ACT COMPLETE Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 2

[Jotari]

Emmet listened to the ratlike man as he explained what was going on. It seems the princess had been kidnapped and this witness was an acquaintance of Serge's for some reason. He followed the group as ratty led them to the thugs hideout. All in all he didn't like this situation one bit but the lady Adele was his employer now and first impressions were important. Unfortunately however as soon as they reached their destination she rushed off by herself leaving the rest of them to deal with the guards. He readied an arrow but didn't fire. This was exactly the sort of combat he didn't like. An archer in a wide open field was a useful asset, and even one on one their deadliness was unmatched provided there was some space. But in tight quarters against multiple foes he was near useless. If his aim was good he might hit one of them but that would mean nothing if the others got to him before he could reload. No, it was best to hang back and see what this Stan guy had to say to Ratty.

[Dandragon]

As soon as the man who was called 'Big Stan' had threatened Ratty, Serge had drawn his sword and stood in front. "You're not getting anywhere close to him, you sons of bitches." He promised no harm would come to him, and he was intending to keep that.

He was still in a battle ready stance, doing his best to cover Ratty when he felt something tap his shoulder. He turned to see a familiar butler that had shown up at Adele's side earlier at the tavern. "Yeah, she's inside. Mostly likely with Princess Cassandra as we speak." At least he hoped. She was handy with an axe, and from the looks of things, nobody expected people to come armed. Of course, and he felt like he had been saying this to himself more often as of late, he has been wrong before.

He had begun to notice the rear of the group of bandits had been experiencing some trouble. Still, there seemed to be quite a few of them focused on Serge. He was sure there was no way they could get inside without at least cutting down some of these thugs. "Hate to ask this of ya," he said addressing the butler, "but considering the situation, Lady Adele might have a bit of trouble getting out through all these blokes...I'll watch your back if you watch mine?" Regardless of the answer, Serge was preparing to dive into the group, swinging.

[Jotari]

Seeing that things were getting closer and the inevitable bloodbath, Emmet tried his hand at negotiating things peacefully. They now seemed to have an extra fighter on their side but he was still less than confident about getting out of here unscathe. "What exactly is is you want?" he asked the man known as Stan. "We just want to get a few of our companions who...wandered into your...quarters. Is it really worth risking your lives to stop us?" Emmet pulled the arrow back further and aimed it squarely at Stan. "I confess you might stand a chance at winning but what good is victory if you personally happen to be dead? Is it at all possible you can just let us fetch the girls and leave. Nobody needs to bleed over this."

Edited April 25, 2016 by Jotari

[Terrador]

Angus laughs off Morta's blow--without ground or gravity to back it, it was no more than a nuisance. "Best listen t'your sister, miss. 'f I thought you were makin' a move in a princely direction, well, tha'd be a bad day f'r both of us, eh~?" He does offer a thankful nod to her sister, though. "Tha'd be much 'ppreciated. C'n I assume your sister'll behave?"

[riariadne]

What is this guy talking about? 'Wandered in'? "We're not here to negotiate with kidnappers, idiot!" The goons ahead of the group seemed mostly focused on Serge, so Sidney took the opportunity to charge towards the one furthest from the leader and leapt at him. The look on the man's face showed surprise, probably not expecting her strength as they both toppled over- but Sidney had a smoother landing having initiated the attack. Quickly she got to her knees and slashed at the ruffian's now exposed neck. "Let's get going here!"

[charlie_]

Claire raised an eyebrow at Alain's reasoning. Not because she didn't believe it, but because all it did was give her more questions. Why was he visiting was still the obvious one, but also just in general - who was this man? He obviously wasn't a commoner, but to travel all the way from Raewald hoping for a meeting with the king you had to have a pretty good reason. Or just be hopelessly naive, she supposed, but he didn't seem that way. "That's--Oh, yes." She hadn't paid too much mind to the noises outside, having spent her time trying to figure Alain out, but with the prince and the mooncalf returning it became clear that they may have more pressing matters on their hands.

