John
*Kaisa would be practically crawling in Arthur's blood and her vampiric instincts were screaming at her to consume it, to satisfy her thirst and ease the pain if even only a little. However, as she had shown in the room prior infront of the knight of sacrifice, she was a strong willed woman, and resisted the temptation.*
*As Kaisa approached Arthur she would get a closer look at the think that struck his neck. It looked like some sort of bolt, but the tip was oddly shaped, have 2 pointed tips that curved into Arthur's neck. Even more was the bow looked like it was deteriorating as a blackish aura radiated from it, seeping into Arthur's skin. His body would not be moving and the rippling of blood through the blood pool would halt*

*As for Almaan, the individual would yell back*

"We know you've set off our security. There is no way you're injured. We can either fight to death or we can both come out of this alive. You saw what we did to your friend. You won't kill us as easily as you killed Tony. That being said I don't think we could deal with you as easily as we did with your friend either. So I think a deal would work in both our interest."
Roger
*Kaisa would attempt to feel his pulse, her heart beating in her chest as anxiety welled up in her. When she could feel it, she almost cried in relief. But the danger was far from over. She couldn't take the oddly shaped crossbow bolt out due to it's shape, which would result in even more blood loss. She would then see the darkness surrounding it, reminding her of when she was struck by the wight that night. It seemed that there was no way to stop it, and even if Jackal healed the black magic, there was no way she could summon enough power to heal the fatal wound. She suddenly felt his pulse start to slowly drop, and worried suddenly became a massive understatement compared to what she felt*
Thomas
"ARTHUR! Don't leave us, not now, not now, not now... Please" *She would be sobbing as she said this, and she held him close to her chest*
Mary
Well you see, if you were so much more stronger than me why offer the deal? Seems you got something to lose. Unfortunately for you, we don't. So come out here nice and slow so we can kill you, _cowards_.
Ranae
_Almann turns towards Kaisa and wispers_
Mary
"You got any magic left? That we can use?"
Ranae
_He probably knew the answer to this. He hoped to the gods that he could kill a few. He had enough mana to duke it out with a couple of them... But he didn't know if he could take them all on if they all came through at the same time. Hopefully they took his bait, and they'll funnel angrily through while he beats the shit out of them with his sword and fists. Good thing he's flanked the door._

_Almann takes a crouched stance instead, he'll swing upwards at the head once more, but this time from a lower position as to through off the enemy, and to attempt to get under a helmet instead of directly striking their helmet. They probably figured what side of the door he's on, and what stance he's taken by the previous swing._
John
Sadly no but looks like wolf is replying
Neal
*Syele would be frozen in place for a moment as she watched Arthur drop from the bolt while a distance away. Her dull eyes simply blinked a few times watching Kaisa rush over, her feet wouldn't move for the mere fact of her concern over the archer taking another shot. It took a literal few minutes that her body, without her own control, simply forced her into fight or flight as she came dashing over and entered a slide hoping that if the archer took a shot that she wouldn't be hit.*

