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Southern Free Agents

Ch 1 - "Don't Call Us The Southern Free Agents"

Esfir had a thing about nobles, and that thing was simple: she didn't like them; she didn't trust them; she didn't do business with them. She wasn't disillusioned enough to just presume that all nobles were petty, self-possessed narcissists but she also knew enough of them were that it wasn't worth it to play the odds. Of course, ever since joining the Sufa Union she didn't always have the controlling interest in the decision making process. It annoyed her, of course, but there had to be allowances made.

The Sufa Union was an elite group of problem solvers who could charge premium billing for any of a variety of tasks, and 'premium billing' usually meant that only a select kind of client could afford them-- dealing with nobles had become all but unavoidable. Among the islands of the northern archipelago and the city states found there, such mercenaries were called Venture groups by the nobles who employed them. The rest of the populace had misheard the term and taken to calling them adventurers. Although Esfir acknowledged readily that their lengthy deployments might be misconstrued as 'adventurers' they were hardly as glamorous or as romantic as the bards made them sound. That, and dealing with nobles-- total shit.

She had joined the Sufa Union after the five group member team had saved her life during a particularly compromising situation for all parties involved. Not really used to working with a group, Esfir nevertheless managed to do well enough for their mutual survival that they took her into their party once they had survived. The Sufa Union, as Esfir came to realize, had always been at its best when there were six members, and they had recently lost one of their number. While her initial inclination had been to refuse the invite a tiny voice in the back of her mind pushed her in that direction; considering her strong connection to Vitality Magic, she'd long-since learned to listen to that disembodied speaker, and so she reluctantly agreed to a trial run with them, and she'd been a member ever since.

Although half of the Sufa Union were northerners, the founding members were all from southern islands, meaning that there were some cultural divides in the beginning that had to be addressed. Fortunately they had been operating along the northern reaches long enough that the impact was minimal. The largest problem in Esfir's mind was that the group's name was based on a southern language; 'Sufa' was a term meaning hand-in-hand in an almost spiritual sense. They were a family and more.

It was something to which Esfir was completely unaccustomed, but that wasn't the worst part: along the northern cities, most employers spelled out the word 'Sufa' phonetically into S-F-A, which earned the group its official handle of "Southern Free Agents" and, with the exception of Malik, nobody in the group seemed to like it. That made sense to Esfir since, after all, Malik hailed from a successful and wealthy family who had a long history of business activities. As far as she knew, the only reason he turned to a life outside his family's scope was because he bored easily and was looking for something more exciting.

Malik, of course, had far more resources than she, and was generally more well regarded. The majority of the populace of city states among the northern islands were reptilian or avian in nature and he was no exception. Malik was also the only other member whose size was similar to that of Esfir, meaning they ended up working together quite often if for no reason other than the fact that larger party members tended to stand in front of them when there was danger, or behind them when there were small tunnels to scout. In the scheme of things, Malik wasn't the worst partner to have in close proximity in the marching order. Esfir even came to accept the fact that his skin was smooth and he lacked feathers.

Unlike Malik, Esfir was neither part of a wealthy family, nor was she a pure-coat. Among the northern islands, the populace could be easily divided into hard coat, soft coat, or feather coat-- reptiles with plates or scales, reptiles or amphibians with smooth scales or porous skin, and avians. Then there was the fourth group-- Esfir's: she was a feathered lizard, a Kobold, and that, in and of itself, usually meant she was a subject of scorn. Perhaps the welcoming nature of the Sufa Union and the fact that they looked past it was one reason she was so receptive to belonging-- why she was willing to give them a chance. Or, maybe it was just that they kept her safe and paid well.

Esfir and Malik weren't the only two northerners in the Union; they also counted a hard coat among their number and he was quite the specimine. Durnok Darklight was, by all accounts, a physical manifestation of all that was amazing about the largest of the northern races. Twice and half-again as tall as Esfir, he usually stood at the front of the group and, whether it be in conflict or in dialogue his presence was prominently felt. Many of the southern isle folk presumed that hard-coats like Durnok were stupid and savage, but nothing could be further from the truth. While it was true that Durnok was capable of incredible savagery, Esfir often found him to be disturbingly and unapologetically tame, often to her chagrin when particular encounters called for a more blunt approach.

Of course, with six members total and only three from the north, that meant the remaining team mates were not and, in fact, the two longest tenure members of the union were southern, leaving only one party member from the central islands. Esfir didn't know specifically where Archie was from but she knew it was the midden-islands and whether it was east or west was beside the point: he came from a noble family and it showed in his every action. He rarely failed to annoy Esfir and yet, even more annoying than being annoying, he still somehow managed to keep her from getting too angry at him; it was probably the most frustrating thing about him.

The Mink's full name was Archibald Rightweather-Silkback the Second, which implied that he was either from the Rightweather house, the Silkback clan, or both-- just another annoying thing about him because he never explained having two surnames and Esfir certainly wasn't about to ask. It was usually Archie's job to find employment since he traveled the right circles and knew the right connections. Even though most of the work the Sufa Union did was in the Northern cities, the centralist still had a better time interacting in that high-and-mighty world than either Esfir, Malik or Durnok... and far more effectively than either of the union's final two members-- who were also founding ones.

Both Maura and Djona were from the southern islands but, other than that, they shared few similarities. Maura was a massive Ursine woman-- hefty curves and a voluptuous figure in all the ways that Esfir did not. Like the Kobold, Djona, a svelte, athletic looking Fennec was much lighter on her feet and, even though she was nearly half-again as tall as Esfir, the Fennec was often quite capable of moving with as much stealth and surety as even Malik could handle. Maura, like Durnok, was quite physically impressive but unlike the the pole arm wielding reptile, the Bear preferred a crossbow, which, like its wielder, was a massive weapon. Djona, on the other hand, relied on bladed metal rings which could be thrown.

