Tales From Ferroveil - Arguz Aijk: Private Eye IC

[Starsign]

There's a flash of panic in Arguz's face as he notices the poisonous draconic maw coming right at him. Fast on the reflexes his legs propel him backward in a small leap. It's just barely enough to avoid Koralia's disgustingly venomous teeth, which no doubt will burn Arguz's skin and tear his muscles apart if the ichor ever got through his clothes. This really did signify how much trouble he's in. The dragon may only be as tall as an orc but she has far more power and ferocity than any being Arguz has ever seen. If there was a chance he could have talked his way out of fighting Koralia then he already blew it. Granted, it might not even be possible in the first place given this dragon is clearly out of her mind and would probably rampage through anything she can get her eyes on if she somehow escaped this mine.

He gives a loud squeak as he gets a better look at Koralia's maw before realizing he needs to try fighting back. He's gotta do it. He can try to simply make a run for the bucket elevator and escape but Koralia must be fast as a dragon. Even if she can't fly she can probably climb her way up the rocks like a god going mountain climbing. The only real "escape" Arguz is going to get is if he puts her down or seals her somehow.

He's going to be one hell of a person if he manages to pull that off!

"Aw hell, I'm jus' doing it fer their sakes! Stop getting my tail in a knot!" His attempt at wit is accompanied by a sling of truth. Getting the girls out of here certainly was the intention but more important is that his tail is really uncomfortable right now. He's had it stuck in his pants ever since coming down here and it now feels like he's got a third arm coming out of his ass and bent in a permanent flexing pose.

The ratfolk swerves in around the dragon's head, aiming his pepperbox at the right side of her face. He can't tell where her brain might be, partly because he's never seen a dragon before. The oozing ichor spreading down from the cracks in her scales do not help; he's basically making a guess to where he needs to shoot. Hopefully a dragon's brain is logically in the head and not somewhere insane like next to their heart. "I would'a been damn well happy to leave if you ain't trying to kill me right now!" he yells, futilely trying to put his motives in Koralia's head as it is followed by two very loud gunshots.

Spoiler: OOC

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So here's hoping a dragon isn't immune to bullets. Assuming I'm already in melee range:

Initiative 1: Move 5-foot around Koralia so that Arguz has a clear run at the bucket elevator if an emergency exit is required. Shoot as a standard action; Koralia gets an AoO for this; Flash & Shock activates so Arguz gets +4 AC against her attacks; grit point goes into the ring as Arguz is normally full on grit already and the grit point was earned after F&S activated:

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[26]
Damage: (3d6+5)[11]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[27]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[1]

Initiative 2: No movement, but shooting again for hopefully-good results. Lightning Reload after.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[18] Oh crud that's a Misfire
Damage: (3d6+5)[13]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[28]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[4] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[1]

[Capt. Infinity]

Arguz's first shot makes a mark, the flash from the gun dazzling Koralia on her right side as it does in fact manage to lodge itself in her scales, though the heavy angle means it doesn't penetrate nearly as much as it could have.

The second shot, however, was a different story. Evidently Arguz's sudden terror got the better of him, as a slip of the finger plus a mishandling of the gun whilst aiming causes the Ratfolk's pepperbox to jam, a large surge of sparks and smoke from the barrel and hammer signifying that something has gone very wrong within.

Koralia screeches, further incensed by the pain of the dazzling light.

"Gah! Shut up. Shut up shut up SHUT UP!!!!" The Crystal Dragon roars once more, once again causing the entire cavern to tremble as her maddened screams gives way to a DEVASTATING sonic wave shout. The deafening power and the raw pressure of the compressed air threatening to all-around bludgeon the Ratfolk relentlessly and without mercy.

Spoiler: OOC

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KORALIA

Use her Breath Weapon to deal (10d4)[30] points of Sonic Damage. DC 16 Reflex save for half. After this, Koralia cannot use her breath weapon again for [roll]14[/roll] Rounds.

[Starsign]

Arguz didn't exactly have a lot of time to ponder what just happened to his pepperbox. He expected the second shot to come out clean; his old one never had a problem as far as he can recall and he made that with standard materials. So when his shaky hand slips and jams his gun, the ratfolk stares shocked at the sparks and smoke coming from within. He couldn't believe this; this gun is made out of adamantine. It's the toughest material known around Ferroveil as far as Arguz is concerned. It should not jam at all.

His surprise is promptly turned into horror as his ears are drilled by the screeching sonic roar that Koralia gives. This is the first he's ever seen any sort of sonic power or weapon in action and it clears any doubts he had on its effectiveness. Outside of what felt like Arguz's ears literally bleeding, the ratfolk is launched backward several feet into a huge nearby rock, crashing into it with a painful jerk while still being pummeled by the roar from the front. The damage is little evident on the outside; for the most part the roar crushed the front half of the gas mask which considerably shrinks how much space Arguz's head and ratty nose has in it. All his clothing however does little to defend him from the horrid, punishing roar; he can feel something in his ribs crack under the attack as once-treated wounds crack and open up again. He just got those healed earlier today! If his coat wasn't so thick, Koralia would notice the lower half of his coat growing a blood-red color patch.

Having been buffered and in pain from the sonic roar, the ratfolk impressively manages to stand in his own two legs, still holding the malfunctioning pepperbox in his right hand. There's a groan of pain through his gas mask that changes to a chatty groan of anger. "Yer telling me to shuddup?" His body fumbles for just a moment before getting back on his feet and charging back at the dragon. "Oh I'm gonna make you shuddup if yer gonna kill me!" While Arguz may not stay aggravated for long, one should really realize when they've pushed him that far.

The ratfolk, letting the adrenaline pump all through his body, smashes the pepperbox hard against his gloved hand in an attempt to unjam it before throwing fortune at the table and firing a shot at Koralia's torso. A swift dive and barrel cycle follows up as he rams the pepperbox barrel into the dragon's chest and fires off another round, hoping that the stagger is enough to quickly reload both barrels that he just shot with. Reloading quickly isn't a big deal for him but reloading barrels in rapid succession actually requires him to focus for a moment. The motion isn't hard; he just has to cycle the barrel quickly and carefully before loading the bullet. Doing so however can leave him open for a moment, hence needing the stagger from his prior shot.

If there's one thing he can say about his skill, it's that he is good at being finesse when using blocky, ugly gloves like these.

Spoiler: OOC

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Initiative 1: Spend a grit point to repair the pepperbox as a move action. Shoot Koralia as a standard action; does trigger AoO; use Flash & Shock to increase Arguz's AC by +4 against Koralia.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[19] Another misfire...
Damage: (3d6+5)[17]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[33]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[3]

Initiative 2: KINDA realized I totally can reload as a move action due to Rapid Reload, so I'll do that and use Lightning Reload to reload for a free action too. Standard action to fire again.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[24]
Damage: (3d6+5)[16]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[29]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[4]

[Capt. Infinity]

One wouldn't normally call the finicky, archaic rotation mechanism of a pepperbox a "boon" by any stretch of the imagination.

Oh sure, one couldn't understate the unprecedented usefulness of having six shots stored at once. But the actual mechanism itself? That often left much to be desired.

But such thoughts were suddenly proven to be rather shortsighted when, upon yet another surge of smoke from his pepperbox (maybe reloading a fine-tuned and only-recently-invented device with big, oversized gloves on wasn't the best idea after all?) Arguz merely had to rotate the gun to the next barrel to be up and rarin' to go. This didn't stop Koralia from giving him a nasty bite on the shoulder, mind you. But hey, small victories, right?

Rushing up underneath Koralia's neck to fire on her underbelly was evidently a good plan. Whilst her underside was just as much made of literal stone as the rest of her, being up close and personal while firing meant that much of the mitigating nature of firing on her hardened body at an angle was all but negated. Koralia screeched in pain as the shot landed home, digging into her flesh, and releasing yet more spews of tainted ichor. Though the decidedly reddish tinge to this particular slow-pouring stream told Arguz it was at least mostly blood.

Koralia stares down at the Ratfolk that caused her such pain, and snarls. "Not if I kill you first, you scum!" She shouts, before going in for yet another bite.

It wasn't the best witty retort. But hey, not everyone's an intrepid investigator or a high-minded noble. Some people just REALLY want the other person dead.

Spoiler: OOC

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KORALIA

Standard Action to bite at Arguz:

Attack Roll (DC 35): (1d20+16)[26]

Crit Confirm: (1d20+16)[35]

Damage: (2d6+7)[10]

Possible Crit Damage: (2d6)[7]

[Starsign]

As someone who has learned how to adapt to situations, Arguz quickly finds a "quick-solve" strategy as cycling the barrel seems to help fix his pepperbox. At the very least it keeps him from having to smack its adamantine cover against his hand; that's not as painful as being bitten by a dragon but it still smarts.

Speaking of which, getting bit by a dragon hurts!

He only gets a quick, brief bite from trying to shoot Koralia in melee range but the teeth pierce through his armored coat, though with some trouble, and splinters lightly into his shoulder. Even if it isn't a serious wound, the bite marks only add up with the other injuries that Arguz has received over the day. Were it not for the adrenaline he'd feel like collapsing right about now. If Koralia can inflict this with her size then Arguz doesn't want to know what a big dragon is like.

