Arc 1 - Beast of a Thousand Knives (Completed)

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Ying and Corsica cautiously walk into the cave. Corsica has her spear at the ready until she sees the corpse of Razorclaw sprawled upside down in the middle of the room. "Hah! I thought I heard its death cry. You indeed must be powerful warriors. I was afraid I would have to lend you my spear, but you were more than capable yourselves."

Ying creeps out from behind her sister. "Umm, did anyone see the little fox? It ran in here shortly before you guys started fighting. I hope it's all right..." Ying's gaze finally falls upon Hakka, causing her to stop mid-sentence. With a confused look, she cocks her head to one side and asks, "Little fox?"

Corsica smirks. "I knew it. No wild animal would simply jump into my sister's hands, no matter how friendly she looks."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would utter a defeated sigh, finally standing down. "Sehanine grant me strength. They're all insane..."

Going over to his fallen everburning torch and picking it up, he would move against the far wall, turning his back to it and sliding down it until he was sitting. "I'll be frank, I'm not taking any trophies or dragging anything until I get a rest. I don't know where all of you get your stamina from, but it feels like I got run over by a horse-drawn carriage."

He would begin the process of re-wrapping his torch and replacing it, saying quietly, "And when we get back, with my goddess's blessing I'm going to skewer the first one of them that tells me I cannot have a bath..."  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka's fox-like ears twitched at the sound of the girls entering, but she could tell right away that they were just wary and not hostile. When it seemed as though the sisters had figured out her identity, Hakka simply broke off another one of the beast's legs and carried it over to the girls. "Thank you for carrying me," she said to Ying, pecking the girl lightly on the cheek, "You're a very sweet girl. Never lose that." The fox-girl gave Ying a smile before turning her gaze on the older one and holding the leg out to her. "You can try it, but it's not very good...it's all goopy inside. It might make you sick."  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Ying puts her hand up to her cheek. It looks as if she does not know what to make of Hakka's action so she looks at the ground and blushes.

Corsica laughs and takes the leg Hakka offered. "Yes, well I did plan on cooking it first. This meat is like that of a crab. It will be much better once it has roasted over a fire."

Corsica nods at Revenge's comment and looks over at Razorclaw once more. "Please, take your rest after such a battle, but my sister and I will need to start working on his body as soon as we can to preserve as much of the meat as we can before it spoils. Many tools will made from his shell as well. What part of him did you plan on taking as a trophy to your victory?"  

[PupSage]

Kuori began pulling her arrows from the beast itself and said, "I figure the head and one of the legs. The leg will show them that it matches the evidence in town and the head could be mounted."

[Perception 15 to hear Revenge's whispering]  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Since the older of the sisters had taken the offered leg and explained her thinking, Hakka nodded. She had never tried cooking crabs or other seafood, always just tried them raw since it seemed more natural and sensible. Given that crabs were goopy when raw, she usually avoided them. Turning her attention back to the embarrassed younger sister, there was a small puff of smoke and Hakka was once again the tiny fox, looking up at the girl expectantly. One paw reached out, touching Ying's leg. Clearly, the fox wanted to be picked up again. As far as Hakka was concerned, Ying was a very sweet girl and was worthy of being considered a friend. In regards tot he business of what to bring back with them, Hakka really didn't care. The others seemed to have that well in hand anyway, so she would just play with her friend.  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Ying looked down at the fox again, a bit perplexed. It looked as if she was unsure if she should pick her up again, knowing that she was more than just a mere animal. However, in the end she acquiesces and picks up Hakka.

Corsica nods at Kuori. "Yes, that does sound good, though carrying a head of that size through the dense forest might be a challenge. Do you mind if I pull a few teeth from its maw first? They will make excellent daggers."

