Jojo realizes that, although successful in diverting the throng of bandits away from his companions, he unwittingly directed them towards a duo of unsuspecting passersby. His next actions are a mix of ego, thoughts of revenge, and an ever-present desire for action and showboating. The villains attacked unprovoked earlier, and rather than leave it up to chance as to whether or not this gang will attack more innocent bystanders, Jojo wishes to be proactive and cut them off at the head.
Wordlessly, he snorts through his nostrils, runs while unleashing a rage-filled roar, and tries to intercept the bandits with a reckless swing of his greatsword towards the kobold closest to the two stranges to the south. Jojo makes note of the scampering kobolds forming a wall around the tall figure who appears to be leading this group, and who Jojo would like to exchange strong words with once he gets the chance. So, he doesn't swing to kill; not that he would until provoked, and asides, he has a reputation to upkeep as a person who fights for the thrill of the fight, not wanton killing. For now he wants the fiends batted around and bruised, and thus swings at the small draconic being with the broad, flat edge of his slab of steel.
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OOC: Popping a rage, running straight towards the kobold to the north of Xintris, swinging greatsword for nonlethal damage.
Leaning into the chaos, Cy springs into action. With a flick of his wrist and a muttered incantation, his hand glows faintly. A spectral hand, shimmering like smoke, forms beside him – the arcane manifestation of his mage hand. He scans the scene, focusing on the fleeing figures. His eyes lock onto the lead kobold, the one closest to him. Their haste could be exploited. Cy directs the mage hand towards a piece of debris – a conveniently sized chunk of brick dislodged by the explosion. With surprising dexterity for a spectral appendage, the mage hand snatches the debris. Cy maneuvers it with practiced ease, positioning it in the path of the lead kobold's feet. The intent is clear – a makeshift tripwire to create a pileup and disrupt their escape.
Harliblith narrows her eyes. She'd been tracking the trio in order to gather intel on the kobolds, but with the kobolds attacking a separate group of people, she is no closer to understanding their intentions than she was before. She remains hidden, hoping that the altercation will reveal something about the kobolds' intentions. She has no intention of interfering in this moment.
The cloaked figure continues forward at pace, paying little heed to the figures gathering nearby; even as the kobolds begin to slow, the figure attempts to maneuver through the crowd, rushing as quickly as possible through the sudden bottleneck.
As Jojo approaches the kobold just north of Xintris, she stops, spinning on heel and hissing, “No witnesses!” And when Jojo raises his greatsword, she lunges forward, slicing into his knees with her shortsword, lips drawn into a snarl as she watches her blade draw blood.
The kobold beside her continues rushing forward, spotting the carefully placed debris only at the last moment and keeping himself upright; as his companion cries out behind him, he raises his own shortsword, echoing: “No witnesses!” With that, he lunges toward Cy, plunging his sword upward and through his abdomen, landing a more vicious blow than perhaps even he had expected.
The others quickly follow suit, apparently registering both groups as a threat. One circles Jojo, swinging a shortsword at his knees, though Jojo manages to easily knock it aside; another heads toward Xintris, pursuing her companions as much as anything else, though she stumbles at the last moment, swinging wildly through the air and missing Xintris altogether. The last one, after a moment of gazing back and forth, decides to take matters into their own hands, and erases the distance between themself and the eastern group in a rush, taking a swing at Luma, the nearest figure to them, slicing into her flesh with a grin. “No witnesses,” they spit.
(Just wanted to get this post up, but if anyone who hasn’t rolled yet ends up rolling a higher initiative and anything I’ve included in this post needs to be readjusted when resolving turns in the round, that’s absolutely fine! Map and turns are all currently tentative. For now, we’re looking at:
Damage against Jojo (kobold 5): 5 Damage against Jojo (kobold 2): Miss Damage against Cy (kobold 4): 8
Damage against Xintris (kobold 3): Miss Damage against Luma (kobold 1): 5
Also, FWIW, I rolled perception with disadvantage for the second kobold to spot the trap, and he improbably passed that check, lol.)
Luma's heart pounds faster as she sees the chaos unfold. The shout of "No witnesses!" sends chills down her spine. The sudden violence shocks her, and she feels a pang of fear as she watches the fight start.
Before she can fully process the scene, her breath catches in her throat as she notices one of the kobolds rushing toward her. And before she knows it, all she feels is the searing pain of his weapon slashing into her skin.
