"A win is a win," Jarlaxle chimed in, andEntreri stared at him incredulously.
"Did I just notice you losing a rather large sumof coin to these dolts?"
"The coins are only shiny metal unless one has aplace at which to spend them," the drow replied.
Entreri didn't even try to search for the reasoningbehind that statement.
"Wonderful life, this," he muttered."So much hardship for a pittance and the empty joys in reveling in themisery of others."
"Empty joys?" Jarlaxle echoed, and whenEntreri looked at him, the dark elf seemed like a smug and judgmental mirrorreflecting back upon him.
Unwilling to acknowledge that sly retort, howevertruthful, in any positive way, the assassin just shook his head and stood as ifto leave.
"My friend," said Jarlaxle, "it is acave, with but one easily defended exit. Where are my coins and jewels togo?"
Entreri started to offer a smug retort, but he stoppedshort as Jarlaxle's intent became clear. One corner of Entreri's lip curled, asclose to an expression of intrigue as he had been able to muster on histypically dour face in some time, something the grinning Jarlaxle obviouslydidn't miss.
"They are a dozen," the assassin remindedhis black-skinned companion. "Seasoned and skilled."
"Have you so lost the will for a challenge?"
It was Entreri's turn to smirk.
"No," he replied. "In traveling withyou, I simply have not found a worthy challenge placed before me."
Jarlaxle glanced upward at the higher ledges, andEntreri took the cue, moving to one of the rope ladders and scaling to thehighest ledge, where he quickly gathered up one of the ropes used for slidingfast back to the main floor.
Jarlaxle, meanwhile, ambled over to the gathering,where the two terrified girls were being prodded and pushed around as the thugsbegan to sort out the order of the coming assault. At one point, Patermeg, outof jealousy or just her typical nastiness, balled up her fist and punched oneof the girls in the face, knocking her to the ground.
"Don't ye ugly her up!" one of the mencomplained.
Patermeg stormed over anyway and kicked at the girl.
Or started to, for a howl from above turned them allthat way, to see Pagg standing on the high ledge, staring down at them, hisface locked in an expression that none could immediately decipher.
Until he fell forward, quite dead before he ever hitthe floor.
The bandits all watched that descent, and so nonenoticed the sudden movement up above as another form came leaping off thatledge, angling out to the side. Entreri released the rope perfectly as he went,launching himself into a long and fast-descending swing, angling down in agreat swoop that brought him sweeping right at the gathering.
The assassin slammed in hard against the first thug inline, his knees tucked at a perfect angle to shatter the man's hip and send himsprawling to the floor in agony. Letting go of the rope and drawing forth hisdagger and sword, Entreri fell into a wild roll and charge, slashing andstabbing every which way as he cut through the group.
Charon's Claw, his magical blade, began issuing forthits stream of ash, leaving black lines hanging in the air that only added tothe confusion.
Around went Entreri, coming to his feet and turning acircuit, launching a backhand stab with his dagger and cutting down one foolwith his sword-and nearly cleaving the man's head in half in the process.
He knew that he had to move swiftly, that he and Jarlaxlehad to take down at least half the remaining cutthroats before any organizeddefense could begin to take shape, but even as he started to gain truemomentum, even as he found his footing so that he could offer more substantiveand devastating strikes, he found his blade deftly deflected by a perfectlytimed parry, and he had to throw himself out far to the side to avoid acountering thrust.
As he squared up in a defensive posture, he heard awhistling noise, and despite being pressed hard by three of the killers,including both women, he glanced back at his companion.
Jarlaxle, surrounded, was spinning his cane over andover in his hand, and it was the item that was "singing" like somestrange musical instrument. The octave raised as Jarlaxle increased the spin,bringing the walking stick in diagonal swoops back and forth to either side ofhim.
A sword came hard at Entreri and he brought Charon'sClaw across in a parry, then slashed it back the other way, releasing a wall ofblack ash. He rushed around to the right of the ash, sword swiping and buildinga perpendicular visual barrier.
Entreri stopped short and pivoted back the other way,ducked low as he quick-stepped, then turned back and plunged right through thefirst of his ash barriers.
Patermeg was still looking to her left, to the far endof the second wall, when he burst out right beside her, his dagger stabbingdeep into the side of her chest, his sword going across the half-orc female'storso to poke her opposite shoulder, keeping her sword at bay.
Entreri twisted the dagger and called upon itslife-stealing abilities, then tore it free and hopped forward over thecrumbling Patermeg, engaging Jhen and the other in a sudden and furiousexchange.
The whistling continued from across the way, and wasaccompanied by a series of grunts, shouts, and squeals that Entreri could notignore. He glanced back to see the ring of thugs about Jarlaxle collapsing,bandits grabbing at their bellies, at their faces, and falling away, stunghard. Entreri's scan of Jarlaxle registered the truth.
As the walking stick twirled, the drow was fasttapping his little finger against one of the ferret eyes, and that was settingloose a needle dart to fly forth from the other end. A stream of the tiny,stinging (and no doubt poison-coated, judging from the spasms of those beinghit) missiles flew forth.
Entreri focused completely on the task before him,slapping aside Jhen's sword and that of his other attacker. He had anopportunity to strike at that man, but held his defensive posture, and whenboth blades came at him side-by-side a moment later, he swiped his sword acrossand up, taking them both high.
Entreri fast-turned inside that parry and slashedCharon's Claw back down, painting the air black before his turning and dodgingattackers.
And they were face-up before the wall of ash, apparentlyexpecting Entreri to burst through it or come running around either end.
Except that the pivoting Entreri had been on the nearside of the ash wall when he'd created it, and so was behind them, watchingwith some amusement.
Jhen, to her credit, got it first, and she gave ascream and spun wildly around. She ducked the swinging Charon's Claw, but thesword wasn't aimed for her anyway, and instead went across and lopped the headfrom the male thug, who still stood staring stupidly at the ash.
No, for Jhen, Entreri had reserved his jeweled dagger,taking her right in the face as she conveniently ducked low.
The assassin pulled the blade free and looked back tosee Jarlaxle with only a pair of thugs remaining, and both of them takingrefuge behind the two captured girls.
A third man was sprinting for the door, but Jarlaxlereached into his innate drow magic and placed a globe of impenetrable darknessover that opening. The man ran right into the globe, and from within its darkconfines came a crash and a grunt.
"He has most of my coin, I fear," Jarlaxlecalmly said, as if intending to spur Entreri to motion.
But the assassin just stood and watched the standoffwith amusement, wondering if Jarlaxle would barter for the lives of theinnocent girls.
Jarlaxle stood calmly, his only movement that of hiswalking stick, still spinning before him, rocking back and forth.
"Empty of darts?" Entreri asked in the drowlanguage, guessing correctly that the others could not understand.
"Not quite, though the poison is depleted,"Jarlaxle replied.