ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY FOUR
(I/C)
Abraxas sighed, "We need a plan amigos. Sitting here is doing us no bueno. We need to move forward or regroup. Waiting here is not getting us anywhere."
“I want to go back and look down that hall,” Brendon suggested. “Not for nothing but we do need to go that way sooner or later.”
The Magic User shook his head. "I say we head south into the caves, then loop all the way around back north. If they follow us we will hopefully get behind them.” He shrugged looking at the Scout, “If not, then we can approach the door from a new angle, after being silent for a while and see what's what.”
“Works for me,” Brendon said, fingering his quiver. “We could shoot a fire arrow down the hall.”
“Oh! Do you have some?” Lannis asked.
“Nope, but I can make some.”
Gritting his teeth, the Magic User frowned. “We don’t have time to make fire arrows, assuming you even know how to make them. Let’s walk for now. Brendon, would single file or spread out more effectively hide our movements?”
“Single file would be better if you were all scouts but you aren’t, so let’s stay together and keep our light sources to a single piece for now.”
“You’re the thief.”
“Scout.”
“Exactly.”
“Dis plan sounds good, Monsieur Offop,” Wyn said. “I will take de rear rank to keep an ear out behind us. Monsieur Salazar, cen you take front rank wit Monsieur du Lac?”
“Si. I’m on it,” Abraxas brandished his Scythe and moved to the front. “Dwarfriend, where you want to be?”
Moving to the middle of the party, Kovid answered, “I’ll be pretty beat up until we rest, Wyn. I’ll stay toward the middle of the group for now.” Smiling at the Fighter he offered, “Let me know when you need the ol’ bang bang of Theystra’s silver hammer upon someone’s head.”
“Bueno, mi amigo!”
Moving to the back behind the dwarf and ahead of the elf, Lyra had her sling out but seemed troubled. “I think that’s a great plan Lannis... but - we’re assuming they don’t know the layout. If they see us heading down there we need to be very careful and prepared to possibly fight them on the way out. I’m going to assume they know if we go in one way we’re coming out another.”
“I’m not the boss of it all,” Lannis offered, hands up, “We can always double back again and head to the Butcher's.”
“We could go eat and rest at Abraxas’s girlfriends place. Make a fire maybe some chopping sounds on the cutting board if someone knocks,” Brendon was already walking south, eyes peeled, sword at the ready. “Kovid can tell em to fuck off in gnomish.”
“Let’s just walk, Manling,” Kovid said heavily, his many wounds still bothering him. “We have some ground to cover and my stomach is growling.”
The party made their way down the steps and to the Catacombs, walking slowly enough to hear anything in the area but outside of some distant animal noise echoes, nothing was here to bother them. “Lannis,” Brendon whispered back.
“Yeah?”
“Since we’re past the bees, I’m going to need the frayed rope back from the censer you made.”
“Why?”
The Scout took an arrow out and held it up. “Don’t have any hay or dried grasses, and I need an incendiary material that is light and easily oil soaked and flammable. That rope is most likely Sisal root, so that would be perfect.”
“It’s not something I can give back, Brendon,” Lannis whispered. “It’s part of the brazier? Censer? Remember?”
“It was to repel bees. Beekeeper is dead. Bees are dead. Don’t need it. Give it back.”
Lannis chuckled. “Give it back? Really?” He snapped his fingers and belched. “Why don’t you catch those sounds and paint them pink. You’d have a better chance to doing that than getting the rope.”
“I need it for fire arrows.”
“We aren't making any fucking fire arrows right now, Brendon,” Lannis snapped. “It takes way too long, for almost no benefit.”
“We could shoot an arrow fire down the hall,” Brendon suggested.
“Arrow fire? Are you retarded? Sheesh! The tiny flame on the arrow won't light up shit even if someone got it through the holes in the door.”
“I didn’t say stand in the doorway, asshat,” the Scout retorted, “A quick peek shouldn’t hurt. Do you really wanna fuck with me?”
“Why?” Lannis asked haughtily, “Are you gonna stab me in the back too?”
Abraxas guffawed and Lyra clapped her hands once. “The two of you, enough.”
Working past the Ishtari rooms and down the rough steps, the party continued on their way through the Catacombs (WMC: Black 6) without issue.
“Sorry,” the Magic User apologized sarcastically, “I didn’t realize we were all here at Brendon’s mercy.” He snapped his fingers, “I know who I am, seaman, and don't hide it. You on the other hand are a violent brute who pretends to be mister professional.”
“I make no deception as to who I am or what I’m about,” Brendon said after a few seconds of silence. “I don’t blame others for my mistakes or errors in judgment. I wasn’t coddled by my mother nor raised to think I could bully people with my words. I feel that people that are judging of other’s life choices are covering up for their own self inadequacy.”
“I may grate on others but only one of us has found themselves in repeated fights with other members of the party. Don't think yourself better than me because you were raised on a boat, you know nothing of my life. Years spent away from home learning from a mage who hurled physical and verbal abuse in equal measure.”
“Aww, so sad. You had a hard time of it.” Brendon shook his head, leading the party into the Nave of the Elven Goddesses. “You don’t like the verbal abuse but you’ll constantly call Lyra a horse or tease Wyn for his race, I feel bad for you. Heck, pretty sure you called Abraxas a cat fucker once.”
“Really?” The Fighter’d brow raised. “Senor, I never fucked a cat in my entire life.”
Brendon shrugged and wrapped up with, “I might be whatever you say I am, but you young man, are a sad sad little man.”
It was quiet as they crossed the room and made their way to the long stairs going up and west. “So, does that mean you’ll be attempting to murder me now or later?” Lannis asked in mock sincerity.
Shaking his head and sighing exasperatedly, “You win Lannis. You win.”
“I always do.” He steadied himself on the wall as they climbed the stairs. “So, another argument after dinner tonight?”
“Unless you want me to knock your head in, you are done with that, Lannis,” Lyra said sternly.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Lannis saluted. “Don’t want to get your highness all pissed at me.”
It was almost 20 minutes later that the group arrived back at the top of the stairs and looked out in the hall again running west and south, neither one showing any traffic or sign of the orcs or anyone else. “Now what?” Brendon asked. “Butchers? Barracks? Back to the hall? The walk was nice, but we need to stop and eat.”
Time now is Day 5, 1:12 PM
(OOC)
No sign of anything different. What’s the plan? Group is 1 hour or so past lunch break as of now. Thanks for the Discord chatter today, guys!
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