"His going to die if we don't do something now! Keep that damn archer off me!" *She shouted with actual concern in her voice to Kaisa, rather it be for herself or Arthur who knows, while doing so she took the hilt of her sword and bashed the shaft portion of the tip with the hilt to break it off. If successful, she'd rapidly rip out the shaft and quickly focused 'walk it off' aimed for the arteries and throat wound itself hoping that the magic would register the severity of the wound itself. Even if it works, the issue comes into play that he may have already lost too blood to begin with or his lungs may have too much of it already built up in his chest. There was ways to remove the fluid built up, but she didn't have the tools to do it. So for the time being she could only hope for the best and create a small incision opening with her sword in the attempt to remove the excessive pressure from his lungs or at least some of the blood that had built up.*

```Walk it off| 0/100 mana, was lazy enough to count up at least the 25 mana needed.```
John
*The leader in the room would laugh at Almann's response*

"Sure, we got something to lose. That's why we're hiding in here. But considering how you've been hiding behind that corner instead of charging in here, you must also be a coward, unless of course you want to come in here nice and slow so that 'we' can kill you. Cus from the sounds of it, there is no we on your side, only 'you'. But sure, if you don't want to negotiate we're find waiting in here for our mana to recover. The choice is yours" 

*As Syele makes her way to Arthur, she would find that she wouldn't need to put much effort in breaking the bolt as it was practically disintegrated at this point. That being said, Arthur's neck looked terribly corrupted. Her attempts to ease the pressure off his lungs would provide some relief, but as she casts walk if off, to her dismay she would see it have no effect on Arthur. But she would not have too much time to contemplate about it as she would hear a "Twump" From behind her long with the sound of something heavy and sharp quickly moving through the air toward her*
Roger
*Kaisa isn't letting this happen again. She feels the pain in her legs flare up as she rises and pushes jackal out of the way, raising her shield and resummoning her breastplate, hoping to block the next bolt. She also fires 4 Flaming Barrages from her shoulder pods down the room*
Neal
*With being knocked out of the way, Syele simply kept her head down and crawled for cover during the ensuing flaming barrage. The only way to ensure that they was going to make it out of it was to kill the archer, she thought, thus she would be looking for a path around them to ambush them while they were distracted with her sword drawn.*
Roger
```30 mana spent, 14 regained, 84 mana remaining```
Mary
"Ah yes, let me rush in their with my companions so we can get blown kingdom come by your magic. I'll pass. You guys can come to me, honestly. We have all day."
Ranae
_Almann needs to find our their positions in the room. They couldn't have been sitting in the dark their could they? He takes out one of his steel daggers with his left hand. He's lucky he polishes them every day._

_Almann attempts to look into the room using the refection off the blade, trying to figure out roughly where they are in the room so that he might toss a Bronze Lance in there at one of them. He does this to avoid peaking directly. It looks like he's going to have to get lucky if he wants to take another one of them out._
John
Kaisa would successfully push Syele out of the way as the incoming object comes toward her. It would be too dark to make out what it was till it was a few feet infront of her, revealing a massive axe swinging from a rope, slamming into her shield and knocking her off her feet. However she is able to let loose her 4 flaming barrages, and as they fly across the room, the slight about of light they give off will reveal more armor and weapons of unique designs, but there would be no person in sight. That being said as her needles hit the back wall, a series of *Twing* *Twung* *Click* *Shwump* Sounds would be heard originating from the back 

As for Syele, looking around for a path wouldn't reveal much as the room didn't have any light sources much like the rest of this hideout. However, from the flicker of light from Kaisa's barrage Syele would notice glimmers of string spread out across the room

*The men inside the room would whisper among themselves and the leader would speak out again*

"As do we, but I doubt your group had brought food and water down here. So if it's a battle of attrition I am certain we will hold out. That being said, may I ask why are you so determined to kill us? I think it would be safe to assume the 'boss' sent you, but is the amount of gold he is paying you worth it?" *The leader would let out a sight*

"We worked for him, but then we found out how much of a cheapskate he was. He was making hundreds of thousands of gold from our services, but all we got was a handful of coins. We've also reliably working for him for this long, but the moment we decide to make a profit for ourselves he sends cleaners to get rid of us. This is unfair. We're being wronged here. If you decide to work for us instead I assure you our business will pay you more fairly than the 'boss'. So lay down your dagger and let's negotiate like mature adults"