"Let's go see." she said, getting to her feet. Her voice was firmer this time, less distracted, as she hurried over to the Goose's entrance. "What's happening?" she asked, taking note of the women in the doorway. They couldn't possibly be the ones making all the racket - that seemed to be the mob outside of the window. Wait, why is there a mob? She gave Angus a disgruntled look which was more or less asking 'is this your fault?', although she couldn't imagine what he could've done to cause such a large crowd to gather. He didn't seem to be in great shape, although whether or not that was down to alcohol or a smack across the face was unclear.

Edited April 25, 2016 by SB.

[Shin]

Ladies' Man

Morta practically hissed as Angus, her face full of a juvenile fury. "Maybe I thought that some perv was trying to hit on me! He'd deserve an axe to the face and then some!" Stomping back to the bar, Morta barked at the bartender, nearly forcing her coins down through the counter.

The other woman smiled, shaking her head. "I'm very sorry, even a little to drink sets her off, she's normally a little calmer than this." she replied, bowing apologetically. "My name is Decima, Morta's older sister. She hasn't been in a good mood today, I'm sorry that you're the one who got the end of it."

The third woman staggered over towards Angus, leaning against him as she looked at him with confused eyes. "Decima... don't hog him all to yourself, I want to come say hello too!" she slurred, her green hair in a complete mess. The woman stank of hard booze, either a solid whiskey or a gin. "It's not every day you get to meet the Prince's bodyguard, not like this."

Decima winced, bowing her head again. "I'm sorry, this is my elder sister Nona, she's had... a little to drink too." she apologised, nearly hitting her head on the table near her as she bowed. "Sister, please, how much have you had to drink?"

--

Get Out!

Talmot nodded, taking the axe from Adele. "Talmot, Lord of Gorlois. It's not my weapon of choice, but I at least know how to use an axe, Lady Adeltrudis." he replied firmly, far more confident in combat than he was dealing with women. "We can try and figure out this mess afterwards, there were a lot of guys, I don't think we could take all of them."

He didn't really feel like talking much more than he had to, the pair had done enough to show their colours to him. Stepping towards the door, the young noble took the lead, readying his axe just to be sure.

--

Sewer Brawl

Emmet's diplomacy unfortunately fell short, none of the goons even bothered to dignify his suggestion with a reply, instead contuining their assault. Sidney's knife gutted the man's throat, causing him to fall in a pile on the floor. Sebastian smiled, stepping past Serge.

"Lady Adeltrudis would be disappointed if you were to expire too soon, just try not to call them tubs of lard this time." Sebastian chuckled, leaping behind one of the men and forcing his knife through the back of his neck. The enemy were down to three men, including Stan himself. The ruffian looked around nervously, his face contorting with fury. He hurled his axe forwards towards Ratty, the poor man caught like a deer in front of a pack of wolves.

It was unlikely to be pretty.

[Jotari]

"Figures" Emmen grunted as he loosened a magic arrow directly towards the one called Stan. Without even checking to see if he hit, he began loading notching another arrow from the quiver beneath his cape.

[Dandragon]

Serge didn't think. He just acted. He saw the axe flying towards Ratty and moved in the way, and attempted to block the axe by holding sword in a guarding stance, holding it horizontally in front of him, while the other hand was holding the other end of the blade with his hand, hoping the blade was wide enough to stop the axe or at least harmlessly deflect it.

Edited April 25, 2016 by Dandragon

[Nanami Touko]

Cass eyed Talmot for a moment, keeping behind him and Adele. So that's how it's going to be, huh? I can't apologize it away... Fine, then. I was terrified, and if I get treated this way over it, then I suppose your interest was skin deep. Cass almost rolled her eyes. "Let's go, then, and be done with this... I'll need to find some proper clothes on the way home, if I can. The princess can't be seen walking around in a dress like this."

