Struggle for Paruhapta VII: Hard Pressed on All Sides

La Compagnia approached the manor across the boulevard from the one they had explored and been rebuffed by its dead, and metal-eating denizens. Theo held out a basket of plump dates drawn forth by The Jiam's strange whispering to the uculupac. When there was no answer Alex was induced to climb quiet-like to a small window and peer in. He saw the hulking hairy shadow of a bearman facing yet further down a long hall lined with doors on either side. He turned to the party and made a few boorish hand gestures, which Teleptyon misinterpreted as an incredibly rude commentary on his mother, but Riven did understand to mean a single bearman facing away in the shadows. The Jiam and Alex made meaningful eye contact but decided to check a few other windows for a more opportune place to enter quietly and stab said bearman in the back without making a sound. Riven, The Jiam and Alex each climbed a window on the western facing wall of the building and saw ample storerooms lit only by the small windows. Riven though saw a storeroom of people, other bipedal creatures and lone, agitated Khromandi. When they reported back, Theo was filled with zeal for freeing slaves, but even Kegho cautioned that being too brash in their approach might bring death to the slaves as he nursed regret for the slaves in the arena.

Alex pointed out that the Khromandus might be a useful ally if they were to free it first, either in the manor or if he fled that there was a group less ill disposed to the Khromandi's wellbeing than the bearmen seemed to be and offered to climb through the window and attempt to quietly unlock the creatures shackles and provide it with a bit of food and drink, but the party thought it unwise to rile up the prisoners before there was a clear plan.

The Jiam slipped into the furthest storeroom where any mistakes in his movement would be masked by the agitated Khromandus that he might slip into the hall unseen and unheard before Theo and Teleptyon did engage in a most modern law enforcement action, but as he prepared to slip into the hall and merc a bearman, he heard the door crash open and the shouting of a charge. He briefly considered adding a mild laxative to the party's next meal before testing the door and finding it locked from the outside anyway. Resigned to the failure of his plan he did cast about the room and found a tray of dried herbs of obvious medicinal value and packed them carefully into the satchel he kept for such things, and realized the tray was a wooden shield and tossed it out the window and made his way out and to the party currently wondering where everybody was.

In the entry hall of the manor, the party found a fetid impluvium and a room with pillars and doors to the north, east and south. Riven slipped into the shadows of a pillar hoping to snipe at anyone who came in with malicious, or defensive, intent, and Kegho and the rest piled up near a door to the south hoping to fight their way to the room used for housing prisoners. He kicked open the door to find a long empty hallway as a the door to the north burst open and a bearman strode into the entry hall and threw his hand-axe at Theo.

Seeing more bearmen behind him, Teleptyon turned and chanted words that felt dry and scratchy to the ears of those who heard them until a conflagration burst forth from the middle of the crowd swallowing three of the bearmen in the room to the north and leaving two of them badly singed. As the concussive force of the blast rippled back over the water, the surface was broken by slick, black bodies of giant leeches rising up and seeking a blood-meal. The first attached itself to Elissa who flailed helplessly with the leech too close to strike meaningfully with his spear.

A second leech moved directly for the lead bearman and began to drain him of his lifeblood.

Riven shot a leech and her arrow created a deep groove across the supple mucosal skin of it. Teleptyon batted away the leech nearest to him, but it returned and bit his nethers causing him grave pains. Antonious tossed Elissa a dagger and she did hack and slash at the leech. Herk and Antonious each did much damage while Khufu also struck out. Kegho saw a bearman in the hall below him and entered battle ecstasy loosing an arrow down the hall. The bearman also did seem energized by a passion for battle and charged down the hall with a spear. Kegho giggled like a school girl before tittering about axing the bearman a question.

Riven shot another arrow at the leech attempting to drain Elissa dry, but a second powerful hit from Antonious's sword caused it's skin to split open and its suckers to release and fall away. Freed, Elissa turned to stab viciously at the leech menacing Theo. Khufu commanded the bearman charging Kegho to grovel before them.

Across the water the bearman grew pale and languid as the leech, fatted on its lifeblood released him and he fell lifelessly to the floor.

Alex quipped to Riven "I have deeply mixed feelings about that."

Riven said nothing and nocked her bow once more.