He makes a sloppy dive to the right to avoid her second bite, swerving behind Koralia's body, as he rolls over her tail, nearly tripping over it in the process. He's normally not slow and clumsy but his body isn't responding as smoothly as it has. These injuries have worn Arguz down for awhile but it's only now that it's having an effect on his maneuverability. He growls as he stands on one foot and one knee, aiming upward at Koralia's head as she inevitably turns around to see him. He pauses as if he had prepped something witty, only to say, "...Bah, alright I'm outta things to tell ya," before firing an accurate, aimed shot right at Koralia's head designed to disorient and knock her senseless.

The ratfolk takes this chance to, with some groaning, get up, reload, cycle his gun's barrels, and rush forward. His gunslinging style sure may be giving him no help here but firing in point blank range may be the only way a normal bullet will actually pierce through a dragon's scales. In an attempt to avoid the scales, the ratfolk aims at a crack on Koralia's side and fires off a second shot there. Maybe shooting through the crack will do more damage than usual; sound logic, right?

Spoiler: OOC

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Initiative 1: Spend a grit point to repair the misfire as a Move action. Spend another grit point to use Targeting, aiming at the Head at Koralia. Does normal damage and inflicts Confusion for one round on a hit. Triggers an AoO from Koralia and gives Arguz 1 grit point.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[21]
Damage: (1d6+5)[10]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[22]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[5] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[2]

Initiative 2: Reload my gun as a move action, and Lightning Reload activates too. Shoot Koralia as a standard action.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[19] Holy crap, really?
Damage: (3d6+5)[16]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[23]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[3]

[Capt. Infinity]

Okay so, two things.

First of all, let's talk about dragons for a minute. Dragons are beasts of myth for a multitude of reasons. They're one of the largest creatures of substantial population once fully grown. They have impossibly long lifespans that would put even an Elf or Planetouched to absolute shame. And, on top of all of that, they have a powerful repertoire of sorcerous power that can even give lesser full-blown spellcasters a run for their money in sheer staying power.

But the one thing that people seem to sort of take for granted when discussing them is the simple fact that dragons are godsdamned terrifying.

They're giant lizards with wings that can shoot magic from their mouths on the regular. One could be forgiven for not thinking clearly in the face of one.

As such, it was no surprise that Arguz, having had "may fight a dragon today" on his list of possible outcomes somewhere around "the sky randomly turns purple" or "a house just spontaneously combusts in my neighbourhood" (...Okay, maaaaybe he should just expect anything these days), was getting a touch sloppy. And that's not even getting into the detrimental effect of all the mounting, continuous injury he's sustained throughout the day on his search for the girls.

His first shot, by raw guts and tenacity, actually manages to make its mark, striking Koralia dead in the broadside of her skull, sending chips of stone flying as her uppermost ruby head spine cracks slightly from the nearby impact. The blast completely throws Koralia for a loop. The raw concussive force coupled with the deep, visceral pain of light a cranial fracture causing the crystalline draconid to flail madly and grasp at her head in pain.

"Gaaaaaaah! Rhaaaargh!! GRARAAAGH!!!" The planar dragon continues to screech in confusion and agony, thrashing its form from side to side.

It was likely this constant, unpredictable motion, coupled with Arguz's aforementioned surprise and tiredness, that caused what happened next. Because, as Arguz went to fire his gun into an opening in Koralia's stone scales on her side, the thrashing, plus Arguz's less-than-masterful motor control in bringing the gun to bear, caused the Ratfolk Gunslinger to accidentally jam the gun full-tilt into said crevice, clogging it in a definitely unhealthy dose of the poisonous dragon's ichor, and causing yet another misfire, as the sickening fluid wets the black powder enough to induce yet another beleaguered flash of mishandled gunpowder, this time combined with a wet bursting sound and a more-than-disconcerting waft of greenish-tinted smoke from the barrel.

Not the best series of events, not the worst. Again. Giant, terrifying lizard. Mistakes aren't exactly unexpected here.

Spoiler: OOC

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KORALIA

...Does nothing but flail around in a daze for a round. Back to you, Arguz!

[Starsign]

Arguz really, really can't believe this. How does he jam his gun three times in short succession?! He's better than this; he normally never has issues with his pepperbox and numerous times now it's broken, jammed, and just stopped working properly. Now he is getting sloppy; normally one should never ram the entire set of pepperbox barrels into a dragon's crevice. He should be thankful that the gun is actually made of adamantine as otherwise he'd be worried that something in the dragon flat out melted the gun.

This doesn't do anything to ease his frustration, which is added from the pain he's dealing with from his prior injuries. He's got no idea how much he's damaged Koralia; seems like his last shot was actually the first one that seriously staggered her. Regardless of her insane state, the ratfolk isn't exactly going to last long either in the condition he's in and every shot he makes just seems to make Koralia more angry.

Guess that makes two of them.

"Aw you goddamned gun!" Arguz's voice reeks through the gas mask with his angry tone to speak with the angry voice of a demon as he tears the pepperbox out of the crevice and, in a violation of common sense, whacks Koralia's scales with his pepperbox. Given it's notable durability, the ratfolk simply slams the side of his gun as hard as he can against the dragon's belly, causing a loud *click* that snaps the jammed and misplaced pepperbox parts in place.

...Or at least Arguz assumes so. He quickly reloads two barrels in his pepperbox before throwing a big "sink-or-swim" trial at his pepperbox. He aims his gun at the crevice again and, if he could smirk under his gas mask, he would. Yet he's too damn frustrated and in too much pain to do so as he begins hammering down on the pepperbox's trigger thrice, rotating the barrel with lightning speed each time. This is what happens when you really tick off Arguz; you make him fire off every last loaded barrel he has in his pepperbox.

Spoiler: OOC

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Initiative 1: Reload as a move action, Lightning Reload, and repair the Misfire as a Standard action.

Initiative 2: Performing a full attack action. Koralia gets an AoO and I get a grit point for it.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[34]
Damage: (1d6+5)[9]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[22]
Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[6]

Attack roll: (1d20+12)[18]
Damage: (1d6+5)[8]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[28]
Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[4] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[1]

Attack roll: (1d20+7)[9] Goodness...
Damage: (1d6+5)[9]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[27]
Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[6]

[Capt. Infinity]

His hand seemingly levelled with ease, Arguz's first two shots cracked off through the dismal air with astonishing ease, lodging themselves deeply in Koralia's wretched and sick-coated scales, and eliciting a slightly more coherent screech of pain in the process.

The third shot... Did not.

There were no indications as to why this time. Perhaps it was continual pain and jitteriness, unabated by even the most ardent of willpowers. Perhaps it was something with the air, the toxins emitting off Koralia somehow inhibiting proper combustion within the immediate area surrounding her. Or perhaps it was simply the cruel hands of fate, twisting the strings of causality in a joint effort to give the Ratfolk Gunslinger the honest to goodness greatest fight of his career.

Whatever the reasoning behind it, the cause mattered little when Arguz's gun, once again, releases a flair of sparks and a trail of smoke from the barrel as it misfires yet again.

Just as this happens, Koralia shakes her head from side to side, drecks of poison flying here and there as she does so. She turns to her flank, noticing Arguz there, and snarls. "That HURT! But not as much as I'm going to hurt YOU!!!" The stone beast shouts, before eliciting yet another cacophonous roar, the raw force of the displaced air threatening to knock Arguz flat on his feet.

Spoiler: OOC

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KORALIA

What can I say? It doesn't require an attack roll. Sorry man.

Koralia uses her Breath Weapon. Arguz takes (10d4)[18] damage. DC 16 Reflex save for half.

[Starsign]

Unlike the first time, Arguz saw this sonic roar coming. It's hard to describe why he did other than out of instinct; ratfolk usually have a good sense of when trouble's about to come and how to avoid or get into it. He knew she would try that devastating roar again and had readied himself for it. Granted, his gun certainly isn't ready for anything having misfired for a fourth time. Dealing with this sonic roar, however, might actually be easier than dealing with his own pepperbox. So how does he avoid the worst of the sonic roar?

He falls over.

No, really. The first thing he does is immediately go prone, stomach-first, and use his gun to cover his gas mask-covered head (for whatever little cover that provides). With the angle Koralia roars at combined with the pose Arguz puts himself in he manages to avoid the worst of the blast. The worst he gets is his back being battered from above like a very uncomfortable massage. This really is doing anything good for his worn body but it's much better than being thrown across the whole place. Unfortunately he can't really play a game of attrition given how much he's already dealt with.

Giving a grunt, the ratfolk reloads as the sonic roar dies down, able to load in another two bullets before getting back up on his feet. His repertoire of wit runs dry as he finds himself hard of breathing. With the pepperbox in his right hand, he rapidly cycles the barrels in an attempt to fix it again as he dives in-between Koralia's long, clawed arms and fires off another shot at her draconic chin. He uses the muzzle flash of the gun to disorient her again before firing a shot at her neck. If Arguz is too short-of-breath and tired to speak then she may as well be too!

Spoiler: OOC

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Initiative 1: Spend a grit point to repair the pepperbox as a Move action; shoot as a Standard action. Flash & Shock to get +4 AC to Koralia's attacks. AoO is triggered and Arguz gets a grit point in return.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[26]
Damage: (3d6+5)[12]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[20]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[3] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[5]

Initiative 2: Lightning Reload, reload as a move action. Shoot again as a standard action.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[29]
Damage: (3d6+5)[13]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[20]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[1]

[Capt. Infinity]

It seems that Koralia too was far beyond words.

The female Crystal Dragon was never exactly articulate to begin with, but her decades of forced isolation were made steadily apparent as her aggressive retorts gave way to simple growling and snarls as Arguz continued the assault.

