you...errrr us? And I totally don't look like one of them. I'm short and skinny , the knight guys are big and broad. ", declared the tiefling.
"I've seen some small and skinny knights before. ", said a guard behind the big guard.
"Yeah...you could be a runt knight. ", the man said with his weapon readied.
"Wait..wait...If we're going by size. I want to point out...you're pretty big...and pretty broad. It's more likely that you're one of them not I. ", declared Zax proudly to the largest guard.
The other guardsmen behind the leader shrugged, " The runt has a point. "
"I'm not a runt. I'm just slim of build. Chicks dig that. ", Zax said with a smile and a wink as he motioned to Nymph.
Nymk had had enough of this banter. "Ok, we don't have time for this . We have a gate to close and we'll need strong men to do it. So shut up and let's get the traitors! FOR GROM! ", she shouted and ran up the stairs.
None of the men or Zax followed her lead, they waited till she ran up the stairs then continued their conversation.
"So...she's with you? "
"Really feisty isn't she?"
"I thought I saw two girls. "
"Why is your skin orange?"
"What's with that leash? Do you have to pay extra for that? ", were some of the questions the guardsmen fielded to Zax.
Zax held out his hand to stop the inquiries then smiled, "Gentlemen, I know its been a hard day, and I think most of you are reluctant to risk more of your blood for an employer that pays so little. So how about we come to a little deal here. You guys follow me for the rest of the battle and I'll throw you guys a gold a piece for incentive. As you can see I already have two fine lasses, I'm sure with a gold a piece even you guys can afford some of the fine escorts and entertainers provided by in this city. Who knows if we actually save the city , some might even throw themselves at you for free.", the tiefling said with a smile.
The thought of gold or women, and possibly both seemed to have drawn the battered guardsman's attentions. As one they nodded at the tiefling knight's crass suggestion.
"Oh, I'm Zax by the way. ", smiled the tiefling . He then drew his blade and pointed it up the stairs .
"FOR GROM!", he shouted
The men behind him followed his cue, "FOR GROM! FOR ZAX! ", they roared behind him , as the tiefling and his mob pushed up the stairs.
The priestess thought it was odd that rest of the buildings in the city were burning but for some reason they mostly spared this particular one. Did they want to retrieve an object here...or perhaps they were assassins sent to neutralize Lord Quick himself. If they did want Lord Quick, why did they need him alive? If they wanted him dead they could have bombarded the dining room with fire pots. It would have been easier to slay him then take him prisoner. From her brief encounters with the elf, the priestess had doubts he would provide them with any important information outside of anecdotes about his numerous ex wives or procedures for proper court dueling etiquette.
After her fireball, some screams above told her that some of her attack had gone through the roof. Her group was outside the main blast, but the room was quickly burning . A normal person could not withstand the heat, but she knew that Freiki, Lilithy and herself were all protected from fire to a certain degree by their lower plane heritage.
The roof creaked and suddenly it caved in . Three knights fell heavily into the flaming rubble. Freiki jumped towards the first one and grasped his head with his jaws. It shook the man viciously but the resilient knight did not succumb and drew a dagger and began stabbing the wolf wildly in return. The other two knights stood up and advanced, but were hit by multiple magic missiles from Lilithy. The attack seemed to have little or no effect against the griffon raiders and both continued their charge.
Sharliss was unprepared for this, she had thought the fire, the fall, and Freiki would be enough to finish them. She had seriously underestimated her opponents.
She prayed for a protective sanctuary and stepped in front of Lilithy. It couldn't stop the knights from getting to her friend , but it would at least slow them down.
The knights stopped at Sharliss's barrier . The priestess attempted to hold out her arms to block them . Despite the obstacle she posed, they still managed to slip by her.
"Run Lily Run! ", cried Sharliss in despair as her friend was frozen in fear from the two charging warriors. Freiki was still snapping at a pinned knight , and it seemed ridiculous but it appeared the knight was winning against the much larger wolf in close quarters.