Instinctively, she raises her hand, fighting through the fear and pain. Her eyes glow with slivery light as she calls upon her power. Suddenly, a radiant flame-like light descends upon the kobold who attacked her.
Everything seems to explode into yelling, slashing and running in a second, and Xintris barely has enough time to jump back from the blade that thankfully swings right by them. They pull out the sickles from where they're hanging by their hips and with a small motion of the wrist swing the blades up where they click into place. They're not happy to end up fighting again so soon after the last time, but they're also not going to stay still as an easy target.
The kobolds declare their intention of leaving no witnesses clearly enough, so Xintris focuses more on trying to make the slashes hit the kobold instead of holding back on harming them. They swing the two blades in quick succession, aiming for the kobold's arms and chest.
OOC: Melee attack against kobold 3, 19 to hit with 4 points of slashing damage. Using the other sickle to attack as a bonus action with two weapon fighting,18 to hit and 4 points of slashing damage.
Before anything can happen, Nem is stunned.But then Jojo runs forward, and things cascade into spurts of action and blood spatters. What confuses Nemira even more is that the kobolds are trying to take them out. They didn't exactly do a great job th first time, yet she still winces at the memory of their last attack.
Violence - even in self defense - is not something Nemira condones. For now, she's willing to let other people know on the literal dirty work. Striking her hand drum again, Nem begins to dance in place. The beat changes from fervid taps to draw out reverberations as she channels magic meant to distract and dissuade. She can't cover them all, but the cloaked figure and the few remaining kobolds make her nervous enough to target them.
(OOC: Cast Bane on Cloaked Figure, K4, and K5 - if those kobolds are still alive, otherwise she would choose whomever is left standing, Charisma save, DC 14)
As Luma summons the magic inside of her, it seems to catch the kobold briefly off guard -- but they register the invocation of unseen power at the last moment, ducking just barely out of the way of her sacred flame, and hissing tauntingly in response as they prepare to take another swing.
Jojo's attack seems to take the kobold locked in melee with him entirely by surprise in its strength and precision; even as Jojo aims with the flat of the blade, the noise of the impact resounds, leaving the kobold with no time to cry out before she slumps to the ground before him.
The kobold who'd missed Jojo the first time watches as the shifter knocks one of his companions easily to the ground, within a mere foot of him -- and even as he yells, "No witnesses!" once more, magic from Nemira's dance begins to tremble beneath his feet, and he spares a sideways glance in her direction, unsettled.
The kobold who'd missed Xintris disastrously doesn't quite manage to recover in time; instead, in an attempt to dodge, she stumbles awkwardly, and Xintris hones in immediately, catching her twice with the blade. She cries out, a screeching, desperate sound combining fury and pain, and as the second blade slices across her neck, she collapses to the ground, apparently dead.
The kobold whose blade still remains buried inside Cy's abdomen, who screeches in delight and triumph as his weapon cuts through flesh, begins to feel the swell of magic from beneath his feet, like something crawling beneath his skin: a beat he can't quite name or place. He spins around, intent on finding a new target but made abruptly more uncertain than he'd been only seconds before.
(Kobold #5 is unconscious; kobold #3 is dead, or at least very near to it. The rest of the kobolds are currently undamaged. And just FYI, @Ares: Since #5 is just immediately dead, I rolled saving throws for the cloaked figure, #4, and #2, since that kobold was closest to #5; the cloaked figure succeeded, but the other two failed, so kobold #4 and kobold #2 are both baned. Now that we've resolved all turns from this round, that officially brings us to the top of round 2, so everyone's welcome to jump in again!)
The world spins. The symphony of chaos – the ringing in his ears, the shouts, the heat of the explosion – all fade into a dull roar. Cy's breath catches in his throat, a strangled gasp escaping his lips. He looks down, slowly, disbelievingly. There, where his hand instinctively goes to steady himself, was metal. Cold, slick metal. A sword. It pierced his abdomen, the tip protruding from his chest, a crimson bloom staining the fabric of his shirt. Agony, a white-hot wave of it, threatens to consume him, but a primal instinct to survive keeps him rooted to the spot. The mage hand flickers and dissolves, the debris clattering harmlessly to the ground. The fleeing figures, the bystanders, Xintris – everything blurs at the edges of his vision. His own name, a desperate whisper on his lips, is the only anchor to reality. His knees buckle. The world tilts, the ground rushing up to meet him. He lands with a heavy thud, the hilt of the sword digging further into his flesh. A choked cry escapes, a mix of pain and terror. Through the haze of agony, a single thought flickers. Xintris. I need to warn Xintris... but the words won't form, won't come out. His vision swims, the vibrant chaos of the city fading into an inky blackness. The last thing he registers before the darkness claims him entirely is the distant, panicked cry of his name: "Cy!"