The six of them together were a motley crew and a mixed up collection of specialties and techniques but, over the time Esfir had worked with them, she learned that having a variety of talents meant diversity-- they worked well together and could cover for one another's weaknesses. Maura often told stories of Venture groups she'd known in the south who all relied on one specific attribute-- groups who were all strong, or groups who were all brains or agility, and how they usually ended up failing to have any long term staying power; she'd belonged to three before joining with Djona to try something new... something better.

That had been over a decade before Esfir had joined the Sufa Union of course, and most of the details went in one ear hole and out the other. Her interest was in the group as it stood and being an integral component thereof. She didn't always agree with their decisions or their methods but the fact of the matter was that they got the job done and Esfir came out of each job alive and provided for. True, it meant working with people might not have ever bothered even so much as glancing at for more than a moment, but there was something to be said for the benefits that came with belonging. Then again, there were drawbacks too.

Their party of six had grown to seven thanks to a particularly adventurous employer. A soft-coat salamander who'd been introduced by Archie only as 'Yosef' had a task for the Sufa Union and the party had elected to accept. The red-scaled dandy had provided a very worthwhile offer including a good sized payout with half of it up front, and so, despite Esfir's very vocal objection (behind the scenes since it wasn't good to appear divided in front of an employer), they had accepted the contract, and the situation in Esfir's mind got worse by the hour.

Yosef, in addition to being a noble, was also a very talkative individual. He was also opinionated. And loud. And excitable. And a noble. The salamander, in fact, embodied almost everything about nobility that Esfir disliked and, besides that, the little voice in the back of her mind kept all but screaming at her that he was no good. It was an obvious warning; most nobles were inherently up to no good. Still, the job paid well, with 50% up front, and, as usual, Archie seemed to have everything under control... well... everything except for Yosef himself.

The Sufa Union had been hired by the Salamander to help escort him into an abandoned family holding. Like most sites of important note to noble households, the location in question was built deep into the ground, making it difficult to detect with magic and all but impossible to scry into. It was one of to go-to methods for noble houses seeking privacy and, like most of the very-secret holdings, it was located outside of the walls that protected the city. Most lower level noble houses grew and shrank, their power fleeting and volatile-- some of the lowliest of houses would burn out altogether and, according to Yosef, his family was all but extinct. What lay within their secret vault would change everything and he was willing to part with the coin to get the job done.

The trip to the site took half a day but, thanks to Maura's familiarity with landscape and Esfir's intimate knowledge of animal signs they had been able to avoid any trouble. Once they arrived at the disguised entrance, their employer had been placed in the middle of the group between Archie and Maura for safety's sake, and he hadn't shut up since. Scarcely ten minutes into the descent and he was finding things to complain about. The one that caused Esfir the most grief was the objection he kept returning to time and time again. "I can't believe we're just walking straight in... isn't it a given that noble houses trap our vaults? Why aren't we being more careful?"

Archie had been more than diplomatic about it, responding every time the vapid question kept coming up as if it were the first time it had been asked but, after enough repeats of hearing both parts of the conversation again and again, Esfir finally had to speak up. Yosef licked his scaled lips as he did every time before he spoke. The Salamander was from Nayzk, a particularly rugged city perched atop a rugged cliff on a rugged coast line of a rugged northern island. The city's accent accent was not rugged: prissy and fluttery, much like the salamander who displayed it. It annoyed the Kobold greatly when he spoke. "It's so surprising that you don't have someone watching out for traps..."

Before the party's diplomatic Mink could go through the verbal dance yet again, Esfir interjected. "Have you ever cut yourself with a molting brush?"

There were certain societal niceties and manners among the upper crust of any city state that discouraged any discussion of personal care when it came to molting; it was considered uncouth and an affront to civil discourse, which was EXACTLY why Esfir selected it. The question caused Yosef to come to an immediate stop and glance back at her with distaste. "I-- I beg your pardon?"

Despite the 'please do not continue' glance she got from Archie, Esfir committed to solving the problem of the clueless noble using her own particular set of talents. "A molting brush... it's something we all have to deal with and I think it does a fine job of illustrating the reasoning behind why we're not all on our bellies checking every little crack between each stone block of the floor for non-existent threats."

Yoself placed a talon on his chest in disdain as his expression took on a note of disgust. "I can hardly see how the mention of something so crass could--"

She didn't give him the gratification of finishing his thought, powering on ahead despite yet another warning glance from Archie; it wasn't that she didn't value the Mink's opinion but everyone in the party had their strength and getting the noble to shut up was not quite the Mink's particular specialty. Smiling sweetly at the salamander, Esfir elaborated. "Well... I'll assume that you have at least once-- I mean, hatchlings need to learn and trial and error makes a great teacher... so, anyway, when you use a molting brush, do you prefer soft bristles or hard ones?"

She didn't expect an answer to be upfront and honest so she got exactly what she anticipated: the Salamander huffed, looking even more insulted as his skin reddened even more than its normal hue. "Madam, I--"

Again, Esfir didn't want for an answer. "Soft bristles are no good-- they NEED to be hard, which means if you're not careful you're going to end up hurting yourself. Now... I don't know about you, but I am REALLY good about post-molting brushing but, every now and again, probably at least once every other year, I end up drawing blood."

Having finally managed to find his emotional footing, the indignant Salamander objected "I don't see how this relates to--"

Nobles were used to listening to themselves speak but that didn't mean Esfir had to give him the opportunity. She powered on ahead. "It's something we all do, and we do it a lot. No matter how careful we are, if we get it right 99 times out of a hundred, there's still that one time we get it wrong... and if we use a molting brush two thousand times then we'll still hurt ourselves-- what... twenty times? It's twenty times, right, Malik?"