Sharliss knew if she attempted any direct action it would violate her sanctuary spell and would allow the knights to attack her, but she couldn't let them attack her near defenseless friend. The priestess tried to tackle one of the large knights but was rewarded with a swift mace to the face. The blow was barely stopped by an invisible barrier, but the weapon still sent Sharliss falling to the ground. As she struggled to her feet, she saw to her dismay the other knight strike down a frozen Lily with his mace. No protective barrier save her friend as blood , feather, and beak scattered along the burning floor.
Sharliss attempted a close wounds spell on her friend and it seemed to stabilize her, but the knight continued battering the defenseless tieflings on the ground. Sharliss felt her own protections fail as a sharp pain ripped through her back . Lily on the other hand fared much worse as the mace from her attacker struck her with a loud crack at the back of her skull. Sharliss cried as she was unable to help her friend.
The priestess knew that another attack would soon be the end of her, and she rolled to the side . Despite her despair she kept her head and tumbled deeper into the fire. The agile tiefling performed a move her mother taught her and managed to actually roll onto the heels of her feet , in a crouched but standing position.
Her two attackers were surprised , but hesitated to advance due to the fire. The priestess spun and attempted a hold spell on the knight wrestling the wolf . To her surprise it worked , and Freiki quickly grabbed him by the head and shook him vigorously in the fire. The wolf tossed the still man into the wall and charged the remaining warriors.
Before it could reach him, the Griffon knights swiftly drew their bows and fired arrow after arrow at the charging wolf. Freiki gave a yelp of pain as he finally succumbed to his multiple wounds. Sharliss attempted to save her long time pet and companion but an arrow struck her in the back. She turned and saw an archer that did not fall through the roof was waiting up top for a target like herself.
The priestess staggered forward in pain and wondered how Sarin did this type of stuff so easily. She reached the wolf and found he was already dead. Sharliss sensed the end was coming, and her thoughts dwelled on Sarin , her parents, and oddly enough Halvor. She hoped that they would be safe.
The archers all fired at once. She winced and expected death, but caught a glimpse of a streak of silver behind her and a flash of steel in front of her. The knights stood open jawed in amazement , as one of the butlers somehow deflected the arrow from above with a dagger, and managed to knock the arrows in front of Sharliss away with a long sword. Before they could draw another arrow, the man took a short step forward . This deceptive maneuver brought him within range of the bowmen and he swung his blade in a wide lazy arc at the archers. It did not seem like a lethal attack but it hacked the fingers off one man tore the nose off of another.
"That's for killing the girl's maid. You know how hard it is to find good help these days? ", the butler said nonchalantly. He then thrusted his blade swiftly into a shocked knight ...and then into the other . A clean stomach wound appeared in each , as they both slumped down to the ground . Sharliss knew that they would have long painful drawn out deaths. She was bound to help them, but she couldn't . She didn't even have enough magic to help herself or her friends let alone enemies that attempted to kill her a few seconds ago.
"That's for killing the wolf.", continued the butler.
Another arrow shot through the burning corridor, but the man seemed unconcern with it. The projectile struck a foot away from Sharliss and landed a few inches from the nondescript man's foot.
"Turn around Hush.. Don't look.", the man said as a dark aura gathered in his hands. A scream of pain came from above, then a slump. Sharliss turned and saw the butler throw something red and beating into the fire around them. Sharliss did not witness the attack, but suspected it to be some form of dark death magic and shuddered at her rescuer.
When the danger seemed to have passed , Sharliss fell to her knees sobbing , the grief of her companions deaths finally over taking her.
"I'm sorry for your loss, and wished I arrived sooner, but this is why your father doesn't want you adventuring. People die all the time . ", Earl the assassin said with a sudden sadness in his voice.
"Gods...I love adventuring.", chirped Sarin uncharacteristically as he dispatched two more knights with his hit and run tactics as he made his way through the estate. The normally reserved and gruff knight would never say anything like that if Sharliss was around. He did not want her to follow the dangerous footsteps of her weird family. He's seen first hand the pain and suffering adventuring caused, but the half elf had to admit it was pretty fun when everything was going your way.
