Forcing her hand: LX
"We were told it wouldn't hurt us." Donna whispered back, overlooking the peer she eyed the Nimblewright carefully, the Central ward was in her opinion a poor choice to hide. Sure there were alleyways and dark corridors, but that also meant the creature was holding itself in the smack middle of the city.
"Alrighty then Donna, you wanna get near it?" She froze up a bit. Damien made a good point, despite their 'assurance' she wanted as far away from the creature as possible. It was swaying in an alleyway which they crouched over six of them in total. Something didn't feel right, the Guard were supposedly looking up and down for the creature. They had just been forced to move it earlier the day before from the dock ward now to the central ward, she couldn't help but wonder. 'Where was it going?'
"Why do we still have it?" Brar demanded. He was a recent addition to the faith as far as Donna knew, he was a bald short thumb of a man with a mean look on his face.
"Have what?" Holiver asked. "The Nimblewright? Because our Lady commands us."
"No you daft fool!" He picked at his hand. "The stone! The Stone of Golorr, are we not supposed to return it to the head priest?" He sneered even more.
"As far as I am concerned our Lord is the head priest." Damien bit back. Brar looked heavily offended wanting to rush forward but Jeski stepped in. her pale eyes looked pretty done with both of them.
"Enough. Lord Cassalanter. Is our Grand Arch Priest, regardless of your opinions." She shot Damien an irritated glare. "And we are keeping the stone for now because our Lady has instructed so." She reminded Brar. Donna took a deep breath. She didn't want to say it but she knew damn well why they were keeping the stone, their Lady didn't want to surrender it, it was that simple. Their alliance with the Zhentarim was weak at best with the two collectors of the stone; Urstul Floxin and the Nimblewright still on the run.
"Besides." Donna cut in. "we only have to protect the Nimblewright until it transports the stone to Arn.. once he has it he's promised to take it right back to the Lady."
"Ugh! Arn.. fucking weirdo." Jeski groaned.
"Unholy shit she actually trusts Arn?" Brar gasped.
"Seriously, his death would be a benefit to the faith." Holiver concluded.
"D-death?" Vaelle's eyes went wide and she was already trembling since they had told her how the Nimblewright.. Blew up some people. The damn girl didn't understand how sacrifices for the greater good worked! Sometimes it made Donna itch to shut up her blabs about returning to her shop. Perhaps Vaelle's great second trial should be burning her storefront down. "Why does everyone.. Hate Arn so much.." She muttered confusingly.
"He raped me." Jeski shrugged. Donna nearly fell over. Her stomach churned angrily. Uhh.. 'what?' All eyes turned to their pale eyed mage the woman looked casual starting over at the Nimblewright.
"What?" Vaelle asked innocently. Jeski was in the midst of caring for Vaelle's injured hand, rubbing salve and rebandaging it as the girl picked at the wound. Holiver occasionally tried to step in to help but only managed to make things worse. Vaelle who's cheeks were once lush and bright red, her lips full and large, and small but healthy figure now appears to be wasting away, she refused to eat the food the faith gave her and apparently talked in her sleep. Large dark circles were forming under the florist's eyes and her body seemed gaunt waving towards death.
"Arn.. back when I first joined the Lady's sect of the faith, he assaulted me in a prayer room, claiming it as his right." Jeski shook her head. "I wasn't nearly as good a mage back then as I am now.. The Lord covered Arn's mistake.. It was only our Priestess... along with Lady Cassalanter who demanded justice.." Donna swallowed a lump in her throat feeling far more guilty of supporting the house of faith they were under. She gazed off in the distance focusing on the dim light with nightfall covering them.
"H-he covered it?" Vaelle sounded mortified by this news, staring over her shoulder furiously.
"Don't worry." Jeski leaned in patting Vaelle atop her head earning a quick flinch from the girl. "I assure you, if Arn ever tried that shit again I'd gut him like the oinking pony tailed bastard he is." Donna chuckled. Thinking about how funny it would look to dangle Arn over a pit by his hair.
"I'm sorry.." Brar leaned over, placing a hand against Jeski's lap, his bushy eyebrows furled in anger. "I had no idea.. Our Lord was like that.." She wondered if the Lord Cassalanter was any worse.. Or maybe better.. She had never met him or held a mass with the man. But he had to command some kind of loyalty.
"Well then." Holiver laughed leaning back against the store top. "What about your Brar? Do you have a story?" His laugh was nervous and wet. Damien met her eyes with a panicked look, like he already knew that answer.
"Mmm.." The old man grunted, his eyes still narrow like he was considering cutting Arn in half. "Maybe another time.. I wou-" He never finished.