Math had never really been Esfir's strong suit, but the moment she got an affirmative nod from the gecko she continued, speaking again before Yosef could interrupt her. "My point is: we all make mistakes-- even when we're trying to be careful. We're walking along a main hallway right now, and that means there's supposed to be lots of foot traffic. Why trap a hallway you know is going to be used ALL THE TIME when you stand a better chance of setting off a trap yourself than having it stop a thief?"

It took the Salamander a moment to come up with a response. When he did, based on the way he puffed out his chest it was obvious he was proud of his objection. "So you would just presume then that my family left the vault completely undefended?"

Djona, wonderful, diplomatic, well-spoken Djona took the opportunity to speak up which, Esfir realized, was probably a good thing since the Kobold rarely bothered to police her own words. Given a chance, she would probably have gone off the rails in a fantastic manner, alienating their employer. The Fennec, however, was able to bring the idea home. "In truth, your excellency, that is precisely what works best in lulling would-be looters into a false sense of security while also limiting the possibility of innocent casualties."

Esfir gauged the noble's reaction and it didn't take long before she was able to pinpoint the moment Yosef realized he'd have a more 'self affirming' time talking to Djona. He turned toward the Fennec and his follow up order confirmed the kobold's impression. "Explain."

The Fennec turned around, walking backwards as she addressed the salamander with a smile. "You see, such an individual would be trying so hard to discover traps which are not there, she or he would be lulled into a false sense of security, causing them to drop their guard at a fundamentally important moment, allowing the trap to be sprung due to carelessness. In this case, the key would be to use a single devious trap rather than invest in a large number of lower quality ones-- quality over quantity, as they say."

Djona was quite a fan of sayings, especially the over-used ones, but it got the job done; Yosef just nodded in thought, FINALLY falling silent and allowing the party to proceed in peace. Esfir was used to being able to hear her surroundings and having the noble clamp his snout shut meant that she could do just that. She enjoyed another twenty or thirty meters of that silence until Durnok came to a halt. "I think this is it."

The large lizard pulled a metal bar off his his belt. While it often served as his primary weapon, Esfir knew that it was much more versatile than that. More than a simple length of metal, Durnok's weapon was capable of a variety of transmutations, including a metal cage torch, which, with a quick shake, is what Durnok summoned. A ring of metal surrounded the end of the arm-length bar and an oil-soaked cloth wick emerged in its center, even going so far as to light itself. Looking back to Malik, Durnok held the torch close to the large metal door blocking their path, illuminating it as he made way for his smaller companion. "Your turn."

The gecko shot a winning smile at their employer. "Now's the time to see some high quality trap work if you're interested m'lord. You won't find anyone else here who's quite so good with complex mechanisms."

Esfir had to fight to keep from letting out an unprofessional squeal of glee when Maura, sweet, wonderful, matronly bear that she was spoke up from the back of the group "Save your complex mechanisms for the bedroom and just focus on getting the door open, Malik."

The Kobold was almost certain that Yoef was going to burst a blood vessel in one of his bulbous eyes and that was almost worth putting up with him for length of their trip through the tunnel. Archie, unfortunately stepped in to provide damage control, flashing a few subtle hand signals to his compatriots. While Esfir was still relatively new to Sufa Union the ability to communicate without sound had been repeatedly drilled into her and so she'd learned it quickly.

Although 'no' 'money' 'path' was relatively vague to anyone not familiar with the gecko the Kobold knew him well enough to realize that he was reminding the team that Yosef was their employer and creating a scene wasn't the right way to stay on his good side. The others must have agreed because the banter came to a halt and Malik got down to work.

Not one to pass up the opportunity to learn something, Esfir watched over the gecko's shoulder as he carefully inspected the door, starting with the frame and then the seams before finally moving on to the handle. In order to maximize his manual dexterity, Malik took his segmented gauntlets off and offer them up to Esfir to hold. She accepted them and watched as he got to work. The kobold didn't didn't miss the way the party's technician immediately stopped in his inspection and she realized he'd found something well before Malik let out his tell-tale "Ah ha."

Durnok leaned over, having a very good view thanks to his height. He lowered his torch, inquiring calmly "What have you found?"

Malik glanced back over his shoulder. "Just a simple needle trap. Looks like it has its own reservoir for a poison of some kind so it can remain effective and not lose potency. Definitely not cheap, but also not very effective to a trained 'problem solver'."

The term 'problem solver' was a title that Malik had used to describe himself ever since Esfir had been introduced to the group. It wasn't that he didn't readily acknowledge that many of his skills were of questionable legality but he had a certain degree of self respect; he presented himself as a businessman and advertising that he was more than capable of getting what he wanted by opening a locked container as easily as bargaining for it was not a reasonable image to cultivate. Durnok didn't have quite the same social light touch. "Are you going to disarm it or just admire the handiwork?"

The gecko winked at the large lizard. "Actually, I wanted to admire it more than I wanted to disarm it."

Djona, who was only a step behind Esfir spoke up. "Well, if you do that how are we supposed to get through the door?"

Malik stood up, turning back around to face the Fennec, holding up a small mechanism. "Simple... I separate it from the door so I can take my time inspecting it."

When Esfir first met the conceited gecko she thought he was a worthless braggart but every so often he did a fine job of reinforcing that he was probably as skilled (if not more skilled) than he gave himself credit to be; the fact that he'd not only cleared the door for use but also taken the still-armed trap as a souvenir reinforced her impression that Malik knew his stuff (and probably had a death wish, depending on the trap's poison). It was the last thought which compelled her to ask "And how exactly are you going to store it so it doesn't accidentally go off, Malik?"

