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Post by moralhazard on May 15, 2019 13:41:38 GMT
By the time Caim finished, Kara no longer needed bandages for her shoulder and head. She waited until he had pulled away, then carefully reached up to touch her face. Probing fingers explored; even the spot where she had actually hit the bar was healed, with only a faint tenderness remaining. Both eyes opened easily now. And there was no headache; it was an impossible relief, like a sip of water after days of thirst.
Kara rotated her shoulder as well, probing it. No pain there either - not that she had expected any. Her estimation of Caim as a healer, already high, rose a few more notches.
“Thank you,” she said, slowly standing. Even her side felt considerably better. There were still stitches in it, and it hadn’t knit fully shit, but it felt like a wound of a week old, rather than a day.
Caim agreed to breakfast, although he was frowning. Kara frowned back at him, not sure why. Kara’s hand almost went to her coin purse, but she controlled the impulse. She would find some coin for this; she didn’t need much money and this was - important. Surely the coins she had could stretch for breakfast to two.
Almost reflexively, her frown lightened when Caim smiled. Now that her head didn’t hurt and she wasn’t on the verge of collapse, Kara could think about the smoke smell - and what had happened to his cloak? It looked like he had been set on fire and savaged by an animal; he must have healed himself, because Kara couldn’t see any stiffness or tenderness in his movements. Kara took a half step back, looking him up and down, and her eyes widened a little.
“... what happened?” Kara asked, picking up her glaive from against the wall. She didn’t feel right letting Caim pay for breakfast when he had healed her. They would work it out later, Kara decided. It wasn’t like they were going to eat here; Kara was under the impression that they offered something, but she wouldn’t exactly call it food.
Kara stopped forward, past him, and sort of awkwardly held the door for Caim to go out. She followed after him, turning to look more fully at him, listening attentively.
It proved to be a mistake.
((Time for init!))
Init 1: C_3atAFo1d20 Init 2: 1d20+1 Init Kara: 1d20+1 1d20·1d20+1·1d20+1
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Post by orby on May 15, 2019 23:54:42 GMT
The sweep of her gaze over him made Caim all to aware again of the state of his cloak right now. He smiled sheepishly, absently fingering a burned patch along the front hem.
"There was a fire last night," he said -- maybe a bit too casually -- as he followed her towards the door, nodding his gratitude as she held the it for him and stepping out into the sun again. "In a building down by the docks. A little girl was trapped inside and I helped some others get her out."
That explained the soot and smokey smell and the singed cloak. The shredded bits were still a mystery, but he left the story at that. The conflict over the hellhound puppy was still a bit too fresh. He couldn't even guess at how Kara would have felt about it, if she would have sided with him or the gnome woman, but he really didn't want to risk that debate right now. It was one thing to have a pair of strangers insisting he was wrong, but Kara's opinion meant more to him.
((Initiative!))
Zp8h|rhX1d20+11d20+1
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 0:01:38 GMT
Pre-rolling attacks: Brolly grapple check (athletics): h_kMOZW01d20Kara resists (athletics): 1d20+5Horund mace attack 1, to hit (advantage): 1d20+4 or 1d20+4Damage: 1d6+2 Horund grapple check (athletics): 1d20+2 Kara resists (athletics): 1d20+5
1d20·1d20+5·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d6+2·1d20+2·1d20+5
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 0:16:38 GMT
Kara nodded, listening to Caim. She glanced the cloak over again – but if he had been burned, there was no sign of it in his movements, no awkward stiffness. At worst, he had healed it. A cloak wasn’t any price to pay for a little girl’s life. “That was – ”
Whatever Kara had been about to say was lost when two man burst out of an alley nearby, heading straight for her.
“You f*cking wh*re!” The larger was a heavyset man. His face was dark red with anger, and he wore leather armor with a wolf emblazoned on the front which had been cut nearly in half. He stared at Kara with undisguised loathing, something deeper and more sinister flickering through his eyes as well.
“Brolly – grab her,” Horund smirked.
The second man was smaller, less muscle bound, but quick nonetheless. He darted forward, one hand wrapping around Kara’s arm. She pulled back, throwing him off, but Horund was already closing in; his mace slammed into her side.
Kara screamed.
Caim could tell Horund had hit the stitches; from the angle of the mace, there was nowhere else he could have hit. Kara’s face seemed to drain of all color; her whole body shook with pain.
Horund laughed, a nasty, vicious sound. He grabbed for Kara as well, wrapping an arm around her. “You’re coming with me and we’ll see about some payback for what you’ve cost me, you little – ”
Kara yanked herself back, summoning all her strength to break free of Horund’s grasp. She was shaking, but Kara snarled at him, both hands gripping her glaive tightly, even as they shook. “I’ll die first,” She promised, voice rasping painfully in her throat. From the sweat rolling down her face, and the awkward, stiff way she was hunched over, it sounded like it might well not be an exaggeration.