Killing bad guys, saving maidens, and looting treasure were all activities he rated highly . His current quest didn't give him too much opportunity to indulge in any of those activities , but he did find the odd occasion to blow some steam and do some D'crawling . The caravan through the mountains gave him several chances as well as the battle through the estate. He hoped this little merry chase he lead these knights on gave Sharliss the opportunity to escape. He knew that she wouldn't attempt anything foolish like join him, he had trained her well since the day they met. In situations like this she should fall back. He wished that he was at her side right now though as the paladin did not initially realize the scale of the attack . He saw over 100 griffon knights assaulting Lord Quick's estate. Even dismounted that was enough to seriously challenge most military forces.
As Sarin retreated he spotted a tall pretty servant girl huddling in the corner of a corridor. Sarin smiled , all he needed was some treasure now, then he would have all the adventuring bases covered.
The half elf walked up to the woman and offered the raven haired beauty his hand, "Come with me if you want to live .", the half elf said gruffly, the childish glee had now been replaced with his normal dour seriousness.
As the paladin approached, suddenly the woman threw a pair of pots at him. They exploded into clouds of green mist. Sarin's eyes swelled and his lungs choked on this vile attack. The half elf attempted to cure the poison but was shocked to find his paladin healing powers couldn't affect it. He swung his spear in frustration at his now laughing unseen foe.
"Oh ..your lay on hands won't work on this. Its Elf bane. A dangerous poison that only works on elves or half elves . Most importantly it can't be cured by conventional means.", laughed the woman.
Sarin struck with his spear at the source of the laughter but was only rewarded by the feeling of his weapon striking wood. A mace blow struck him in the head, as he felt a swift breeze drift by him .
"Come now abomination. Take a few more breaths of that powder so I can return you to my father. ", taunted the woman . She struck her sheathed blade between Sarin's feet and the staggering half elf quickly found himself crashing into the ground. As he struggled to get up, the woman calmly stood over him and began pouring the dust directly onto his head. The paladin lungs seized up as he once again tried to stand, but a sharp boot to his back sent him crashing back into the ground.
Captain Inutile recalled looking at the armored knight, and the barely dressed attractive woman and elf maiden he had captured. The captain remembered shrugging , and ordering the door to be open . The battle had gone according to plan so far, he thought he might as well begin enjoying his rewards early. Both of the maidens the knight brought seemed rather attractive to the former tax collector and he wondered if he could buy one from the man with his new found fortune.
That was the last pleasant thought the Captain had. He knew it might have been a trick, but he had six hand picked men on the lower level, plus 40 others in the tower. Even if the intruder was a veteran knight warrior a single man could not beat all of them. The sounds of battle and the high pitched scream of a woman echoed through his guard tower, convinced him otherwise.
Cries of invaders, and pain filled the gate house. The other guard tower reacted by sending men through the upper parapet to assist their comrades. Inutile was no stranger to battle and drew his long sword before rushing to repel the invader. As he left his office he noticed outside the window about a dozen guards shouting "Grom!" or something rush his tower. They were most likely loyalists that were waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Some crossbowmen from the towers fired at the approaching group and several fell, unfortunately the bulk of the defenders had more pressing matters to attend to. The former tax collector cursed as he knew there were probably more loyalists hiding nearby in the surrounding buildings. There was a wide killing field between the nearest structures and his tower, but that meant nothing if his men were occupied. He had to regain control of the tower in a hurry, before they were overrun .
Inutile open the door of his office and was greeted by the sight of a blood covered elf with a silvery elven blade. Inutile was a veteran of many campaigns and saw the same bloodlust and fury in her eyes as he did when he once faced a viking berzerker. Even though she was unarmored except for an exotic leaf bra and panties , her skin glowed with a slight protective armor like aura. She waved her hands and a massive invisible force wrenched the sword from his hands and sent it clattering down the stairs behind her.
"I can explain...I can explain...", blubbered the new Captain of the North Gate as he backed into his office away from this nightmarish attacker.