The Ratfolk deftly avoided his opponents swinging claws, and firmly landed a shot underneath her jawline, the pain plus the powder flash throwing her for a loop. The second shot hit just as firmly, lodging itself deep into Koralia's throat and releasing a suitably sized gout of what was most definitely blood (albiet heavily poison-mixed) in response.

No longer indulging her opponent in whatever maddened ravings counted as banter for her, the stone draconid goes in for yet another swing, though the heavy disorientation from the powder flash hampered her much in doing this.

Spoiler: OOC

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KORALIA

Attack Arguz with a bite:

Attack Roll (DC 35): (1d20+16)[29]

Crit Confirm: (1d20+16)[18]

Damage: (2d6+7)[15]

Possible Crit Damage: (2d6)[7]

[Starsign]

The disorienting flash does Arguz well as he swiftly weaves and ducks the incoming swing. It's good that he did; Koralia's size compared to his own means that she can easily wring her entire clawed hand around his waist. As he's learned long ago, you're a dead rat if you can't move in a fight... Granted, he may as well be a dead rat in the state he's in. He's never quite had to deal with someone like Koralia and will never want to fight another dragon if he makes it out of this alive. He still can't tell how much he's hurt her, though his bullets have clearly made her bleed. That should be enough of an indication that he's getting somewhere, right? She may be insane and full of ichor but she's still among the living; if she bleeds then she can be killed. This makes for a good reminder that this is the same for Arguz.

Having finally gotten off several shots without jamming his gun, the ratfolk readies himself by reloading while Koralia is recovering from her wide swing. Arguz can't quite recall how many bullets he has loaded in his gun; he's never had to fire off so many shots in a single fight before. He's just loading the barrels he knows he fired off. At this point, so long as he has bullets in his gun, he's still in the fight. Running with an empty set of barrels is like not being able to move at all.

He is sure as hell set to spend them all just to put this poor dragon into the ground.

Still roughly within Koralia's arm reach, Arguz sets up another shot at the head and fires. The shot itself goes wide, flying past the left side of Koralia's head with a loud *swish*. The bullet itself is a feint rather than a deliberate shot; anyone would be thrown off and act in reflex to a bullet. Arguz bets on this shot leaving Koralia focused on avoiding another headshot and leaving her stomach vulnerable as he rushes in and aims at her chest, just below the neck. "Alright, I wanna get the last word in 'ere," he says as he presses his pepperbox against one of the cracked, fragile scales. "An' since I'm outta things to say, lemme jus' tell you to drop dead already!" The ratfolk's tired voice shivers past any sort of confidence he can muster as he once again fires off as many rounds as he can in his pepperbox.

Spoiler: OOC

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Initiative 1: Reload as a move action, Lightning Reload, use Startling Shot to spend a bullet and make Koralia flat-foot.

Initiative 2: Full Attack action on Koralia; she triggers an AoO and I get a grit point.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[24]
Damage: (1d6+5)[9]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[26]
Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[1] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[5]

Attack roll: (1d20+12)[13] Oh brother...
Damage: (1d6+5)[9]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[23]
Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[5] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[6]

Attack roll: (1d20+7)[15]
Damage: (1d6+5)[11]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[30]
Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[6] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[1]

[Capt. Infinity]

Arguz's plan as he nears the end of his rope succeeds, for the most part.

Koralia is indeed thrown by the purposeful miss, the wide shot causing her head to swerve in the direction of the blast as her neck reels it off to the side, leaving her stomach open to Arguz's assault.

Arguz the unleashes yet another volley of gun fire into the beast before him. The first shot lands well, so well in fact that the wound elicits a deep and visceral gout of blood in response. The problem, however, was that, at the exact moment that Arguz was letting loose his first shot, the enrapturing nature of his distracting blast ran out on Koralia, and the Crystal Dragon let loose a bite that, whilst failing to save her from the first shot made, was enough to throw Arguz second shot wide and off into the far off cave walls. Undeterred however, the Ratfolk cycles the barrel to his third shot, and brings the strike home by lodging yet another scorching round in the abhorrent beasts throat.

Koralia moans and cries in agony, her blood pumping out her wounds in time with her screeches of pain and fury. She glares at Arguz, the black pits of her eyes suddenly shining with ruby light. "Last words...?" She breathes through ragged breaths. "How's THIS for a last word?!" She intones menacingly, before letting loose her third screeching roar, eliciting a surge of sonic pressure great enough that the backdraft alone was enough to shake her body loose of her lingering flames.

Spoiler: OOC

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You know the drill here. Two DC 16 Fortitude saves against poison. One for 1d2 Dex damage, one for 1d2 Con damage.

On top of this, Arguz takes (10d4)[30] damage. DC 16 Reflex save for half. What the actual **** is going ON?!

[Starsign]

There's no way Arguz is capable of telling how things ended up like this.

This was supposed to be an easy three-shot execution mark. He knew how to avoid counterattacks and was expecting one. He's avoided attacks many times, if not often comfortably. He's evaded both quick and slow attacks, big and small. He can't keep himself standing still so he always needs to be on the move. That's helped his evasion so much even when he's trying to put two between the eyes at point-blank range.

So it's simply astonishing to the ratfolk at just how brutalized he is here.

He saw the damn head coming down to bite him, moving to the side to avoid it. His tired feet simply fail to leap far enough as the lower half of his arm gets caught in the large maw.

*CRUNCH*

Arguz feels only a horrid pain for a brief second as he screams, not squeaks, echoed as silence in his ears. He has the grit to pull himself together and launch another shot but his arm is, all things considered, broken. Koralia's teeth chewed down on his left arm well, tearing through the coat and biting into the muscle, chomping deep on his forearm bone before letting go to do her ragged speech. He can barely make out her words before her sonic roar comes out again. Arguz knew what to do but he's too slow to react fully. His body leans down to avoid the worst before he tumbles backward into the rocky wall of a mine. He's conscious, but just barely.

Having his ass on the floor and a bleeding arm limp, Arguz looks up through his gas mask to see the insane dragon charging for him again. She's going to ****ing finish him, isn't she? He's in no state to keep fighting. He isn't even sure if he can stand at this point. All this love for shooting and excitement and THIS is where he ends up? Hell, this isn't how he wants to go, not without at least one resounding shot.

He looks down at his right arm, shaking but holding his pepperbox tightly. Hearing the dragon charging, Arguz smashes the gun on the ground to get it working again, popping one of the barrels open with his working thumb and grabbing a bullet between his gloved fingers, reloads the lone barrel and locking it in place. And not a moment too soon as Koralia begins descending upon him and as he raises the gun and fires with a flash and shock loud enough to echo across the mine!

Spoiler: OOC

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Oh boy...

Initiative 1: Reload as a move action, Repair gun as a Standard action.

Initiative 2: Reload again as a Move (ignore the fluff ), Lightning Reload, and shoot as a Standard action. She gets an AoO, I get a grit point, and I activate Flash & Shock after.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Attack roll: (1d20+17)[33]
Damage: (3d6+5)[12]
Extra Crit Damage: (3d6+15)[24]

Powder Burns Damage: (1d6)[6] Fire + DC 18 Reflex vs Set on Fire
Belly Shot Damage: (1d6)[1]

[Capt. Infinity]

The phrase "pyrrhic victory" comes to mind.

It's an old phrase. Nay, an ancient one. And one that has endured for countless centuries, for never has there been a war, battle, or erstwhile conflict that did not eventually come to sympathize with the term.

a pyrrhic victory is a victory, by all objective definitions. There is a winner, and a loser. But the lengths to which the victor had to go to achieve victory, and the trials and pains it took to do so, are so great and so numerous, that the victor is often left wondering if it was truly a victory at all.

These ancient themes ring silently throughout the cave alongside the resounding *BANG* from Arguz's handgun as the scene unfolds within it. Koralia, maddened by loneliness and pain, and driven to nothing but bestial growls as blood fills her larynx and her throat grows hoarse in the wake of her rapid releases of titanic shouts. As Arguz levies his gun, the pitiful yet horrifying dragon rushes her Ratfolk aggressor, and completes a horrid sense of duality as it lashes forward biting down firmly on the ratfolk's shooting side, gun and all.

Her greatest strike. And yet, her final mistake. For it was here, within her very maw, that Arguz had the opening he was looking for. And it was in that then, with no armoured scales or viscous toxins to dull the concussive and piercing force of the blast, that Arguz let loose his final, desperate shot.

For a few, arduous, unending seconds there is silence. And then, to no fanfare, no cheers, and certainly no sense of grand victory, Koralia finally falls. Without indication or motion, and with little more than a quiet and piteous gurgle, the poor, tainted, maddened dragon topples to one side, landing with a great and weighty *CRASH* as her whole body makes impact with the cold, hard stone beneath it. Her jaw loosens in death enough that she does not twist off Arguz's arm in the process of doing this, but her death pose is firm enough that he will yet have to pry off her jagged, stone-wrought incisors to finally be free of her venomous bite.

Arguz lays there, a half-dead man beside the corpse of a poor, lost soul, as embers of flame begin to overtake it from within its horrid, venom-soaked maw. He lays there a detective, a rescuer, a hero.

But a winner? Well...

Perhaps he'll feel like that another day.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

...

...

*Final Fantasy Victory Theme(?)*

Arguz has finally, FINALLY defeated Koralia. Combat OFFICIALLY over.

