[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
You know, Nimix, it's hard to take cries for help seriously when you say things like that. The energy roots will probably just crush you to death. ... Which is probably not that comforting, actually.
All the same, he gets help. The warped space around Pazuzu lights up with a purple glow as he turns his focus to the roots. Green, growing, coiling. Like the little vines one tears away to eat for lunch. Invisible forces try to take hold of the roots and wrench, tearing them free of the goblin so he can get away. He has little doubt that they will yield.
Alni returns fire, shooting not-very-accurately down the stairs, around the edge of the barrier. Call it a warning shot.
"Drop your guns or we start killing the children! We've got them all captive in the nursery. One word from me-"
If she hadn't met Shae, she wouldn't have expected the cultists to respond to such a threat. But then, she hadn't expected to find a snake-cult daycare in the manor at all.
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Pazuzu chirps happily at Nimix.
"They're cooperating; leave the kids safe for now. Alni says, quietly but still loud enough to be overheard, as if there were someone behind her or on the other end of a communicator who could hear.
"Okay, ah, drop your weapons and line up facing the wall. I want you all properly surrendered by the count of ten."
And that said, she continues down the stairs, to see what's really going on.
"Ten...nine...eight..."
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
"One...Zero."
"If I'm going down there, it's not safe from tentacles up here anymore, is it?"
Alni reaches the bottom of the stairs, confident that if this is a setup for an ambush, they'll be fine.
"Where's your leader?" she demands of the cultists.
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Alni shoots the first person she sees (other than the helpful orc) who isn't properly following instructions.
"I said against the wall. Now!"
If they're worried about the mercenaries outside having mercy, they have the wrong priorities.
They will be given up to one second to return to complying with her demands to the letter. Then the little bird will get involved.
"We won't have to. Work on clearing the door for everyone outside."
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Alni looks at her little bird friend and shakes her head 'no'. She gives a meaningful look at the door.
With a little puff up of his feathers, Pazuzu focuses on the door-frame and attempts to rip the whole thing from the wall, furniture-barricade and all. He's not an Espurr or anything, but with all the power he's stored up, he doesn't think it'll be a problem.
"No, just as easily. Now, killing prisoners is also a war crime-" she chides Therese. "-but if they refuse to surrender, perhaps to take care of their friends..." She draws a bead on a random cultist who thinks this is the time for emergency medicine (rather than saving his or her own skin), and pulls the trigger.
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Alni was a little worried that everyone outside would be dead or turned to stone. Still, this isn't ideal.
"Hold your fire!" she shouts at them.
"The fight here's already over. You, you, and you-" she point out Therese and two of the new arrivals "-keep watch over these prisoners here. You go upstairs and help Nimix. Everyone else, into the basement with me. Their leader ran."
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Alni could comment on how rude humans are, if she felt like generalizing. Or that the mercenary's girlfriend obviously deserved to die for several meaningful definitions of 'deserve'.
But nothing like that would be productive. So she bites her lip, nods to the gnoll in the hat, and turns towards the basement.
"Something just changed. In the air. We can't waste any more time!"
She's already heading down. What do they find?
Pazuzu is more thoughtful, taking stock of the two mercenaries assigned to help and of what this part of the manor is like.
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Alni eyes the sigils nervously.
"I don't suppose you guys know anything about creepy ritual runes?"
Carving into the walls. How barbaric.
"But it doesn't seem to be doing anything right now..." she tries, but fails, to keep uncertainty out of her voice there. She has suspicions that this place was in use only moments ago, the source of that noise, but keeps such musings to herself. It seems like the kind of information that might upset Therese. The elf girl does manage to stride boldly into the tunnel.
Pazuzu chirps at the gnoll mercenary. 'Nya?' he inquires.
[Inside Stormcloud Manor]
Alni looks at the hole. She looks at her fellow mercenaries. Back at the hole.
"I'll go after them. If you guys can't get through -and I'm not sure you can- take the stuff from the shrine (careful!) and go back upstairs."
First she passes Pazuzu up through the hole, where he looks hops a few hops away and looks around. If this is an ambush, surely he can handle it. Then she puts her gun away, folds down the handle of her basket, and pushes it through the opening. Finally, she jumps, grabs the edges, and squirms through herself.
[Outside Stormcloud Manor]
"Nya!" Pazuzu chirps, explaining the situation to Alni. She agrees they should go after it; this is a snake cult, but more importantly it's the only clue they have. As Alni stands up after climbing out of the tunnel and picks up her basket, Pazuzu flutters his wings and takes to the air (this is, of course, cheating; the wings have nothing to do with gaining altitude).
Neither of them really mind if the bystanders flee. It's only reasonable to not get involved in weirdness. But Alni is annoyed at the gnoll's nonchalance. He's being such a drag.
"There's something weird. Pazuzu, follow the trail!"
[Outside Stormcloud Manor]
Yes, it could be hard to catch up. So they aren't going to rush after it in a straight chase.
"Nya♣"
Hmm? And you're going to aim it? Okay. I'm going to speed it along. But you knew that. Alni draws her little blaster.
Pazuzu can see it now. Past, present, and what's left of its future. He looks forward, predicts, sees the moment and the angle where the blaster bolt connects and cripples it, sending it crashing down. Through shared thoughts and chirping birdsong, he tells Alni how to aim, when to fire. Then he'll settle into the basket and they'll race off to meet it on the ground. It's so clear. Reality failing to match the vision is completely unthinkable, isn't it?
On the other hand, of course they, the only tryouts with the ability to fly, would end up chasing this bird-snake, the only cult member demonstrating the ability to fly. It's not a coincidence. Nothing is ever a coincidence.