The cloaked figure races down the southern pathway, carefully ducking out of the way of any potential of a wayward blade and beginning to disappear down the alley and into the darkness of the once-quiet evening.
The northernmost kobold takes another swing at Luma, clutching their shortsword in both hands as they aim to exact a violent blow -- but they're too slow, and spend just enough time preparing for the swing that Luma is able to sidestep the attack with little issue, resulting in a cry of frustration from the kobold.
The kobold locked in melee with Jojo lunges forward, doing his best to shake off the distractions of that rumbling music -- and failing miserably. The strange, offbeat rhythm keeps him spectacularly off balance, and Jojo parries the blow with ease, knocking away the blade with his greatsword as if it were a mere toothpick.
And as the kobold who has bested Cy turns to Xintris, the same rhythm seeming to infect his bones, he strikes at them, shoulders twitching just slightly -- but the blow does not find flesh, only armor, and Xintris is left entirely unscathed.
(The cloaked figure takes a disengage action, and otherwise, the kobolds miss everybody this turn! The only difference in the map is that the cloaked figure is (just barely) no longer on it.)
As the kobold fails his next attempt to strike, Luma seizes the opening and quickly pulls out her mace to try and strike back at her aggressor.
As she swings, she catches sight of a stranger across the street going down, seemingly badly injured. Her heart aches with a strong need to help. She can't ignore someone in such dire need, especially when her healing could save them.
Nem's mouth drops in a silent scream when she sees one of the strangers drop from being stabbed. She knows Luma is the healer in their group, but the elf is currently occupied with her own dilemma. Twirling her way over to Luma, Nem does a little plié to lunge forward with the rapier she unsheathes from her belt. At the last second, her hand twists so the blunt of the blade hits the kobold, knocking them out cold rather than piercing through skin and muscle.
Xintris turns their attention from the kobold now crumpled on the ground to the cloaked figure dashing past them and for a split second they consider going after them before they spot Cy on the ground and bleeding, and the kobold responsible heading straight for them. And while they might not have known Cy for long, the two of them had still fought and travelled together, and he had been good company.
Fixing up anything living is well out of their list of talents, and when the kobold's sword hits their armour without finding flesh Xintris moves closer, pushing the blade away with their body and slash at the kobold with both blades. "Can anyone help? My- friend is hurt!"
OOC: Melee attack against kobold 4, 21 to hit with 3 points of slashing damage. Using the other sickle to attack as a bonus action with two weapon fighting, 10 to hit and 3 points of nonlethal slashing damage.
Jojo shrugs off the sting of one blade as he sends a kobold flying, then bats away another from a kobold with a horrible sense of rhythm and a great deal of telegraphing. He hears the shouts of the others, sees one kobold heading towards Luma and dealing her a nasty looking slash, and Jojo realizes he was acting selfishly when the others may not be prepared. Now we need to wrap this up quickly and tend to the wounded.
He thought himself to be responsible for her and Nem's protection, given the kindness shown by the two, so he prioritizes them over the strangers. Since it's in the way, he attempts to bat the kobold blocking his path out of the way with his greatsword like he did with the other, while pivoting his body to get between this kobold and Luma...
...but can't exactly get a clean swipe, coming at an awkward angle from the blow he parried. He completely ignores the kobold that was to the west of him, and if it tries to make a swipe at him, he doesn't care. He has a goal in mind here.
--------------------------
OOC: 10+1 = 11 to hit kobold 2, 14 damage nonlethal. Moving 15 feet up, to be directly south of where kobold 1 is currently located.
Distracted as Luma is by the sudden fall of the figure south of her, by her instinct to offer aid, her swipe is clumsier than it might have otherwise been, and the kobold ducks away with a noise that’s nearly a cackle. It’s a cackle that’s abruptly extinguished by the blunt edge of Nemira’s blade; as she maneuvers gracefully toward the kobold, it's only seconds before the force of the blow that their eyes widen in realization.