Just for the sake of it, roll me two DC 16 Fortitude checks against ability damage. It's superfluous and easily healed, yes. But I gotta give the poor girl every respect in her death, right?

[Starsign]

If only he can see another day.

He was a wreck, a complete, utter wreck. If he can tell anyone the tale, he probably wouldn't even be able to tell how he got to this; it's just... so embarrassing! How does one put on a confident persona and then tell how this thing practically killed him?! Okay, it's a dragon made of poison but it still damn well killed him. He should be happy that he actually managed to put down the dragon; few can actually make that claim in Ferroveil. He should be relieved that he didn't go down being eaten alive had his gun misfired for what would've been the final time. He should probably be feeling even a little sorrow for Koralia, who had been brought into her situation and eventual fate strictly out of what she is rather than what she did.

But no, Arguz is miserable and suffocating inside a mine that's basically his grave.

Any pain he felt in his right arm didn't last long after he made his shot. The bite itself ran down deep just below the right shoulder. Bone very obviously cracked and muscle punctured as blood leaked from both of his arms. He feels something heavy slide off his right arm, obscured under the darkness of the dragon's maw and the ugly teeth. Not that he didn't need to see as he knows it was the leather sleeve that basically tore itself off. It really was just another indication of how much he's been put through.

Yet the worst part is that Arguz cannot leave.

The ratfolk had already been up lying against a wall when he killed Koralia with a broken arm. Her last bite essentially disabled his other one. He can't feel anything from it. Is it broken? He can't tell but it probably doesn't matter. His arm might be drenched in that ichor because it feels so numb. His right arm is trapped in the lock of a dragon's teeth and he can't muscle it off. Is he even still holding his gun? He can't feel it; he might've dropped the damn thing in the dragon's mouth and has no chance of getting it back while his arm is disabled. Getting this off should be a simple task; he can use his boarding axe to get some leverage and wrench the whole mouth open... Or at least he would if his left arm wasn't broken!

The ratfolk's breathing stuttered at a hurried pace. He still feels adrenaline flowing through him with his heart pounding intensely. Yet as he comes to realize his situation, the ratfolk's panicked look dies into sorrow. He can't escape. Despite surviving, he's not getting out of here is he? The girls got back up the elevator and they probably sabotaged it as they said they would. Hell they probably tried getting back to the city if they feel like they've been waiting too long. Maybe they can hear him if he yells? The ratfolk opens his mouth to speak... and gurgles. A small hiccup of blood spills out of his mouth, splattering on the filter inside his gas mask. He doesn't have the energy to yell. He has a will to escape but not the body to move.

As he comes to realize his fate, Arguz begins doing something he hasn't done in forever: cry. Tears begin dripping from his eyes, flowing slowly down his fur-ridden face as color in his face rots away. His gas mask at least hides it all; there'd only be some emotionless corpse in a disguise. Yet doesn't want to die like this. At least by blade or gunshot, it would be a quick death. But like this, he'd slowly bleed out in a place which no one would ever see again. What would his family think? They wouldn't fear the worst if they never find him but they'd still be devastated. He's never been one to abandon his job and run with his tail between his legs. They'd know something is up. He can't imagine what they'd think; it's the worst feeling to imagine.

So as despair begins overwhelming the formerly confident Arguz, all he wonders is whether his death had to happen this way.

[Capt. Infinity]

What happens next, at least to Arguz's senses, is a blur. A scantly cohesive series of events that slowly unfold across a fuzzy and smeared filter of waning consciousness.

Darkness envelops the majority of his senses as he hears footsteps coming from nearby. A moment of pure blackness later, and Arguz suddenly finds himself dropping to the floor entirely, the dragon's maw wrested free from his broken limb. Blackness again. Then, suddenly, Arguz is being hoisted up, his vision, cloudy and spotted with blackness all around its edges, just barely make out black and blonde hair as two individuals hoist him up, with multiple strange, serpentine black horns burgeoning from the raven-haired one's head.

Arguz fades away once more, this time for a much longer duration. The chilling numbness of the dark encroaching on his senses, his mind, and his very being. If this isn't the end, it's sure as hell close to it.

---

"Aaand PULL!"

Suddenly, there is pain. Raw, visceral, gasping pain as Arguz suddenly and immediately feels his arms again (alongside the rest of him) in the worst way possible. He hears cracking on both sides, but not in a crunching, bone-breaking sort of way, but in a popping-readjustment sense that lets him know that whatever's being done is helping, despite whatever his sense of pain might say.

The voice speaks again as the pain mixes with an a odd sense of comfort as the forces pulling his arms apart to reset them come to their absolute finish. "Arina, now!"

"Right!" Arguz then feels a sense of deep warmth and comfort as he feels a light wash over his being, more so than he sees it. This wave of healing energy washes over Arguz's form, easing his pain and reforming bone, ripped tissue, and torn and shredded wounds alike as it sets to repair, in whatever small dosage, what had been done to him down in that retched, horrid mine. The second wave comes just as strong, and it finishes whatever jobs the first one had failed to complete. Wholly reforming damaged internal components to at the very least a working state, and sealing all wounds to at least a degree that they ceased bleeding.

Arguz wasn't HEALED, mind. He still had a great many minor injuries, and he was still wracked with fatigue, internal pain, and a deep sense of being unwell that comes with strain and great amounts of blood loss. But the greatest threats to his health had been handily taken care of, and he was brought back from the brink enough that his senses returned to a reasonable state of faculty and use.

And what he saw would make any man cry tears of joy.

There, standing around Arguz's haggard, prone form on all sides, were the girls from the orphanage. They had waited, patiently holding vigil in preparation for their saviour's return. Then, when it was apparent something was wrong Arina and Zivalia (those two were definitely on their way to something great, as far as Arguz could tell) both ponied up and headed down the bucket elevator to avoid detection, found Arguz's limp form, then hauled him out of Koralia's dead jaws, and back up the elevator to safety.

Arguz lays there, gasping for breath as he pulls himself out of the silent, suffocating darkness and back into the land of the living. At some point in all this, it seems that the extraneous gear Arguz had put on to enter the mine had been removed, and he now lay in his standard dark coat attire, albeit sans one sleeve, and his tail was once again swishing free. His mask had also been removed at some point. Likely to allow him the fresh air he so gravely needed in the wake of that chocking abyss below.

Zivalia tentatively approaches the Ratfolk detective. "S-sir?" She intones, sounding wary and concerned. "Are you okay?" She kneels down beside him, and Arina quickly follows suit. "We're so sorry we didn't come sooner, mister! We were just... we were scared about the dragon. When we saw you weren't moving we were so worried! Please tell me you're okay!"

These girls cared about him. They came back for him and brought him back fro the brink of death when it would've been so easy to flee for their lives. Arguz couldn't tell if it was Vel'thewenn's teachings or something inherent in the children around him, but one thing was certain.

Lowtown's got some godsdamned heroines in its very, very near future.

[Starsign]

Arguz's limbs and body shudder violently for a brief moment as he finally comes to. His eyes open wide for a split second as he gazes up at the factory ceiling and the sky through the broken areas. His ratty mouth coughs and blurts out another small drizzle of blood which leaks gently down the side of his head. After that brief moment of panic, he begins to relax. Sweat had formed all over his face and bony hands and feet due to the equipment he had been wearing; the small breeze that blew through the factory cools his warm and wet body. After all he had been through in the mine he feels like he's in heaven.

Still weak and in pain, Arguz moves his head to see the girls surrounding him. They really came for him, huh? He really can't believe it. In a way he feels kinda bad that he needs their help; he can't always rely on others for help and certainly should not have gotten as hurt as he did today. Yet there is nothing that he can do to hide how relieved he is to be here. He can't exactly show his appreciation very well; his attempt to smile is met with agonizing pain. Yet the calmness in his body after everything he's been through should be enough to signal that everything has stabilized, mostly.

There's a pause in the air as Arina and Zivalia both express their concern and worry. The ratfolk slowly opens his mouth as to not force out so much pain to speak. "I'm... alive, ain't I?" His voice is weak, lacking the confidence and energy he's maintained for so long. He's not doing a great job hiding his embarrassment either. "I ain't okay but I'll live." He gives a grunt of pain as he attempts to sit up. He finds that simply trying to bend his upper back is brutal enough as he instead lies back down. "Urg. Jus' gonna need a min' 'fore I get up." He attempts to move his head downward to look at his arms. His left one still has the large slice from the halberd knight and the bite marks from the dragon but it's no longer broken. He can actually move it now. He can almost say the same for his right one which still feels numb, no doubt a long-lasting effect of the poison.

Trying not to strain himself too much, the ratfolk looks around at the girls, particularly Zivalia and Arina. It's amazing how young these girls are yet are roughly around his own size. He feels like an ant compared to them while he's lying down. "I really... owe you all one, don't I?" He attempts a mild chuckle, stopping halfway out of pain. "Never really wanted to be seen this weak. I'm s'posed to be... strong, confident, someone worth taking seriously. Was doing well 'til a bit ago." He attempts to smile at the two girls who went in and got him out. Whatever these girls were taught, those are good teachings; he probably owes his life to Madame Vel'thewenn if she was still among the living. "But... thanks. Glad to be back living... How long was I out fer anyway?"

