While Oren and Asimi seem to glance at the "bandit" running away, their attention is pulled away from pursuit by the one who is "surrendering". Footsteps soon fade away on the staircase leading back to the surface.

7

18

And while others start tending to some of the fallen soldiers, be it with genuine or fake concern, the topic soon turns to a hesitant Nuria approaching to get a closer look at this supposed bandit, wearing a lot of what looks to be rather official guard uniform... Maybe? Squinting, even as she speaks up rather hesitantly.

"I-I'm not sure? If he's talking about my home village, that's so long ago I barely remember before I got, erm..."

Cladmir, for his own part, now gets a better look at this girl, and hears her speak, and...

...It's not even her, is it? But of course it isn't. He knew this from the start, that his Nuria was dead. What foolish hope to think she had somehow survived that?

His hands stay up at least, as he shows no signs of hostility.

It was not her...

The thought deflated Cladmir, but did she also mention something about her village?  Did the same fate also fall upon her village just as his?  But she was with this group who did not seem to use any magic and only seemed to be defending themselves...

Did they call him and the other bandits?

"As you can clearly see from our uniform and equipments, we are clearly not bandits.  We were supposed to prevent a nefarious group from misdeeds, but seeing that you are only defending yourselves there may be an actual group of bandits nearby?"

"Bandits can loot uniforms and equipment as part of a ploy, don't think I haven't seen that tried before! If you are kings guard, who is this incompetent who had you attack us?", Breldo nods at the leader, a scowl crossing his weathered halfling face.

((Bit retroactive, but can Rick chase after the guard? Rick is fast and would like to surprise smack the guy.))

Cladmir felt his anger rise, and tensed at the accusation.  Anger is what has always driven and sustained him.  Anger at this destroyed village.  Anger at the life loss, his parents, friends, ...  His thought stopped as he glanced at Nuria.  It wasn't her, but that face, that hair, that eyes, it was almost like seeing her again.

Then he looked down at the Captain.  Oh right the captain.

"That is my captain.  He said we received orders to make sure that no one gets hurt by accidentally triggering some magic stuff.  We were just here to help..."

Cladmir thought about the order his captain gave, lethal force if they do not comply.

He was here to help, right?  When he charged in, it was to help, right?  To protect them from the danger of magic?

(( Cladmir simply trailed off and seems to be completely lost in his head. ))

Rick ignores, for the moment, all of the poor, unlooted bandits to chase after the fleeing bandit.

He does so as sneakily as he can (14 stealth) and then tries to club the bandit.

Attack w/o advantage: 13

Attack w adv (still 13)

((If that hits, 10 damage from rapier and 4 from sneak, if allowed.))

"Eeee, protect people from magic stuff..", Breldo says in a mocking singsong. "So are you just a fool following a fool? Magic. Isn't. Real. Are you both believers, or he just use that to dupe you into doing his dirty work, attacking innocent folks?"

Cladmir seems surprisingly honest, albeit perhaps a bit in denial to what his captain had sent them there for. Or maybe he was only blinded by  hearing that name.

Elsewhere, a panicked guard is led by adrenaline as he rushes up the stairs and away from the danger. He rushes through the door with his eyes almost focused yet more driven than he has been through most moments in his life. He pauses for one split second, glancing at the stone barriers. Could he manage to pull them closed, and lock in these devils?

But in his brief pause he glances back, and he sees it. There, in the dark, a shape moves alongside the wall at surprising speed, a dark shape scurrying in his direction, an unnatural speed joined with strangely almost wet, greasy sounds. The guard screams, turns his back, and runs again. But it is no use. The monster continues it's rapid climbing over the walls, glistening eyes becoming visible in the dark, the guard almost to the main entrance when-

Rick jumps off the wall to knock the guard in the back of his head and immediately get him unconscious.

(I took a few creative liberties, but I choose to believe this is how Rick would have wanted it to go.)