[Ether]

"There were others coming behind me, we should be able to take them." Adele replied, following after Talmot and quickly overtaking him, as she rushed towards the entrance of the complex.

[Toogee]

Doug saw Stan throw an axe at the strange rat man. Serge had that handled (unless he lost a hand in his handling). Doug assumed Stan was temporarily unarmed and swooped in from the shadows. Coming from behind Stan, Doug used his cane to swing behind his (Stan's) right knee. Then, a vertical strike to his foe's head. This was the second time he employed this technique. He should consider naming it.

"I'll call this the 'Dirty Doug'. Come up from behind and do ya dirty! Hmm...doesn't really go with Doug the Dashing though..."

[Xinnidy]

At first, Owen eyed the sisters warily, wondering what business they would have to continue bothering them --especially the youngest one, goodness. Thankfully, the eldest seemed to be a bit more moderate, leaving Owen to drop his guard some, he'd just need to tune out the other two. "There is no need to concern yourself so deeply, Lady Decima." Owen acknowledged they were of noble birth, it was easy to tell from their attire and the eldest's etiquette in his presence, but what house in particular escaped him. It was trivial for now, anyways. "They are most definitely not the only ones who thought to enjoy a drink in this establishment." He glanced to Angus, holding a tinge of a smirk. "I should apologize for his behavior. It has been a long day for the squire, so I hope you won't take his gaffes to heart." With a nod, Owen observed the sister's reactions, hopefully the youngest one would contain her mood now. "You said you could send a signal?" The prince turned his attention to Decima once more, "I would be much obliged if you did."

Thankfully, a familiar face quickly joined them, shifting the prince's attention. "Ah. Lady Claire, how was the party so far?" After blurting that out, Owen came to realize perhaps it'd have been a pretty pointless party when most people had left so abruptly... "Pardon me for the abrupt leaving, but, there were a few unexpected events, for sure."

[Terrador]

Angus grins in his liege's direction, admiring his decorum and skill as always. [Good show, Owen. Keep a strong face; she'll come back to us.] After a few moments, however, the squire remembers--[Right! Woman hanging on me!] He recalls the wisdom of his father: "No gal's worth touchin' drunk, boy. Ye pass out after, next thing y'know she's got yer gold, yer horse, an' yer pants fer shits."

Nona finds her chin lifted, prompting her to stand upright, if only for a moment. Claire seemed to be judging Angus. The squire, slowly beginning to sober up, shakes his head. "Not my fault this time. Not th'place to speak of th'particulars, either; you'll catch wind of it quick enough." Obligations squared away, he turns his attention to Nona: best to clear up these sorts of misconceptions. "By the by, not a bodyguard--jus' run errands, watch 'im now and again, beat face when he needs a face beaten, pretty typical stuff, eh~?" Angus pauses, reconsidering. "Well--not so much. It's been an odd couple o'weeks, I'll say tha' right now!" A laugh; Angus is enjoying himself, despite his best judgment. [so long as I keep my eyes open and don't drink anymore, nothin' wrong with distracting myself, right? Cass should be fine, nobody in here wants a piece of Owen; I can give a few hellos.]

[Vestige]

Alain's expression was a combination of awe, confusion, and general apprehension. "I'm not quite sure what to make of this," he said to Claire, his words masked with uncertainty. It appeared as though she was at least somewhat familiar with the boy on the ground. The three women surrounding him appeared to be quite the handful, and he was in no hurry to get mixed up with them. He briefly considered if his moment to escape had come, but hearing Owen's voice led him to believe otherwise. It would have been rude to leave without at least having exchanged pleasantries, he concluded. "Well met Prince Owen," he chimed in, stepping next to Claire.

[riariadne]

Two down, still three to go- Sidney darted to the next man in line not being attacked and punched him in the gut before once again going for the throat with her dagger. One clean slash... no need for more than an instant of pain.

