While the others might not have realized, Belar was more alert to what happened than anyone expected him to be. It might be that people never remembered that he was in the catwalk over the casino floor, watching everything that happened. He had seen the cracks form in Sarek and Tess' friendship over time and saw the argument that ultimately broke their bond. He saw that, while Ryland did little to help, Keya and Madia did their best to comfort the elf to little success.
Belar pushed away any thoughts of involving himself in the drama. He knew that he wasn't the best when it came to comforting others as he was blunt when it came to his words. The dwarf also knew that it wasn't his place to intervene when he had nothing to do with the problem. Nothing good could come out of pushing his way into a delicate situation that he wasn't involved with to begin with. With this in mind, Belar kept watching the events play out around the Gold Goblin.
The Gold Goblin had closed for the night and Belar watched the few employees that hadn't gone home clean up after the large crowd that came in. Sarek was in his office and Saul was in the vault to take count of how much gold the gambling hall made, so Keya directed the few bouncers and dealers that remained to clean up. Madia was present and did her best to help out however she could. Tess, still depressed over the loss of a friend, was at the Goblin's Tankard. At the very least, Belar was glad that she wasn't drinking heavily even while she tried to forget her troubles. The dwarf saw Ryland make his way inside the Gold Goblin before heading upstairs. Although he helped close before, Belar noticed that Ryland had taken to retreating to his quarters to pray for guidance. The dwarf wasn't sure why he needed guidance but thought it was best to leave him alone.
Belar was getting ready to make his way downstairs to help Keya and Madia close the Gold Goblin when the windows surrounding the room below shattered.
Five men, one of whom was a half-orc with dark green skin, stormed onto the casino floor brandishing swords. The four bouncers that were around tried to rush into battle with their clubs but the intruders were quick to cut them down before they could put up too much of a fight. This was a planned raid against the Gold Goblin.
Belar was tempted to jump down from the catwalk to join in on the fight but realized it was a bad idea. Although he had the element of surprise, he could get tangled up in the curtain, and while he would be able to survive the fall, it would leave him injured. Keya and Madia had their weapons out to fight and it was possible Sarek and Tess could join in the defense. Belar had to take the long way down, and at the very least, would be able to get Ryland's help. The dwarf hoped they wouldn't be too late.
The catwalks were connected to the dining room by a secret door. Belar entered the dining room and rushed over to the door leading to the group's quarters. He knocked on it rapidly while calling out for Ryland, who was praying within.
"We're under attack!" Belar shouted. "We need all the help we can get!"
Fortunately, as devoted to Iomedae as Ryland was, even he knew it was best to cut his prayer short. A few seconds after Belar's warning, the man emerged from the group's quarters and held onto the hilt of his longsword tightly. The two nodded at each other and ran toward the stairs to join in the fight.
However, as the two made it to the stairs, they were able to see three unfamiliar men who made their way to the second floor. Two of them held onto swords while the third, a half-orc who was lithe but still had some muscles, was unarmed. The half-orc didn't have any armor on and instead wore a pair of robes and some necklaces. Belar was relieved to see that the mens' blades were clean, meaning that they weren't involved with the violence below.
"I've heard about the two of you," the half-orc grinned and cracked his knuckles. "I'm supposed to kill Saul but I don't think anyone would mind if I crack your skulls."
Belar cracked his knuckles in a similar gesture. "Ryland, leave the brute to me."
"I do not think it is wise for us to split off into different foes when we should work together," Ryland noted coldly.
"You're probably right," Belar admitted with a shrug. "My way's more fun though."
Belar was a prideful dwarf who valued his hand-to-hand combat skills. Faced with another foe who knew how to fight without a weapon, he was determined to show who the better brawler was. He felt a little bad to leave Ryland alone against the two thugs but he had seen his friend fight first hand and was confident that the two of them would emerge the victors of their fight.
Ryland led the way, and not giving the trio time to react to his charge, cut down one of the thugs with ease. The other man wielding a sword fought against Ryland, who blocked his attack with ease. Belar saw his opening and charged at the half-orc, who was more than eager to meet his challenge. The dwarf was quick to block his opponent's first punch and followed the block with two jabs of his own. Both of his strikes landed true against the half-orc's gut. Given his height, Belar didn't have too many places to strike his much larger foe but made due with what he could.
The half-orc adjusted his stance and started to kick at his foe instead. Belar did his best to defend himself but he was struck across his shoulder and face. The dwarf spat onto the ground and delivered a powerful punch to the half-orc's shoulder with enough force to drive him on his knees. It would have been easy enough for the dwarf to kill him with his next strike but he wanted the half-orc to live knowing that he had been bested by someone half his size. Belar slammed his fist against the half-orc's head to knock him out.
Ryland had no mercy for his foe and the second thug fell down with blood pouring from his neck. Belar noted that his friend was bleeding from his forearm but that he nodded at the dwarf, ready to continue. With nothing else standing in their way, the two made their way downstairs to continue defending the Gold Gobin.