*The dagger's reflection wouldn't reveal anything as the room was unlit as well*
Neal
"...There's not even an archer here! Fucking hit the dirt!" *Syele shouted out in fury toward Kaisa, it was just a fucking automatic trap from the looks of it triggered by the string... Arthur must not had been looking when he entered the room and literally just stepped on it.* "Oi! Back pedal and drag Arthur out, we gotta back up Almann!" *Syele would go low to the ground hearing several clicks and crawled her way back out to avoid being shot.*
Mary
"Well, it's kill or capture. You guessed right, we are paid by the boss. Plenty of gold per head captured or killed. Unfortunately for you, gold isn't the only incentive. But I think you can take a wild guess on what the other incentive is."
Ranae
_Almann is getting nervous now. He doesn't have any cards up his sleve. He would need Kaisa's fire magic to show him the positions of the enemy. Or, hopefully, they could find something explosive or helpful in the other rooms..._
Mary
"Kaisa, Jackal, see if you can get into the other room after closing the other door. Go into the room I opened, I don't think it's booby trapped. Search in there for medical supplies, food, and anything that might help us flush out these guys..."
Ranae
_He jerks his thumb at his door_
Roger
*Kaisa would be sent flying from the blow. Thank god she had her shield up, or that would have killed her. She would here Jackal say that the traps were automated. Fuck. She could here 4 more coming. She would get back up quickly, momentarily pauses and gasps in pain as the pressure is reapplies to her legs. She runs to Arthur and tries to drag him out, but is found to be too weak to*
Thomas
"Jackal! Help me here!"
John
*As Syele crawls across the floor, she would only be able to watch in horror as Kaisa got up, struggling to pull Arthur with her. She was too kind to her own good, but sacrifice was different from being suicidal. Alas, it would be too late to do anything to help her as a series of projectiles would fly through the air toward her. Thankfully they would not all hit and the ones that do would ping off her armor. However, a metallic net that would capture both her and Arthur, pinning them to the ground.*

*As for Almann's conversation with the leader, he would hear a chuckle*
"Unfortunate that we could not come to terms. I actually do not know what other incentive you would have unless you are afraid of the boss? I suppose that would be a good enough incentive for a coward who can only kill while hiding in the corner. But worry not, the moment we recover our mana we will head out and show you how real men fight, as we have nothing to fear from someone who can't even stand up against a mere merchant"
Neal
*Syele... Continued to crawl past the net for the time being leaving her comrades to enter the hallway. It was best not even to touch the net, everything in that room wasn't any normal object and to her understanding it could had been very well made not to be removed by just anyone. She stand up once she was a safe distance out of the room and stared toward Almann with her eyes being hollow at the time.* "Almann... It is not in our best interest to keep going with this..."

*She started to think... Trying to find her words... And how to say it all in particular.* "Arthur and Kaisa are likely to die soon, minutes maybe, my magic isn't working anymore and even for what mana I do replenish it doesn't do any good. If we continue, then we run the risk of all of us dying here... I don't even know if we can leave this place now." *Her awareness of the situation started to fade as she simply sat down all of a sudden holding her hands over her head dropping her guard completely as only her thoughts to a solution started to flood her train of thought.* "Even if we burn this entire place down with everyone in it... We don't have an exit plan... There's no clear exits and the doors behind us are likely not an option... Have you found the threat or at least the people we're after...?"
Mary
"Yeah, but we're pretty much out of luck here. There's no door we can barricade, and they probably have AOE spells to flush my out from the door frame. I don't see any other way out of this..."
Ranae
_Almann curses under his breath. He's running out of time. What are his options?_

_1. He can put his faith in the men in the room, attempt to negotiate with them, and with the best case scenario being that they don't die and steal some of the cargo. But they will obviously fail the quest and piss off the merchant, having to watch behind their backs for the rest of their lives. Almann could afford this, his shop was in this city. His business would be ruined..._

_2. He can wait until they try to assault him, and he'd have to fight to the death, but he'd be outnumbered heavily, while the others are on the floor. There's not telling what AOE magic they would use to flush him out from his flank on the door. They really are screwed here it seems._

_He can't believe this! It was a mistake taking this quest. His business will have to be moved, so will his savings, and he's lucky if he leaves this city with any coin..._