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Post by orby on May 16, 2019 4:17:40 GMT
There was ambiguity to the situation with the hellhound and the devil lady the previous night. Despite whatever inherent evil such creatures supposedly possessed, he couldn't fault either for their actions -- a scared and injured animal lashing out, and a woman defending herself from attackers while simply looking for her dog. Caim wouldn't have turned on his allies, people who'd bravely charged into a burning building to save a stranger's child, but he couldn't support them against the devil either. It was just a mess all around.
This, however, was far less messy (splattering blood from reopened wounds aside). Strangers charging out to attack his friend unprovoked and without any attempt to handle things peacefully first. There was nothing ambiguous about this situation.
Eyes blown wide in surprise at the sudden assault, one man abruptly tackling Kara while the other swung a mace into her side, Caim shouted -- either a curse or an attempt to just grab their attention, it was hard to judge in Infernal. He didn't think twice before rushing in towards Kara's side, throwing a hand up as he moved to fling a bolt of fire into the larger man's face.
((Fire Bolt at Horund! Attack roll plus damage if hit:))
ifXlt_RF1d20+5 1d101d20+5·1d10
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 4:41:35 GMT
Kara Constitution check against internal injury: M8stE6qj1d20+5
Bonus action: Kara enters rage Glaive attack against Horund, to hit: 1d20+5 If successful, damage: 1d10+51d20+5·1d20+5·1d10+5
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 4:47:26 GMT
Her side hurt. The blow to the stitches hurt almost worse than the injury itself had, not least because it had caught her by surprise. It felt very much like something had torn inside of her, and it hurt worse every time she moved.
Kara pushed all that aside; there was no time for any of it. If she couldn’t fight, Horund would kill her - or worse. She knew Caim had magic, but it was still a surprise to see him step up next to her and shoot a fire bolt at Horund.
Maybe it was the jolt she needed. Kara focused on the fight, letting the world slide away - the pain most of all. If she could move, she would fight.
Kara slashed her glaive at Horund and hit, hard, the point of the metal dragging a line across his armor.
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 4:51:50 GMT
Brolly attack against Caim, to hit: dpP3mgG41d20+3 If successful, damage: 1d6+1
Horund mace attack 1 against Kara, to hit: 1d20+4 or 1d20+4 If successful, damage: 1d6+2
Horund mace attack 2 against Kara, to hit: 1d20+4 or 1d20+4 If successful, damage: 1d6+2
“Get that tiefling!” Horund had yelled aloud when Caim’s firebolt hit him, and the hatred in his eyes only burned deeper when Kara’s glaive ripped across him - again.
Brolly turned and swung a wicked curved blade at Caim, slashing at the tiefling’s already largely ruined cloak.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” Horund turned back to Kara, and brought his mace down on her - once, then a second time, with brutal force, slamming hard against her with both strikes.
Kara spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground, but this time she didn’t make a sound; she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. 1d20+3·1d6+1·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d6+2·1d20+4·1d20+4·1d6+2
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Post by orby on May 16, 2019 5:53:33 GMT
No one's ever come at him with a knife before. That was new. Caim cried out as the blade sliced neatly through the cloak and found flesh beneath. The shout became a snarl, harsh Infernal syllables grunted out through the pain, and the ground around the smaller man suddenly flared with searing flames.
A hand flying to his injured side, Caim glanced between all the others, trying to think quickly. He wouldn't survive a close-up fight like this, and falling back would just leave Kara to take the brunt of it while already injured.
Divide and conquer, then.
Hissing out a cantrip, he vanished in a swirl of smoke, the air briefly tinged with the smell of brimstone. Another burst of smoke left Caim suddenly positioned on the other side of Horund, as far back as he could get.
"Hey!" he yelled, and aimed a clawed finger at the large man before murmuring another spell. The resonant note of a bell cut through the chaos, necrotic energy focused through the burns on his face and the gashes left by Kara's glaive.
((Hellish Rebuke as a reaction. Brolly has to make a Dex saving throw (DC 13) to halve the damage:))
GODBS|Yi2d10
((Casts Misty Step with the bonus action and then Toll The Dead as an action. Horund has to make a Wis saving throw, damage if failed:))
1d122d10·1d12
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Post by orby on May 16, 2019 5:58:56 GMT
((Spending one metamagic point on Empowered Spell to reroll both of the Hellish Rebuke damage die:))
oSVxXIw92d102d10
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 12:01:26 GMT
Brolly dex saving throw: T4xTWMO_1d20+1 Horund wis saving throw: 1d201d20+1·1d20
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Post by moralhazard on May 16, 2019 12:03:41 GMT
Kara Constitution check against internal injury: 9Ve4U5bB1d20+5 Reckless attack Butt of the weapon attack against Brolly (non-lethal): 1d20+5 or 1d20+5 If successful, damage: 1d4+6 Note: should be +5 Glaive attack against Horund: 1d20+5 or 1d20+5 If successful, damage: 1d10+5
Kara focused.
No time for the pain lancing through her side, or the swirl of sudden white before her eyes that made her think she might lose consciousness. No time for the fear that pulsed through her when Caim was struck. Noise roared in her ears; she wasn’t sure what Caim was saying, but it sounded guttural and harsh again, and then - he was gone.
Good. He wouldn’t be hurt further that way.