As Jojo sweeps forward, attempting to put an end to this fight as quickly as it had begun, the angle of his attack protects the kobold from being on the receiving end of the considerable flesh wound Jojo had delivered to his companion only moments ago; instead, he sidesteps the greatsword altogether, preparing his own swing.
And as Jojo steps out of range of the kobold to his south, the creature reacts, reflex alone guiding his momentum — but reflex is not enough, and he swipes through air, Jojo already out of reach. But he’s shifted focus for too long; he’s not prepared for the first of Xintris’ slashes, which slices through the skin of his arm, and he only just manages to step black from the cut of the second blade as it sweeps through the air, inches from him.
No one on the battlefield notices the creature hiding behind a bush in the eastern alley duck south and toward the buildings, out of the alleyway and in her own focused pursuit.
(Another kobold down! #1 is now unconscious, and #4 has taken 3 points of damage. #2 is still unharmed. And as a note, Clod's got a busy weekend, but sent along intentions for Harliblith’s turn, so all of that and Harliblith’s next turn will be resolved in more detail next round.
Which brings us to the top of round again, so everyone's welcome to jump back in!)
As the kobold goes down under Nemira's blade, Luma nods at her in gratitude."Thank you,"she says, her relief evident.
But then, Luma hears the stranger's call for help for their friend. Ignoring everything else around her, she rushes toward the fallen figure, her heart pounding with urgency.
Kneeling beside the injured stranger, she briefly notes that he looks familiar, but her focus quickly shifts back to his wound. With one hand on the necklace beneath her shirt and the other on the stranger’s injury, she closes her eyes and prays."Please, guide me," she whispers.
As she speaks, a soft silvery light spreads from the necklace under Luma's shirt, traveling down her arm to her fingertips, and then into the wound. The wound glows from the inside, and slowly, the torn flesh begins to seal itself, mending under Luma’s warm touch.
Perhaps it’s the drawing of his own blood that finally focuses the kobold; whatever it is, the creature facing Xintris lunges forward with murder in his eyes, and finds something close to it — a weakness. Xintris is distracted for just a hair’s breadth too long — perhaps by the sight of the figure racing across the battlefield to kneel beside their fallen traveling companion, her healing magic returning color to his cheeks — and the sword finds partial purchase beneath their armor, and between their ribs.
The kobold now south of Jojo spins around, following his movements, and leans quickly forward, taking the opportunity as Jojo repositions to slice across his thigh — little more than a scratch, for the shifter, but red with his blood all the same.
And between the sharp and echoing clang of steel on steel, there begins to emit a high-pitched, unceasing whine from the body of the corpse slain by Xintris’ hand.
(K4: 9 slashing damage against Xintris. K2: 4 slashing damage against Jojo. And I've added an icon for the corpse, just so you can see where the noise is coming from.)
With Jojo acting as a barrier, Nemira continues her dance around the battle, keeping the beat between tapping her hand drum and the cascade of footsteps as she makes her way south to join Luma with the injured people.
She pirouettes with her rapier tucked close to her chest before striking out on the kobold who had just skewered someone. The flat of her blade lands true once more, leaving bruises rather than blood when Nemira withdraws her blade for a follow up attack. Her aqua eyes - a strange color for a drow - find the injured elf with ease. "Hold on just a bit longer! Help is coming," she cries. Even with the sounds of weapons slashing and cries of hurt, Nem's voice carries on the wind, soothing Xintris' wound and stemming any further deterioration for the elf to recover.
(OOC: Nat 20 on K4 w/ 5 nonlethal damage, 6 heals to Xintris)
Jojo kicks the dirt out of frustration when he misses the kobold in front of him the first time. The small slice from the creature only served to piss him off even more. His focus is tunnel-visioned even as the girls - far more successful with their strikes against the enemy and their support of the strangers - pass him by, and so he swings yet again, hoping to get the lizard for good this time, though his frustration may not cause his strike to aim true.
(OOC: 12 to-hit, 18 nonlethal damage if successful.)
Harliblith surveys the mayhem going on before her. She feels no need to interfere. Besides the half drow, there's another familiar face---Xintris, she recalls. The memory comes to her, a reminder of her past weakness. She has no obligation to save any of these people, but she does have an obligation to find out what these kobolds are after. She skirts from behind the bush and into the alleyway, determined to follow the cloaked figure.
