They’d barely had time to enjoy the moment when from below Isa and Mery heard footsteps. “Hoy! Where is everyone?” a male voice called out.

“Fuck! The messenger.” Mery jumped up.

“We didn’t keep very good watch.”

“We didn’t keep watch at all.” Mery flashed a quick grin at Isa and then said, “Stay here. I’ll handle this.”

“But....” Isa rose and picked up her staff which was leaning against the wall.

“I’ve got this, Isa. Please.” Mery turned toward the door, and Isa saw her rub a thumb across her lapel. “Lund? The messenger….” And then she door shut.

Isa quietly stepped across the room and stood beside the door with her back to the wall. She positioned herself so that she’d be behind the door if anyone entered.

With the door closed Isa couldn’t tell if the man was alone. The idea of Mery and Lund facing off against even 1 man was too much for Isa. Mery had healed Isa, but she hadn’t - as far as Isa knew - healed herself. She’d taken a few hits in the fight, and who knows what Mery had endured before they’d gotten there.

That settled it for Isa. As quietly as she could, she turned the doorknob and pulled the door ajar by an inch. The operation had seemed noiseless to her, and she hoped that her ears were not deceiving her.

A creak sounded off to her left, out of Isa’s line of sight. Another creak that just had to be a footstep, and Isa tightened her grip on her staff. She immediately loosened it. Her first lesson with Lund, he’d mentioned her staff grip. “You have to keep hold but give the staff room to shift. The second you hit someone or something with that tight grip, you’re going to break your thumbs.”

A young man crept into view. He had a dagger in his hand, and his eyes swept past Isa’s door and came back to focus on the sliver of her face that showed through the crack in the door. But before he could take a step toward her, he stumbled, and Mery blinked into view.

Mery’s sudden appearance scared Isa so much that she cried out and jumped back. A moment later she realized this must be magic. Some sort of teleport spell or invisibility, and Mery was obviously fine - she’d taken advantage of the young man’s stumble. Maybe she’d even caused it.

With a start Isa realized that although Mery had jumped on the prone man, he had managed to get to all fours. Mery yelled, “Lund!” And Isa heard someone thundering up the stairs - she hoped it was Lund. But in case it wasn’t, Isa needed to act to help her friend.

She threw the door back and rushed forward. Mery was straddling the man, and despite her efforts he had almost pushed himself to his knees which made it look like Mery was getting a piggyback ride. He was balanced on one arm as he used the other to grab at Mery. Isa swung her staff at his stationary arm. If she could deliver even a glancing blow, that might send him fully prone again.

Her swing caught him on the upper arm, and with a cry, the young man fell to the floor. Lund appeared at the head of the stairs and dove into the fight. He landed on the man’s legs and held them tight as Mery kneeled on the man’s shoulders.

“Perhaps,” she said, “You were looking for Hamma. Got a message for him?”

The young man struggled silently, but Lund held tight. With a little bit of coordination Mery and Isa tied the man’s arms behind him, and Lund set him up in a chair in the music room. With a slight frown Isa realized it was the same chair that had held Mery.

Mery, for her part, didn’t seem to notice. She had a note in her hand. This was indeed the messenger that Hamma, the bandit captain, had been awaiting. The note had been sealed with green wax and the impression of one sword balanced on top of another, forming a “T.”

“Thorn?” Isa asked, and Mery nodded and ran her forefinger lightly over the seal.

“Are you going to do it the easy way or the hard?” Lund asked Mery.

“Let’s take a closer look,” she answered and stepped into the hallway.

Isa followed with Lund just behind. He pulled the music room door closed.

“This isn’t the first time you two have fought together.” Isa didn’t pose it as a question. Lund wouldn’t be here if he didn’t care for Mery.

“She’s helped me out a few times,” said Lund. “I figured I owed her.”

“Hardly. Don’t you listen to this blather, Isa. I’ll never live this one down. For sure in 20 years he’ll still be smug and smiling behind his bar reminding me about this day.”

“I’m just glad we got here,” said Isa, “and that we won.”

“We haven’t won yet,” Mery muttered. She looked at the sealed note. “I don’t care if Thorn knows.” She broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter. “It says, ‘Bring her to the new warehouse.’”

“‘The new warehouse,’” Lund repeated.

“Where is that?” Isa looked from one to the other.

“I dunno, but someone here probably does.” Mery nodded her head toward the closed music room door.

“Don’t hurt him!” Isa put a hand on Mery’s arm.

“”Nah, I’m going to get inside his head.”

Lund shook his head. “Don’t ever make a bard mad.”

“Wait, what does that mean? Get inside his head? What does that mean?”

“It’s a spell. Calm down. It’s a spell, and it won’t hurt him.”

Lund shifted as if his clothes were suddenly too tight. “Hurt’s not the right way to say it, but it’s odd. Damned odd knowing someone is rooting around in your thoughts.”

“Detect thoughts,” said Mery. “That’s the spell. Something that bards can do. And Lund’s right - ya know it’s happening. You know you’re not alone in your head.”

A look of horror passed over Isa’s face. “You can tell what I’m thinking? Oh god.”

Mery smiled and shook her head. “Listen: no, you’d know; you would know. Lund? Can you help me?”

“It’s hard to explain,” Lund said slowly. “It’s like a clear, high, ting! Like two glasses tapping against each other. You don’t hear it exactly - or maybe you don’t hear it with your ears. And then it’s like when you know someone’s behind you, doing something, but it’s someone you know, and you expect ‘em to be there.” He looked into the distance. “But you don’t want ‘em there, of course. And if you think really hard, like really, really hard, you can force ‘em out.” He stopped and looked at Isa. “That’s what it’s like.”

“And you can find out where the warehouse is with this spell?” Isa asked Mery.

“Like as not. He’s a young pup. Not too smart, maybe. No book learning, I’d stake my coins on that, and that’s the usual way to kick someone out of your head. Reason, logic, cool-headedness, like. That will stop the spell like flame on ice.”

“So,” said Isa, “you think you can do it.”

Mery nodded her head. “Absolutely.”

“If he knows where the warehouse is,” Lund to Isa.

“It’s in the note, Lund.” Mery sounded annoyed.

“The note’s not for him, Mery.” Lund leaned down and put his face near hers.

“You guys, don’t fight. Jeeze.” Isa stepped between them.

“Not fighting,” said Mery. “Just having a meeting of the minds.”

“Hrmph,” Lund snorted. “I made my point. It stands.”

“Well,” Mery put her hand on the doorknob, “let’s see what our young friend has to say. He’ll tell us who’s right and who’s wrong.”

Spoiler: Isa's Character Sheet

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 3

Alignment: Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Hit Points: 20 AC: 13

Current Hit Points: 20

Combat: +4 to Hit

Weapons: Rapier (left hand) 1d8 +2 (piercing) / Quarterstaff (right hand) 1d6 +2 (bludgeoning)

Coin: 21gp, 10sp, 22cp

STR

11

0

DEX

14

+2

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

4

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

1

Nature (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

2

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

2

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

USED Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

USED Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.

Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter

3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.