[Shin]

Rat's in the bag

Ratty cowered in fear as the axe can flying towards him, the man completely unsuited for combat. Serge's blade crashed against the airborn weapon, sending sparks as it deflected into the wall. There had been some real force behind it, enough to send a vibration down Serge's arm, right into his shoulder. The fighter had been fortunate he hadn't gotten his throat cut open, but there he was, still alive.

Emmet's arrow flashed in the darkness, sending a shining beam towards Stan. Striking the brute in the chest, the arrow dimmed, revealing its wooden shaft. "I'll razrez yer fancy litso an' wear it as a shapla, yah bratchny!" he roared, drawing another axe from his belt. Emmet had slowed him down, his wound looked nasty, but the goon was now intent on taking him out. Doug's cane caused him to stumble, but the wooden cane smashed against Stan's thick skull, blood trickling down from the splintered wound. Howling in pain, Stan was looking worse for wear, he couldn't take on so many opponents at once.

Adele and her group emerged from the door, nearly tripping over the corpses of the dead thugs. The fight was still going on, but it seemed to be in their allies' favour. Sidney's knife drove into the man's throat, the man raising his hand to give his last strike. A quick throwing knife from Sebastian quickly ended his last ditch attempt, the man falling limp in front of Sidney.

Stan's last man dropped, the force from the shadows ending him. Stan stopped, looking around at the various foes surrounding him. Clutching his axe, he stopped his assault, knowing too well that he was outmatched. None of his men were left standing, and all his escapes were blocked.

--

Doug's new rival

Decima bowed, stepping towards the door. "I'll send up a flare, your highness." she replied, hurrying outside to carry out the task for Owen."

Nona seemed content in Angus' arms, looking at him dreamily. "The prince is so lucky to have such a reliable man working for him." she charmed, leaning into the young squire, still unable to keep her balance. "I'm feeling rather faint... I fear I may need to return home early."

Morta was still at the bar, fuming on a stool with her drink in hand. Every so often, she'd glance over at Angus, quickly divertying her gaze whenever he looked in her direction. Neither sister seemed to particularly sober, the chances were that Decima had been tearing her hair out looking after them.

[Jotari]

The fighting came to a close much quicker than Emmet dared to hope. However their leader survived despite his own best attempt, though the brute was in no fit state for fighting. Emmet quickly notched an arrow and pointed it at Stan. He was very tempted to loose it and put an end to the threat before him in an instead but his employer had just reemerged and thought it wiser to wait and see what she wanted to do with him.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Jotari

[Nanami Touko]

Cass had expected the fighting to still be going, but as the door opened and only one man was left standing, her worries and surprise both increased and decreased. What fools are these that they thought to do this, yet couldn't even handle a small rescue party? It was almost disappointing to her to have been caught at all. Did I let my guard down, or am I just that weak...? Either way, there was still one left, which left her some room to do what she wanted to. "Hey," she called over to Sidney, keeping close to Adele and Talmot, but stepping out in front of them. "Is he the leader?" She hadn't caught names when they'd carried her in, so she didn't know who to start calling for. Her hands curled into fists, scowling down the back of his head. If looks could kill...

[riariadne]

Not clean enough! Sidney flinched when her attack didn't quite kill the bandit, but she was spared a counterattack by Adele's butler finishing him off. "Oh, thank you." And almost as soon as it had begun, the battle was over- most of the ruffians were dead, but the leader was on the ground. She approached him with her knife, pointing it towards his face. "Put the axe down and your hands in the air! You've made a serious mistake."

Unexpectedly, however, Cass arrived on the scene- not unscathed, but well enough to talk. "Princess! Yes, he's in charge here, from what we can tell. I'll let you handle any interrogation instead- would you like me to report back and let the prince and those at the tavern know you're okay?"