Jojo realizes that, although successful in diverting the throng of bandits away from his companions, he unwittingly directed them towards a duo of unsuspecting passersby. His next actions are a mix of ego, thoughts of revenge, and an ever-present desire for action and showboating. The villains attacked unprovoked earlier, and rather than leave it up to chance as to whether or not this gang will attack more innocent bystanders, Jojo wishes to be proactive and cut them off at the head.
Wordlessly, he snorts through his nostrils, runs while unleashing a rage-filled roar, and tries to intercept the bandits with a reckless swing of his greatsword towards the kobold closest to the two stranges to the south. Jojo makes note of the scampering kobolds forming a wall around the tall figure who appears to be leading this group, and who Jojo would like to exchange strong words with once he gets the chance. So, he doesn't swing to kill; not that he would until provoked, and asides, he has a reputation to upkeep as a person who fights for the thrill of the fight, not wanton killing. For now he wants the fiends batted around and bruised, and thus swings at the small draconic being with the broad, flat edge of his slab of steel.
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OOC: Popping a rage, running straight towards the kobold to the north of Xintris, swinging greatsword for nonlethal damage.
Leaning into the chaos, Cy springs into action. With a flick of his wrist and a muttered incantation, his hand glows faintly. A spectral hand, shimmering like smoke, forms beside him – the arcane manifestation of his mage hand. He scans the scene, focusing on the fleeing figures. His eyes lock onto the lead kobold, the one closest to him. Their haste could be exploited. Cy directs the mage hand towards a piece of debris – a conveniently sized chunk of brick dislodged by the explosion. With surprising dexterity for a spectral appendage, the mage hand snatches the debris. Cy maneuvers it with practiced ease, positioning it in the path of the lead kobold's feet. The intent is clear – a makeshift tripwire to create a pileup and disrupt their escape.
Harliblith narrows her eyes. She'd been tracking the trio in order to gather intel on the kobolds, but with the kobolds attacking a separate group of people, she is no closer to understanding their intentions than she was before. She remains hidden, hoping that the altercation will reveal something about the kobolds' intentions. She has no intention of interfering in this moment.
(Stealth: 19)
The cloaked figure continues forward at pace, paying little heed to the figures gathering nearby; even as the kobolds begin to slow, the figure attempts to maneuver through the crowd, rushing as quickly as possible through the sudden bottleneck.
As Jojo approaches the kobold just north of Xintris, she stops, spinning on heel and hissing, “No witnesses!” And when Jojo raises his greatsword, she lunges forward, slicing into his knees with her shortsword, lips drawn into a snarl as she watches her blade draw blood.
The kobold beside her continues rushing forward, spotting the carefully placed debris only at the last moment and keeping himself upright; as his companion cries out behind him, he raises his own shortsword, echoing: “No witnesses!” With that, he lunges toward Cy, plunging his sword upward and through his abdomen, landing a more vicious blow than perhaps even he had expected.
The others quickly follow suit, apparently registering both groups as a threat. One circles Jojo, swinging a shortsword at his knees, though Jojo manages to easily knock it aside; another heads toward Xintris, pursuing her companions as much as anything else, though she stumbles at the last moment, swinging wildly through the air and missing Xintris altogether. The last one, after a moment of gazing back and forth, decides to take matters into their own hands, and erases the distance between themself and the eastern group in a rush, taking a swing at Luma, the nearest figure to them, slicing into her flesh with a grin. “No witnesses,” they spit.
(Just wanted to get this post up, but if anyone who hasn’t rolled yet ends up rolling a higher initiative and anything I’ve included in this post needs to be readjusted when resolving turns in the round, that’s absolutely fine! Map and turns are all currently tentative. For now, we’re looking at:
Damage against Jojo (kobold 5): 5
Damage against Jojo (kobold 2): Miss
Damage against Cy (kobold 4): 8
Damage against Xintris (kobold 3): Miss
Damage against Luma (kobold 1): 5
Also, FWIW, I rolled perception with disadvantage for the second kobold to spot the trap, and he improbably passed that check, lol.)
Luma's heart pounds faster as she sees the chaos unfold. The shout of "No witnesses!" sends chills down her spine. The sudden violence shocks her, and she feels a pang of fear as she watches the fight start.
Before she can fully process the scene, her breath catches in her throat as she notices one of the kobolds rushing toward her. And before she knows it, all she feels is the searing pain of his weapon slashing into her skin.
Instinctively, she raises her hand, fighting through the fear and pain. Her eyes glow with slivery light as she calls upon her power. Suddenly, a radiant flame-like light descends upon the kobold who attacked her.