 ((Close, but he slides silently on his greasy goodness!))

Rick rises from the crouch over the bandit,

"Rick wishes scared bandit would have stayed put. Rick is going to bet Scared Bandit is going to wish that too cus Rick's going to have to drag Scared Bandit back now."

Rick loots the man thoroughly, taking anything of value or interest (to Rick) and cutting off his armor. Once he is satisfied the man is as light as he can reasonably get him, Rick will grab an appendage, whichever is closest and start dragging.

"Sylvia? Are there bandits where Sylvia is from? Rick understands bandits, but Rick would never be a bandit. Rick is far too upstanding. Some have mistaken Rick as a bandit, but Rick has always explained. For instance..."

Rick loots the bandit for all he's worth, though it's not much. Beside his equipment- A light crossbow, a mace, and chainmail. Doesn't even seem to be carrying a purse, just a knapsack with some dried rations.

He's soon being dragged by the leg toward the rest of the group. Rick probably doesn't care about stair logistics on the way. A few brain cells more or less will likely not make the difference for this guy.

"I know what bandits are yes, but very little of those in the grove. Not quite a safe haven for them. Uhu," she soon nods along with Rick's explanation, even if she seems rather... Skeptical.

Rick ignores the undue skepticism as he deposits the guard by some of the others and goes about checking the others to make sure they are 'okay' given the last bandit seemed to be destitute.

When he gets to the guard leader he declares conversationally,

"Boss Bandit has got some nice armor!"

Rick begins removing it from the guy.

Cladmir felt like he should be wary about this very slick looking guy moving about and other conversation happening around him, but his one-track mind was troubled by another thought.  Magic isn't real?

"Magic. Is. Real.  I've seen creatures using it to destroy my village!  The order has saved me but it destroyed everything!  My parents, my home, my friends, Nu..." 

That name gave him pause again, and his brain caught up with the other proclamation.   Attacking innocent folks?

"We don't attack!  We protect!  Our captain even demanded that you surrender before we... before we..."

And he fell silent again.

"Before you attacked? And when you've done this before, how many do you leave alive?"

"Most law-abiding folks who were in the wrong place at the wrong time would normally surrender to the King's guard.  We then arrest them and hand them over to another unit.  We only fight if we have to...  I believe it was you folks who started yelling about bandits and attacking first...  But why are you here, anyways?   Don't you know this place is dangerous?"

Rick says to Sylvia, while he works on liberating the captain from his stuff,

"Friend Sylvia? Can Sylvia go invisible then visible a few times in front of Breldo for Rick? Rick wants to help friend bandit make a point about magic."

((The unconscious centaur takes offence at the idea of the party starting things with yelling and attacking, when he had started saying they weren't criminals and the "guard" responded by ordering the rest to shoot))

(( Unfortunately Cladmir cannot read minds and all he remembers was walking down the stairs along with everyone else making lots of noice as their armor banged about in the dark and people just started yelling before his captain said to "get them". ))

The debate continues between Breldo and Cladmir. Nuria seems uncomfortable, but doesn't seem to recognize the man in question. Sylvera and Asimi were keeping their weapons ready, but Sylvera at least seems to eventually begin relaxing with how... Inane the topic seems to be, and turns to tend to Khond and make sure he's fine.

No protest is given when Rick declares the leader has some nice armor and begins to work on removing the half-plate. It seems somebody else already checked the other guards , but it seems the arrows made them bleed out.

This is followed by Rick making a request from Silvia to hopefully help the most stubborn of their members finally face something.

"Hmm... Sure, I guess," comes the response, the still invisible sprite flying closer before appearing again. Then vanishing. Then appearing. Then vanishing.

"Wooooo, smoke and mirrors, or such, is what you're gonna say?"

Cladmir of course sees a clearly magical creature doing MAGIC right in front of him- Though this is probably also the first time he has seen such from something intelligent.

Breldo squints his eyes shut.