Jade and Eebrock's Fight

Disappointed in not stopping the Merrenoloth and more than a little concerned that one of these creatures is targeting the party, they returned to the Brewhaus to get a night's rest. The following morning, the party discussed their plans, hoping to ensure a meeting with Maxwell Boulder this evening. When the time arrived, Jade and Eebrock went around the back of the Giddy Gnome to register as fighters while Bob and Thomas gained entrance as spectators and took seats at a table near the fight space. It turns out that the fights this night were going to be team fights where a duo can swap fighters in and out attempting to eventually win 3 falls against one of the fighters. The first fight for Jade and Eebrock went well as they made quick work of their opponents. The next fight included the fan favorite - Punetazo del la Muertos. This team was also able to make quick work of their opponents. Thomas had been keeping a very close eye on Punetazo and noticed him using a necklace with small dolls hanging from it as some sort of arcane focus to alter the actions of his opponents. This explained how he was able to salvage a win against the Boulder two nights prior where Eebrock was certain the Boulder had the win until he suddenly froze, allowing Punetazo to take the fall.
 
The next fight was Punetazo and his partner against our heroes. The crowd was thirsty for another big win for Punetazo but Thomas still had confidence in Jade and Eebrock. The first fall went in favor of our heroes, but during the second fall, Thomas spotted Punetazo use his necklace to stun Eebrock, earning him the win. Thomas immediately jumped atop his table and pointed out that Punetazo was cheating by using powerful magic. Unfortunately, the crowd didn't care and Thomas was ejected from the tavern, unable to watch his companions eventually lose the fight.
 
Thomas took the opportunity of now being outside to go around the back of the tavern in the hopes of finding Maxwell Boulder. Luck was with him as Maxwell and several other fighters were outside taking a break. Thomas approached Maxwell and began telling the tale of their mission from the king. Maxwell showed some interest but also appeared to not be of a clear mind. Before Thomas could get in any further words, Punetazo emerged from the building summoning Maxwell and another fighter back inside for another fight. Maxwell immediately left Thomas as if he were a soldier being ordered by a superior officer. Clearly, Punetazo had some mystical hold over Maxwell Boulder. Utilizing the shadows, Thomas managed to sneak in unnoticed behind the fighters and hid amongst the crowd to see what was going on.
 
The fight club manager Mr. Zot appeared and announced that a double or nothing fight was going to happen pitting Punetazo, Maxwell Boulder and el Fuego against Eebrock and Jade. A warning was made that this fight was not going to end in submission, so it was clear that all means necessary would be taken to win. Thomas made his way towards the front of the crowd where he could remain hidden but still see the action. During the first flurry of action, Thomas once again spied Punetazo attempt to use his necklace against Eebrock but it failed. Knowing that Punetazo was going to cheat, Thomas decided to make an attempt to level the playing field. Quickly darting from the crowd towards Punetazo, he attempted to swipe the necklace from Punetazo but he wasn't quite quick enough. He was able to notice however that every time Maxwell Boulder was struck, he had a brief moment of clarity before it faded. Clearly, hurting Maxwell was the key to breaking Punetazo's hold upon him. Thomas signaled to his comrades that they need to harm Maxwell. Unfortunately, Punetazo turned out to be quite a powerful arcanist and managed to envelope the fighters in a circle of darkness. This prompted Bob to rush in from the crowd and attempt to flush Punetazo out of the darkness where he could be confronted. During the fray, the darkness was dropped and Maxwell was struck hard enough to break Punetazo's hold. Unfortunately, the spell cast by Punetazo caused both Bob and Jade to flee in terror. Thomas continued to pepper Punetazo with debris from the crowd in hopes of breaking his concentration on the fear spell. Meanwhile, Maxwell turned all his might and fury against the crowd favorite. At last, Thomas' distractions achieved the desired result with a well placed bottle throw to the Punetazo's head. The spell was broken, Bob and Jade came roaring back to the fight. Eebrock and Maxwell had their sights set on taking Punetazo down, when he made some arcane gestures and vanished from the fight. At that point, Mr. Zot declared Eebrock the winner of the fight as Thomas tried to gain Maxwell's attention. Maxwell acknowledged Thomas, asked where they were staying and told him he would meet them there later. Eebrock collected his 2,000gp purse and the party made their way back to the Brewhaus.