[Capt. Infinity]

"About five minutes, near as we can tell." Zivalia begins explaining. "When we found you, you were in bad shape, but the fact that you were still semi-conscious and we got down right around when the shouts and snarls stopped means you had probably just beat her by the time we got down there." The young Tiefling chuckles as she considers Arguz's quiet reflection. "What do you mean you're 'supposed to be' strong and confident? Mister, you just fought a DRAGON! I don't care what kind of persona you're wearing, that courage? That genuine need to see a job through? That's one hundred percent real, no ifs, ands, or butts."

"Yeah Mister, you're a hero!" Arina enthuses. "We thought we were gonna be stuck in that mine forever. We didn't think anyone would care that we were gone, let alone know we were actually alive. But you showed up anyway. You twirled your gun, said a cool line, and then saved us all better than we ever could. Zivalia and I tried to escape because we had to do something, but there's no way we would've ever made it past all those machines. But you did it and THEN some. Say what you want, Mister, but you're the real deal." She, Zivalia, and the rest of the girls all grin and agree amongst each other, speaking various words of gratitude and praise. Zivalia chimes in once more.

"So what if you're a bit beaten up? Do you think any average Joe could do half of the things you just did and even live to tell about it? Don't measure yourself by where you are, measure yourself by how you got here. And how you got here was downright awesome! You rock mister... Uh... Huh. You never gave us your name."

"Yeah Mister. I can't just keep calling you 'Mister' and nothing else. You're not a store clerk, you're the Ratfolk who saved our lives! I know you wouldn't tell Meela, but could we please know your name?" Arina asks, hope shining in her bright blue eyes.

[Starsign]

There is another weak chuckle from Arguz. The words of encouragement from these girls sure can do wonders for one's spirit. He's always used his persona to shrug off insults or angry critiques to make it seem like he's undeterred. He can't quite keep that same composure however when he's given thanks and compliments by girls who, by all accounts, got his rat's ass out of Hell. It feels almost a little undeserved, though that may just be his pride talking; he did want to get out of that mine under his own power after he shot down a dragon made of poison. Since he didn't, he'll definitely take, "being alive and being thanked" over the alternative.

Having a few moments to rest, Arguz slowly lifts up his head to try and give a wide, toothy smile... which at the most is a small grin due to his aching muscles. "Name's Arguz Aijk. Jus' a investigator, hunter an' gunslinger down in Lowtown." He almost says that he came from the warrens given that's where he grew up and where his family lives... Yet he can't. He doesn't like admitting that he came from such a place. He still looks to the future where he and his family can actually live in Midtown where they don't have to worry about the appalling conditions of that cramped mess.

Yet his mind is trailing away from the topic at hand, so he returns to it post-haste as he continues speaking to the girls. "You two got quite the tongue there. Never thought I'd hear that sorta motivation speech from you." The old elf really must have taught these children about encouragement... She must have been a great woman. "Yer all gonna get a better future, an' I guess that goes fer myself, now that we're all outta that mine."

Figuring that he really can't lie down all night, the ratfolk slowly bends his back again as he sits up. The pain isn't as significant but still notable. He looks down at his mess of a coat and pulls out whatever is remaining of the roll of bandages. "'fore we get all of us to the clinic, I was hoping you could help me get some of this wrapped on that back wound the clockwork gave me. I gotta wrap up the bite marks an' patch up anything else that came off anyway 'fore I start walking again." So long as they don't object, Arguz slowly unzips his coat, taking it off to-

...Oh, that's quite a good deal of blood on the back of his coat.

He looks at his coat with a disappointing disbelief before putting it down on the ground and taking off his shirt as well so that he and the girls can get his wounds patched up proper. This also gives the girls a chance to notice the other scars and wounds he's taken in the past; say what you will about Arguz but he can last through some rough days.

As he bandages the bite injuries Koralia gave him, the ratfolk eyes the corner of the room where the gemstones had been filtered by the large, blocky machine. Like he had told Meela before, he's also hoping to make some sort of profit from this case and after nearly getting killed he and the other girls damn well should get something for their troubles. Besides, it'd be better than getting some payment from the clinic when they very well need the money too. "While we're 'ere, how 'bout we take some of those gems back? I think we're all gonna need some funds down the line an' there ain't gonna be any harm selling some the stones fer gold." Arguz always does have the eyes of a scavenger, if he doesn't have the heart of one.

[Capt. Infinity]

"Well, it's great to meet you, Arguz." Zivalia bows her head to her rescuer, her crown of horns glinting in the mid-afternoon sun. Arina follows suit. "Yeah. And thanks for everything."

They both look thankful and sheepish in response to his praise. "Miss Vel'thewenn always said the best thing you can do for anyone is to give them hope. Encouragement and chances are rare in Lowtown, so you've gotta be the one to give it, or else no one will."

"...I'm gonna miss her."

For a brief, crystal clear moment, Arguz is reminded of the fact that the girls in front of him are just children, as they all look sullenly downwards, with varying degrees of tears in their eyes, as they collectively remember and mourn their dead den mother.

That doesn't last too long, however, as the dynamic duo pull themselves together in order to address Arguz's request. Zivalia is the first to speak up, the Tiefling wiping away her tears. "Right. Arina, Maren, Saleen, help me out here." The two orphans, alongside two other girls, a dark skinned elder looking girl with half-elf ears, and a girl with pale blue skin, blank white eyes, and straight, back-length black hair, who all help Arguz remove his blood-soaked upper clothing and, with only brief pause to take in the raw punishment he had taken over the course of the day, get to work on patching him up.

Zivalia nods as Arguz suggests they make some profit off this whole debacle. "Good idea. Everyone with empty pockets and bags, Grab what you can from the gem stores! Try to get as much Adamantine as you can, that stuff's by far the most valuable." She dictates, with girls of all ages not currently helping patch Arguz up rushing over to the gem pile to gather as much wealth as possible.

"Madame Vel'thewenn would've wanted us to move forward in her absence. And we're going to do it, no matter what. The money from the gems and metal will help, but it's gonna be an uphill battle either way." The Tieflings tail swishes worriedly as she speaks.

"It's okay, Zivalia." Arina speaks in an assuring tone. "We've already been through so much together. I couldn't tell you why, but, now that we're safe, I get the feeling everything's gonna turn out alright." The young human girl turns to her saviour, a man technically younger than her, but to whom she owed her life. "Thank you, Arguz. Thank you for everything."

[Starsign]

To describe the amount of bandages that are on Arguz's body after he's been patched up is like describing what a mummy in those childhood horror stories look like. With what little bandages he had left in the roll, Arguz and the four helping girls patched up his back wound and the bite marks along both of his arms and right shoulder while also reinforcing the bandages he has from the cleave mark and knife stab he took earlier today. The smaller cuts and scrapes he has on his hands can be dealt with at the clinic. He would've downed the last healing potion he saved up had it not already been empty when he woke up; guess Zivalia and Arina poured its contents down his mouth while he was still unconscious. Still, he isn't going home in this sort of condition. Arguz needs to get to the clinic and recover there otherwise he'll never hear the end of it from his family.

"Thank you kindly," he says to the girls as they finish patching him up, getting his shirt and coat back on, and then slowly moves to stand. It's not an easy process; the pain isn't as severe but it still takes a good deal of stress just to get up on two feet. Slowly he flips his rat body around so he's on his knees, then getting his right knee up on its foot, then repeat with the other. It's a simple process that takes him roughly twenty seconds to complete and even after he's up, the ratfolk wobbles slightly until he's got a sure footing on the ground. His chain belt rustles slightly as he does so; the holster wobbles back and forth carrying his not-so-trusty pepperbox. Good thing the two girls managed to get it out of the dragon along with his arm.

Slowly he walks over to the gemstones, or at least what's remaining after the girls took what they can. Slowly he reaches down to fill his pockets up with gems and adamantine bits, slower than usual given he only has his left arm to work with; that right arm is really going to be a bother until he can finally move it again. His coat and pants pockets let him take more than any one of the girls but it's still not a ton. His money, however, isn't as concerning as what the girls will have.

Taking a moment to rest, Arguz gently puts his back to the wall as he takes a look at the other girls in the room. They don't have anything left than each other and that's all they got going forward. They're gonna need jobs; they're gonna need to work. That by itself is fine but to feed so many... Arguz wonders, can he help more? He could give them part of his funds, like he does for his family and the clinic. He's already spreading his money out as it is and it's already caused a good deal of strain on his savings. He can think of plenty of excuses why he could pay the girls on a frequent basis; the lot and house he plans to buy aren't coming until he gets that damn permit. Yet he still needs to save that money. There's just too much he'll have to give around if he wants to help pay for all the girls here. He's got knowledge though; he can probably find potential job areas for the girls. Maybe there's room at the tanning place Uijl works at, or perhaps the factory Fahir works in could use some more workers. This is Ferroveil, there has to be someplace these girls can work in.

So as Arina is thanking Arguz yet again, the latter appears a little absent-minded, thinking about the girls' future, before bringing his attention to Arina. "I'm sure it'll all be fine. We're all outta 'ere and still kicking; that's always something." Emotion begins returning to his voice, if slowly and weakly, as he gives one last bit of reassurance towards the similarly-sized Arina... and to give her a sense of familiarity with his own situation. "Listen... I ain't a rich guy. I'm still struggling to get up in the world. Been saving up fer something big fer me an' my large family." His ratty face frowns with disappointment, though at ease at his own honesty. "So there ain't much more I can do fer any of you. I mean if you ever need food or water or something then I could help but I jus' gotta do what I can to get by myself." There is another uncomfortable pause before he tries smiling again; his lips actually curve upward enough to show a genuine smile. "But I'm glad I did my job an' saved you all, and real damn glad you saved me when I needed it."