Kara relaxed a little - until the tiefling popped back into existence behind Horund and called to him, trying to draw him away.
“Your fight is here,” Kara’s voice seemed to echo in her ears; she knew it was barely a rasp in her throat, but both Brolly and Horund turned back to look at her.
Kara whirled and spun her glaive, throwing the whole of her body into the attacks. Desperate? Yes. Reckless? Yes. Brolly was staggering a little; whatever Caim had thrown at him had hit him hard.
Kara targeted him first; she flipped the weapon and slammed the butt into his chin, a well aimed strike which knocked him out and left him unconscious.
Horund was shaking and weak too; there was a look of panic in his eyes when Brolly went down. He hadn’t counted on two opponents, and he hadn’t counted on fighting alone. Kara had already proven she could best him one on one - and the tiefling behind him had hit him with some kind of nasty, vicious spell, one that made the burn and cut he’d received hurt.
Kara turned to him. The world was growing black around the edges; she had barely felt Horund’s other blows, but her side - no hesitation. No time for remorse. Kara’s glaive spun and the blade bit through Horund’s chest, cutting deep into him.
Kara watched him fall, bleeding out onto the stones. She looked up at Caim, slowly. Her mouth opened, and Kara forced the words out with what was clearly her last energy. “You’re - okay?”
Before Caim could hope to respond Kara dropped, glaive coming free from her hands to clatter against the cobblestones. Her tunic was rapidly becoming wet with blood, the bandage already soaked through.
Horund death saving throw: 1d201d20+5·1d20+5·1d20+5·1d4+6·1d20+5·1d20+5·1d10+5·1d20
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Post by orby on Jun 5, 2019 15:58:03 GMT
Caim was prepared for a longer fight. He'd been ready to wear himself out doing whatever it took to keep these men off Kara even just a little, run through all his magic if needed. He'd already burned through more spells in six seconds than he'd ever needed to before.
But in just those six seconds Kara finished the job, dropping the smaller man before cutting down the larger one with ruthless efficiency. It snatched the wind from Caim's sails, just a little bit, still on his toes ready for more of a fight.
He barely had a moment to begin relaxing, though, when Kara abruptly dropped as well.
Shit.
Drawing a hissing breath, Caim hurried over to her side, stepping carelessly over the larger man where he was also bleeding out on the ground. That one... He could wait. This was his own doing, after all. Kara's wound was torn open again, blood rapidly pooling beneath her and oh no, oh no...
Biting back another curse, he dropped to his knees and pressed his palms to her side, pumping in healing magic. It had none of the precision and carefulness of his earlier work. This was pure force, divine magic desperately shoved straight into the injury while he murmured a prayer. Maybe Lathander was actually listening for once.
((Cure Wounds on Kara!))
5Ki707PE1d8+31d8+3
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Post by moralhazard on Jun 5, 2019 22:25:36 GMT
Horund death saving throw: wA4uS6g01d20
The blackness closed over her head and swallowed her whole and Kara was grateful for it in that last moment, greatful to be released from the pain tearing her side apart. For a moment there was the pure bliss of nothing. And then something grabbed hold of her and pulled her back, a warm lightness that started in her side and spread through her. Kara opened her eyes to see a panicked Caim staring down at her.
Kara groaned, softly, curled on her uninjured side against the ground. She tried to spit out some of the blood in her mouth and mostly failed, leaving it splattered against her lips. She licked them, grimaced, and tried again, managing to turn her body a little so the spit tumbled to the ground at least.
"I'm fine," Kara mumbled, looking back up at Caim. Things were still a little fuzzy, but the inferno of pain in her side had cooled down to an almost gentle warmth. It ached more than it had before the fight, and if Kara had to guess many of the stitches that had been so painfully sewn through her were torn, but there wasn't the same sense of something wrong inside her.
Slowly, with a faint grunt, Kara dug bloody fingers against the ground and pushed herself up to sitting. That was enough of an effort and she held there even without further prompting, breathing hard. One small brown hand curled around the shaft of her glaive, pulling it back to rest against her once more. There was a still wet blood stain across her tunic, where the injury had bled through the bandages and the blue cloth as well.
"Thank you," Kara looked at Caim when she could speak again, words rasping but serious. "I'm sorry," her gaze dropped to the new bloody slit in his cloak, and her hand tightened more on the glaive. That was laid to Horund's account, but to Kara's also, even if it turned out Caim wasn't half as defenseless as he seemed. But Kara was sorry he had had to use those skills, and sorry he had been hurt on her behalf.
Still, Caim was up and moving, and he had - without him, Kara wasn't sure she would have made it. It was one thing to die and another thing to die at Horund's hands; that death, Kara realized, she would mind.
Kara took a breath. Her vision was clear again; her side hurt, but she wasn't one to stay sitting. She lifted the glaive, pressed the butt into the ground, and used it like a lever to haul herself to her feet. Kara wobbled slightly at the top, breathing hard, but stayed standing, resting a bit of weight against the glaive still. She took one shaking step, looking down at Horund twitching and bleeding out on the ground before her, and didn't speak, looking back up at Caim. 1d20
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