_Almann grits his teeth and speaks up again._
Mary
"Alright... We can negotiate. Light up your room so I can see you, and I'll show myself."
Roger
*She soon found herself and Arthur bound in some kind of metallic net. This was a bit too close for her comfort, and she didn't have the strength to break out. She would attempt to saw through the net using her arm blade the best than she can*
John
*You would hear more laughing coming from the room*
"Oh, now you want to negotiate? Got scared? Well that's fine, but unlike you we aren't afraid of the dark so we'll leave it as is. After all you don't need to see us to talk. As for this deal, we ask that you leave this place and inform your employer that there was no one here and it was empty. No signs of their cargo. We'll give you one of the spare keys so you can return back to the surface, but as collateral to make sure you don't trick us, toss your injured friend here tied up. There should be some rope in the room all the way to the right"

*Kaisa would find that the metal rope wasn't that thick, but would have to spend a great deal of time to cut through it to become free. For now she heard no more traps being set off, however as she had fallen on Arthur's body she find that it was incredible cold. The taint would also for some reason no longer be on his neck, but you would notice that the pool of blood was changing to a more greyish color, the same color as Kaisa's blood...*
Thomas
"Arthur? Arthur!" *She would shake his head, then notice his blood turning color.* "Huh?" *She would come to a conclusion, one that she had hoped would never happened.* "No, no no no no NO!" *She couldn't believe it. It seemed to her that she had failed. It seemed that Arthur had become a vampire*
Neal
"No. That's isn't a fair negotiation at all, do you think we would had came here all this way to be slapped and then slapped again when we return to the surface? Please, do you think our lives are so easily traded? To be frank, let's say we don't return... Then he'll just send a better group and see that the job is done. By the mere fact of us not going back would be a prime signal that this place holds more than what it seems." *Syele spoke out clearly, her eyes still dead as ever, but her tone had a sense of control to it.*

"Your offer is that we leave, give you a hostage, and possibly face death when they figure out we lied. That is a fool's deal." *She'd hold up her hand for a mere moment.* "Secondly, my counter offer is that you pay us for our troubles and let us all go... Then we may consider the fact to lie on your behalf. Because frankly, you don't really have much of a choice in this situation. Killing us would do no good, letting us a leave without good reason not to come back does you no good, and threatening and injuring us any further will just make my friend here rash... He may even decide to damage the main supports of this structure and just bring it all down on us. Because I mean, really, you think it would be hard to do? It just takes one good hit across one of the central supports and this whole place becomes unstable."

"Finally, we're the only ones who could really save you in this situation. You have no one else to trust, so very much the blade that was sent to cut you down will be your salvation... If you at least meet my demands. So, give us a payment... Give us the key... And we'll see it through." *Syele finished speaking with her tone settling on the air like a chill across a spine.*
Ranae
_Almann remains silent in a crouched position with a Stone Fist in one hand and Horemheb in the other. He was prepared to strike from a low position in case one of them rushed out. He waited for a response._
John
*There would be silence from the room for a bit, followed by some whispering. The leader's voice would respond once more*
"If we get away successfully, we will certainly pay you double whatever the 'boss' is. Unfortunately we don't have much gold with us as someone burned down our guild, forcing us to flee for our lives without the chance of claiming any of our valuables besides the cargo. So while we can't pay you now, if you carry out this negotiation to lie on our behest, you will receive your due reward later. Consider it an investment, cus frankly you can't leave here without us. We need each other equally. So our original proposition still stands except we promise to pay you for your service after we escape"
Neal
"Very well then, but I do request that our comrade is still allowed to come with us. They are gravely injured and I doubt you have the best interest for them." *Syele stated flatly, they were all a bit injured and it wouldn't take no mere healer to take care of them in their states, she also took note of the strange change of Arthur's blood... Hell, she thought, to hell with them if they think they're going to take him. She hated him, despised him, but that doesn't mean some assholes in the shadows would be allowed to take her only true rival in life.*