The elf shook her head, "What's to explain ...you betrayed the trust people place in you. You allowed these raiders to pillage the city and rape its women. You probably expected a share of any treasure and slaves that were caught as well...Am I correct?", hissed Darwen, the thoughts of her own recent experiences of fortress betrayal clearly resurfacing in her mind.
"Err do you want a cut or something?", asked the tax collector as he clumsily attempted a diplomatic solution to the obstacle ahead of him.
She could have chosen several witty responses at that moment , instead she screamed like a savage Tundra lion and slashed at him in a fury. Her first blow could have easily killed the man, but she chose her strikes carefully. Each attack drew out maximum pain and suffering from the traitor as he was methodically being cut to ribbons. When he finally passed out from the shock and pain, the elf stabbed him once more in the head, triggering a final jolt of pain to his overloaded system.
As her victim died, Darwen suddenly realized the terrible thing she had done. Killing your opponent was one thing, but butchery like this went against everything she stood for . She fell to her knees , sword falling to the ground and wept into her own bloody hands.
Zax felt pretty confident with his small contingent of guards he hired . He ordered two to watch the door for more reinforcements or more likely attackers and the rest followed him up the tower. From the carnage he witnessed , he assumed Darwen had no problems dealing with the small fortress's defenders. In the open she might be vulnerable to their numbers, but in close quarters he knew she would be hard to handle. Nymph followed him closely, and Zax noticed she was keeping a close eye on him. That was expected though, as Zax thought he cut a handsome image in his magical armor. He likened himself to one of the great knights of legends, Sir Polly, Admiral Douglas, or even the great Monte Nabisco. Zax decided to keep his banner as he charged. Even though it was pretty useless in a fight, made things crowded as he ran up stairs, and was generally unwieldy, it did strike him as something a hero would do. He looked up at the banner and grimaced at the furry dog symbol on it. He would have to change that one of these days. Maybe to a cobra or a charging bull. It would have to be in velvet too he thought.
The men looked in awe at the slain men as they advanced up the tower. Each appeared to be killed with but a single blow. They of course assumed it was the work of their new leader. The orange faced knight boldly walked up the stairs unafraid of whatever defenders might still be hidden with his banner in hand. It was an unwieldy item , but the men thought he looked particularly heroic with it as he strode through the tower. The order of the Husky was one of the more fearsome of the minor orders, known for their resilience and adaptability. There were talks of the Last Champion of the Husky was in the city and the men sensed they were in his presence. There was light combat as they advanced upwards, mostly wounded soldiers or men that had hidden themselves , but the loyalist guards knew the battle was far from over . The other tower was still full of enemies and braced themselves for the eventual assault that was to come. They were probably better off hiding in some building and waiting it out, but this Sir Zax's heroism was truly inspirational. Thoughts of cowardice were replaced with thoughts of bravery ,retribution against the invaders , and a big fat reward as they watched their new leader valiantly assault the tower.
"The officers quarters are that way. ", said the guards former spokesman , as he pointed to an open door by the stairs. The men knew Captain Inutile was recently appointed , but most had served with him before. As well as being a member of the fearsome tax collectors, he was a veteran of many campaigns and was both an expensive and dangerous foe. They hesitated to enter the room and waited on the stairs. Zax seemed to wave them forward , but none of the men moved . The scantily clad woman named Nymk who their leader referred to as Nymph, stood by the knight and signaled everyone to wait. Without a word she began to sneak into the room. As the group stalled in their advance on the stairs , a quiet sobbing could be heard from the room. The men were shocked as Sir Zax sprang into action, he literally pushed the stalking woman out of the way as he flew into the room with blade in hand.
The men hesitated for a few seconds, but after a few tense moments of silence they followed into the room after their leader. What they saw shocked them. The chief traitor himself Inutile was butchered on the ground, next to him was their leader Zax comforting a barely clothed elf sobbing in despair. It didn't take a genius for them to figure out what had happened. Inutile had obviously taken Zax's woman captive and was taking advantage of her. When Zax heard that, he flew into a rage and took the man out in his wrath. The fact no one actually heard the battle fought was lost on the men , as they gazed at their leader in awe.
"I'm sorry,,,so sorry... I lost it...really lost it...", whispered Darwen as Zax held her tight.