OOC: Sacred Flame: Dex Save 14/Damage: 7
Everything seems to explode into yelling, slashing and running in a second, and Xintris barely has enough time to jump back from the blade that thankfully swings right by them. They pull out the sickles from where they're hanging by their hips and with a small motion of the wrist swing the blades up where they click into place. They're not happy to end up fighting again so soon after the last time, but they're also not going to stay still as an easy target.
The kobolds declare their intention of leaving no witnesses clearly enough, so Xintris focuses more on trying to make the slashes hit the kobold instead of holding back on harming them. They swing the two blades in quick succession, aiming for the kobold's arms and chest.
OOC: Melee attack against kobold 3, 19 to hit with 4 points of slashing damage. Using the other sickle to attack as a bonus action with two weapon fighting, 18 to hit and 4 points of slashing damage.
Before anything can happen, Nem is stunned.But then Jojo runs forward, and things cascade into spurts of action and blood spatters. What confuses Nemira even more is that the kobolds are trying to take them out. They didn't exactly do a great job th first time, yet she still winces at the memory of their last attack.
Violence - even in self defense - is not something Nemira condones. For now, she's willing to let other people know on the literal dirty work. Striking her hand drum again, Nem begins to dance in place. The beat changes from fervid taps to draw out reverberations as she channels magic meant to distract and dissuade. She can't cover them all, but the cloaked figure and the few remaining kobolds make her nervous enough to target them.
(OOC: Cast Bane on Cloaked Figure, K4, and K5 - if those kobolds are still alive, otherwise she would choose whomever is left standing, Charisma save, DC 14)
As Luma summons the magic inside of her, it seems to catch the kobold briefly off guard -- but they register the invocation of unseen power at the last moment, ducking just barely out of the way of her sacred flame, and hissing tauntingly in response as they prepare to take another swing.
Jojo's attack seems to take the kobold locked in melee with him entirely by surprise in its strength and precision; even as Jojo aims with the flat of the blade, the noise of the impact resounds, leaving the kobold with no time to cry out before she slumps to the ground before him.
The kobold who'd missed Jojo the first time watches as the shifter knocks one of his companions easily to the ground, within a mere foot of him -- and even as he yells, "No witnesses!" once more, magic from Nemira's dance begins to tremble beneath his feet, and he spares a sideways glance in her direction, unsettled.
The kobold who'd missed Xintris disastrously doesn't quite manage to recover in time; instead, in an attempt to dodge, she stumbles awkwardly, and Xintris hones in immediately, catching her twice with the blade. She cries out, a screeching, desperate sound combining fury and pain, and as the second blade slices across her neck, she collapses to the ground, apparently dead.
The kobold whose blade still remains buried inside Cy's abdomen, who screeches in delight and triumph as his weapon cuts through flesh, begins to feel the swell of magic from beneath his feet, like something crawling beneath his skin: a beat he can't quite name or place. He spins around, intent on finding a new target but made abruptly more uncertain than he'd been only seconds before.
(Kobold #5 is unconscious; kobold #3 is dead, or at least very near to it. The rest of the kobolds are currently undamaged.
And just FYI, @Ares: Since #5 is just immediately dead, I rolled saving throws for the cloaked figure, #4, and #2, since that kobold was closest to #5; the cloaked figure succeeded, but the other two failed, so kobold #4 and kobold #2 are both baned.
Now that we've resolved all turns from this round, that officially brings us to the top of round 2, so everyone's welcome to jump in again!)
The world spins. The symphony of chaos – the ringing in his ears, the shouts, the heat of the explosion – all fade into a dull roar. Cy's breath catches in his throat, a strangled gasp escaping his lips. He looks down, slowly, disbelievingly. There, where his hand instinctively goes to steady himself, was metal. Cold, slick metal. A sword. It pierced his abdomen, the tip protruding from his chest, a crimson bloom staining the fabric of his shirt. Agony, a white-hot wave of it, threatens to consume him, but a primal instinct to survive keeps him rooted to the spot. The mage hand flickers and dissolves, the debris clattering harmlessly to the ground. The fleeing figures, the bystanders, Xintris – everything blurs at the edges of his vision. His own name, a desperate whisper on his lips, is the only anchor to reality. His knees buckle. The world tilts, the ground rushing up to meet him. He lands with a heavy thud, the hilt of the sword digging further into his flesh. A choked cry escapes, a mix of pain and terror. Through the haze of agony, a single thought flickers. Xintris. I need to warn Xintris... but the words won't form, won't come out. His vision swims, the vibrant chaos of the city fading into an inky blackness. The last thing he registers before the darkness claims him entirely is the distant, panicked cry of his name: "Cy!"
