View source for Trinsic Tales:Ships Ahoy!/Chapter 09

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==Chapter Nine: Backstabbing is OP==
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<Capn_Ascii> "As we join our heroes, we find them hiding all invisible-like and whispering to each other. Which...admittedly, doesn't make for good TV. Do something, darn you!"

Marilyn makes her decision. "Let's attack. You and Vath go around the path this way," Marilyn points down the path she had gone. "I'll go the other way."

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn points at the paths to illustrate. Too bad she's still invisible.

Marilyn facepalms and mutters "You two go the way I went before. I'll go the other way."

<Vathgani> "Hmm, would probably be violence eventually. May as well be on our terms."

Ashling nods

Marilyn moves out.

Vathgani marches down his assigned path

Ashling follows Vathgani

Marilyn halts, goes over to the side where Blue is, and presses a wand into her palm. "I don't want you getting messed up in the combat, but if you can heal us if we need it, that would be nice," she comments.

<Capn_Ascii> He nods. "Yes, ma'am."

<Capn_Ascii> "I'll hang back to let you do your thing."

Marilyn continues

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn goes around the butte to the left, Ash and Vath to the right.

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn makes a perfectly stealthy approach around her side; Vath, unfortunately, is less skillful, and ends up creating quite a lot of noise.

<Capn_Ascii> Ash, however, seems to be doing unusually well at sneaking. In fact, she's so quiet, her footsteps actually *absorb* the noise of Vath's blundering, rendering the both of them quiet.

<Capn_Ascii> Having achieved a net total of stealth, the three of you sneak around to the far side. Sure enough, the pair of robed individuals are standing there at the far side of the butte, facing away from it and each other - they'd have seen you if you were visible. Oddly, they don't seem to be guarding anything in particular, at least nothing you can see...

<Capn_Ascii> You slip closer to them...cloooooser...

Marilyn prepares to strike the robed one nearest her!

Marilyn strikes with all her power!

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn coils up like a cobra, then strikes like a mongoose! Or something.

<Capn_Ascii> She silently leaps up and forward, and plunges both of her rapier blades down into either side of the first robed guy's neck. Blood spurts from the wounds as he instantly collapses, bleeding profusely.

Vathgani swings his guisarme at the other robed one with all his invisible might

<Capn_Ascii> Vath executes a perfect, perfectly invisible overhead slam! The blade hammers into the guy's skull, both carving open a nasty gash and smashing him flat on the ground.

Vathgani follows it up with a second opportunistic strike, and then kicks him in the ribs just to be sure

<Capn_Ascii> Vash drives the blade deeper into the guy's skull, then decides to kick him just to add insult to injury. Unfortunately, this act of hubris proves to be his undoing - he accidentally slips in the pool of blood he's created, releasing his guisarme and falling onto the blade himself as he hits the ground.

<Vathgani> "Agh! Well, it not as bad as it looks..."

Ashling backs up a bit and lets the actual fighters do the work.

<Capn_Ascii> Ashling...idles. But does it in an actiony way!

<Capn_Ascii> The robed figure slowly stands up, clutching at himself. "Euurgh..." He's bleeding heavily and barely standing, but to his credit, he doesn't seem ready to give up. Reaching into his robe, he pulls out a small, glowing crystal, and speaks a single word into it:

<Capn_Ascii> "Help...!"

Ashling takes another step back, whispers something to her fairies and prepares to be ready to cast a spell.

Marilyn engages her Cloak of Deception, quickly approaches the target, and invisibly slashes at the remaining opponent!

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn strikes! ...and strikes again! ...and again, and again! ...and finally actually manages to land a *hit*, striking down the robed man. The crystal he was holding clatters to the ground, still glowing.

Marilyn breathes deeply, resetting herself. "Okay, let's tie this one guy up, and get ready to fight again, because that call for help might mean trouble... also, someone loot this dead guy. If no one shows up quickly we're going to stabilize tied-up guy and get him back to the ship for Interrogation."

Ashling goes over and checks the dead guy. "check the other one for weapons before you wwake him up."

Marilyn nods and gestures over to Blue. "When I give you clearance, please use the Wand."

