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-----Sliding metal sounds are heard as the guards slip their weapons into their hands. They begin to look around anxiously and very alert.
-----Seth kind of hangs back a bit in the group and reaches into his pouch ready for trouble.
-----Kazel pulls her hood over her head and steps forward a bit. Silent puffs of breath escapes into the chilly night as she carefully scans up and down the open area. She turns to the others after a moment or two, and whispers, "I'll talk with him alone, since he's supposed to be scared and only expects me. But of course you know what to do if I get attacked by trained apes or other inferior life forms." With that, she continues along the shadows of the buildings until well away from the group, before heading out into the open.
-----Gimplefwick nods at Kazel and mumbles, "Aye, I know what to do." He then whispers to Seth, "Run like all the demons of Hades are at my heels." He then snickers and loosens his trusty cutlass in its sheath, peering about intently at the surrounding shadows.
-----Seth gives a pale smile at Gimplefwick’s joke. "Oh, do you know that spell as well?"
-----Kazel moves forth and slips from the cover of the shadows. She carefully watches all around her and she appears wraithlike in the dim lantern light. Slowly she approaches the dark form sitting by the well and crouches down beside it. She appears to speak with it and then the dark form seems to collapse on the ground.
-----One of the guards with Seth and Gimplefwick grunts with concern and steps forward just a few yards from the well. He then walks out on the street to get a better view. Suddenly an unmistakable rush of air is heard and an arrow appears sticking out from the man’s throat. Instantly the guard collapses to the ground.
-----"Well, my dear," comes a familiar voice from the shadows behind Kazel, "come to pay your respects to this fair town’s homeless?" Out from the darkness step three figures. Two are the merchant and his guard that accused the Dread Pirate in the tavern. The bigger man carries a crossbow, which he quickly reloads and aims at Kazel.
-----"No, I think she’s here because she knows it’s a good night to die," the third figure says. This person is a dark-haired woman dressed in leather. Although Seth and Gimplefwick have never seen this woman before she has the chilling voice of the harlot in the tavern.
-----Seth the ever scared reaches for the ever-trusty piece of pork fat. He moves forward within range, but trying to stay in the shadows, he then starts his spell, his hands moving in an intricate pattern that Gimplefwick may remember. He releases the greasy energy at the feet of the merchant.
-----Gimplefwick puts his index finger to his lips and looks sternly at Seth and the guards. He then motions at the trio to stay put for the moment. He then slinks off into the shadows as he draws his sturdy cutlass.
-----The woman takes a slinky step toward Kazel and draws a deadly looking long sword. She stares down coldly at the half-elven girl still kneeling beside the dead beggar. "On your feet, wench!" she hisses.
-----Suddenly along with the whispered movement of the wind comes a sound almost like sprinkling. It steadily grows louder and becomes the unmistakable patter of small feet running.
-----As Kazel rises, she sees the diminutive form of the Dread Pirate charging out of an alley behind the trio of assassins. The dull glow of the street lanterns shines off of his outwards thrust blade and catches the sight of his parrot bobbing on his shoulder in a fit of maniacal rage.
-----Before the deadly three can turn around, Gimplefwick stops behind the big oaf with the crossbow and delivers the most incredible, the most painful, the most awe-inspiring upper thrust of his blade between the man’s legs. Dropping his weapon, the big man instantly grabs at his groin area and screams out. His body starts slumping to his knees.
-----Seth seems a bit perturbed that none of the heinous trio has slipped over, he is almost about to cast another spell when he turns to the remaining mercenaries. He tries to make his voice sound as much like Lotley the Paladin as possible. "Come on men!! There are only two of them now!! And one of them a Girl!! The Paladins will be glad to pay a bonus to the men that stop these evil plotters!!" Seth draws the dagger that Dread Pirate lent him and slowly approaches the well, exhorting the mercenaries to follow.
-----The assassin who masqueraded as the merchant with the brown hair begins to take a step forward but suddenly slips as his feet go out from under him. Cursing, he struggles to regain his footing.
-----Gimplefwick laughs insanely at his successful crotch stab and, judging the big oaf to be temporarily out of the fight, whirls his cutlass about his head and advances on the slinky woman. "Ye dirty thievin' wench! Ye stole me gold, ye filthy trollop! I'll keelhaul ya, and eat yer liver fer that!" Continuing to mutter foul imprecations that nearly make his parrot turn crimson, the Dread Pirate advances on the woman.
-----Kazel reaches behind her and rolls forward in a spinning throw of her heavy meat cleaver at the woman. With a healthy thud it smacks the woman in the shoulder as her attention was drawn toward the Dread Pirate. With a cry of surprise and pain, she whirls back toward the half-elven girl.
-----Kazel then stands straight up and whips off her cloak, drawing forth her short sword at the same time and lunges at the woman.
-----As the woman cups her left hand over her bleeding right shoulder, she suddenly stabs in. The blade of her sword catches along the side of Kazel’s mid-section injuring her.
-----Kazel quickly returns a slash aiming for the woman’s chest, but her opponent parries the move. The ring of the two swords sounds with the wind. The dark-haired woman bares her teeth as she tries to bring her sword toward Kazel’s stomach, but Kazel blocks the thrust. As it happens, the female assassin’s wrist seems to give and the woman stifles a cry. She begins backing up, her eyes locked on Kazel looking much like a cornered animal.
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