Casually wrapping what Esfir presumed to be the trigger mechanism with a good sized length of twine he winked at her. "Very carefully, of course."

Maura, ever focused on the end goal cleared her throat as she shouldered her crossbow. "Are we good to continue, Malik?"

The gecko straightened up and stepped aside, gesturing to the door. "Be my guest. All clear my dear."

The bear woman waited for Durnok to enter first but followed right after the large lizard, pausing long enough to lean down and rub the top of Malik's head as she proclaimed "Good job, sweety."

From anybody else such praise probably would have been seen as condescending but Maura had a 'way' about her that made anything she said supportive and reaffirming. As far as Esfir knew, the bear had absolutely no sarcastic bone in her body... and it WAS a darn big body. True to case, Malik stood back up, stowed the unattached trap, and followed after them with a smile on his maw and a spring in his step. The Kobold took a moment to exchange glances with Djona, who merely smiled back at her and offered a silly wink. Despite rolling her eyes at how infantile everyone was about desiring Maura's compliments Esfir promised herself that she'd earn a 'good job' from the bear before the end of their task.

The hallway beyond the door was just as monotonous as the one they'd traversed, almost making the Kobold wonder why there was a door there in the first place. She was about to ask to that point but, surprisingly, Yosef beat her to it. "So... a door in the middle of a long hallway for what reason? Just to put a trap on it?"

Malik, glanced over his shoulder, offering pragmatically "Sure. Why not?"

The fact that their employer was surprised by the reveal only added to Esfir's discomfort at the situation and she let that knowledge be made public. "It's YOUR family's bunker... why don't YOU tell US?"

She was so used to Archie's withering gazes she was able to easily ignore it, but the Mink stepped up to forestall any soured words from their employer; it was evident that he'd done his research. "This facility was built by Lord Yosef's great second uncle once removed. Considering his standing within his household, the--"

Esfir had no great love for nobility, and rejected ones who still clung to their family name were even worse. "You mean because he was disowned?"

The severe stares she got from the rest of her group-mates made the Kobold realize that she'd not only stepped over the bounds of good manners but she'd also pushed the boundaries of good sense. Despite her wild streak of individualism and general disdain for the tyranny of the majority she still felt cowed by their response and just a little embarrassed by her own outburst. Archie took that opportunity to quickly gloss over Esfir's social suicide. "It is perfectly understandable that Lord Yosef would not be intimately familiar with the structure... especially since it has not been accessed in the past four decades."

It was a valid point but Esfir had to admit that but she still didn't like it. Nevertheless she kept her scaled lips shut; she was well aware when too much was too much and she wasn't about to continue pushing her luck. One more dirty look her way and the salamander appeared to dismiss her entirely. "Precisely. And, as the last member of my family with access to the vault, I decided that it was time to take inventory."

Esfir literally bit her tongue to avoid causing further problems and it hurt her so deep in her soul that she was able to ignore the blood in her muzzle. One of the main rules of the Sufa Union was to always stand united in the eyes of an employer and the Kobold was not about to further agitate her compatriots by creating more issues, but she still didn't like the job. There were far too many things that set off her bullshit meter and she was honestly surprised that nobody else seemed to so much as catch a whiff of the stink.

She had long considered the members of the Sufa Union to be intelligent and perceptive but she was dumbstruck by how easily they were being played over a sum of money-- granted, it was a really BIG sum of money, but shouldn't that have been the first tip off to them that something wasn't quite right? Yosef was supposedly one of the last members of the family and yet he was disowned? If THAT were the case then why would HE be the one to have a keystone to access their secure vault? There were far too many unanswered questions for her to be comfortable with the situation, ESPECIALLY since he had come along.

That final point of order was a double-edged sword she decided since she'd be able to keep an eye on him; if he planned to double-cross them it'd most likely be if they were out of the city's protective walls for the night and he tried to slit their throats as they slept. Shooting a sidelong glance at the salamander she eyed him as he conversed with Archie. No, she reasoned, he didn't look like he had the stones to kill someone even if it WAS while they were sleeping. She couldn't quite understand his game but she knew he was playing one and she definitely didn't like it.

She was so focused on Yosef that she barely even noticed Malik step up beside her until he gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow. When she looked to him the gecko responded with the kind of wide smile only a hinge-jawed lizard could manage, but his comment was surprisingly mild. "You'd better lessen your load if you plan on staying light on your feet."

Esfir was no more encumbered than usual; she had her knapsack filled with carefully stowed oils and unguents, two belt pouches where she stored reagents for field alchemy and her walking stick. Still, he was getting at something and she knew that she'd have been able to decipher his odd statement if she wasn't so focused on the hidden threat posed by their scheming employer. She gave up trying to make sense of his cryptic comment. "What do you mean, Malik? I don't have anything more than normal with me."

The gecko offered her a friendly wink and nudged her again with his elbow; the gesture was starting to get annoying, especially with his self-assured smirk. Thankfully he got to the point. "I mean that huge burden you're carrying around in your skull... I can't think of the last time I saw you gripping your staff that tightly... gonna need a talon massage when we're done if you keep that up."

She hadn't planned on bringing it up but since Malik asked Esfir was more than ready to speak her mind. Glancing once more toward Yosef, she lingered slightly, creating more distance between herself and the salamander before addressing her companion. "Why in the hells did you take this job?"

Malik's smile didn't falter one bit and there was absolutely no delay in him responding. "The same reason we do any job: money. And he's paying REALLY good money."

The Kobold scowled. "I heard... way more than something like this should be worth. Isn't that a warning sign?"

