If you encountered the bandits at Thorn Ford before coming to the Ancient Crypt, Tartuccio and your former companions will already be gone, and the mercenaries will simply be hostile enemies who will attack on sight. The check required for this is surprisingly manageable - undoubtedly a sign of their frustration with the Gnome’s abusive personality and lack of progress - and having an extra character on board will make everything you do going forward that much easier. Your words are better off being used to lure one of your former companions back to your side. You can vent your anger at your deceitful rival and leap to the attack, or you can waste time calling him out on his apparent lack of interest in completing Jamandi’s task.

It seems he’s added some mercenaries to his roster since you last saw him, although where he got the coin and clout is a question worth pondering. Once inside the tomb, save your game, consider spell-buffing ( Bless and/or Bardsong work well), then venture northwest - looting the crate along the way - to find Tartuccio berating his minions. To reach the Ancient Tomb (from Oleg’s Trading Post) follow these directions:

Subsubscribe to Premium to Remove Ads Travel: Ancient Tomb ¶

Zelda 2 kings tomb