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	Fog yet loomed thick and heavy over the makeshift arena which held the party and the deathly antagonists. To all perception it had gotten even thicker and heavier in the moments since their arrival, though this was as likely due to the spread of broader light and contrasting shadow giving an isolating effect in the night's gloom. And those fires had indeed gotten broader. Even aside from the most recent spillage, the existing dense, syrupy pitch had been spreading, bringing its fire to cover more area. 

	The tree closest to the blaze near the leftmost cage abruptly caught fire, its remaining autumn leaves going up like kindling. The smoke of it, and the pitch on the ground kept moving more or less upward, even if that which remained below was beginning to become cumbersome for those who desired to continue pulling untainted air into their lungs. Yet the smoke's presence had not [i]yet[/i] interfered with ones visibility enough to make a difference in the ongoing fight - for either side. 

	With the downing of one of these Rat Abominations, Cavendish could be seen with a less obstructive view than ever, and from more angles. This too was a double-edged sword, as he had already set sights on targets and had proven his proficiency in ranged attack magic. What was more, even though the creature was down and its corpse burning up in the sticky, burning hell around him, the Wererat Constable was yet surrounded by swarms and swarms of what appeared to be common rats - many living and milling around, but just as many deceased and still, their bodies in various states of disrepair. 

	In the cage to the right, Lea had been able to use the shortsword to pry and hack away one of the damaged wooden slats. The cook from Neil & Bob's, the Halfling lady, Daisy, was pushed through the aperture (as she was the only one who could fit at this time) with the sword, that she might hack at their enclosure from the outside with a less restricted swinging arc. 

	In a similar showing of community members helping one another, the fisherman had moved his own chunk of damaged wood far enough to one side by levering his stout fishing rod, and with Cecily's assistance they were able to get the young woman employed by the Honey Barn to slip through. She immediately grabbed hold of the weakened bar and tried her best to yank back on it, to Madame L'Rose's immediate objection. [color=darkgray][i]"No! You run! You keep running!"[/i][/color] she ordered, voice cracking with emotion. She didn't wait to see if the burlesque dancer heeded her words, instead moving to help another captive stand. This one was an older fellow who, were this a fair and just world, should have been at the talent show in the Farmers' Market, displaying his uncanny ability to cry upon command. It was unmistakably Beppo. 

	[color=darkgray]"Mornin'!"[/color] the fisherman insisted to the young lady who had just slipped through, jerking his head in a direction away from the fighting. He had stopped trying to lever the wood away, instead holding the rod like a quarterstaff and planting his feet about shoulder-width apart inside of his cage. He steadied his breathing and rolled his shoulders, assumed a low, combative stance, and brought surprising force to bear against their enclosure with a lateral thrust of his favored tool with a mighty, [color=darkgray]"Huah Hah!"[/color] 

	[center][h3][color=gold][i]New Round[/i][/color][/h3][/center]

[@Arty Fox] [color=00aeef][b]Baronfjørd[/b][/color] - You have been granted your one day extension. You are first up, at your leisure, sir.