"So, that is all I have to say on the matter, it is fair for both sides and we all leave without any further issues to be had." *She stated firmly, hoping for an agreeing answer to what she had said.*
John
*Syele would be greeted with disgruntled voices and the leader would respond*
"Well, without your comrade we have no collateral now do we? Granted you could just abandon her, but at least it will be some insurance compared to no insurance. If she is in critical condition, then I suggest you leave here quickly and inform the boss so that we can leave. Then you can bring her to a healer"
Neal
"I have given you Collateral, it is literally your very lives. I have stated answer after answer, are you not satisfied? Additionally, we could leave... Return and just to find you've left already or worse, the 'boss' sends trackers or an entire band down your throats. It is in best for all our interests that we never return to this place again for any reason. If you truly hold to the word of paying us later, then send it through a channel of merchants and have it exchange hands enough times that it doesn't attract attention. Have it be logged for various payments with the exchange of items of equal value then back to currency each time, it is an old merchant trick that my father taught me... But again like I have said... We'll be leaving now." *Her voice trailed off while she continued to look into the dark, waiting for a response.*
John
*There would be an awkward silence, before hearing the leader clearing his throat*
"Um, you see, this was going to be the start of our own businesses. This cargo was suppose to give us the financial start we needed, but well, the boss sort of interrupted any possible trade deals. He also kind of dealt with any other allies we may have had, but I mean goes to show what an asshole he is, right? So while we don't yet have connections to contact you after you leave, you could maybe make up some lie to the boss so that you can come back here and join us. Then we can all flee together! We could use new guild members after all as most of them died from that terrible fire... We can also then find a healer for your friend. Does that sound alright?"
Neal
*Syele would have the most disgusted look ever descended from the heavens and hells themselves. Did these motherfuckers really try to flip it around and have them join their guild, skip the payment for a while, and still get off free like a fucking bird? But goddamn, they did have a point in a way, once the lie was discovered then they were going to be hunted like dogs either way... It was a shitfest, she had to admit, but her words had gotten her this far and their plate was running dry.* "Almann? Kaisa? Is that alright with you?" *Fuck, she was screaming on the inside, but at least this way... Everyone going to go home... But she really wanted that fucking gold off the bat.*

"...I'm okay with it... As long as this ends without any of us dying." *She bitterly stated, but her tone remained just as monotone as ever before standing back up on her feet.*
Ranae
_Every instinct of Almann's was screaming. He'd still remain at the door tense, no matter what happened. Just in case. He didn't trust these men for a minute. In a world where coin decides the lives of millions these men would be no different than the rest. They'd sooner cut off their heads, take their things, and sell them cheaper on the market. The slave inside of the other room alone is several dozen gold market value alone, and that's if it isn't among others. What they were dealing with here weren't inexperienced warriors or businessmen. They were dealing with thieves, rogues, the worst criminals. If the boss was any indication of the attitudes and motives of these men they would be in trouble._

_Curse them for being rash, they could've all been rich off of the cargo of this place rather than the heads of the men. Almann could've opened his shop somewhere else, hell, he could've opened two. The longer he stays in here the more he regrets going on this quest, the more he wishes he could get out himself with his pockets full of gold._

_Almann grits his teeth and keeps his sword drawn._

_At this point his eyes were filled with pure hatred. To what exactly? He didn't know. To everything._
Thomas
"Help him! Arthur's going to die!"
Roger
*Kaisa would attempt to drag Arthur out of the net, but ultimately fail. She originally feared for Arthur's life when they said collateral, but she soon feared for her own when they mentioned she*
Thomas
"And I'm not staying as tribute!"
John
*You would hear snickering and laughing behind the door followed by a quick shush*
"I haven't heard a response from you yet, but it seems you have another injured friend. Arthur is it? Sounds like he is in trouble. I think it would be in your best interest to do what we ask"
Thomas
"Almann. Come closer"
Roger
*If he leans in, she whispers to him*
Thomas
"Drag me to the entrance. I can take care of them"