With that, Arguz perks up a bit. His smile widens a bit, his breathing eases up, and his footing balances out as he takes a look out of a nearby window. "Now I'm 'bout ready to kick it outta 'ere and take you all to the clinic, y'know, in a place people outta live in." He makes an amused jest as he walks over to the door, waving with his working arm before pressing it against the door.

"Ready to head on home?"

[Capt. Infinity]

Zivalia chuckles as Arguz's genuine concern shines through after she and the rest of the girls finish patching the Ratfolk up. "Arguz, I've read that Adamantine sells for more by the ounce than diamonds, we'll be fine for a while, at the very least." She grins, revealing a small pair of razor sharp fangs. Though, given their presence on an orphan girl in her mid-teens, it comes off more as endearing than threatening.

"We'll figure something out, I'm sure. The world ain't done with any of us, yet." The Tiefling assures, as she, Arina, and the other girls approach the entrance. "Yeah! The world's our oyster. And we'll be fine, so long as we have each other, right?" Arina looks hopefully up into Zivalia's eyes, who returns a warm smile. "Yeah, we'll be just fine." She states, without an ounce of deception in her voice, before she leads the girls out of the building, the lot of them following Arguz out of the forest. "Lead on, Detective Aijk. We're right behind you."

A short ways into the walk, Zivalia, who was walking beside the Ratfolk, makes a look of sudden realization. "Oh! Right, I almost forgot." She quietly notes, before rummaging in her side pockets for a while and eventually producing a small pocketbook with strange sigils and a large, flat circular opal on the front of it. "I picked this up off of Meela. She seemed to be checking it every so often when we were captured, and she seemed to taunt you with it during her speech. I don't know what it does, exactly, but I can tell you this: It's VERY magical. I don't really have a reason to hold on to it, but maybe you can find a way to get some use out of it."

Upon handing off the book to Arguz, the sensation of strange energies seemed to radiate from the book as it remained in his hands. Were he to open it on his walk in the forest, Arguz would find that, on top of containing seemingly infinite pages, the book seemed to subtly influence its motions to land on a specific page, in which there laid a concise, if basic description of the trees surrounding the Ratfolk as he read them, and of the mystic and esoteric properties therein. Whilst initially gibberish, the book quickly shifted the very words on the page to be more concise and in very easy-to-follow terminology. Even then, the book's magical nature seemed to allow the information to be absorbed freely into Arguz's more practical mind, giving him a level of understanding that even the simplistic wording couldn't fully account for.

Spoiler

Show

Arguz has just received the Arcanologist's Field Guide!

Bearing the signature of some long-dead master spellcaster, thaumaturge, and scientist, the book has a seemingly infinite repository for all manner of Arcane, Biological, and otherwise esoteric knowledge.

As a Full-Round Action that provokes an Attack of Opportunity, Arguz can use the field guide to gain a +10 Circumstantial bonus on any Knowledge (Arcana), (Dungeoneering), (Geography), (Nature), (Planes), and (Religion) checks he makes. By spending 1d6 minutes perusing the book, Arguz can instead make his roll at a +15 bonus. By spending 1d3x10 minutes, he can instead make the roll with a +20 Circumstantial bonus. Arguz can "Take 10" on these rolls as well, but only when out of combat, and doing so doubles whatever length of time was required or rolled initially. Taking 20 is also possible, but only for the moderate and deep searches, and doing so requires Arguz to absolutely pour over the notes and esoteric language of the book, making each check take 20 times whatever length of time Arguz rolled initially.

Consider this magic item to be in Beta Testing stages, and this use of it to be a trial run. As such, I reserve the right to alter its rules and capabilities, should the current setup prove too powerful, not powerful enough, too complex, or otherwise unruly in its functionality and usability.

After handing off the strange magical tome, Zivalia and the other girls remain mostly quiet, sticking by their saviour as they make the slow but calm trek to the Giving Hand Medical Clinic.

---

"Seriously? A godsdamned Dragon!?"

Jia sat on the bed adjacent to her brother Arguz, clearly flabbergasted as he rounds up the tale of his nigh-deadly confrontation.

It had been a simple, if painful walk to the clinic. There were surprisingly few problems along the way, perhaps because the strangely unorthodox sight of a Ratfolk in a ripped overcoat leading a gaggle of orphans down the Lowtown city streets was so utterly out there that those who laid witness to it were capable of only giving it a sidelong glance of confusion, before quickly brushing off any ideas of getting involved and moving on with their lives.

Arguz had been welcomed warmly, as always. But Mother Sally quickly went into a flurry of action upon seeing him and the girls in the state they'd arrived in, her Oracle's curse forcing her to descend upon Arguz and his wounds with a ravenous flurry of healing hands and jets of positive energy, the Dark Elf doing everything in her power to set right what had been done to him.

The girls also required moderate attention, but they merely required Mass Cure Spell to bring them up to a state of external wellness. Arguz, however, took multiple doses of healing and intensive care in order to fully revitalize. At some point in the process, Mirrud had entered the scene to tend to his brother's wounds more directly, and Jia had swung in through a roof (as was her signature entrance at this point) a short while thereafter. Having heard of Arguz's return, and wanting to congratulate him on a job well done, as well as get an earful of his adventures as soon as physically possible.

Salisveera had just finished up her last dose of required healing by the time Jia had relaid her explanation. His arm had regained feeling within it at some point along the flurry of healing blasts, wholly due to the restoration blast the dutiful den mother had reflexively cast upon him the moment he mentioned the lack of feeling within his previously bitten extremity. This meant that Arguz was able to gesture as widely and emotively as he wanted during his retelling of the story, which likely added to the mystique, and explained Jia's enamoured response.

Arguz sat up dutifully as Mirrud took the time and care to properly clean Arguz's wounds, and once again reapply a set of clean bandages. The Ratfolk's medically inclined brother added in a personal response himself. "Well, I would normally have my doubts about something that far-fetched. But that certainly does explain some of your more egregious injuries. Good gods, was this things mouth full of teeth or jagged spearheads?"

"It was a Dragon made of stone, Mirrud. It's probably safe to say it was both."

Mirrud sighs. "Yes, I suppose that does make sense." The younger Ratfolk looks up at his elder brother. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. I can only imagine the pain you went through getting those girls back." The young nurse states, worriedly.

"'Pain' doesn't even begin to describe it, Mirrud." Sally explains, wiping her brow from the raw exertion all her healing magic took to perform. "I've seen men fall into processing machinery who've come out with less cuts, stabs and, breaks. Detective Aijk, I must say, you are very lucky to be alive. And the level of resilience you put forth in getting here is nothing short of staggering."

"Yep! That's my brother. A regular force a' nature!" Jia grins, proud beyond measure of her brother's sheer gumption and fortitude.

[Starsign]

It feels like forever since Arguz has gotten a chance to properly rest as he sits on the clinic bed. For a bed it lacked an ideal sense of comfort, being the best which the clinic can get on its budget, but it's merciful breather compared to the rocks and steel he's walked and sat on prior. All the walking Arguz did prior to arriving at the clinic didn't help either; his bone-thin feet blistered lightly while he walked with his wooden sandals on, echoing slight doses of discomfort with every step. By the time he actually got to the clinic he forgot that Mother Sally would treat him through her magic and miracles; he figures she would've been spent helping the others who had been badly injured from the explosion that started this whole mess. Her bursts of positive energy gave him energy and eased the discomfort on his hands and feet but it certainly isn't enough to put him back in tip-top shape. That's why he's so glad he can sit down so he can have his muscles eased and his right arm working right again. Given all the time he had while telling his story, it sure did recover well enough.

"Yeah, still can't believe the whole thing myself," he says to the comments made both about the dragon and about the grievous wounds he's received. "They say anyone 'lucky' 'nough to see a dragon only ever sees one. An' hell if that Koralia sure tried making that true fer me." His voice still wanes of tired agony, though more calm and at ease than before. "But," he grunts, "y'know me. I'm damn well never gonna stop a case I start. Jus' like you said Sis; I'm a damn force a' nature. Jus'... don't wanna deal with another dragon again. An' not one as crazy as that."

He lets his younger brother finish wrapping bandages around the dry wounds before getting a chance to lie down on the bed. Sweet, sweet comfort. Arguz looks more exhausted than ever as he finally gets a couple, restful breaths in. "But after all that, I sure feel like I can take a hailstorm of bullets an' walk out peachy." If Arguz feels like that, he sure doesn't look like it. "Gonna be some real work getting my gear fixed." He points over to the ragged and torn overcoat of his which is hanged up on the wall along with his shirt. "That dragon jus' tore through it like melted rubber. Should've expected nothing less." He pauses, in concerning thought before speaking again. "Come to think of it, what kinda dragon was she? I mean I figure she's some stone or poison dragon but she looked... wrong. S'posed to be from the Plane of Earth. I dunno; I ain't done much homework on 'em."

He takes out the small tome in his pocket, the one once belonging to Meela, as he holds it upward. "Maybe I oughta look through this sometime fer answers. Some crazy do-all piece of writing. Gonna be good learning more from this. An' hey maybe i'll know more 'bout stuff than Fahir when I'm done with it." He gives a small giggle. He's always felt Fahir is, if not smart, more knowledgeable about the more arcane and divine elements of the world than Arguz. That's probably a consequence to all of Fahir's religious devotion to Tulis. Understanding the arcane or the divine never came off as a big thing for the gunslinger; he figured his cases would be exciting, if mundane jobs at most. He may wanna rethink that now that he had his near-death encounter with Koralia. "This thing could've been written a long time ago though. I dunno what it could say 'bout creatures from that earth getting some sorta poisonous disease..."