Marilyn checks the robed one for weapons or anything else important, then prepares to tie him up.

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn: You search the not-quite-dead guy in the robes...it's a male elf. He's carrying various spell pouches and other spellcasting doo-dads.

<Capn_Ascii> In one pouch, you find another of the crystals, as well as a rolled-up scroll.

Marilyn grabs 'em all and tosses 'em in her bag for now

Marilyn examines the scroll

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn: You finish tying up the thug, then examine the scoll. It says:

<Capn_Ascii> "The outsiders already have two of the idols. Guard the remaining temples and make *sure* they don't get the rest! Remind out friend Bigbeard to play ball, or else."

<Capn_Ascii> Ash: You rifle through the dead man's pockets...he's also an elf, and has much of the same spellcasting junk as his buddy. He also has a scroll, but beyond that, there's also something on a cord around his neck - a mummified hand.

Ashling takes everything as well and examines the necklace.

<Capn_Ascii> The hand is looped onto the cord by a metal hoop embedded in the remains of the wrist. The hand itself is...apparantly in a certain obscene finger configuration which shall not be elaborated upon here. There is a ring around the offending digit, however.

Ashling takes everything as well and examines the necklace and the ring.

Ashling erases the first line

Marilyn absently hands Ashling her Detect Magic wand for analysis of the ring.

Ashling casts it, and inspects thering again.

Marilyn takes the wand back and uses it on the crystal

<Capn_Ascii> The wand glows, as does the ring. Yep, it's magic.

<Capn_Ascii> You believe it may be a Ring of Evasion.

Ashling slips it on

<Capn_Ascii> The wand reveals all! The crystal is a magical radio-like device - it allows the holder to speak to anyone with a matching crystal. The crystals are switched on and off by squeezing them; this one is currently off.

Marilyn squeezes the crystal and does her best to imitate the voice she heard earlier. "Cancel help alert. Partner is a moron. It was just a cat."

<Capn_Ascii> A pause. Then, an unfamiliar female voice. "...who is this? This isn't Paul. We just got an emergency beacon from your location, what's going on!?"

<Marilyn> "As I said," Marilyn insisted, keeping her voice. "Paul was being a moron. He called for help for a cat. It's now a dead cat. Cancel alert."

<Capn_Ascii> Another pause. "...who the hell is this? What's your ID number?"

Marilyn quickly searches around for an ID number on clothing or something in the few seconds she reasonably has.

<Marilyn> Not finding anything ready, Marilyn rattles off a hopefully reasonable string: "K5M3". Not expecting this to work, she gestures for Vathgani to grab the body and get ready to run.

Vathgani grabs the body in question

<Capn_Ascii> Another pause. Then...

<Capn_Ascii> "...oh, okay, it *is* you Paul. Okay, good, we were getting worried for a minute there. Alright, resume your post. Over."

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn: You have a sudden flash of insight. Not only did she not buy that, she's lying to *you* now. You can practically *feel* her hanging up and then immediately calling in an alert...

<Marilyn> "You bloody idiot!" Marilyn shouts, switching to her normal voice. "I just *TOLD* you I wasn't Paul! What kind of establishment are you running here, dispatch? This is a union ARX Check, Senior Agent Natalie, and you failed... miserably! I should write you up for incompetence!"

<Capn_Ascii> Marilyn: The crystal's off...she hung up.

Marilyn starts getting the hell out of there despite the conversation.

Marilyn sighs, noticing that that failed to work.

<Marilyn> "Alright, everyone, let's move out! Maximum Warp back to the boat! Mr. Blue, heal the prisoner to keep him alive on the fly, and keep an eye on him."

<Capn_Ascii> Blue sticks his head out from behind the butte where he's been hiding. "Yes, ma'am!"

<Capn_Ascii> Blue taps the near-dead elf on the head with the wand.

<Capn_Ascii> *ting!*

<Capn_Ascii> The elf stirrs slightly. He's awake, but still dazed.

<Capn_Ascii> The lot of you begin to scurry back towards the longboat as quickly as your legs can carry you over the uneven terrain.

<Capn_Ascii> --END SESSION--
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