Madia knew that when the Gold Goblin came under attack, she had to do what she could to keep everyone safe. By the time she had her sling out, it was too late to save the bouncers that had been killed. Keya, armed with only her dagger, told Lixy to round up the other dealers and hide under the tables. Madia was glad that her friend was willing to take a stand against the criminals even when the odds were stacked against them.
The half-elf and halfling were outnumbered two to five with the intruders not injured by the bouncers. Even though they were allowed to carry weapons, Keya always left her sword upstairs to be more approachable, leaving her only with a hidden dagger. Madia was tempted to pull out her mace, and even though Marlowe was locked away in the kennels, she believed that she could fight alongside Keya against their attackers. As she reached for her melee weapon, her friend shook her head.
"Stick with your sling," Keya advised as the men advanced in their direction slowly. "You take down the big guy and I'll hold off the rest."
"You could get yourself hurt!" Madia told her friend.
"Maybe but we only need to fight until Sarek and Tess come to help," Keya noted. "I don't think you'll be able to do much with your mace anyways."
Madia was forced to nod in agreement with Keya's assessment and stuck with her sling. She watched on in worry when her friend charged forward without any fear. For the half-elf's part, she stabbed one of the men in the throat before the others could stop her. Madia followed Keya's instructions by loading her sling with one of the stones she carried in her pouch and launched it at the half-orc. The stone struck the thug's chin. The half-orc turned to the halfling with a grunt and she was glad to have his attention on her instead of him joining the others against Keya.
The half-orc took out throwing daggers in his free hand and started to throw them after Madia while advancing in her direction. The halfling was quick on her feet, able to avoid two dagger throws while keeping some distance between her and her pursuer. Unfortunately, it was tough for Madia to use her sling while running across the casino floor and her next shot flew wide.
Madia did the best she could to keep the half-orc on her but it didn't make a difference. The remaining thugs were far from experienced warriors but Keya didn't have any formal training herself. Armed with a dagger against three men, there was only so much she could do. Keya endured several cuts across her arms and shoulders but was unable to land a blow while trying to stay alive. She was fortunate enough to block one attack aimed for her head but was left exposed for another thug to grab her and slam her against a table. The half-elf struck her head against the wooden surface and fell down to the ground.
With little other option to save her friend, the halfling reached for her mace. One of the thugs advanced to block her from reaching Keya while the half-orc cut off any possible escape route. The other two attackers were eager to finish the unconscious half-elf off. Madia was ready to fight her way to save her best friend but was bracing herself for the worst.
Suddenly, Sarek emerged from the room where the cashier's cage was and was already casting a spell. Before the two men could strike Keya down, Sarek was able to blast them with a vibrant and colorful wave to knock the two out cold. The two remaining thugs turned to face the sorcerer who held his hands out, preparing to cast another spell.
"Sorry gentlemen, but the Gold Goblin is closed for the night!" Sarek taunted.
The half-orc snarled and advanced in Sarek's direction. The remaining thug was conflicted on whether to focus on killing the sorcerer or continuing to go after the halfling. Madia wasn't willing to wait for him to make a decision and launched another stone from her sling at him. The attack struck him atop the head, and with a sickening crack, he fell down the ground. Madia didn't enjoy killing others but knew that the man had it coming. She would not mourn his death.
Madia rushed over to Keya, dropping her sling once she reached her best friend's side. She had sustained numerous wounds that were bleeding but she still drew breath. The halfling ripped off Keya's leaves to use as makeshift bandages to slow down the bleeding. It would be enough to keep her alive but the half-elf was in desperate need of magical healing.
As for Sarek and the half-orc, their fight ended when Madia finished bandaging Keya's wounds. The half orc was able to break through the sorcerer's magical defenses with a slash across the man's chest but it wasn't enough to win the battle. Sarek fought fiercely even when he was in melee combat, slamming the palm of his hand to fire magical bolts of arcane energy at point-blank. The magical assault was enough to bring down the half-orc and the sorcerer stepped over the corpse.
"How's Keya?!" Sarek asked urgently.
"She needs help," Madia told him before looking around. "Lixy, I need your help to keep her from bleeding out!"
"Okay," Lixy emerged from her hiding spot with two other dealers still in hiding.
"Everyone else, tie up those two," Sarek motioned to the two thugs that fell victim to his first spell. "Madia, you have rope, right?"
"I do," Madia nodded quickly and pulled out a coil of rope from her backpack.
"Where's Tess and Ryland?" Sarek asked no one in particular.
"I'm not sure about Ryland but Tess was at the…" Madia's voice started to trail off as she turned toward where she last saw the druid. "...Goblin's Tankard."
Madia and Sarek were caught up in their panic and hadn't noticed the sounds of combat coming from the bar. The two locked eyes, and with a nod, they made their way over to help out at the Goblin's Tankard.
Although Tess had heard that some people relied on alcohol to drown their pain away, she found that most of what the Goblin Tankard had to offer wasn't to her liking. When the Gold Goblin fell under attack, she was sober enough to fight. Before she could join the fight at the casino floor, three men armed with wicked swords emerged from the direction of the inn rooms. Tess cursed under her breath, realizing that the attack came from multiple directions. Unable to run without leaving the barkeeper behind, she pulled out her quarterstaff.