*SSSWWHHHII*
An ear piercing whistling noise shot from her left Donna jumped back studying the corridor their Nimblewright was hiding in. "I think I've got something!" she heard the vibrational ring of a guard's helmet filtering his voice. Donna peared over, the narrow alleyway spotting eight guards in total wielding spears and long swords at their sides. 'Crap!' she cursed at herself, the alleyway was a one way street and the Nimblewright had little to no way to escape.
"What is that? A wooden.. Man?" They spotted him. Donna didn't have time to form a plan with the others. She drew her knife and small ring readying herself for combat. "Come out at once.. Uh.. please." The same voice asked politely, he sounded young.. And foolish.
"Wait we c-can handle this diplomatically-" Vaelle whispered like a snake. Donna disagreed. She dropped over the edge landing behind the City Watch who had filed into the alleyway like fish in a barrel. Like cats on a rooftop one by one her compatriots jumped into the street circling the guard. One of the men turned to her, he looked to be an orange tabaxi with bright green eyes and a furious snarl.
"Who are you? State your business!" One of the men demanded. Donna wanted to laugh.. State their business." The Tabaxi snarled with his comrade a low quiet little thing. Typical of the watch showing power before they even knew what was going on.
"We're no one.." Damien's voice came out in a slow drawl. "Just citizens of Waterdeep.."
"We said." Another guard got up close pushing a spear against Damiens neck. "State your business."
"Our business is our's. The city of Waterdeep is packed with vile like you.. Put your blade away." Damien spat. His voice got increasingly irritated.
"Hold on.." one guard pointed at the Nimblewright, Donna's stomach flipped over she knew what had to be done. "Isn't that th-"
"Fulmen ignem!" Donna sneered. The Tabaxi in front of her had wide eyes while her spell impacted, throwing the little cat backwards with a bit of a crispy burn. It knocked into its allies behind it.
"Agh!" one guard groaned. With that spell, mayhem broke loose. Donna backed up while one guard thrusted his spear at her, she sidestepped, tasing the long javelin in her waist as it narrowly grazed her, his thrusts were fast filling her vision with the glint of iron. She brought up her dagger catching the point of the spear between its guard and blade.
"Take this!" Brar rushed in swinging his ridiculous war axe in a large arc he was huffing and puffing like an angry old grandma who just found out their grandchild had been beat up at school. The barbarian short stubby man traded blows with a guard member, catching three or four spear strikes in his ribs alone each one drawing more blood than Donna thought he actually had. "Ay ya cross bastards! Think you can put me down for long eh?!"
"Get back here! We have questions for you!" The Tabaxi now joined his human guards side Donna found herself in a decently outmatched fight. The Tabaxi drew a long sword, now she had a spear and long sword combination being thrust at her. She rolled to dodge, evading the strikes narrowly.
"Ugh." her back slammed against the brick wall she tried to block the spear but it was too fast coming in just above her shoulder. "AH-ulodutz saflvw syicdh!" She chanted the incantation as fast as possible, thrusting her hand against the long sword wielding tabaxi, knocking his sword aside she smacked his head. Instantly a dark black decaying force of magic swelled his head she kicked his platemail knocking him over.
"Get away from her!" Jeski hollard. Donna's vision was a bit more blurry now that she was stabbed, she furiously kicked against the guards plate male.
"Weydd zmiz bfwz clatcw haf kitc." Donna spat and hit the guard in the chest causing a force of wind to slam him away. She reached up, plucking the spear from her right shoulder grunting in pain.
"S-stop we c-cant!" A guard yelled. Donna looked over, to see Brar on the ground, two guards slammed into the pavement next to him. He was awake but clearly in pain.
"Like hell!" Damien replied. He was fighting like the ground were ice sliding across the pavement in flourishes of fury, he slid his long sword against one man cutting his throat open like it was nothing. His long sword came up deflecting a spear off its surface easily countering the thrust back shoving the man backwards. "Who's next?!" Damie barked, Jeski jumped to his side sliding behind him both her hands engulfed in a dark black energy, she was channeling an infliction of wounds. Donna jumped to her feet, Holiver was pinned against a wall struggling against a city watch. She counted their foes. They had still roughly six, as the guard she had just knocked down struggled back to his feet. These were professionally trained soldiers they couldnt be taken lightly.
"You're aiding and abbeting a suspected fugitive, currently charged with the cirme of homicide, death, conspiracy to perform domestic terrorism, arson, theaft, and intent to cause boddily harm." The guard across from her spat out a bloody tooth. "Resisting will implicate all of you!" he smeared angrily.
"Yeah well.. I don't care much." Donna shrugged. She charged, the guard barely had time to draw his own short sword quickly bracing it against the wall she slapped it aside knocking him in the jaw. "AH-ulodutz saflvw syicdh." She slammed a fist against his exposed neck causing the dark energy to warm up his body, she felt pretty good- Her right side exploded in pain she looked down seeing a small dagger pushing into her abdomen staining her red cloak. "Bastard!" She yelped, summoning a second bout of wound infliction; she drove her fist into his jaw. This time, the guard dropped to the ground; dead.