Thava sits down on nearby boulder and takes a deep breath. She begins to take a short rest.  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

The fact that the girl knew her true nature and was still willing to treat Hakka as the friendly little fox was reassuring. It was what the fox had been hoping for. She hadn't really wanted to deceive the girl, and she was glad they could still be friendly. The fox reached up and gave Ying's cheek an affectionate lick before getting comfortable in her arms once more. Whatever happened with the rest of the group, Hakka planned to stay like this until they were ready to head back to town.  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Gloom pivots and turns around. "Corsica ... while your guidance lead us here much faster than we might have gotten on our own, you sure are trying to claim much of the bounty despite the small contribution that you made."  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Corsica scoffs at Gloom's comment. "Ha, on your own, you never would have even found this place. There would have been no victory without us leading you here. This was the deal that was struck; prove your worth by honoring it."

While petting the fox, Ying would cast her sister a worried look. Corsica would see this glance and let out a sigh. The older sister would then continue on in a more polite manner. "His body is far too large and heavy to be dragged through the dense forest and you would attract every predator for miles around. It is getting late in the day. If you wish to make it out of the forest before nightfall, you should travel as light as you can."  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Gloom got closer and said, "That greed will get you killed. The head was claimed, teeth and all. We have a goliath with us and most of us traveled light for a reason."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would let out a forced sigh, making it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Corsica, the deal was for whatever trophies we need, if I recall correctly. Gloom, you were missing after your invisibility stunt when this was negotiated so you really do not speak for all of us, so please don't."

He would think for a moment. "The head accomplishes little to prove our merit, since no villagers have even seen this thing. There is little reason to bring the head back with us, save for pride. The talon, as you say, will prove the case. If that is not enough, then the word of a paladin should make up the difference....."

"Corsica, you may have four teeth; two for you, two for your sister. You negotiated for its body for its meat, and the head will accomplish little in that regard. This is a generous token of our gratitude, but if you try to tack on more to our agreement, we will burn the corpse and leave you with nothing."

"Everyone else, we do not need the head for any reason, save to satisfy your own sense of pride. I will have no part of that. You will let her have the teeth, because we did not negotiate for the head either. It was for tokens to prove our victory, and as I said before, it will prove nothing since no one has seen it. If this is unsatisfactory, we will simply leave the entire creature here, and I will inform the village that we engaged it and it escaped. I think they'd gladly take the word of a paladin over yours, especially since it would mean they would owe us nothing."  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

As Gloom approaches Corsica, she stands tall and gazes defiantly into his eyes, no fear visible in her. However, the tension is broken by Revenge clearing his throat.

Corsica would listen to what the paladin has to say and she nods in agreement. "Thank you, that is why I asked and simply did not take. Beyond using his teeth for tools, Razorclaw's head has no use for us. I am simply concerned with my and my sister's survival. This forest is not an easy place to live. As I said before, take whatever you need to prove your triumph here. My sister and I will feed well in the days to come."

Corsica moves over to the body and pries four teeth out with a makeshift dagger she has tucked in her skirt. She then patiently waits for the adventurers to take what they want from Razorclaw's body before she begins to work on cutting it down herself. With the tension abated, Ying plays with Hakka.

((Everyone is free to take a short rest at this time; please tell me how many surges you spend.))  

[PupSage]

Kuori was visably displeased by this exchange. "A beast can live without its talons, but few can live without their head. The head represents absolute certainty that their troubles are over. Providing them peace of mind was part of the deal." She looked at Revenge and said, "You shouldn't go speaking for the group either."

She grabbed the head and began to pull at it. "I'll carry it."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge waved dismissively at Kuori.

"Yes, yes, you grasped the basis of my argument that we had let it escape, in case you guys remained obstinate about throwing your weight around. Congratulations. When you grasp the rudimentary aspects of diplomacy, I'll be more than happy to step aside and apologize. But until then, I'll continue to negotiate terms of the bargains I struck in the first place because no one else would, thank you very much. Attempts to bully will be met with halberds."

He would offer a forced half-smile at Corsica. "I'm willing to throw these in with our deal. One dead razorclaw, and two complimentary allies, free of charge."

@ DM: I'm like, 2 minutes into my short rest already, sucker! After the short rest, I spend 2 surges, going from 20 to 42 hp.