"We ready?" Lloyd asks as he tightens the ropes holding his bags unto his mount. "I'd like to be on the road before the sun gets too high."
"I just need to have Das to check on the horse's shoes." Orik answered as the fighter looked on at the male human checked their mount's shoes.
Das ignores the two young men and continues to hammer the horseshoe while ranting about inpatient customers. The smith suddenly stops and gives a grunt.
"What's wrong?" Orik asks.
"The darn hammer and shoe's stuck to the anvil and refuses to move!" Das grunts as he pulls once more on the unyielding implement. The former mercenary gives it a try and likewise fails to budge it.
Lloyd hears the commotion and enters the small shop, ignoring the insistent barking of the large red mastiffs that the smith keeps. The former guardsman stops at his track as he spots numerous metal objects in the smithy begin to rise of its own - nails, hammers, chisels, even pieces of unfinished armor and weapons - which start to fly off and attach themselves to the bigger metal objects in the room and ricocheting along the way.
"Orik! Das! Get of the there!" Lloyd manages to shout.
The three occupants start to back out. Das manages to make it towards the door where Lloyd is. Orik, however, takes cover under a wooden table as the flying objects start to gain speed.
After a minute all is suddenly still once more and only the roaring flame of the smith could be heard.
"What was that all about?" Das states as he looks at the destruction within his shop and starts to pick up all his stuff while mutter curses along the way.
Lloyd: Strange Days in Sandpoint
Lloyd: The Chapel, Round 02
Lloyd sees his party mates rally after the wizard’s attack. He could feel Guy’s spell working and filling him with resolve. He sees Rhonna, and Arao rush into the room and assault their arcane enemy, hitting her with eldritch bolts, fire and blazing radiance. Gryffin finishes her with a massive burst of fire. His companions have indeed grown experienced in the last couple of weeks.
Even Orik managed to help with dealing with the demonic hounds.
The half-elf, from the perch he is at, takes care to be just out of reach of the remaining canine. He takes a look at Tsuto from the other side of the room.
He has to wait. We’ll have to deal with the hounds first.
With that, Lloyd shifts his hold on his blades and waits for his chance to attack. As he expected, the hound jumps up once more for an attack and that’s when the half-elf struck. He brought his blades in a cross formation and slashed back just as the hound came up to him. Both blades bit deep into the creature’s neck. There was a short whine from it before it fell down dead back on the chapel floor.
Tsuto saw Lyrie fall. He also saw all canine simultaneously fall under the attacks of the intruders.
I need to warn Nualia!
Just as the last hound fell, the rogue quickly turned towards the chapel’s main door and ran as fast as he could.
Damn Sandpoint! Darm Orik! Damn them all!
Rhonna could not believe how tsuto had changed. This wasn't the naive young man she knew back in Sandpoint. The years have hardened his heart and his soul.
"Tsuto! Don't do this!" She pleads. She rushes towards the half elf as he prepares his escape.
The half-elf threw her a cold mocking stare. "I don't have anything to say to you," Tsuto mutters. "What you didn't give me, Nualia gave a hundred fold."
"Stop this madness!" Rhonna screams. Her heart shudders at the thought of Nualia seducing Tsuto to her side, winning him over with false promises and lies.
Lloyd: The Offer
“Not so fast.” Advises Lloyd.
“I… we need to come clean with you. We aren't sell swords. We still serve Sandpoint. We are here to end this threat.”
Orik's face twists into a mask of confusion. His eyes dart back into the room, as if searching out the bastard sword and heavy shield that sit within.
“We don't have a bone with you, Orik. I know you’re just a mercenary. You have no loyalty to anyone. Money is all that is important to you. We have a bone only with Nualia and her cohorts. We have already neutralized the goblin threat. A deal has been made with the goblins. Next, we clean out any resistance here.” Adds the half-elf.
“So you don't want to be making any resistance.” Offers Lloyd sternly. “I’m offering you a route out, here. You can take it, walk free, stay alive, and fight another battle for another master. OR…. .” He shrugs, dramatically. “Hell, you might even be a good fighter, but you got to ask yourself whether that is the sort of group you want to take on. I mean, it's your call, really.”
Orik looks around to the likewise confused faces of the rest of the half-elf’s group.
“That’s it? You’re just letting me go?” he responds. “I mean, you’re just letting me walk? Not even a knife in the back. No retribution?”
Lloyd nods. Orik swallows again, perplexed.