Turn 36B -- Dealing with Ruffians

As the cut-throats appear to become more threatening, Brother Randor loosens his warhammer from his belt and motions toward Garth before speaking up, "I am Brother Randor Skycastle, Hand of Tyr and member of the Red Feather Adventuring Company, I must ask you to decist or I will be forced to bring the wrath of Tyr down upon you. Please leave now or you will be punished."

As one, the ruffians burst out laughing at the display from the priest. The laughter quickly leaves the leaders face as he turns to look at Randor, "You command no one here priest. We do and say as we please!"

Kersath, all the while not sleeping, listens quietly to the conversations taking place as he gets up from his position of rest at the end of the wagon train. Keeping his hands on his sword hilts, he quietly moves to take up a position behind the leader and his men.

"Pardon us sirs," says Kre as he bends down to sift through the flour spilled out onto the road, "but you seem to have just bought yourselves some flour. If you'd be so kind as to pay for it and then be on your way, we'd be much obliged." Kre then looks up at the leader for his response.

"I've had enough of this," says the leader with a snarl. "Get them!" he shouts as the bandits draw their longswords in unison.

"Bandits!" shouts Kre as he takes a handfull of flour and throws it full into the face of the nearest bandit to him. He follows this with a knife thrust that just manages to catch the man on the inside of his leather vest. Kre sees a trail of blood on his dagger as he brings it back around. One of the quicker of the bandits gets in a feeble swipe at Randor, but the priest is easily able to deflect the blow with his warhammer.

Unfortunately though, the bandit was able to occupy Randor enough to allow one of his friends to come upon the priest from behind. Randor feels a sharp stab of pain in his left side as he feels blow from the man's longsword strike him. Luckily for Randor, the inexperienced bandit was too excited at the opportunity open to him and was unable to deal a killing blow.

Moving to put his back to one of the wagons near Kre, with a blur Ras has two of his daggers in his hands and thrown at an approaching bandit, both striking the leader; one in his left thigh, the other glancing off his left fore-arm. Two of the bandits move from the front of the wagon-train to close in on Kre and Ras as they move to take up a defensive position back to back. Kre deflects a wild blow from the partially blinded bandit in front of him and with quick work from his two daggers opens up two vital veins under the mans arms. The bandit drops to the ground as his blood pours onto the ground to mix with the flour.

Angered by the cowardly attack upon him by the bandits, Randor softly says a prayer to Tyr and then speaking a command word points at one of the bandits attacking him. Almost immediately the man is overcome with a terrible look of fright and he drops his longsword as he runs off screaming from the battle.

Kre deflects blows from two of the closing attackers as the last bandit from the front of the train moves to join his friends as they try to overwhelm Kre and Ras.

Now that the battle has been joined, Kersath draws both his longswords and with a flash and blur of blades attacks the bandit leader. The surprised leader is able to block the first blow from the ranger but the second slides in under his defense to be buried hilt deep in his belly. With a wicked smile, Kersath roughly pulls his blade free as the leader falls to the ground dead.

Garth moves around to help out his newfound companion Randor. With his moustache twitching with the moving of his lips, Garth says a quiet prayer to his goddess Selune before speaking a command word. Pointing at the nearest bandit, he speaks, "DIE!" The bandit doesn't die but he does fall to the ground comatose. Garth quickly moves forward to place a well-aimed blow from his mace to the back of the bandits head to render his unconscious.

The shouts of his companions and the clang of swords are barely enough to wake the sleeping Gnore from the back of the lead wagon. Pulling himself up from behind the crates, Gnore quickly surveys the scene and looks for a victim.

Feeling pushed from the weight of the on-coming bandits, Kre is unable to deflect a blow from one of the men as his longsword strikes a deep blow to the leg of Kre. After having dispatched the leader, Kersath moves forward and launches another vicious attack onto the next bandit. The thief is unable to match the skill of the drow blademaster and as such falls dead from a blow that left his throat exposed to the afternoon air.

Having finally found an opponent, Gnore draws his sword and leaps from the back of the wagon at one of the bandits advancing on Kre and Ras. He is unable to hit the bandit with his sword but he does fall on the mans back and knocks him to the ground. Gnore tumbles off the mans back and tries to get up and right himself, sword thrust out in front of him for defense. The fallen bandits comrade quickly overcomes his shock at the unexpected attack from the rear and swings at the dwarf.

"Is that the best you've got you son of an orc?" yells Gnore at the bandit as he easily swats the mans sword away. A stream of curses come from the mouth of the dwarf as he prepares to attack the two men in front of him.

Kre and Ras renew their attacks on the men in front of them but they are unable to hit them as the men are now fighting furiously for their lives. The remaining three men, having seen their leader and half their friends dead, decide that discretion is the better part of valor and decide to flee the battle. With a laugh, Ras and Kre let the men run off toward the north of town.

"Run you dogs!" screams Gnore after them. "Cowards!"

"Easy, friend Gnore," says Kersath to Gnore. "I'm sure there will be plenty of times in the future for you to once again show us your skill at arms."

Moving out from behind one of the wagons, Gelderon moves forward to take Randor's hand, shaking it repeatedly. "Thank you, thank you so much," he says. "You saved me once again." He then moves through all of the companions, shaking each hand vehemently and offering up mucho praise.

As he does this, Kersath looks over and he sees the rest of the companions slowly walking up the road to join the group.