Zax was at a lost for words. He looked at the mangled pulp of a man before him and shuddered . He held the elf and felt the fear still within her . He met crazy women before in Lower Lueders, they were mainly compulsive liars, over possessive, or down right delusional. He always did the smart thing with them and dumped their asses and stayed far away. Darwen was different, she wasn't mildly neurotic she was a full blown psychopath. Every instinct in Zax's brain told him to leave her at the first opportunity and run for the hills. The mangled body in the office could easily be him . Zax knew that the elf was a better swordsman then he was, and she possessed magic at least as powerful as Petrus's . He felt most resentful because the real kicker was that she could imitate his special power and use it at such a level that it was actually useful. Even under his most fanciful flights of self delusion the tiefling knew he would be no match for her in a real fight. He considered throwing her aside right now and jumping out the window. He felt it was even odds he could survive the fall and run into the woods, there to join his druid brothers in a life time of tree hugging and ethical animal care. To stay with this crazy elf was just a death sentence waiting to happen . He could imagine the first casual argument they had would quickly result in his painful death. Worse still, if she ever came to her senses and realized what a loser he actually was, he could see himself burned, or carved into little ribbons of orange flesh . The smart thing to do was to break contact as soon as he could, and go far far away.
Despite his irrefutable logic, Zax couldn't bring himself to release her. The elf sobbed quietly in his arms, and he gently calmed her with his touch. At that point of time he didn't care if the city was being over run or that the other tower was preparing to over take his . He didn't even care that the raiding knights would be returning soon. All he was worried about was this fragile weeping elf in his arms.
"Zax, Zax...", Nymk said gently tugging his arm. Zax ignored the barbarian maid as he had more pressing matters at hand.
"UP STAIRS! ", cried one of his guardsmen as the sounds of battle erupted from the stairwell.
"Zax...place a guard on her, place two if you like...if we don't take over the other tower, we'll be over run by knights . Darwen won't be safe then . I need you to lead these men, they won't listen to me, they'll listen to you though. ", asked Nymph one more time as he left the tiefling and prepared to engage the attackers on the stairs.
Darwen nodded at Zax and hugged the tiefling one more time. The tiefling thought about escaping with the elf and pursuing his druidic dreams together with her but knew that she was in no condition to move. He left her in a corner and produced a blanket from his satchel for her.
"Stay put. I'll be back soon.", said Zax as he wondered what exactly did Nymph wanted him to do. A cleaning maid and a fake hero wasn't going to get far. He considered "Darwen" the muscle of the trio and knew they were seriously lacking the power and skill to defeat their foes. He thought his heroic image he projected must have really brain washed the awe struck maid. Zax thought he might have to tone down his image a little if he ever got out of this alive. Maybe act cowardly once in a while to deliberately tarnish his image. He had to adjust his reputation a bit, enough so he could get free drinks and business opportunities, but not so much that he would be called on to directly lead sieges and thwart enemy armies.
Zax reduced his banner back to a light club , and drew oohs and ahhs from his men. He knew he didn't want to over impress his men, but the showman within him couldn't resist the attention and he twirled his club skillfully to their delight. He then transformed his broadsword into a rapier and charged up the stairs.
The upper levels were mostly cleared of opposition , but a few staunch defenders remained. Half the soldiers that initially engaged them and the maid Nymph had dispatched most before Zax joined them. Zax saw a wounded man attempt to escape and slammed his club into his back with contempt. The man stopped and turned around to face his new attacker, but the maid stabbed him from the back while he was distracted.
"I had him well handled. ", Zax said loudly to impress the men. Once again Zax promised himself to once again try to stop boasting and showboating. Exaggerating his reputation in a tavern was one thing, doing it in a battlefield was another. He had to make sure he lived, not just for himself but for poor Darwen. Someone had to take care of her else she'd be locked up in an asylum or something , the tiefling thought.
Nymk shrugged at his comment and ran to the upper levels. Not to be outdone by the risk taking maid, Zax followed and so did his men . Faced with the seemingly unstoppable attackers, the few remaining defenders of the first tower quickly surrendered and were subdued. Nymk waved Zax to the top of the tower . The pair crouched behind parapets as she pointed to the other tower.
