Act 2: Upheaval II - Revelations and search

"Fluffle, take care of that for him, will you?"

"I'm fine. That guy wishes he could punch people. That was a love tap compared to Zelk when she's really angry." He laughs a little but says, "I wouldn't mind if you took a look at it though. I don't want to slow us down on mission."

While Fluffle does his thing Steve describes what he saw and lets everyone know Florolf is still inside.

Mihai sighs - "Can't leave him behind. If someone gives me an opening, i could sneak in there."

"I have firecrackers and a rapport with this guy now. I know I could get him to come out again. I'd just need someone to keep him from killing me if he has a mind to."

Fluffle has just finished healing Steve's light bruise. "There you go."

He then flies up two feet in the air to keep watch.

"Hmm... he wouldn't be able to leave the warehouse long, but should be enough for me to sneak in." - he considers.

"Just... run"

Konrad laughs. "'A rapport', he says. Alright, I can come to your rescue if he gets violent."

"Fluffle, come with me. When i need the guy to turn his back, i'll ask you to come out the window and signal someone to go knock on his door again."

The fairy looks down at Mihai and tilts his head to the side. "I'm not sure these windows can be opened," he tells the party.

Mihai looks up at them - "Hmm... someone will just have to do it after a while, then."

"Wait, let me check," the fairy interjects. Fluffle flies away towards one of the windows and attempts to open it, but after numerous attempts, he fails. He comes back a little frustrated. "I'm sorry, I can't open them."

"That's okay," Amber says.

"Fluffle, take a look inside and tell me if you see anywhere i could signal you from."

Fluffle confidently nods at Mihai and gives him a thumbs up. "Leave it to me."

He returns to the same window he flew to before and begins to study the layout inside the building. He hovers in this position for a long moment until he flies towards the back of the building, out of the party's field of view. He comes back a minute later.

"Uh, we might have a problem," he says, slightly agitated. "There are many people in there, all of them armed. One by the door, another sitting on a big crate near him, and the rest are in the middle of the warehouse playing cards. There's also an office in the back and there was one man in it. He was working alone at his desk."

The fairy proceeds to describe the people he saw; one of them was armed with a longsword (near the door), another was encased in a banded mail armor and had a shield and a flail at his side, two of the thugs in leather armor were armed with two short swords each, another had a crossbow at his feet and the last man wore plain clothes. The man in the office had no visible weapons near him, but he wore a leather armor of sort.

Map layout:

The group discussed their options and decided to lure the thug who punched Steve outside the warehouse and into the alleyway. Steve would serve as bait while the rest of the party set up an ambush behind the warehouse.

When everyone was ready, the black mage decided to throw a firecrackers at the front door while yelling "Is bathroom!" in Wytrwaly – alerting all of the armed men inside – before joining his friends in the back alley. The goons exited the building and examined their surroundings, but they refused to split up. This prompted Steve to moan in pain, hoping that it would convince them to come check up on him.

Unfortunately for the party, the thugs kept their positions at the front of the warehouse and set up an ambush of their own. Fluffle flew over the roof and scouted the enemy's positions, which he then reported back to his teammates. Now realizing that they were in a deadlock, the adventurers thought of a more direct approach; Mihai would sneak up on the armed men and initiate an offensive of his own. His companions stayed back, ready to support him with ranged attacks if necessary.

Mihai succeeded in his plan and stealthily swung Waterglass – his magical greatsword – around the corner of the building and right into the abdomen of one of the thugs. He then realized he was alone against seven armed men and retreated towards his companions; luckily for him, Fluffle decided to hide on the edge of the roof and attacked the enemy with a cantrip of fire, providing a distraction that Mihai could use. Because of this, the gangsters decided to back off and set up a defensive position inside the warehouse while the mysterious office worker among them fled the scene, supposedly to summon reinforcements. Steve and Mihai wouldn't let it happen however, which persuaded him to regroup with his colleagues.

What followed was a long standoff between the party and the thugs. The adventurers attempted to convince them to surrender through the door, but they didn't receive any answer. Meanwhile, Konrad had climbed the side of the building and set out to tear a hole through the roof. This is when a carriage pulled by two horses slowly drove up the street. The party members did their best to hide while Steve tried to bribe them into transporting some cargo to the Arena, effectively getting rid of them in a roundabout way. He even offered 50 pieces of gold for this job, which caught the attention of two of the dockworkers, but their supervisor refused the offer and they went on their way with the carriage.

The party discussed the only option they had left; how to break into the building and take down the gangsters, preferably without killing any of them. Meanwhile, Konrad had managed to tear a hole through the roof and attract the attention of two of the thugs, who were ready to welcome him with arrows and swords. Having grown impatient, Amber asked Fluffle to tell Konrad to attack when he would hear a commotion. She then turned to Sunny, her Aspect of Light, and mentally told her to break open the front door and cast Holy Radiance inside the warehouse.

Many of the men fled in terror while two others stood their ground and battled the party at the front. The red mage didn't waste any time and climbed down the rope, ready to strike at the gangsters who were waiting for him in the office. These two men however had failed to resist Sunny's spell and were now running away from him. With his magic and his sword, Konrad proceeded to attack them.

Mihai battled two men at the same time, and yet they repeatedly failed to seriously injure him. With Steve's help, he was able to knock down unconscious the two thugs who hadn't fallen to the effects of Holy Radiance. One of the terrified men tried to flee through the large door, but Steve petrified him with a spell while Sunny and Amber blocked the way outside the warehouse.

Soon after that, the other men came to their senses and stayed hidden behind the crates, unsure of what to do. The party promised not to hurt them if they surrendered, and pointed out that they had made sure not to kill the defeated gangsters. The mage healed one of his companions to verify this claim, and only then did he and his colleagues agree to give up their weapons and surrender to the party.

Now bound at their wrists and ankles with rope, the gangsters have been moved against the northern wall of the warehouse. The only person missing among them is the mysterious office worker who previously attempted to flee the battle. Konrad points out to his companions that he must have escaped through the trapdoor he found in the office.

Mihai approaches Amber and Sunny - "This would have been a lot messier without you. Well done, you two."

Konrad also comes to show his gratitude to them. "Alright, to which of you do I owe my thanks for that amazing stunt with the bright lights?"

"Yes, well done." Steve gives a thumbs up to Amber and Sunny.

Amber is embarrassed by the flood of compliments, and she shyly replies to Konrad, "That was Sunny."

The Aspect isn't even looking at the party members, her attention fully focused on the prisoners. She keeps her longswords raised at the gangsters and tells her summoner's companions, "Please help me keep an eye on them."

She and Fluffle are the only ones watching over the prisoners at the moment.

Mihai walks over to the prisoners - "Where's the pencil-pusher?"

"I'll help you keep an eye on them." Steve stands there watching, making sure the gangsters are telling the truth.

Deception 21

Remembering Smirk's behavior, Konrad feigns surprise. "It speaks! That tipped the scales, thank you very much, and yes, I'm going to turn around now."

He turns around to watch the men who are tied up.

The men glance at each others, all of them hesitant to speak.

Mihai walks off to check the trap door - "Keep asking them nicely."

"You mage. What's your name?" Steve looks at him.