"Rathene?" one of the men asks a bit incredulously, but allows your longship to come close enough to see your faces. Once the two ships are sitting next to one another in the water, the man asks, "The dwarf we paid to break you out was told to return alone with you. And that's not him." He points to Carl in the back of the ship. "Where is he, why didn't he leave the jail with you, and who are these people that did?" Clearly suspicious, the men keep their crossbows raised at the party.

"Dead," Hildigrim says, stepping out from his hiding place. His bow is raised, the arrow trained on the ship's deck. Though his expression remains calm, his grip on the bowstring suggests he won’t hesitate to use it. "The Grimshackle brothers and their hired hands proved to be more trouble than the dwarf anticipated. Luckily, we were there to lend a hand." He chuckles dryly. "Well, once we were freed, that is."

The halfling moves forward with silent, measured steps, the ship’s weathered boards creaking faintly under his weight. He stops just behind Rathene, his sharp gaze darting between the two figures. "She figured we might come in handy if there was more trouble," he continues, his tone light but edged with caution. "Didn’t run into any ... until you two."

His expression hardens as he adds, "Now, why don't you get out of our way so we can collect the payment the dwarf was promised for returning this lovely lady?" His scowl deepens, his posture steady and his eyes watchful, as though bracing for the slightest movement that might signal a threat.

Posing as Rathene's substitute rescuers suddenly seemed like a viable way to get into the camp. Whether it’s a good way — or a disastrous one — remains to be seen.

Auriel can’t help but silently commend the guards for their well-placed caution. Still, with time pressing, he crosses his arms and fixes them with a steady gaze. "I’m certain your boss wouldn’t any delays on such a momentous day. Now, will you let us through?"

"You're not moving an inch further," the first guard says gruffly in response.

"Sorry Rath," the other guard says, his tone a bit lighter as he scratches his head apologetically. "Krulek's not gonna like us taking chances. Who's to say your friends weren't bought by the Zhentarim? He thinks they're trying to capture him, told us to be especially wary. The jailer was under strict orders to return with only you...and our riders saw you leave without the jailer, and with these folks instead."

"Shut your trap, Groff," the first guard says. "If what you said is true, you seem hells bent on giving the Zhents a lot of information."

Groff sighs, then says, "The way I see it, you have two options. Turn back and head to Phlan, then wait for us to make contact; or, you can come aboard and hand us all your weapons and gear, then wait. When Krulek is done with his meeting, we can get his thoughts."

Hex's eye twitches ever so slightly as the Zhentarim are mentioned but she remains calm and shrugs. "Just let us aboard then. We can wait. Don't wanna have to head all the way back to Phlan." She huffs, slightly annoyed. "And I'd rather not have to wait on you guys again. It took you long enough to get that dwarf to break me out. Honestly, was starting to think you had all just gave up on me and were going to leave me to rot."

Carl remains quiet at the rear of the boat, watching the reaction of the two and preparing if this still becomes violent.  

Once they are permitted onto the other boat, Auriel immediately scans the area for anything the guards might use to signal their companions atop King's Pyre. If such a device or method is present, it will be the first thing they need to prioritize disabling before proceeding to subdue the guards.

"Zhents?" Hildigrim repeats, his tone sharp as his expression shifts to one of genuine surprise mixed with revulsion. "You think we might be Zhents?" His gaze darts to Hex and Auriel, silently questioning what they might be thinking, then shifts toward Carl’s hiding spot, relieved the dwarf remains out of sight.

Hex’s words linger in his mind. She seems to have some sort of plan — though what it might be, he can only guess. Is he prepared to follow?

Deciding to play along, he slowly lowers his bow, sliding the arrow way with deliberate care. "As the lady said," he remarks casually, stepping toward the side of the boat nearest the two lookouts, "we’ve come all this way. Might as well follow through."

His movements are steady but unhurried, his tone light, though beneath it all, his mind races. Trusting Hex’s lead may be their best — or only — option now.

"Just let us aboard then. We can wait. Don't wanna have to head all the way back to Phlan."

"Leave your weapons on your ship," Rath says, tossing some rope over to you to begin tying the ships together.

Looking across at the outlaws' ship, Auriel sees a lot of supplies around, but nothing that would indicate an obvious signaling mechanism. Rations, kegs of ale, a small armory of swords, spears, arrows, and longbows, and a half-dozen thick gray cloaks lay around the ship's 60-foot-long deck.

Since someone has to take the first step toward goodwill, Auriel decides it might as well be him. Leaving his halberd behind on their ship, he hops aboard the other vessel. This leaves him uneasy—going without his weapon feels unnatural—but they still have the humbers and the hidden ace of Squirt Mudbottom up their sleeve.

Once on board, Auriel waits for the others to join him. As he does, his gaze flickers to the guards, and his mind begins to weigh his options. Which one should he subdue first? Perhaps he could grapple one of them, or seize one of the spears stored on the boat to even the odds.

For now, though, he keeps his stance relaxed, standing close to the guards as if at ease, ready to act the moment everyone is in position.

Hex hesitates for a moment. She had hoped they'd let them on board *before* taking their weapons but it seemed the two guards were smarter than she gave them credit for. She took off her longbow and unsheathed her shortsword, leaving them behind on their boat. As she does, she attempts to move her scimitar's sheath behind her back and under her cloak, hoping it would be unnoticeable under the heavy fabric. Afterwards, she follows Auriel over to the longship and stands by his side.