[Capt. Infinity]

"You can read about it whenever. 'Cause you sure as HELL ain't gettin' a second look."

Fahir was never one to enter a room quietly. It was a trait about him that was likely a byproduct of his size and stature. At 4'5", the younger brother of Arguz was a veritable giant amongst his kin, easily out-classing even a tall dwarf in height. His height, along with his thick black fur, general fitness and bulky, muscular frame was the cause of many a misconception growing up in which many mistook Fahir for the eldest of the family, rather than the third born he truly was.

His frame was once imposing and terrifying, with rippling muscles and the physique of a man who proudly excelled at his job in the factories. And, whilst the majority of his bulk still remains, and his force of presence is still rather strong, the signs of his illness had visibly taken their toll. Fahir's shoulders sag often, seemingly weighed down by an invisible force at nearly all hours of the day. His eyes, once hard and resolute, now had bags upon them, and a clear look of fatigue lay everpresent on his ratlike face, as if he were perpetually in a state of lacking a full night's sleep.

His fatigue did little to stop his conviction, however. And it was with a powerful, and resolute low baritone (astonishingly deep for a Ratfolk) that he spoke his next few words. "Arguz... There ain't no words. I don't have the words to describe how furious I am with you right now. A Dragon? A goddamned, sound rippin', poison drippin', straight from the depths of the earth Crystal. DRAGON!? Are you INSANE?! Do you have any idea how dead you should be right now? It's a wonder you came back in ONE PIECE, let alone with just a few breaks and slashes. Those things resist anything that isn't magic. They can shout sound so loud it shatters STONE. And, if yours weren't so goddamned overzealous, it probably woulda blinded you with Glitterdust too! You have NO idea how lucky you are." Fahir was clearly riled up beyond the point of reason, but that didn't stop Jia from trying.

"Aw, come on, bro. Ease up a little! It all worked out okay, didn't it?"

"Yeah. THIS time. What about next time, Jia? What about the next time Arguz here gets thrown in front of some monster from beyond the veil? I had ma' patience tried back when it was jus' him shootin' up some criminals. But this? Fighting goddamned magical beasts? No. Nu-uh. No way. I will not stand for it. I am NOT about to let my brother go out and KILL himself for a quick buck and his name in the papers!"

"Fahir, please. You're being unreasonable." Mirrud attempted to calm his brother down, making no sudden movements as he dabbed Arguz's forehead with a damp cloth. "He risked his life for good reason. He saved over two dozen children!"

"I know that. And Tullis be praised some poor souls get a chance to rise in their standings in the world. But I cannot in good conscience condemn my flesh an' blood to go out and risk his life on the daily for someone else's sake. Damnit Arguz, we can't lose another one!" Fahir's voice was growing coarse as he spoke, clearly chocked up by what he was saying. "Deas, Bacr, Vallix. They all took pieces of us with them when they left. But you? Arguz, you're ma and pa's golden child. If they lost you... It'd destroy them. We can't risk losing you. I can't risk losing you! If anyone has to risk their life for this family, it's gonna be me. I've already got half a foot in th' grave, what've I got to lose? I just... I just can't lose anyone else on my watch. I just... Can't." Fahir's final words hold still in the air above the room, as all within it go silent, and turn to Arguz, desperate for his response.

[Starsign]

It's about this point that Arguz really wants to groan loudly.

He's always had to put up with Fahir's complaints, however selfish or sound they end up being. He was never on board with his older brother's job as an investigator and this day isn't going to help in the slightest. Arguz was dreading on the inside about eventually meeting the large-yet-younger brother.

It starts out going about as well as the injured gunslinger expected, which is to say: poorly. Fahir is in a rage which no soft word from Arguz can deal with. This is one of those situations where the best thing to do is actually to give the silent treatment... Usually. Normally Fahir objects in response to one of Arguz's accomplishments. Here, the bigger ratfolk is actually making a good point; Arguz really should be a lot more dead than one expected. HE wasn't even sure he should've fought Koralia back then. Fahir's point is emphasized further by his knowledge of that dragon. What a show-off, knowing Koralia was a crystal dragon, not stone or poison, and that she could shatter stone and use glitterdust, whatever that is. Fahir sure as hell does know more than his older brother and that's not something Arguz can simply ignore.

He knows when to speak however and stays silent with a "yeah, yeah," look slightly obscured by his head pointing upward to the ceiling. It isn't this, however that truly gets on his nerves but Fahir's mention of their family. Mentioning Darug and Uijl cut Arguz, who knows well that he's their "golden child." He's the one that's been giving the most effort and arguably the most successful as the family. He really would deal a ruinous blow to his family, especially his parents, if he does die. Given how close he actually was to death, Fahir's words sank deep into the ratfolk's slowly-recovering body, singing his neutral look into a sullied frown.

The last part, however, is what suddenly drives Arguz to sit up, glare into his brother's eyes and say, "Aw shuddup Fahir!" There's a lot Arguz could say in his thrown-out anger but none moreso than Fahir's sudden implication for Arguz to quit and for Fahir to take up this dangerous work in his place. "Don't go telling me I oughta do something else. I've done that already. None of it worked! Having a gun and doing these cases has been the best damn thing that's happened fer our family, an' you know it!" Arguz believes his words to be fact; he is making the most money of any Aijk even if everyone's contributions are essential to the family. Fahir has to realize that even if he doesn't accept what Arguz does.

His speech, however, does not end as he begins throwing accusations on his younger brother. "An' what you know 'bout my job?! Bro, yer a damn heavy hitter but this ain't something you can jus' pick up an' go." It's an uncommon occurrence for Jia and Mirrud to see their older brother so frustrated and angry; Fahir's timing has not helped Arguz's mood. "An' don't you think you can go an' get yerself killed jus' cause you got that disease. You ain't settin' the rest of us an example if you think you gotta right to be expendable." Arguz isn't entirely in the mood to function fully on reason. The simple message he got is that Fahir wants to take Arguz's place so he is safe while Fahir hastens his own death, even though the medicine has helped starve off his illness from getting worse.

"So don't go looking fer another thing I can do 'sides from this. I didn't even know I'd be fighting a dragon! Everything else was all crooks an' Uptown nobles. I'll tell you that I'll watch out fer any magical beasts in my way but there ain't nothing I can promise you all on that.

[Capt. Infinity]

Fahir stops dead in response to Arguz's outburst. Taller or not, Arguz was his older brother, and he did not take said brother's sudden outrage lightly, nor in stride.

He stumbles over his words as the Gunslinger continues his speech. "I- I wasn't saying I should take over yer job, I just-"

"Well, yeah you bring in the most money. But maybe I could..." He trails off as his older brother states pure fact. There wasn't a load of jobs in Lowtown that Fahir could stack together to match Arguz's frankly absurd gold haul per meaningful case.

He pipes up upon mention of Fahir's continued defiance against disease. "Well, if I ain't expendable then what am I? What am I good for? My life can't possibly matter as much as yours..." He quiets down until Arguz finishes speaking his promise of caution. "I... I guess you're right. Ya couldn'ta known about the dragon. And I guess a promise is all I can ask fer, really. I just... Feel useless sometimes, you know? I'm not as strong as I used to be. Being ill doesn't help anythin', 'specially when I'm forced to see my older brother go out there and do fifty times the effort with half the body weight."

It was, in fact, Jia who spoke up next. The elder Ratfolk sighed slowly as she leaned back on her hands on the adjacent clinic bed. "We all get dealt hands in life, Fahir. Some are flashy and impressive, others are small and simple. But one thing's for certain: It's never the hand you expected or wanted." As Jia speaks, there is a hint of deeper meaning in her voice, the Ratfolk pensively looking down at her hands, as if lost in thought. "Arguz never chose this life, but you aren't nearly pigheaded enough to see that his life didn't choose him. This is what he was meant to do. I can FEEL it. And I know you can too."

Fahir looks sadly at his sister, sighing to himself. "...Yeah. Yeah you're right." He turns to look at Arguz. "I still don't approve of your antics, but I know I ain't got no means or reason 'ta stop you. Just... Just keep to that promise, alright? I'm gonna hold you to that. Through this life, and the next."

As Fahir finishes speaking, a volunteer nurse motions for Mother Sally to follow her to the waiting room. A short while later, Sally returns, looking strangely confused.

"Arguz? It appears there's someone here to see you. She's a tall brown-skinned human with dark hair. She says she knows you, and would like to speak with you in private. She doesn't seem to mean any harm, at least not at the moment. I don't know if you're fit to stand yet, so I was wondering if you were, or whether you'd like me to usher everyone out for a moment. We'd be in the hall in case anything happens, of course. But I need to know your answer first."

[Starsign]

Arguz takes the opportunity to rest his mouth muscles and Fahir and Jia speak between each other. The eldest brother would be in more of a mood to comfort and confide in Fahir had there not have been a certain dragon involved today. Arguz is probably going to need a little while in the hospital to recover before he's capable of doing anything optimally again. After all he's covered in bandages and damn near died back then. He's not sure if even the most resilient of trolls can recover fully from that in half a day, much less a ratfolk. Even if he's stabilized, treated and alive, Arguz still needs his rest.