OOC: Death Save 18
The cloaked figure races down the southern pathway, carefully ducking out of the way of any potential of a wayward blade and beginning to disappear down the alley and into the darkness of the once-quiet evening.
The northernmost kobold takes another swing at Luma, clutching their shortsword in both hands as they aim to exact a violent blow -- but they're too slow, and spend just enough time preparing for the swing that Luma is able to sidestep the attack with little issue, resulting in a cry of frustration from the kobold.
The kobold locked in melee with Jojo lunges forward, doing his best to shake off the distractions of that rumbling music -- and failing miserably. The strange, offbeat rhythm keeps him spectacularly off balance, and Jojo parries the blow with ease, knocking away the blade with his greatsword as if it were a mere toothpick.
And as the kobold who has bested Cy turns to Xintris, the same rhythm seeming to infect his bones, he strikes at them, shoulders twitching just slightly -- but the blow does not find flesh, only armor, and Xintris is left entirely unscathed.
(The cloaked figure takes a disengage action, and otherwise, the kobolds miss everybody this turn! The only difference in the map is that the cloaked figure is (just barely) no longer on it.)
As the kobold fails his next attempt to strike, Luma seizes the opening and quickly pulls out her mace to try and strike back at her aggressor.
As she swings, she catches sight of a stranger across the street going down, seemingly badly injured. Her heart aches with a strong need to help. She can't ignore someone in such dire need, especially when her healing could save them.
OOC: Melee attack on kobold 1. (To hit: 6)
Nem's mouth drops in a silent scream when she sees one of the strangers drop from being stabbed. She knows Luma is the healer in their group, but the elf is currently occupied with her own dilemma. Twirling her way over to Luma, Nem does a little plié to lunge forward with the rapier she unsheathes from her belt. At the last second, her hand twists so the blunt of the blade hits the kobold, knocking them out cold rather than piercing through skin and muscle.
(OOC: 19 to hit Kobold 1, 9 nonlethal damage)
Xintris turns their attention from the kobold now crumpled on the ground to the cloaked figure dashing past them and for a split second they consider going after them before they spot Cy on the ground and bleeding, and the kobold responsible heading straight for them. And while they might not have known Cy for long, the two of them had still fought and travelled together, and he had been good company.
Fixing up anything living is well out of their list of talents, and when the kobold's sword hits their armour without finding flesh Xintris moves closer, pushing the blade away with their body and slash at the kobold with both blades. "Can anyone help? My- friend is hurt!"
OOC: Melee attack against kobold 4, 21 to hit with 3 points of slashing damage. Using the other sickle to attack as a bonus action with two weapon fighting, 10 to hit and 3 points of nonlethal slashing damage.
Jojo shrugs off the sting of one blade as he sends a kobold flying, then bats away another from a kobold with a horrible sense of rhythm and a great deal of telegraphing. He hears the shouts of the others, sees one kobold heading towards Luma and dealing her a nasty looking slash, and Jojo realizes he was acting selfishly when the others may not be prepared. Now we need to wrap this up quickly and tend to the wounded.
He thought himself to be responsible for her and Nem's protection, given the kindness shown by the two, so he prioritizes them over the strangers. Since it's in the way, he attempts to bat the kobold blocking his path out of the way with his greatsword like he did with the other, while pivoting his body to get between this kobold and Luma...
...but can't exactly get a clean swipe, coming at an awkward angle from the blow he parried. He completely ignores the kobold that was to the west of him, and if it tries to make a swipe at him, he doesn't care. He has a goal in mind here.
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OOC: 10+1 = 11 to hit kobold 2, 14 damage nonlethal. Moving 15 feet up, to be directly south of where kobold 1 is currently located.
Distracted as Luma is by the sudden fall of the figure south of her, by her instinct to offer aid, her swipe is clumsier than it might have otherwise been, and the kobold ducks away with a noise that’s nearly a cackle. It’s a cackle that’s abruptly extinguished by the blunt edge of Nemira’s blade; as she maneuvers gracefully toward the kobold, it's only seconds before the force of the blow that their eyes widen in realization.