They were strolling slowly, the rest of the group getting ahead of them but the gecko didn't seem to mind. Leaning his head over he rested it on her shoulder and took hold of her arm in his as if they were strolling along on a date. "You worry too much, Essy."

It wasn't until she had joined the Sufa Union that she'd let anyone get away with calling her Essy and, even then, it was a 50/50 with her party members-- Malik wasn't earning himself any favors being so condescending and she made him aware of it. "Don't talk down to me. It's bad enough when the big races do it."

Her companion immediately straightened up, the membranes on his eyes blinking once before he nodded, smile disappearing in a flash as he took on a more serious expression and nodded. "I'm sorry, Esfir-- I didn't mean to offend... I just want you to know that you can trust me and Archibald... we both worked on this contract really hard and the payout will be worth the extra trouble."

She frowned but she found it difficult to maintain her rage-- damn the charismatic gecko. Letting out a sigh, she continued to express her displeasure. "I DO trust you and Archie... it's that noble I---" Something Malik said suddenly interrupted her thoughts and she addressed on it directly. "What do you mean 'extra trouble' exactly?"

The gecko's follow-up laugh was neither condescending nor insidious; it was more like a conspiratory chuckle and, as he leaned even closer, Mailk said "Well... as much as I can figure out, this is Yosef's last chance to have any kind of real life. Between being thrown out of his family, his finances are dwindling. Word is that he's down to almost nothing in the coffers and he's desperate to try and retain his standing."

Esfir was only half surprised by what she heard but at least it was reaffirming to know why he was paying so well. That did raise another concern however. "How do we know he's good for the other half of our pay?"

Malik raised an eye ridge. "You think he'd be stupid enough to short a Venture group? I mean, I know you hate nobles and all that, but he's here with us and you KNOW what we could do to him if we don't get paid out of the coffers of this place."

It was a valid point and Esfir knew it, but there was still one problem. "Presuming there's anything left in here, you mean?"

The gecko chuckled, turning and opening his maw so his extremely long tongue could shoot out and lick her cheek. "Hey-- didn't I tell you to trust me? We got it covered."

The Kobold scowled, holding out Malik's gauntlets, which she had still been holding. "I don't like being kept in the dark. I know I'm a new party member but you could at least tell me the contingencies so I won't have to worry about it."

The gecko smiled, holding his hands out so that she could put them back on him; despite the infantile request the Kobold humored her companion and did so. She was so focused on Malik that she hadn't noticed Djona join her on the other side; giving herself a mental slap, Esfir resolved to focus on her surroundings more even as the Mink rested a paw on her shoulder. "Did I hear you two talking about our wonderful patron?"

The sarcasm evident in Djona's use of the word 'wonderful' wasn't lost to the Kobold and it did marginally improve her mood, but not by that much. Esfir addressed what she saw as the main issue. "Malik says that he has plans in case he tries to stiff us."

Djona nodded emphatically. "Oh yeah... he does... and we're DEFINITELY covered."

The reassurance only made Esfir frown more. "Am I the only one here who doesn't have the whole story?"

Malik, despite his usual diplomatic approach responded rather bluntly. "Well... you're still pretty new, but more of an issue is the fact that he's been pushing your buttons since you first met him so I don't know if we can trust you not to blurt out everything in a moment of frustration."

Esfir wanted to object immediately on principle; she wanted to shout profanities and hurl indignant insults about how little the party must think of her; she wanted to correct their misconceptions of her and tell them off soundly. She wanted to do all of that and more but she was not going to because, despite it being a hard pill to swallow, Malik was right-- that was exactly the kind of thing she would do.

Esfir knew she had her hot-headed moments and they had told her from the very beginning that she'd have to work on her trust issues. She didn't like it, but she knew she'd have to live with it. Letting out a sigh, the Kobold offered up a shrug. "Fine... but if any of it involves me you'd better let me know before you expect me to act. I don't want a repeat of what that happened back in Miaheamiqa."

As one of the most southern port cities of the northern islands, Miaheamiqua was a melting pot of cultures and it often resulted in some major altercations. Most Venture groups stuck clear of the strife and dissension caused by the many cultures vying for control of the docks and the Sufa Union was no exception, but they still had business to conduct and nobody had made Esfir aware of the plans aside from "Don't throw the first punch.".

Not one to take on combat in a toe-to-toe manner, the Kobold had been perfectly happy to avoid altercations but that meant she was caught flat footed in a bar when Durnok had picked up a rather burly Badger and thrown him over a table. The rest of the party was ready to handle the Badger's compatriots but Esfir was a full ten seconds late joining in because nobody bothered to let her know that a flying musteline brawler was the signal to 'solve the problem'.

Djona laughed at the Kobold's comment, obviously catching her reference. "And what would you have done? The smallest member of that gang was larger than ME!"

Esfir scowled, sticking her talons into the pouches at either side of her hip as she pouted. "I ended up helping once I realized the plan."

Malik looked as though he was about to speak up but Maura's lifted paw silenced them all immediately. The gesture was one of warning but their patron obviously wasn't familiar with it as he didn't bother holding his tongue. "What is it?"

The bear wore a leather strap around her head with two crystal lenses attached to them. The majority of the time they were positioned like a headband but they were magically enchanted to improve her vision. Most of the time Maura refused to use them because she complained that they made her look old but when it came down to it they were too useful of an item to pass up utilizing to their fullest. Lowering the goggles over her eyes, the bear murmured a command word and then stepped up to join Durnok. Esfir recognized the activation word and realized that Maura would be able to see through the darkness ahead far better than they could using just a torch.