[Nanami Touko]

So he's the one... Cass bit her lip, shaking a bit. "Go ahead, Sidney. Owen's probably worried out of his mind." She wasn't heading back, anyway. "Then, you," she started, trying to contain her anger. She took another step forward, but still kept enough away; he had a weapon, she didn't, and he was corned. "Who hired you?" It didn't matter if he wasn't about to answer, she had to ask, these thug types were always unpredictable in their loyalties. "Who is Mr. E? And why did he drag Talmot into this mess?" It was taking a lot out of her to not start swinging at him, but that could come later, if it had to. "Answer me, now, and perhaps we can gift you a quick death instead of torture."

[Dandragon]

Serge lowered his weapon. He had gambled with his life and came out unharmed for the most part, though his arm felt a little tingly. He had been able to keep his promise after all, and without dying even. Serge looked up. Cassandra, Adele, and some other guy had come outside, seemingly safe and sound. Big Stan was the only one left, and he was being questioned. The fighting was over. As much as Serge was happy that everyone came out of this alive, he couldn't help but feel disappointed in the back of his mind that he didn't get a chance to fight and prove himself at least capable.

Serge turned back towards Rat Man. "Hey...You alright?" He asked, sheathing his weapon. "I told you. No one was gonna harm ya. No need to worry." He said, smiling.

[riariadne]

"Alright... you guys all be careful! Whether or not this is solved for now, it's still dangerous, so don't do anything reckless." Sidney quickly made her way back to the Lucky Goose, darting through the crowd with a few "excuse mes" and bursting into the tavern, panting when she arrived. "Prince Owen! It's... things are okay. Cass is safe, and they'll all be here soon. They just wanted me to let you know so you wouldn't have to worry yourself."

[Terrador]

Angus chuckles, allowing Nona to cling to him for the time being. "Reliable? You should really ask Morta 'bout tha', she'll tell you 'xactly what I mean~!" He catches Morta's eye with a wink, followed by yet another hearty laugh, then... [sidney? Alone?] Hearing the news, Angus crashes onto his arse, Nona in tow. "Thank Engel", the relieved squire mutters, before turning his attention to the thief and prince. "Y'wanna be a bi' quieter 'bout it nex' time? Tell th'whole bar, why don'tcha."

He wobbles to his feet, finally relieving himself from the inebriated woman and addressing his prince. "Righ' then. Le' me know when you're ready, I'll try'n keep th'ladies off 'til then, eh~?"

Edited April 26, 2016 by Terrador

[Shin]

Stan has a plan

Stan kept silent, he knew death was impending for him, and giving the runts the satisfaction of an answer wasn't on his agenda. His odds at winning were poor, but he could at least cause some damage if he let them make the first move. There was also the matter of the hidden one, he didn't like that one at all. Edging backwards slightly, his eyes continued to dart between members of the group. His eyes stopped on Ratty, the poor man already terrified from his near death experience.

Talmot gripped his axe, he'd been made a fool and tormented because of this man. There had to be someone bigger behind it all, Stan didn't appear to be holding the cards.

Approaching Adele, Sebastian twirled his dagger. "It appears our fine friend isn't quite willing to speak, Lady Adeltrudis. Perhaps he would be more comfortable in an alternative setting?" Sebastian suggested, giving Stan a devious smile. There was near silence, the only sound that was audible was the running water of the sewers. Ratty's light continued to flicker, the atmosphere stayed tense, awaiting its climactic conclusion.

-

Tough love

Nona didn't really pay much attention to Sidney's words, she was far too focused on Angus. Dropping down onto his lap, she drew her face closer to his. "Don't be shy, I won't bite. Don't be like that Baron Nelon, he was no fun at all..." she slurred, rising with Angus as she stood. Still draped on him like a curtain, Nona nearly lost her footing. "She's a sweet girl really, she just can't control herself when she drinks. Don't let Morta scare you either."

The patrons of the bar had moved away from Morta, giving her a good ten foot circle for herself. She looked at Angus and Nona, her eyes as sharp as daggers. Decima returned from outside, wiping her hands with a napkin. "I've sent up the flare, your highness." she confirmed, bowing her head again. "I'm very sorry for my sisters' behaviour. Please, don't think poorly of them. I'll take them home as soon as I can."