Smudge ducked behind the cabin, taking a moment to switch the rings on her fingers and trigger a wand from her pack. She was not entirely prepared for a fight against so many mages, having figured on this part being more of a quiet recon. Deathblock ring, ring of protection from acid, and a casting of shield to protect her from magic missiles was the best she could do.

Arachan's voice sounded in her mind. "Are you all alright down there? Do we know if Intayazz is on board?"

She thought back, quieter this time, "Things aren't going as planned. That's for sure. Fight is on. I don't know where Intayazz is yet, but I'm heading to look. I don't think so. Looks like this ship is more of a meeting place. I'll let you know what we find."

As she crouched in her hiding spot, she heard the voices of two men nearby, one having apparently just teleported in.

"Ogre's eyes! What is going on here?" the first exclaimed.

"Turns out our 'fearless leader' was wrong about how long it would take them to come. All of a sudden we saw an elf and a giant cat falling out of the sky. Then more started popping out of the woodwork. Get your arse moving. Looks like more are coming!"

She stifled a chuckle at the ever brash Pettrah as she moved up behind the first mage, using his body to block the second one's view of her. Being small did have its advantages at times.  She sunk her short sword in the sweet spot near the man's kidney and rolled quickly to the side so as not to be in the other mage's line of sight. The man let out a yelp of pain and crumpled over toward his friend, gasping his last few breaths.

The surviving mage cursed, loosing a bolt of lightning toward Smudge. She dove low, rolling beneath it and toward the mage. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as the electricity arced just above her, prickling along her skin.

Having closed the distance, she brought the rapier up and thrust forward, scoring a deep blow to the man's shoulder. He growled out the words to another spell, and struck out at her with his good arm, smashing the heel of his hand into her shoulder. Smudge cried out as she felt a measure of her life force being torn from her body, and watched in horror as the wound on his shoulder slowly closed.

She growled and pulled a dagger from her belt, thrusting it upward into his belly in the same motion. The man grunted in pain, then stiffened, falling to the deck unconcious. Not wanting to trust the poison to keep him asleep for the rest of the fight, she took the dagger and quickly slit his throat, before wiping her blade on his robes and replacing it in its sheath.

These two out of her way, she fought her way forward, her mind racing, formulating a new plan.

The battle on deck, caught the attention of the leaders of the group before. Several tattoo'ed priests appear on the deck of the ship. Armed sailors and wizards with them.

The mages on deck were scattered. Many slain from the adventurers above. It wouldn't have been long before the forces were completely destroyed.

The group go into quick action, and several spells are cast. Whether wielding magic or blade, it is obvious this group is better prepared for battle, then who was previously on the ship.

*************************

Blinten hit the deck, and immediately went into a roll for cover. Biggs, the celestial dog he had summoned, quickly joined him. Magic was flying everywhere, but it seemed he had arrived mostly undetected.

He held the clothing in front of Bigg's face, telling him to find Yazzy. The dog seemed confused, and Blinten became worried that he would not be able to smell at all, with all the commotion and magic.

After a moment of hesitation, however, the dog took off.Blinten followed quickly after. He was not sure if he would get spotted, but all he needed to do was find Yazzy, and use Smudge's charm to bring the two of them home.

He would risk being spotted for that.

Rounding around the side, heading for the door to below deck, he came upon one of the tattoo'ed priests. Without hesitation, Biggs rams into the man's chest, and continues down below.

Apparently, the dog would follow the command of finding Yazzy, with no other concern. Blinten leapt over the fallen priest, and continued after the dog as best as he could. Something slammed into his back, as he entered the portal, and he tumbled roughly down into the ship.

His back burned, and he rose slowly. Biggs was there, growly at something down the hall. Blinten looked up, to the top of the stairs, and saw a mage standing there, the once knocked over priest, standing behind him.

He fiddles in his pocket, worried that he had been cornered. Certain that there was nothing more he could do.

He had failed, in his attempt, but he could not use the magic yet.

There has to be something I can do

((In case anyone didn't know, the telepathy can be used by all of you, and you all hear it unless you're in an antimagic field or something

"Unless anyone thinks that Intayazz is on the ship, I would suggest that you get a prisoner and get off. If this is their meeting place, it should slow them down if we destroy it."

((Post incoming of smudge fighting for blinten, plus some incoming info on where intay is, so please don't go teleporting us out yet. ))

Upon hearing Arachan's words about destroying the ship in her mind, a catlike grin crept across Smudge's face. She thought back, "I like how you think, Arachan. I'll make this as quick as I can. I'm not certain he's not here, but that is my guess. I'm heading down to see what's below deck. Things are getting hairy here, so be ready for anything."

Quickly and quietly she padded across the deck, bypassing knots of milling priests and mages. As much as she'd have liked to take every one of them out on her way, there just wasn't time. As she reached the door that lead to the way below deck, she saw a one of the tattooed priests loose a bolt of energy into the doorway, and heard a familiar voice cry out in pain from below.

A mage joined the priest as she picked up her pace, and she quietly cursed fit to make any of the sailors left on board blush. One, two, three more steps and she launched herself into the back of the priest, sinking both her rapier and short sword into his flesh. Her momentum, and the combination of his pain and surprise, sent them tumbling down the stairs, blocking the mage's view of Blinten.

Blinten rolled out of the way, eyes wide, and came up on his feet, drawing his swords. He watched as Smudge and the priest came tumbling down, the halfling turning at the last moment, wrenching her blades free, as the body of the priest slammed into the wall at the bottom of the landing.

She glanced up to Blinten with a crooked grin, coming to her feet. Her grin widened further as a volley of magic missles turned the air purple in front of her as the shield spell absorbed them. "Fancy meetin' you here, kiddo. Shall we?" She nodded her head toward the mage, who was already starting another incantation.

Blinten glanced quickly down the hall, sending Biggs after the mage emerging from the room behind them with a short command. He nodded to Smudge with a look of determination, and charged forward without hesitation, a loud battle cry on his lips. Smudge followed him up the steps, beside him and only a stride or two behind, set on keeping his battle rage from getting him hurt.

The last few words of the mage's incantation came out in an exultant shout as he realized he had chosen his spell well. A swirling blast of bone-chilling cold came howling down the stairs. While normally the two nimble rogues might have a chance at dodging out of the way of such a spell, they were trapped in the confines of the stairwell.

Searing cold tore the breath from the two and rimed the walls, their skin, and their clothing with hoarfrost. Grunting, clenching her hands to keep a grip on her blades, Smudge surged forward. She closed the distance as the mage began another spell, and brought her rapier across in a high slash. At the same time, Blinten charged in, the pain from the cold further fueling his rage. He crashed into the mage, who was busily trying to dodge Smudge's blade, and drove his sword into the side of his thigh.

The mage cried out in pain and tried to back away, the spell dying on his lips. Blinten's blade had severed a tendon, however, and his leg would no longer bear weight. He went down hard onto the deck. Blinten rode out his momentum and followed him down, stabbing over and over, taking out all of his anger and frustration.

Smudge stepped around the falling mage, and brought her short sword around quickly in a killing blow. Her face softened as she saw Blinten's reaction, understanding his rage. He would have to learn to control it though, if he was to survive. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He's dead Blinten. We need to move. Now." She gestured down the stairs to where the growling and snapping of his dog could be heard.

Blinten seemed to snap out of it at the sound of her voice, and drew back from the mage with a nod. The look on his face, however, left her worried.

She gave him a smile of camaraderie, and started down the stairs. "You did well! Let's find Intay!"