<span style="font-weight: bold">&lt;&lt;1ST CARRIAGE: DAGNYR &amp; KAELEN&gt;&gt;</span><br/><br/>"Take the reins," Big Belly mutters. "Riiiight..." She eyes the leather straps Brown Coat shoved into her hands for a second or two, then tosses them to the seat without a second thought - she's got bigger problems than steering a damned carriage right now. That invisible swordsman is still up here somewhere, and the gnoll with him; either one could demolish her right now, and her so-called temamates are starting to look more like appetizers for the Watch. Meanwhile, her other backup hasn't even shown himself since this mess started...<br/><br/>Dammit, where<span style="font-style: italic"> is </span>he!?] One signal from that stalker, and she could bail on this rolling slaughterhouse and make a break for safety: a rooftop, and alleyway, anywhere without swords coming at her from every direction! If he doesn't show himself soon, she might just have to cut and run, and damn the consequences. Dealing with the bosses is a damn sight better than being ripped up by-<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Big Belly's DR prevents 1 damage. (Not that it helps much.)<br/><br/>Stabilization check: 1d20 (19) - 9 = 10, success (barely)<br/>Big Belly is stable</div></div></div><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Fangs...</span>Big Belly freezes, rigid with shock, as the twin needles appear from nowhere lancing into her jugular. To her surprise, it barely hurts at all - a tiny pinprick of discomfort, quickly replaced by a prickly tingling sensation across her neck. Then, numbness, flowing up and down her body. It's almost a shame tha the sensation fades as quickly as it does; or rather, the senses themselves fade, slipping her into warm oblivion...<br/><br/>With a sigh, the overstuffed catgirl collapses onto the driver's bench, slumping over her own giant belly with a loud *GLORP* from within. Neither the belly nor its own shows any further sign of movement, save for the small trickle of blood leaking from two holes in the catgirl's neck.<br/><br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Orange Fur's escape check: 1d20 (4) + 9 = 13, failure</div></div></div><br/>Half-swallowed, Orange Fur dangles precariously over the back of Dagnyr's throat, staring straight down the gnoll's esophagus - a definite one way trip, if ever he saw one. Orange Fur laughs quietly, a futile attempt to reassure himself rather than an actual attempt at joviality - facing his imminent demise has made the entire situation a lot less funny than it was a few seconds ago.<br/><br/>"H-hey, snickers..." Orange Fur stammers. "Y-you're not really gonna do this, right? You're one of those touchy-healy guys? Can't hurt people, or eat meat, or any of that.. right?<span style="font-style: italic">Right!?</span>" The catboy flails in panic against the interior of Dagnyr's throat, making little progress other than a slow and steady slide downward. He tries again, legs flailing outside as he cries out from the hyena's gullet in blind panic. "Okay, I give! I surrender! Parley! You can't eat a guy who calls parley, right? C'mon, man, don't DO this!"<br/><br/><br/>Meanwhile, somewhere between Big Belly and Orange Fur, the last of the free Alley Cats glances nervously between his fellow combatants, assessing the rapidly deteriorating situation. Orange Fur: down the hatch, a lost cause. Big Belly: a bloody mess, not worth saving. Hyena: wolfing down his appetizer, probably due for a main course in about six seconds. Stalker... well, two stalkers, both incommunicado, probably waiting to strike as soon as their respective targets make the wrong move. And those damn cloaks on the rooftop...<br/><br/>It doesn't take long for Brown Coat to come to the same conclusion that Big Belly reached a second before her demise. The mission - at least, his mission - is over. Let Leo and Molly give him all the lip they want; it's not worth hanging around to see the end if it costs him his life like the other two. Everything from here on out is up to that stalker, anyway...<br/><br/>"Sorry guys," Brown Coat mutters. "You're on your own this time. Ciao." The catboy gives his partners a grim, mocking wave goodbye as he steps backward off of the roof, exiting the carriage in a swan dive turned tuck-and-roll that carries him to the edge of the street as the two carriages rattle onward.<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Acrobatics to break fall: 1d20 (19) + 7 = 26, success, Brown Coat takes no damage.<br/><br/>Brown coat withdraws, provoking an AoO from Kaelen.</div></div></div><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">The carriage is uncontrolled this round and slows down by 50 ft. Kaelen or Dagnyr can attempt a driving check next round to accelerate if they wish.<br/><br/>Dagnyr and Kaelen may make Perception and/or Sense Motive checks to notice something...</div></div></div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">&lt;&lt;CARRIAGE 1 STATUS SCROLL&gt;&gt;</span><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Dagnyr HP: 70/86 (81%) [AC: 17 (+9 armor, -3 Dex, +1 natural), CMD: 21 (23 vs. grapple)][entangled, grappled]<br/>Kaelen HP: 49/69 (71%) [AC: 24 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +6 Dex, +1 natural), CMD: 25 (27 vs. grapple)] [1 negative level]<br/>Elona HP: 19%** [AC: 20 (+3 Dex, +7 Natural), CMD: 25] [entangled]<br/>Vignar HP: 97% [AC: 21 (+3 class, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 Int, +1 natural), CMD: 34 (36 vs. disarm/grapple/trip)]<br/><br/>Brown Cloak's HP: 88% [AC: 18 (+2 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size), CMD: 18]<br/>Big Belly's HP: 0% [unconscious, stable]<br/>Orange Fur's HP: 69% [AC: 19 (+1 armor, +3 Dex, +4 shield, +1 size), CMD: 17][grappled]</div></div></div><br/><span style="font-size: 120%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold">Part 1 of 2</span></span>