Zax saw that the other tower seemed locked down and had to duck as a crossbow bolt sailed harmlessly over his head. The defenders were also firing at a group of loyalists that tried to join the first group and easily dispersed them. They seemed content not to retake the tower he just liberated and just wait it out till the bulk of the knight army returned.
"The surprise of our attack is over. They've locked themselves down. What's worse is we can't close the gate without the other tower. We have to break through the hard way. ", she said while retrieving her bow.
She nocked a black arrow and fired at a guard standing by the parapets, he only presented a small profile, but her arrow easily struck him square in the skull. His screams sent the other rebels ducking behind cover and employing the more defensible arrow slits instead.
"Wait...that arrow its black. Just like the sniper! ", stammered Zax in surprise.
Nymk knew that her guise was finally over. Even the thick headed Zax saw through her ruse at last. She had failed the Grand Champion's request for keeping her identity secret and cursed herself for getting too involved with Zax and his companions. She should have just stayed on the roof and watched, but their plights moved her to take a more direct role. She didn't regret it though , she could not idly sit by during the fight, the Grand Champion would get over it, and she did meet some interesting people . Some very large interesting people she thought with a smile.
"Where did you buy those arrows! They must have been custom made! I bet the sniper shots at the same place you do! Did you see any suspicious patrons at that store? I assume the sniper is really short since he can hide so well. Probably stout , maybe a dwarf or a short human with a wrestler's build since the draw on his bow must be great. I'm guessing since he doesn't come off the roof that often so he probably smells! He most definitely has poor hygiene. I'm imagining a smelly Kirgi dressed in black . Have you seen such a person at the fletchers? ", asked Zax in surprise.
Nymk once again stared at Zax and studied his face. The tiefling seemed to believe the profile he had conjured in his head. She was a bit miffed at the unflattering description he attributed to her, but smiled and shook her head at his question.
"Let's focus at the task at hand. Even if we tried a direct assault they would take us down with their withering defensive fire. We are stalemated. They are too alert to attempt to sneak past and by the time they let their guard down the raiders will return. I will need a distraction .", she said attempting to change the subject away from the sniper.
Zax considered this, he was guessing that the guards on the other tower were probably more scared of the loyalists then he was of the rebels at that point. They had just stormed one tower, and presumably slew their captain. Zax wondered what they were thinking at that point. Were they thinking of holding out and escaping with the rest of the raiders? Or were they just thinking of survival ? Maybe it was something more material then that. They were obviously recruited by the Captain, and if he was the Captain he wouldn't have paid them till after the battle to ensure loyalty of course. With their leader gone, they were probably thinking like regular Grommers. Who's gonna pay them?
Zax then wondered why Nymk needed a distraction. Was she going to dust them to death, maybe hit them with a mop? He wondered if she knew an alternate way into the tower. That made sense to Zax, since she was a maid. Most important places have a service entrance for the help. She did spend an entire day stuck here waiting for his duel last week. It might be plausible if she discovered a secret servant entrance.
Zax wasn't sure her exact reasoning, but he knew that he had to end this . Not just for him to save his hide, but for Darwen's sake. He wasn't sure what a distraction would accomplish but he resolved himself to provide one.
Zax suddenly stood up , his club once again transformed into the banner of the mighty Furry Dog. Several bolts were fired, but Zax resisted the strong urge to duck or flinch. He was partially obscured by the parapet but he also hoped that the enemy wasn't that great of a shot.
"Hold your fire! I want to talk !", declared Zax before the next most likely more accurate volley was directed at him. Nymk stared at him in shock and considered yanking him down but the tiefling motioned for her to remain still. Zax was about to explain his actions but then he noticed she had vanished. Most likely fleeing to the servant's entrance.
The tiefling breathed a sigh of relief as no more bolts came from the other tower, they would hear him out at least. " I regret to inform you that your leader Captain TraitorScum has been dispatched. Before he died though, I was able to extract the location of the treasure he was given to betray his countrymen!".