Tess was outnumbered and was forced on the defense to block each attack that came her way. Her weapon gave her reach to keep the men back but she couldn't find an opportunity to strike at the men without leaving herself open. The druid wished that she had Cassiel by her side to make quick work of her attackers. For his part, the barkeeper did what he could to help by throwing glasses at the intruders but the action served only to make him a target. One of the thugs jumped over the bar counter, and without hesitation, struck the man down. Tess screamed out at the murderer, and although she never found out the barkeeper's name, would do what she could to avenge him.
Help arrived from the direction of the back rooms when Belar and Ryland ran into the Goblin's Tankard. The two men attacking Tess decided that the new arrivals were the bigger threats and broke off from the elf to attack them. When the third thug jumped over the counter to join the fight again, Tess was quick to take advantage of the opening and swung her quarterstaff against his knee. He gasped in pain and turned to face Tess with a furious expression.
Tess wasn't as skilled of a fighter as some of her companions but she was trained to fight with her chosen weapon. When the man tried to attack her with an overhand swing, the druid blocked it with one end of her staff, pushing the weapon aside. She spun her quarterstaff to strike him across the head with the other end with enough force to end his life. The attacker fell down to the ground without a sound and Tess took solace in having avenged an innocent man's death.
When Tess turned to face Ryland and Belar, she was at first relieved to see that their attackers had met their ends as well. Then, she gasped when she noticed that Ryland was on the ground with the dwarf tending to a cut he sustained across his chest. Tess was quick to run over to him and placed her hand on his forehead to channel a healing spell to help close his wounds. Ryland's eyes snapped open as he frantically searched for his foe.
"Relax," Tess told Ryland, forcing herself to sound kind despite the fight they left. "There's no threat, at least for now."
"I took care of the man who struck you," Belar added. "You'll live."
"Then you both have my thanks," Ryland said and forced himself to a seated position.
"Take it easy," Tess advised and turned to the casino floor when she heard footsteps.
While Tess was expecting another wave of attackers, she instead saw Madia and Sarek, both of whom were clearly worried. With no further sounds of combat, the druid was hopeful that the attack was over.
"Are you all okay?" Sarek asked.
"Aside from the barkeeper, we are," Belar noted grimly.
"Tess, Keya needs your help!" Madia told the elf.
"Lead me to her," Tess said.
Not interested in being around Sarek, Tess was quick to follow Madia to Keya. Sarek followed her along with Ryland and Belar but there was little she could do about that. Keya was unconscious on the ground with Lixy putting pressure on her most serious wounds while the other dealers tied up two men. Saul emerged from the direction of the night vault and took in the sight with wide eyes. Tess ignored Saul to instead focus on healing Keya. The half-elf groaned when she woke up, and although she still suffered from her wounds, she wouldn't die.
"This is terrible," Saul said quietly. "I can't believe that these men would try to wipe us out in an open attack."
"Zincher has to be behind the attack," Sarek declared.
"Perhaps but I'm not sure," Saul shook his head. "That half-orc over there shows to me that Boss Croat had a role behind this attack but his only enforcers are half-orcs. The humans had to have been loaned in by another crime lord."
"It could be Zincher though," Ryland pointed out.
"It's possible, yes, just as it is possible for Avery Slyeg, Varnal Knocmar, or any other crime lord in Riddleport to have aided in the attack instead," Saul said.
"Let's pay Croat a visit and get him to talk," Belar suggested, punching a fist into the palm of his hand. "We can't take an attack like this and do nothing."
"Keya's too injured," Madia declared with a frown. "Ryland too."
"A lot of us were injured during the battle," Tess noted, assessing the different injuries the others sustained. "We can't act tonight."
"On that, I agree," Saul said with a nod, surprising Tess. "I want you all to relax. We'll close the Gold Goblin for the next couple of days and work out a plan. I'll still pay everyone for the work done, but for now, we keep our heads down until we come up with a plan."
"Very well," Sarek said. "Belar, let's get the gendarmes. We'll need them to help clean up this mess and take away anyone we've captured."
"There's a man upstairs that I knocked out that I still need to strip of his valuables," Belar shook his head.
"Tess?" Sarek asked but the druid already shook her head.
"I'll go," Ryland offered. "I may be wounded but I can press on."
Sarek nodded and left the Gold Goblin alongside Ryland. Madia helped Keya up against a chair and Belar made her way upstairs. As for Saul, he offered Lixy and the surviving staff a chance to stay at the Gold Goblin for the night even though Tess noted the fear in their eyes. Someone wanted Saul dead and they were willing to kill anyone in their way whether they were a threat or not.
Tess turned to glance at the Gold Goblin's exit and shook her head slowly. As much as she wanted to leave, she didn't know what she would do on her own. For the time being, she would have to stay by her companions in Saul's service, even if it was a dangerous path to take.
A/N: This was a combat scene that I was really excited to write. Part of me felt like I could have done a little better with setting up the different fights but I liked the way the narrative went from one fight to the next, so I'll keep it as is.
Until next time.