"Donna!" Damien screamed. She turned around rapidly kicking the guard who had rushed her, the guard slammed a steel toed boot into her leg. Damien looked to jump in but was quickly held back by three human's. He fought like a dancer spinning and deflecting blades left right and center. His blade came down on his left pushing one guard's spear into the other.
"Switch!" Jeski yelled as she rushed in, filling the alleyway with icy frost. Donna pressed back against her attacker gripping his short sword with her bare hands watching blood slowly dribble out of the sliced wounds. Her eyes flicked around the alleyway, Holiver was still preoccupied, as was Damien and Jeski, Brar was on the ground.
"Fuck it." She sneered. "AH-ulodutz saflvw syicdh." She sneered headbutting the guard she slammed him into the dirt, her leg felt a tug as the guard pulled her down too. "No!-" She stabbed her dagger into him watching his trembling hand hold her arm at bay with the knife mere inches from his eye. Her gaze was brought up to the top of the building, crouched over its edge she spotted Vaelle's hazel eyes filled with fear and panic. Damnit.. Damnit. She wanted to yell. "Just fucking Die!" She sneered, Donna slammed her fist into the back of the knife, once, twice, thrice, pushing it ever closer to the guards teeth and face. He made a mewling sound of fear.
"No you D-don't!" Her attention was caught off guard. To her right Donna saw the Tabaxi Guard crawling towards her, the right half of his face covered in terrible black marks. 'Shit I Can't-' she thought.
"Vaelle!" She cried up to her friend above. "Vae h-help" she stuttered out desperately calling to her friend. Vaelle didn't move. She held the dagger with one hand furiously trying to kick away the crawling tabaxi. "V-Vaelle, V-" She screamed again in fear. 'Oh Nessus this.. This might be it..' she silently cursed herself for not bringing someone else with them. "Vaelle Please I don't want to d-"
"I've got you!" The Tabaxi jumped over her, The guard below her clutched her arm as she kicked furioously. Donna clenched her eyes shut and turned away trying to think of a spell to use. 'I don't want to die!'
*Bshhaink*
"Agh!" Donna opened her eyes, a pool of blood spilling around her. She stared at the formerly alive tabaxi; the signature sound of Tròcair's deployment gave her a whistle to what happened. Crouch over the guard with trembling limbs Vaelle held the knife in the guard's neck. Her eyes were wide and stricken with shock. Blood sprayed everywhere like a fountain splattering over Vaelle's arms. Donna wasted no time, she slammed her fist into the back of her dagger plunging its tip into the guard below her eye. "I. Nessus.." She swore out of breath. Vaelle fell over the body, her hands shaking, she splattered to the ground, blood still splattering over her.
"Good j-" she started, Vaelle turned around and began to wretch over the pavement, puking what little she had eaten that day. She was coughing and sputtering for air puking all over the sidewalk.
"Ug-h!" Donna felt a thump when the last guard fell to the ground, his head rolling off from Damien's sword. Another one was clearly decayed to nothing by Jeski's spells. Damien slumped his shoulders sliding against a nearby wall.
"Vaelle?" Jeski asked, she approached the edge of the alleway with her arms extended like a mother, her voice was calm and cautious while she went to reach over the girl's shoulder. "Are you.."
"She's fine." Holiver bit in. He waved Vaelle off his face in a wide grin. "The Nimblewright?"
"He fled.. We bought the little thing with enough time.. But.." Damien started.
"I-I" Vaelle erupted in tears. Donna bit her tongue not wanting to chastise her blubbering mess of a friend. "W-what the fuck was that!" She screamed pointing at the guards, she was backing up fearfully. Vaelle stumbled over falling to her ass in the pool of blood.
"Vaelle.." Donna started carefully.
"N-no! Don't 'Vaelle' me! W-we just.. Killed someone! We-" she stopped talking and started choking on her own sobs the look of mortification plaguing her face. Donna sighed she didn't want to deal with this right now.
"Uh.. lads.." Brar struggled to his feet, he held up a severed arm probably taken from the guard. "This aint guards." 'what?' Donna frowned. She leaned over ignoring Vaelle's sobs and whimpers. She pulled back the sleeve of one of the men.
"Oh f-" She sputtered, laid out on the guard's arm was a black banner with a winged serpent flying over it. "The Zhentarim.."
"Wait but we're working with the Zhentarim- why would they-" Holiver demanded. They attacked them.. And tried to get the Nimblewright.. If this party was searching the streets then.." Donna's eyes went wide. Fear filled her body, the gears began to click in place, the realization the damned Zhentarim were most likely already attacking the household.
"We have to get back to the house!" She screamed jumping to her feet. "Damien, did you give the Nimblewright the map?" The man nodded, staring around at the battlefield like he understood. "We've got to get back. Now."