Hello, Everyone!
Mary and her friends are gaining respect and reputation. Last time, they’d just been promoted to Agents of Pamagos and they were seen walking the streets with the ruler of the country himself. They even got to have an ale with him in their favourite tavern, before two assassins burst through the door and shot him in the back.
I’m sure that’s fine!
Before anyone could react, two more arrows flew through the air, pierced Dynatos Perres' back and he collapsed on the floor. The masked men loaded their bows again.
Maybe it was all the vigilance she'd been maintaining ever since Mr. Perres had asked them to keep him safe, or maybe it was because she was the only one not drinking ale, but Mary was the first to act.
Momentarily, her mind flashed to the spell Aurum had used only last night, and she raised one hand, burying the other in her component pouch. She grabbed a nail and pointed it at the men. The Hold Person spell felt stronger than the last time she'd used it. It hit both attackers and they immediately froze in place.
A bolt of light came from behind her left shoulder – Bruno had released one of his spells. The frozen assassin it hit wasn't able to react but a red streak trickled down the side of his mouth. Next, blood started pouring from his nostrils as well, and Mary saw Aurum ring his Mosrael bell. Nobody else could hear the sound but it sure did its damage.
"Don't kill them!" Mary called out and rushed towards the still assassins, undoing her sash while she ran. "They're paralyzed. We can interrogate them!"
Behind her, she heard Bruno and Aurum concentrate their efforts on healing Mr. Perres. His groans of pain subsided.
She reached the assassins, glanced at the one hurt by Bruno and Aurum's magic and decided that he wasn't the biggest threat, so she started tying the other one's hands behind his back. Aingels landed on his head, prepared to scratch his eyes out if he started moving again.
Back at the table, some of the tavern's guests had made a barricade by turning over one of the tables. She saw Gruumsh and the weird gnome pull Mr. Perres behind it.
"Now I remember why I don't go out more often," she heard his weak voice.
Bruno raised his hand. A warm, holy light fIlled the tavern. Mary covered her eyes but rather than damaging her sight, it made her feel better. The paralyzed assassins, however, got pushed away from the light and hit the wall, falling like planks. Aurum rushed to disarm them.
Behind the table, some shuffling and muffled voices occured. Mary rushed there to try and help, and found Dynatos Perres lying on his stomach and the gnome pulling out the arrows from his back. The ruler of Pamagos grunted from the pain and the gnome slapped him.
"Come on, man, don't be a pussy!" he said dismissively and made Mary's jaw drop.
While she was just standing there, Aurum and Bruno disarmed both attackers, tied them up and threw them in the center of the room.
A few minutes later, the assassins had just come out of Mary’s Hold Person and lay down on the tavern floor – one unconscious, the other one dazed.
Mary used her Eldritch Sight to check for any hidden magical items. She found two healing potions which she pocketed, and a small dagger that looked strange both through her normal and her magical eyes. It was shimmering grey, like graphite, and its magical aura was like nothing she’d ever seen before. She handed it to Bruno to Identify.
Aurum brought forth all the other weapons he’d found in the assassins' possession. Aside from the bows and arrows, there were also several throwing knives, dipped in poison. Fortunatelly, the attackers hadn’t had time to use them, otherwise Mr. Peress’ condition might have been much worse.
The ruler of Pamagos rested on a chair, breathing heavily and whincing with pain. Bruno and Aurum had healed him to the best of their abilities but it would take a few days for his body to recover completely. Some guards had arrived but the man had deployed them outside the tavern and in the nearby streets. He seemed to want to leave the main investigation to Mary and her friends.
Well, that was quick. I bet our DM didn’t expect Mary’s Hold Person spell to prove this effective. Anyway, good news is that the ruler of the country is all right, and our heroes are going to be able to question the assassins to see who gave them the order to kill him.
Until next time,
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)