She intervenes with a sneak attack.

‘It must be played boldly or not at all.‘ Shairi had read that line in a play once, back in Meritheir’s tower. It sprung to mind because the play had been a work banned by the Church of Light entitled ‘Queen Emithra’s Lovers’, which had the tease queen being gang-banged on stage at the end. So, she decided to play it boldly.

She stepped quietly up behind the hindmost sailor, stood on tip-toes, and rapped him sharply on the back of the head with the hilt of her dagger. He went down like a sack of grain. The woman’s eyes widened slightly as she saw what happened, but she seemed to understand that the best thing to do was to keep her attackers’ attention on her, and away from Shairi.

“Ain’t ya being kind of ambitious, hoping to fuck a gal like me?” she said. “After all, it’s not like I’d feel ya twig-sized cocks. Why don’t you stick to sheep, they’ve got nothin’ better to do.”

One man gave a bellow of rage and charged – and went down, clutching the wound her rapier had given his shoulder. Shairi took the opportunity to knock out another of them.

“Well, mates,” the woman said. “Looks like there’s only three of you here now, against with me and my gal here. Not good odds.”

The remaining men spun around, seeing Shairi for the first time. The half-elf immediately cast a flash spell in their faces, blinding them for a precious moment. The woman was quick to react, and in a second she’d skewered another two on her blades. The last man looked around in shocked confusion, and fled.

“Thanks for that, gal,” the woman said. “I’d have been in trouble without ya. Why don’t we had to that thar tavern and we can talk about how I can pay ya back?”