If the men notice Hex's maneuver, they show no signs of it as she and Auriel clamber aboard the other longship. The ship's single deck is quite slippery from the fog.

Hildigrim watches closely as Auriel and Hex move first, setting the example. They remove their weapons — placing them in a neat pile on their ship — before crossing over. Even without weapons, the group would still have Carl and his magic to fall back on, a comforting thought in an otherwise tense situation.

Still, the halfling hesitates. His daggers are small, easily concealed. Perhaps they won’t notice. It’s worth the risk.

With an air of reluctant compliance, Hildigrim removes his rapier and shortbow, carefully placing them alongside Auriel's halberd and Hex's bow and sword. As he hops over to the other ship, he allows himself to look just a little grumpy about leaving his weapons behind — enough to sell the act of disarming, but not so much as to draw suspicion.

Adjusting his footing on the unfamiliar deck, he spares a quick glance toward Auriel and Hex, silently hoping their lead continues to hold. For now, he’s just another halfling following orders — but his hidden daggers offer a shred of reassurance, should things take a turn.

@DM: How big is the ship the guards are on? I suppose we're all still in front of them even when we move to their ship?

Carl looks back and forth, seems to be in a dither.  He pulls out his battle axe, feels the blade for a moment, then says to the two grey cloaked figures, “This ah… this battle axe has special meaning to me, it never leaves my side.  What if… what if you two held on to it for me until we get there?  How about that?”  If they decline, he will with much precision and reluctance put it in the boat, looking back at it a time or two.  If they agree, he will hand it to them gently, while chewing on the inside of his cheek, beard fluttering all the while.   He crosses over on one side, silently looking at the space of Squirt Mudbottom and directing him over as well, maintaining balance over to their boat.  

What if… what if you two held on to it for me until we get there?  How about that?

The pair of guards look between each other and frown, but shrug in the end, reaching out a hand to grab Carl's battleaxe before helping him and Hildigrim up onto the deck of their ship.

@DM: How big is the ship the guards are on? I suppose we're all still in front of them even when we move to their ship?

OOC: From post #270, the deck of the ship is 60 feet long. It's 8 feet long at the beam, so you're in pretty close quarters no matter what you do here. There's just enough room to sidle around one another once you're all standing on the deck.

"What in the nine hells happened in there, by the way?" Rath asks Hex. "The scouts said there was smoke coming from the tower."

Hildigrim eyes the guards carefully, scanning them for any additional weapons beyond the crossbows they carry. Every detail matters.

Suddenly, he makes a small noise of surprise and lurches to one side. "Hey, quit yer pushin’," he grumbles, his voice edged with irritation. Stumbling slightly, he leans into Auriel and gives the elf a shove, scowling.

"Your dwarf thought it'd be a good idea to free one of the prisoners, a minotaur pirate named Walharrow. All the jailors were scared shitless. He ripped through the place like it was nothing. Had the pleasure of meeting him but lucky for us, he was more concerned with breaking out then killing us." Hex shakes her head then shrugs. "It was dumb and risky but, I gotta admit, his plan worked. We managed to get out in the chaos of it all."

Hex raises a brow as Hildigrim suddenly lurches forward and shoves Auriel. It looks like the halfling has a plan in mind, though she has no idea what it could be. Still, underneath her cloak, she slowly moves her hand behind her back and grips the hilt of her scimitar. She keeps a nonchalant look as she talks with the two gray cloaks.

Auriel doesn’t hesitate. The moment Hildigrim shoves him, he follows along and grabs the halfling by the collar. "You filthy little rat," he snarls, jerking Hildigrim close enough that their noses nearly touch. "You think you can shove me and walk away?"

Without waiting for a response, he wrenches Hildigrim sideways and hurls him toward one of the guards, using the motion to send the man stumbling. Auriel barely spares the gray cloak a glance. Instead, he pulls Hildigrim back just as sharply—not as strongly as to make his companion lose his footing, but enough to sell the charade. "If you’re so eager to cause trouble, maybe the sea would like to have a word with you," he growls, fingers still gripping the halfling’s clothes as if ready to toss him over.

His expression is a mask of barely controlled violence, but beneath it, his senses remain razor-sharp, ready to act the moment opportunity strikes.

Hildigrim eyes the guards carefully, scanning them for any additional weapons beyond the crossbows they carry. Every detail matters.

OOC: The guards carry scimitars in addition to their crossbows. One still holds Carl's battleaxe as well.

The deck is slippery from the fog. The ship tilts in the water as Auriel and Hildigrim jostle, spraying sea foam onto its surface. Catching their balance, the guards snap their attention to the pair. "Cut it out," Groff grumbles. "This thing's barely big enough to fit all of us without your bickering. The Moonsea'll knock the breath right out of you; if you're aiming to test it, I wouldn't."

"I’ll cut it out once he does," Auriel snaps, shoving Hildigrim again, but this time he shifts his own weight sharply, trying to make the ship tilt beneath them. He hopes the sudden motion will ripple through the deck, forcing the guards to steady themselves.

The moment the nearest one starts to regain his balance—or if he moves to intercede in the fake quarrel—Auriel strikes, driving his elbow hard into the guard’s temple. Without hesitation, he moves to circle behind him, using the man as cover to keep his companion from getting a clear shot.