The bear took a step back, holding up a paw and making three gestures: Unliving. Threat. Ahead. There were a number of ways to decipher the information with the primary concern being the possibility of undead but Esfir knew well enough that magically animated corpses weren't likely to be found anywhere outside of the mainland far to the north of the archipelago. Other 'unliving threat' options included elementals, which would require so much mana as to be unfeasible as a long-term guardian option. Traps were also possible but there was a specific sign for traps so that wasn't it either. She came to the final conclusion by process of elimination a few seconds before Archie whispered to Yosef quietly, putting ESfir's thoughts into words. "There are animated guardians here, aren't there?"

Before Yosef could bother answering Maura took a step back. "They're heading this way... they must be activated by sensing movement."

Esfir rolled her eyes; sometimes she was surprised at how little the otherwise astute members of the Sufa Union knew about real magic. "Animated guardians are almost never enchanted with a trigger set off by motion... do you have ANY idea how much mana that would waste due to rats, or big insects or, gods forbid, an errant breeze causing a tapestry to flap?"

The bear took another step back. "Be that as it may, they're heading this way. Slow though... maybe ninety seconds til they reach us."

The Kobold took a step forward. "Chances are they sensed life over a given size and when we didn't provide a pass phrase they started moving to intercept."

Behind her, Esfir heard Archie ask their employer. "What's the pass phrase?"

The Salamander stuttered a few times before his statement came free. "I-I-- don't know. I... I have the key. That was supposed to be enough!"

The key to which Yosef referred was a small gemstone that allowed them to open the entrance to the subterranean vault. In Esfir's experience a lot of noble houses used magic to help secure their treasures but that, in and of itself was a two-sided blade. On one side: very few thieves were able to thwart magically sealed portals; on the other side: anyone worth a damn with any skill at magic craft could unweave the spells keeping a door closed. No-- by her reasoning the most effective method to keep an entrance closed was to use both... and then probably include some kind of animated guardian. Maura interrupted her thoughts with an update. "Sixty seconds..."

The vault in which they found themselves in included all three protection measures and their inept employer only brought the keystone, leaving them with the responsibility of picking the lock and dealing with the mobile statues. Fortunately, Esfir knew a lot about animated guardians. "Durnok-- we need you up front. Pike."

Out of their entire group, Durnok was the most skilled at toe-to-toe combat and his magically enchanted pole arm helped with that in a number of ways. Based on the group's needs, the lizard could modify his weapon into a variety of forms and, as it so happened, he was incredibly well-skilled with reach weapons and the two-Durnok-body-length pike would doubtlessly be put to good use. He kept his eyes forward as he called back to her. "What's the plan?"

One thing that the Kobold appreciated about the Esfir Union was that they actually listened to her when she was talking about things she understood, and dealing with animated guardians was no exception. The party's front-liner slid his left leg backward as he bent his right one, tail lowering to barely an inch off the ground to provide a counter-balance as he set the butt of the pike against one of the floor bricks, preparing for a charge as if he were standing firm against mounted cavalry. Durnok, at that point, no longer had a torch and so he murmured several words of power, rumbling them out deep in his chest and imbuing the point of his weapon with a basic spell of illumination, granting the group sight out about ten yards.

Seeing that Durnot was ready, Esfir she glanced back to Malik. "Do you have any Pulse Potions handy?"

Malik was a master of utilizing water magic as part of infusions and solutions, using it to empower potions and fluids. As such, his place in combat was usually toward the back, flinging bottles as bombs with his staff sting. The Gecko stuck his long fingers into the modest pouch at his hip which was actually far deeper than its small size suggested and he pulled out four vials, one stuck to each finger. "Just say the word, short-stuff."

No other member of the party had the lack of sense to dare call her short but, considering the Gecko was no taller than she he could get away with it. Scowling regardless, Esfir looked next to Maura. "Don't bother with the crossbow... I'll need you to work with me and Archie."

The Bear already had the weapon in her paws but she rolled it over her shoulder to hang by its leather strap. Always the astute one, Maura already knew what Esfir had in mind. "Same plan as the mountain pass back on Iidyn Isle?"

Malik stuck his hand into his pouch again, pulling out four small blue vials. "I guess that means I'll need some Bubble Bursters too..."

The Kobold smirked; the plan was coming together. "Yes... and one for the floor."

The gecko nodded. "Easily done."

Esfir was pleased yet again that the group was quick on the uptake and could put the puzzle pieces together. Glancing to the Bear, Esfir's largest concern was that her big companion would have the mana reserves they needed. "You up for it, Mar-mar?"

Larger bodied casters required more natural energy to be used in life processes and that meant they were slower when it came to channeling mana, making it difficult to actually cast during the quick paced chaos of combat. The Bear had both her feet planted on the stone floor and was already well into the breath control needed for her to summon up the energy that would be fed to Archie and Esfir. Even as she did so, Maura offered a friendly wink and a smile. "I have the easy job... you the one's who are casting. We've got this... just don't overdo it this time, sweety."

Esfir felt the scales on her cheeks warm up in embarrassment; sure, she might have fainted after the mountain pass on Iidyn Isle, but they still got the job done. She wasn't about to let the little jab land though. "Bah... that was like, TONS of casting... there's only two guardians, right? That'll be hatchling's play."

Archie, who had stepped up to stand beside Esfir scoffed as he spread his arms wide, delicate fingers already moving with arcane gestures. "Says the caster who only has to play with ambient magical weaves."

She knew that he was well aware that 'playing with ambient magical weaves' was FAR more complicated than the Mink's own task. Rolling her eyes, she fired right back at him. "Whatever-- you're dealing with your attuned mana source, 'mist mage'... my job is to work it into a form that'll help with something that'll do more than keep moss from drying out."

Maura motioned to the edge of the light. "Alright... here they come!"

