A Bold Plan: On An Empty Stomach

 

Harbull gripped his blade and did his best to look scruffy and mean-spirited... but he had his doubts anyone was paying him any attention at all.
That might be a good thing, since this confrontation was looking to be a bit more evenly matched than he'd expected. Six against eight was not so favorable... and these cutthroats looked quite a lot more capable than the tired and underfed laborers he'd pictured.
If only they could have sat down and had a small dinner before this final, pointy, confrontation... his bravado might have been better fueled... but surely the smell of the place was hard argument against even his appetite.
He began looking for exits to use the moment this whole thing turned against them.
...

It was yet to be seen if Wanda's omens and Malmir's graceful menace were going to convince the thugs towards any action other than murdering them.
Harbull was certainly convinced though... convinced that the cursed gem was something he wanted nothing to do with... and that even now its presumed presence in the room was hard at work towards making his own precious jewels shrivel black and fall off.