HIIYAHH! The Party Hates That Stuff

For some, the everyday routine was a boring cycle, consisting of daily tasks ranging from the surprisingly amusing to the dreadfully mundane. Leaving the house in the morning, coming to school or work, putting in the time and then heading back to the house so as to get rested and do it all over again. Not the most adrenaline charged activity, to be certain. For Khan and his party though... the everyday routine was anything but boring. Khan brushed the sweat from his face as he peered around the corner, narrowing his eyes at the approaching party of men and orcs. Firkraag wanted their attention, and he had it. Still, an experienced party like Khan's would find this battle little problem.

The paladin turned to the men and women with him for a moment before the full battle ensued. "Get ready, just like always... Minsc, you and Jaheira are with me in the front. Aerie, you stay back with Keldorn and let him protect you while you spellcast. Haer'Dalis, keep a balance between aiding Keldorn and fighting at the fore. Yoshimo, use your bow to disrupt any enemy wizards."

Nods of agreement met his gaze and with a roar, Khan burst out with the rest of the party, charging into battle and meeting their enemies head-on. Steel met steel and the noises of battle enveloped them all as time seemed to slow, Khan glancing back and forth. He could not help but smile as the group moved and functioned as one; Minsc, Jaheira, and himself all fighting and anticipating each other's moves, not wasting any strokes or leaving one another exposed, but inexorably pushing forward.

Aerie struck a beautiful balance of aiding her allies and decimating the enemy ranks, her clerical and wizardly magics making her a one woman dynamo of magic while Keldorn never strayed far from her side, taking out any who managed to slip past the three main fighters. Haer'Dalis danced back and forth between the front lines and Aerie's side, his flashy style both aggravating and deadly as he played cat and mouse, drawing in enemies before revealing his deadly skill.

Yoshimo's bow twanged again and again, each deadly missile streaking past the party members with ease and striking the magic users brought against them-

Wait a second. Khan frowned as he continued swinging back and forth, the numbers of their enemies rapidly thinning even as his brow furrowed in thought. Something's... not right. The balance is wrong... Minsc, Jaheira, me, we're all doing our job. Check...

He tossed a quick glance to the left and saw Haer'Dalis make a tight spin, his blades making a defense the likes of which even he would be hard pressed to break through. The tiefling is doing his part, check...

The sound of Keldorn grunting and Aerie's spells igniting caught his ear and he could tell without looking that they were continuing their dual fight. The magic user and her protection are both still in force, so that's good. Check again... what's missing-

Finally it came to him; the sound of Yoshimo's bow was silent. No longer were the twangs of arrows flying still echoing through the air. For a moment, Khan wondered if someone had gotten to the thief and began to turn quickly and check, but a blur went past him, Khan following its path to see the thief darting towards the ogre mage at the other side of the room. Khan stared in confusion for a moment; Yoshimo must have seen something that needed his attention right away, though it was strange he would not call one of the fighters to move up instead. Perhaps it was a trap that required disarming or maybe he did not have time to ask the others and needed to attack something close up himself...

Suddenly, the sound of Yoshimo's trademark, tourist-attracting yell echoed through the chamber. "HIIYAHH!"

Almost everyone turned to look at the thief; Khan's eyes bulged as he saw what Yoshimo had just struck the ogre mage with... his fist. Rearing back a second time, Yoshimo slugged the ogre mage again... the monster looking down at the thief in bewilderment. Khan cursed as he saw the ogre mage lift up an arm to strike the thief, Yoshimo launching what looked like a poorly designed kick to the ogre mage's side, barely nudging the ogre. Needless to say, Yoshimo quickly found himself on the ground, the ogre mage's blows carrying a far greater punch than his own. Khan expected the man to pull his blade and strike the ogre down... but once more, his fist bounced off the ogre mage's flesh.

Even as the monster prepared to strike Yoshimo again, Khan leapt forward and took the ogre's head off with one swipe of the sword. As that last creature fell, Yoshimo sighed in contentment and then slapped Khan on the back, shaking one hand in pain. "Ah... a fine victory, yes?

"Yoshimo?" Khan said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"What in the blazing Hells was that about?"

"Er... forgive me, but I am not quite sure of your intent." Yoshimo said with a confused frown.

"You do realize you just punched an ogre mage, right?" Khan said, trying to keep his voice controlled.

"Yes." Yoshimo nodded.

"Why?" The way he said it was more a command rather than a question, Khan counting to ten inwardly.

"Because I ran out of arrows in my quiver." Yoshimo shrugged.

Khan's jaw opened, as if to say something... he decided to make that count to twenty. His mouth worked up and down for a few more seconds... he shut it, rubbing his forehead. "Let me get this straight... you ran out of arrows in your quiver in battle, right?"

"Yes."

"And even though you have at least another 1000 arrows in your pack, I am going to assume that you felt you didn't have time to pull them out and restock your quiver. So you didn't use those arrows."

"Correct." Yoshimo nodded.

"And even though you have a magical katana at your side, you felt it would be more prudent to run into the middle of the fray and physically attack our opponents with your fists."

"You understand." Yoshimo grinned.

"Okay... so maybe, I don't know, next time you run out... maybe you could do one of those things I just mentioned!" Khan shouted angrily.

"There's no need to get angry about this." Yoshimo said, slightly miffed. "There is a perfectly good explanation for my actions."

"Which is?" Khan said, seething.

"Nobody told me to use my katana or restock my quiver."

"What?" Khan blinked, disbelieving.

"Nobody told me." he repeated. "How was I supposed to know what you wanted me to do?"

Khan stared at the thief, who shrugged and turned back to the rest of the party... Khan glanced up, thinking of the one with the mouse right now. Sometimes I really, really hate you, you know that? I really do.