As Jojo sweeps forward, attempting to put an end to this fight as quickly as it had begun, the angle of his attack protects the kobold from being on the receiving end of the considerable flesh wound Jojo had delivered to his companion only moments ago; instead, he sidesteps the greatsword altogether, preparing his own swing.
And as Jojo steps out of range of the kobold to his south, the creature reacts, reflex alone guiding his momentum — but reflex is not enough, and he swipes through air, Jojo already out of reach. But he’s shifted focus for too long; he’s not prepared for the first of Xintris’ slashes, which slices through the skin of his arm, and he only just manages to step black from the cut of the second blade as it sweeps through the air, inches from him.
No one on the battlefield notices the creature hiding behind a bush in the eastern alley duck south and toward the buildings, out of the alleyway and in her own focused pursuit.
(Another kobold down! #1 is now unconscious, and #4 has taken 3 points of damage. #2 is still unharmed.
And as a note, Clod's got a busy weekend, but sent along intentions for Harliblith’s turn, so all of that and Harliblith’s next turn will be resolved in more detail next round.
Which brings us to the top of round again, so everyone's welcome to jump back in!)
As the kobold goes down under Nemira's blade, Luma nods at her in gratitude. "Thank you," she says, her relief evident.
But then, Luma hears the stranger's call for help for their friend. Ignoring everything else around her, she rushes toward the fallen figure, her heart pounding with urgency.
Kneeling beside the injured stranger, she briefly notes that he looks familiar, but her focus quickly shifts back to his wound. With one hand on the necklace beneath her shirt and the other on the stranger’s injury, she closes her eyes and prays. "Please, guide me," she whispers.
As she speaks, a soft silvery light spreads from the necklace under Luma's shirt, traveling down her arm to her fingertips, and then into the wound. The wound glows from the inside, and slowly, the torn flesh begins to seal itself, mending under Luma’s warm touch.
OOC: Luma casts Cure Wounds on Cy. Recover 11 HP.
Perhaps it’s the drawing of his own blood that finally focuses the kobold; whatever it is, the creature facing Xintris lunges forward with murder in his eyes, and finds something close to it — a weakness. Xintris is distracted for just a hair’s breadth too long — perhaps by the sight of the figure racing across the battlefield to kneel beside their fallen traveling companion, her healing magic returning color to his cheeks — and the sword finds partial purchase beneath their armor, and between their ribs.
The kobold now south of Jojo spins around, following his movements, and leans quickly forward, taking the opportunity as Jojo repositions to slice across his thigh — little more than a scratch, for the shifter, but red with his blood all the same.
And between the sharp and echoing clang of steel on steel, there begins to emit a high-pitched, unceasing whine from the body of the corpse slain by Xintris’ hand.
(K4: 9 slashing damage against Xintris.
K2: 4 slashing damage against Jojo.
And I've added an icon for the corpse, just so you can see where the noise is coming from.)
With Jojo acting as a barrier, Nemira continues her dance around the battle, keeping the beat between tapping her hand drum and the cascade of footsteps as she makes her way south to join Luma with the injured people.
She pirouettes with her rapier tucked close to her chest before striking out on the kobold who had just skewered someone. The flat of her blade lands true once more, leaving bruises rather than blood when Nemira withdraws her blade for a follow up attack. Her aqua eyes - a strange color for a drow - find the injured elf with ease. "Hold on just a bit longer! Help is coming," she cries. Even with the sounds of weapons slashing and cries of hurt, Nem's voice carries on the wind, soothing Xintris' wound and stemming any further deterioration for the elf to recover.
(OOC: Nat 20 on K4 w/ 5 nonlethal damage, 6 heals to Xintris)
Jojo kicks the dirt out of frustration when he misses the kobold in front of him the first time. The small slice from the creature only served to piss him off even more. His focus is tunnel-visioned even as the girls - far more successful with their strikes against the enemy and their support of the strangers - pass him by, and so he swings yet again, hoping to get the lizard for good this time, though his frustration may not cause his strike to aim true.
(OOC: 12 to-hit, 18 nonlethal damage if successful.)
Harliblith surveys the mayhem going on before her. She feels no need to interfere. Besides the half drow, there's another familiar face---Xintris, she recalls. The memory comes to her, a reminder of her past weakness. She has no obligation to save any of these people, but she does have an obligation to find out what these kobolds are after. She skirts from behind the bush and into the alleyway, determined to follow the cloaked figure.
(Perception: 7)