At least Fahir has some sense knocked into him, or as much sense as can be made out of this whole day. There's something in Arguz that feels pity for his younger brother. Fahir is physically bigger and stronger than Arguz yet nowhere near as capable due to that illness. Operating factory machinery, at least as Arguz has heard, takes a good deal of physical strength and dexterity. There's no doubt Fahir has both and if he was fit he could probably do better in a physical fight than any of his siblings. Damn, the whole thing is frustrating and not just to Fahir. If he was healthy and fit then he and Arguz might be on better terms. Hell, the two might even be partners or rivals depending on whether Fahir took up any more ambitious work. Arguz never considered himself a lone wolf in his job, even if he does usually do jobs by himself. He's always welcome to have help even for the simple tasks in a case.

Sadly, Fahir isn't getting that sort of life unless a miracle occurs. Arguz would've scoffed at Jia's whole comment on fate if he didn't have an overabundance of respect for her. Was she really talking about fate? That's a concept he's never believed in. Sure the way of the gunslinger may be the best fit but he didn't have to choose that route; he could've worked with any of his parents or taken up courier work with Jia or some other task. Instead he chose this job, even if it's "earned" him a straight path to the clinic for recovery. He isn't sure if he's meant for his job, but he's certainly good at it.

It's at this point that Arguz is about to respond to Fahir until Mother Sally interrupts. Brown-skinned human with dark hair? If Arguz met her, he sure as hell can't recall. He can use a rest... but on the other hand it wouldn't be him if he were to simply shut out someone, especially if it may be a future client. "nother one 'ere to see me?" His voice, while attempting to have wit instead suffers under his exhaustion. "Yeah, sure she can come in. Don't think anyone's gonna mind if they step out fer a sec." His legs show little sign of movement; he'd really rather lie down in bed than stand up in the state he's in. He does however put the pillow of the bed up on the bed frame for his back to lean on. This should give the impression that he's lounging rather than resting; anything he can do for his confident persona is usually beneficial.

Before Fahir leaves, Arguz gives a short whistle sound to get his brother's attention. "An' Fahir? I'll keep that promise however I can. An' if I don't, you can come smack yer ol' brother one next time we meet." He slowly moves his hands behind his head, as if using them to give his lounging pose some more comfort. "An' no more dragons; that's a promise I bet I couldn't break if I tried."

[Capt. Infinity]

Fahir listens to Arguz's statement, and the Ratfolk Gunslinger can hear a light chuckle escape his younger brother's throat. "Thanks Arguz. That means more than you would ever believe." He nods to his brother, before joining the rest of the group as they file out of the room.

A moment later, the door opens once more, and the aforementioned woman walks in.

She was as described. Tall, moderately muscular, and with a brown skin tone that blends well with her raven dark hair. He body from the neck down is wrapped in a luxurious blue cloak, which looks rather expensive and well kept. She approaches Arguz's bed with a stern expression, saying nothing, but eyeing the Ratfolk's current state up and down with forest green eyes, before stopping at the foot of his bed. She makes a "hmph" noise, before leaning into the bed post. Oddly enough, she did so with her left hand only, her other seemingly entirely hidden behind her cloak. This gesture alone seemed incredibly odd to Arguz, even in his heavily battered state.

Completely strange that is, until she opens her mouth to speak.

"Hello Arguz."

In a short span of moments, a great change occurs across the woman's entire form. Where one moment, her skin was a light chocolate brown, it rapidly bleached into a deeply fair tone. Her hair, one moment straight and black, suddenly turned bright, almost shimmering golden blonde, with waves forming along the length of it. Her eyes shifted from a calming green to a deep and mesmerizing gold, and her height, already impressive, grows to the staggering 6'2" that Arguz remembers all too well. The scars take their place as well, snaking up her right side until it rose up her neck to lick at the sides of her chin, but at this point, such a trait was unnecessary to identify the woman's true name.

Adraena Zathura looks down upon her former foe. "You've certainly seen better days." She gives the Ratfolk a neutral expression, before pushing off the railing to stand and begin pacing the left side of Arguz's bed, keeping her visible arm towards him at all times. "Relax, I'm not here to hurt you. If I were, I wouldn't have paused to talk. I'm not here to goad you, bribe you, or threaten you either. All I'm here to do..." The woman turns to face Arguz at his side, before casually falling back to land sitting upon the adjacent bed.

"Is talk."

Adraena pauses for a moment, clearly letting Arguz react to all this before speaking further as to her true reasons for appearing before him on this, his toughest of days.

Spoiler: OOC

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Oh. And her cloak changes back to silver too. Sorry, couldn't really organically fit that in there, but it's still pertinent to know!

[Starsign]

There is a loud *gump* echoing from Arguz's throat as he realizes who he just invited in to speak privately to him. Boy did he not think better. He was expecting someone new; a potential future client which may offer him new jobs that pay well and preferably not involve dragons. He really didn't think that Adraena is capable of temporarily disguising herself so she can walk right into the clinic to meet the ratfolk at one of the worst possible times. The surprise and slight horror of it all is painted on Arguz's face as his smile strains and his whole body uncomfortably, if briefly, flinches out of shock.

How did she find him? He wasn't making that much of a scene on the way back, did he? Sure him and a group of girls walking through Lowtown isn't exactly common but he couldn't have made a showing that roared all across Ferroveil? Maybe Rantar told Adraena what happened? That's the most likely result but at the same time he couldn't have heard about Arguz fighting a dragon and then having to recover at the clinic. She must have got her sources elsewhere... that or Arguz is completely wrong and she just happened to follow a simple trail of clues here.

"You wanna talk eh?" The ratfolk's arms shakily move away from the back of his head, down to his side where they are visibly unarmed. Not to say he is truly without a weapon; his pepperbox is kept handily under the bed sheet in case he needs to reach in and take it out. Actually doing so, however, is unadvised. Adraena still unnerves Arguz a bit though less due to her attitude and more that she can simply shatter his best form of attack. He'd definitely want to avoid this becoming anything other than a chat.

The ratfolk gives off his usual, confident smile, blatantly shuddered by his nerves, as he keeps talking. "Sure, why not? I got time and it's nothing compared to the rest of this day... Heh, I sure did end up picking a hell'ova fight." His shoulders shrug upward as his lounging pose slouches down to him simply sitting up, eyeing Adraena with a curious look. "So how'd you hear 'bout all this> Learned a bit of it from Rantar?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Still adjusting to school but so far I think I'll be able to get once-a-day posts out. Hope this won't be a problem.

[Capt. Infinity]

"Rantar told me the basics, yes." Adraena shrugs, aware of Arguz's discomfort but paying it no head, as the Warlord leans backwards onto her hand on the bed she was sitting on.

"He told me where you went, and from there I tracked down your movements to the factory. It was simple enough to follow the footprints out of the forest, and question a few pedestrians about what they saw. From there, I tracked you to the clinic. Though, I'll be honest, I never would've expected you to be in this sorry a state." The Aasimar speaks with a sort of calm fluidity that makes all of this seem strangely casual, like two coworkers or moderate acquaintances chatting about the weather more so than two former enemies having an exceedingly strained exchange of words.

She leans back in again, returning to her standard level of stoicism as she does so. "But this isn't about you. And it isn't about me. This is about the children, the ones that you brought back with you, the ones that are resting up in the room adjacent." She points a thumb to the opposite side of the room, where there laid a door that led to the next section of the clinic.

"I'm here because... Because I want to take them in. I want to be responsible for their safety, to give them a home again." Adraena grew... Strangely somber as she spoke, looking down at her hand with quiet contemplation in her eyes. "I grew up in the slums. Through some cruel twist of fate, I didn't get Madame Vel'thewenn. Hell, over the years I was lucky if I got a roof. I learned a lot of things over those years, but one thing I learned for sure is that, when the chips are down and the stakes finally matter, no one is coming to rescue you." The women's arm semi-consciously moves to her concealed shoulder, absentmindedly clenching her burnt side, as if reliving a bad memory.

"...But it didn't have to be that way. These girls, the world they've seen, it's better than the one I lived in, the one I was a part of for so many years. I can't allow myself to risk them losing that view by fending for themselves." She sighs, then continues. "I have many unoccupied buildings in my circle of control. One such building is an old, would-be apartment complex near the border between Lowtown and Midtown. It's close enough to the bad parts of town that girls from there can find a chance, but close enough to the better parts to be safer than most. Combine that with the moderate fortune I'm currently having my men shovel out of that mine's output conveyor belt, and the one those girls no doubt have in their pockets, and I can promise to have that place well-staffed and well-maintained for years to come."

The young mercenary stares Arguz down, for almost a moment seeming personable, almost soft in her expression, though her words remain serious and to-the-point. "The underground of Ferroveil has rules. And one of those rules means that I can promise you that, so long as these girls are under my care, no one, but no one is going to lay another hand upon them, or else they're gonna get the world dropped on top of their heads."

"The girls trust you. They see you as their saviour. If you give me your blessing to take care of them, I'm sure they'd listen to you more than anyone else. So, what do you say, Arguz? I know you may not have a high opinion of me or my work. But I promise you: I am a woman of sense and a woman of standards. And I swear that I will do everything in my power to give these girls the future they deserve."

Spoiler: OOC

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Sounds fine by me! And yeah, I think something like that is going to be my schedule too. So it works out fairly nice in the end.