The friendly banter had been nice and went a long ways toward improving morale as the group was preparing for what most would consider an incredibly difficult plan but it was just another day for the Sufa Union. Yosef, however, was not a member of their group so he had no idea about what was going on; the sudden appearance of two large, mobile statues left him visibly shaken. He addressed Archie. "Archibald... what's going on? Are you really going to fight those things?"

Archie glanced over his shoulder, offering their employer a confident smirk. "No worries, Lord Yosef... you paid for the best and that's what you'll get."

Djona stepped up, having no direct part in the first part of the plan and placed a paw on Yosef's shoulder. "Let's take a step or two back, shall we, your lordship? It may get a little messy..."

No longer willing to spare her attention on the noble, the Kobold looked back in front of herself as two large, lumbering stone statues were finally in full view. As one of the most skilled with quick spells in the group, Esfir felt no need to begin her casting, choosing instead to gesture to Malik. "We'll begin with the floor. Start us off, Malik."

Needing no further guidance, the Gecko fulfilled her request. Malik had already moved to the side to get a clean angle and, with a quick flick of his staff, sent the first vial spiraling through the air. The moment the vial struck the ground it release a deluge of water, spraying out in all directions, right up until Archie began chanting. At that point, the fluid calmed down, spreading from wall-to-wall in a perfect, plane of water on the floor.

The Kobold smirked. "My turn."

Clenching the air with her left talon she focused her senses on the stream of mana that flowed through the water. There was a free sense of movement and a liquidity that didn't quite suit their purpose. Gripping the air with her right talon, she latched onto the mana that she'd identified and began pushing her digits closer together, then brought her arms together until both of her palms touched. In a flash, all of the water being held in place by Archie froze solid, creating a flawless layer of ice.

Malik spoke up from behind her, his voice filled with excitement. "Ready when you are!"

Esfir nodded, pointing to the guardian guardian on the left because it was further back, providing Durnok more room to maneuver; if all went well the corridor was going to be very messy. The Lizard positioned himself to take up as much space in the walkway, facing down the first guardian, which resembled a hard coat like him, only almost twelve foot tall. Its size, the Kobold realized, worked to their benefit since the arched ceiling was scarcely nine foot against either wall, requiring that the guardians stayed closer to the middle of the hall; she also saw that the rest of the group had taken notice as well. Esfir provided guidance. "Durnok, keep that first one back... Malik, get to it!"

The gecko did just that, lobbing a different kind of potion at the target. It was an easy projectile to track since it began to glow the moment the fluid within became agitated. One of Malik's more dangerous concoctions, the viscous substance was quite volatile and when it found its target the vial shattered, creating a small-but-powerful explosion against the animated statue's shoulder. Esfir didn't even need to direct the gecko; a second vial followed the first, slamming into the damaged part of the guardian, only it wasn't another Popper Potion. As with the one aimed at the floor, the newest vial burst, sending a torrent of water all over the statue; a moment later the fluid rose up, pressing into the various cracks and crevices created by the first as Archie continued his chant.

Reaching out again to the flow of mana, Esfir yanked at the fluid form of the water, freezing it instantly. Several thunderous cracks heralded a good start to their plan; ice took up more space than water, causing the stony body of the animated guardian to crack further. Maura took a step forward, resetting herself as she readied another round of supporting mana. "Keep going, Durnok!"

Between the ample reach of his pike and the slippery nature of the floor, the lizard was doing a fine job of fending off the first animated statue. Knowing his job well, the lizard constantly moved back and forth in the middle of the hall, keeping his opponent constantly rotating to try and intercept him, preventing the guardian in the back from having an angle to step up and join the fray. Pushing far more than attacking, Durnok wasn't really causing any damage but he was definitely keeping it from approaching, which, at that point, was far more important to the casters.

Malik, in the meantime, continued the assault, and sent a vial Durnok's shoulder, glowing the whole way until it struck the damaged animated guardian again, blowing another large chunk out of its chest. Another Bubble Buster potion hit the back statue a moment later; Archie pulled the water into place and with a quick burst of mana, Esfir had it frozen solid. A moment later the animated statue collapsed as its structural weaknesses were finally too much to bear; sections exploded off of it as the ice pushed it apart.

With the bulk of the leading statue blocking him from the worst fo the shrapnel, Durnok was able take the opportunity to push his pike forward between its legs and then, shifting the weapon into the form of a bill hook, pulled with all his might. Between the lizard's incredible strength, decent leverage, and the slippery nature of the ice, the status stumbled, arms cartwheeling as it attempted to avoid falling. Durnok sprang away, shouting "NOW!"

Whenever spells with possible collateral damage was possible the Sufa Union made it a goal to minimize friendly fire, and that often meant either not targeting the front line, or else moving their front line fighters back. The moment Durnok backpedaled Malik took that (and the accompanying shout) as his cue and launched another Pulse Potion. Already pushed back, the animated guardian took the hit on its leg, further inhibiting it from regaining its balance. The follow-up inclusion of water made it even more difficult, at which point Esfir grinned devilishly when she twisted the mana in just the right way to cleanly sever its leg when the ice expanded; it fell onto its back.

Durnok held up an arm. "Save the potions."

Malik remained where he was, another Pulse Potion loaded into his sling staff, but he complied. At the front of the part Durnok motioned for Maura and approached the animated guardian, which was squirming around to find a way to stand; with a quick shake of his bill hook, the lizard had it changed into a large military pick. Maura approached as well, pulling her crossbow out again as she gripped it by its body, brandishing the metal-wrapped butt. Between the two of them, their aggressive savagery reduced the statue to rubble in a half dozen blows; it stopped moving half way through but the Sufa Union believed in the old adage 'Better safe than sorry.'.

The two largest members of the party concluded their savage beating of the guardians and looked back to everyone else. Maura was the first to speak once she'd caught her breath. "Everyone alright?"