"What! He said the knights would pay everyone after the battle ! He didn't say anything about being paid in advance! ", said a voice from the other tower.
"Ha ha ! and you believed him ? Trust me , no one does this sort of thing without cash up front. Now as I was saying, my companions and I have no intention of taking your tower, we are happy with just the cash. Now we'll leave you alone if you let us leave peacefully. ", Zax declared.
"That's our money !", yelled a different voice before being silenced.
A brief pause settled on the rebel tower as they considered Zax's statement. "No deal! We want what's owed to us! Leave us our loot then you can leave. We'll cut you down if you try to escape or we can just wait till the knights return . Then you'll get yours. ", yelled a rebel spokesman.
Zax laughed at the suggestion, "Oh please. If the knights got to us first, they will most definitely keep the treasure for themselves. They might even punish you for failing in your task, since we'll be sure to put up a fight . If I was a knight and I saw a supposed friendly tower firing at me, I won't distinguish which one was friendly , I would think both were hostile. ", declared the tiefling.
Another pause settled on the enemy as they considered his statement.
"Give us half then you can leave.", the spokesman declared again.
"This isn't a bazaar here. We are proud defenders of Grom. We don't deal with terrorists. The way I see it, we might be dead if the knights get here first , but if the loyalist wins and we survive this we'll be treated as heroes. You on the other hand, face certain torture or death if the Grommers win, and most likely death if the raiders win. No treasure for you guys either way. You rebels are screwed! ", laughed Zax.
Again another pause from the enemy.
"Ok just go then! Give us the other tower back. ", said another spokesman. Zax assumed the rebels did not like the way the current negotiations were going .
"We intend to do that, but we need assurances that you will not shoot us while we leave. After that you can be good little rebels and hold the gate for your paymasters. ", yelled Zax.
"Errr.. you want hostages or something? ", yelled another voice. A muffled argument and a painful cry came from the rebel tower.
"Look ...I'm tired of these games. Let me talk to your leader .", Zax yelled smiling. He could talk to these suckers all day. If Nymph need a distraction he could definitely provide one.
"We...we have no leader...", said several voices at once.
Zax sensed a hint of despair in their voices. The tiefling thought over this and decided on a new approach of attack. "This isn't going according to plan is it? I bet you thought you were going to be living the high life in one of the southern realms this time tomorrow, instead you guys are facing certain painful inevitable doom. Looks like you boys chose the wrong side .", the tiefling yelled clearly enjoying the game he was playing.
No answer was returned.
"You know...as a good personal friend to Lord Quick , or Quicky as I like to call him, I can put a word in for you guys. That is if you surrender to me now, its win win for both of us. I hate to exaggerate my reputation, but I can claim I took both towers, and you guys have my assurances that you won't be executed or tortured for your crimes. ", Zax yelled. The tiefling of course knew he could not provide any such assurances, but at this point of the conversation the truth was hardly of consequence.
"We don't want to be imprisoned! ", said a voice from lower in the tower. Some voices from above also confirmed this. Zax smiled the game was almost over.
"Ok look. If you guys give up right now, I'll say that Captain TraitorScum used mind control magic on you. I am a very honest man, so it pains me to lie like this, but if I claim you were under some mass charm they will probably be lenient with you. That's my best offer, no more negotiations just surrender your tower to me now. ", declared Zax. He knew it was risky, but he couldn't resist the temptation for even more glory. The tiefling stood on top of the parapets. Blade in hand pointing at the tower with his banner planted next to him firmly blowing in the wind. Zax almost lost his footing on the ledge, but luckily the banner helped to keep his balance. With his heroic pose, and the glint of the burning city shining off his blade , soldiers from both sides gasped at the imposing figure of the heroic Zax in all his glory.
The main door on the roof of the other tower opened. Nymph the maid stepped out with blade in hand and shrugged.
"They all just dropped their weapons ...they just gave up...", she said in confusion.
"I know...they aren't as stupid as they look. ", smiled Zax as his men quickly stormed and secured the rebel tower.