[Aqua-chan]

That was what set off the following brawl, Orcslicer and Pebblecrusher running towards Minsc and Jaheira with weapons raised and at the ready. More levelheaded, the northern adventurers waited for the ideal opportunity to counter the attacks wisely.

Yoshimo instead chose to hang back with Kilyannamaia, notching arrows to his bow with expertise. His place was out of the thick of combat, someplace safe from which he could pick off distracted foes one by one. That tactic looked necessary, for on the far side of the room was a red-clad mage with a mephit familiar. He didn't know a whole lot about the workings of magic, but Yoshimo did know that one could really hurt a mage by taking out his familiar. This particular imp had what was clearly a magical shield engulfing it, though, so Yoshimo traded in a plain wood arrow for a lightly enchanted one.

As the bounty hunter attacked the sorcerer's pet from a distance Jaheira parried Orcslicer's downward slash with ease, then flicked her wrist and threw his balance. His defenseless side quickly became a new sheathe for Jaheira's scimitar.

If it weren't armed combat one could probably find something comical about the largest member of Kilyannamaia's party having to lean down to do battle with the smallest member of Orcslicer's band. Mencar may have been a dwarf, but still there was something to his skill as a fighter. He successfully held Minsc off until his thief ally, Brennan, was able to sneak behind the giant and get him in the back with a dagger. Minsc wavered from the pain but refused to buckle.

Jaheira's foe down, she made a swipe at the rogue but missed. The agile human was quick to pull a purplish translucent vial from his waistband, consume it and vanish right before her eyes. Worried, the druid called back, "Kilyannamaia!"

The mage was already half way through chanting the incantation for a Detect Invisibility spell, quite aware the damage a thief could do to her friends… or to herself especially, should the man choose to plunge a knife into her back next.

After killing the mephit its master gave a painful jolt, feeling the magical bond being severed permanently. Recoiling from the shock, it hadn't dawned on the mage in time to put up some sort of shield to keep him from ending up like poor Pooky. Yoshimo got him in the shoulder first but then missed the second shot.

The mage retaliated by using that short period to send a Lightening Bolt Yoshimo's way, but the Kozakuran dove to the floor in order to avoid what could have been a rather nasty injury. It turned out to work well for his agenda: the bolt hit the wall behind him before bouncing back towards its caster. Yoshimo didn't look, but he could guess from the surprised screams of agony that the electrocution must have been unbearably painful.

A fearsome sweep from Minsc with the Sword of Chaos ended Mencar's life in one bloody moment, leaving only a magically exposed rogue facing death from four adrenalin-pumped individuals. The thief stood between the warriors and the long-range combatants, leaving both Kilyannamaia and Yoshimo feeling very vulnerable.

"Madness," hissed the backstabbing rogue after he'd felt the wrath of Kilyannamaia's Acid Arrow strike his forearm. "I'll not die for a dead man's ridiculous pride!"

The thief began to take his leave of the battle, but quickly it became apparent to Yoshimo that he and Kilyannamaia were blocking the only exit. The rogue seemed to realize this too, but rather than take to the shadows and sneak away he simply charged the less armored of the pair, Kilyannamaia, sword at the ready.

The mage wasted no time in setting her hands into motion for performing the necessary gestures for a Stoneskin, but even the simple spell would have taken too long to cast. Yoshimo had already set an arrow and drawn it by the time she decided on what spell she would cast, and just as the attacker prepared to slash his blade across Kilyannamaia's chest Yoshimo planted the arrow just inches to the left of his jugular. The thief halted, stumbled over his own feet and collapsed to the floor with a dying gurgle.

Kilyannamaia stared at the freshly dead body angrily for a few moments, resentful of how the mercenary had actually made her fearful for her life. Yoshimo played the grace card and did not give her any smug looks. Still, she seemed to know he was expecting some sort of gratitude.

"I… Thank you," Kilyannamaia said simply, and Yoshimo courteously bowed and smiled. It took some effort to maintain his respectful aura when the Stoneskin abruptly hardened about her flesh, just a few moments too late to be effective. And, despite himself, Yoshimo could not help but also notice how the spell managed to outline the slight curves of the slender elf's graceful form. 'Stop that!' he told himself, his stomach muscles knotting once more.

Jaheira's forehead glimmered with sweat as she approached them, though otherwise she looked positively calm despite having played a major part in the battle. "Well, Kilyannamaia, you've gone an entire day without a magic surge. That must be a record for you."

"Don't jinx it," the elf said, "We still have a long night ahead of us."