Djona, ever-focused on the group's equipment, sighed, pointing to the torn metal at the end of the bear's crossbow. "One casualty."

Glancing down to her weapon, Maura shrugged, flicking an ear as she held it out, damage-first to Durnok. "Help a girl out, love?"

Durnok shook his pike, returning it to its inert metal bar form, the butt of which he slammed into the wall and it flickered, twisting until it returned to the form of a torch, and then he placed both talons on Maura's crossbow. Anyone but Esfir wouldn't have been able to appreciate the way the mana flowed and danced at Durnok's touch. Although he was arguably the weakest magic user among the Sufa Union (excluding perhaps Djona, who had no skill of her own), his talent was perhaps the most artistic and required the most delicate touch. Beneath his masterful ministrations the metal found its way back to its proper shape and the damage to the crossbow disappeared as if it had never been.

Once the crossbow was repaired, Durnok smiled to Maura. "And my reward?"

The bear returned the smile, leaning forward and providing the lizard a kiss on the snout. "That's a down payment... more tonight."

Durnok winked. "Can't wait."

Maura then turned to Esfir, reaching down to smother her head in an enormous paw, rubbing her feathers vigorously. "Great plan, sweety... good job!"

Esfir was vindicated, having received her sought-after reward. Malik, however, was was quick to object. "What? No 'good job' for the alchemist?"

Durnok smirked down at the gecko, kneeling to draw closer to the smaller reptile's height before taking hold of him by the shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."

Esfir rolled her eyes when Durnok pressed his scaled snout against Malik's. The size difference was obvious without them being face-to-face, but it was made all the more apparent when Durnok's tongue invaded the much smaller gecko's maw. When the lizard finally pulled away, Malik's smooth skinned hide was two shades warmer. "That's... that's good and all, but you know I prefer it when you stick that tongue of yours in my--"

The 'group moment' was disrupted rudely by Yosef. "So... is that it then? Hardly seems like worthy guardians."

Nearly at the end of her tolerance for the noble, Esfir was ready to put the salamander in his place but, thankfully, Malik beat her to it, granted, with a much lighter touch than she would have provided. "Oh... it isn't that they were unworthy, they just didn't stand much of a chance against the best."

Yosef's expression said nothing as his already-thin lips drew even tighter. "Then let's continue... I don't have all night."

Even though the salamander started walking forward, Archie, who had been at his elbow for almost the entirety of the trip did not continue with him. "Actually, I think we're done."

Their employer halted, about-facing to look back at the Mink. "Done? We're not at the heart of the vault yet. You don't get paid for taking me HALF way."

Rather than looking at Yosef, Archie instead glanced to Malik. "Do we have everything we need, Malik?"

The gecko nodded, counting off some kind of list on his fingers. "Unlisted job offer. Keystone but no key. No knowledge of the floor plan. No knowledge of the Animated Guardians... yeah-- that should about cover it."

Esfir realized right away what was going on and was thankful for it, her love for her group growing leaps and bounds since she got to enjoy the confused expression on their asshole employer's usually smug snout. He looked accusingly at everyone. "What's going on? We're not done!"

Malik smirked. "You're right about that. WE'RE not done... but YOU are."

Archie took a step up to join the gecko, resting a furred arm on his group mate's scaled shoulder. "Where'd you get the keystone, Yosef? I think it's impossible for you to claim that you have it by rights at this point."

The salamander's scales turned even redder in what could have been perceived as indignation but, seeing the rest of her party's confidence and finally understanding their game, Esfir realized that it was pure embarrassment; he was caught dead to rights. Still, it didn't stop him from trying to continue spinning lies. "What are you TALKING about? This is my house's vault! I have the keystone and the contents are mine by right of blood!"

Esfir finally found herself liking their job even though she still didn't grasp all of the angles; watching Yosef try to squirm his way out of whatever trap he'd set for himself was worth the price of admission. Hearing all of her apprehension and questions brought to the forefront was also reaffirming since it helped her realize that her companions weren't as clueless as they were playing. Malik further reinforced that thought. "You have the keystone because it went missing from its rightful owner, Lord Taz... your uncle once removed. Or, would have been, had he not died under mysterious circumstances..."

Although the Kobold didn't know much about people she was good at reading intentions and the way the Salanander was glancing around nervously she realized he was going to bolt. Sliding slowly around to cut off his only route for escape, Esfir gleefully spun, her tail lashing out to catch him in the ankle before he could take more than two steps. Everyone else just remained where they were laughing... all except for Malik, who stepped up to join Esfir. "And here I thought you didn't like nobles... you went and swept this one off his feet."

Yosef wasn't idle in the vacuum of inaction, rather, he quickly scampered up to his feet and began running again. Malik sighed. "Not sure why I bother... it's not like he can get away going any further INTO the vault..."

The Gecko languidly stepped past Esfir and reached into his pouch, pulling out the trap he'd saved from earlier. With a casual flick he had freed the cord from the trigger and the latch tripped, sending a needle flying after the Salamander. Yosef stumbled two more steps before falling flat on his snout and lay unmoving on the floor. Durnok objected. "Hey!"

Malik turned around, offering the big lizard a thumbs up, "Hey... it was sleeping poison, relax... we'll be able to get our bounty..."

Esfir raised an eye ridge. "Bounty?"

Archie nodded, plodding down the hallway to collect the Salamander. "Yep... his family had a feeling he was responsible for the theft of their keystone so they paid us to take his job and find proof. They agreed to pay us double what he was offering... and we get to keep the full wages he offered too."

The Kobold was impressed. "Three times what he offered total?"

Malik gave her a gentle jab in the gut with his elbow. "Heh... and you thought you were bad at math."