Protect the Convoy [Archive]

Kade Underbough

07-23-09, 10:48 PM

Kade rubbed his hand over the top of his head, unused to the extremely short hair the Empire had forced on him. It was the smallest things that allowed him to fully realize the massive change his life was going through. Armed with his longbow, dagger, and a crudely sharpened sword that would look more suitable left behind for repairs rather than sheathed at his side, he stood next to a loaded wagon. The thief tried not to stare at the wooden vehicle, containing enough of the empire’s wealth to send the young man into retirement.

It would seem odd for the youth, having dedicated most of his life to stealing for a living, to ignore such a fortune, if it weren’t for a company of well trained soldiers alongside him. He had yet to get to know the men, but their captain, Lionel was a different story. Upon Kade’s arrival to Lionel’s small platoon, the captain had made the convict’s role perfectly clear. Until further notice, most likely being the war’s end, he would be a possession of the Empire’s armed forces. Being that his brother was in the same situation within a different section of the army, Lionel proved how easy it would be to keep his scoundrel of a soldier in check. The slightest lack of discipline shown by Kade would bring further hardship on his brother, Ramis. Kade figured the same rule applied for Ramis as well.

It was truly was a remarkable idea. The empire was using those deemed the scum of society as expendable soldiers to fuel their war for supremacy over the country. This was Kade’s fate. He had broken into a prison in Radasanth in an attempt to rescue Ramis, but was caught instead.

“Alright men… and dog, we’re about to head out. Keep your eyes peeled in case we run into anything out of the ordinary.” Lionel took his place at the lead.

The dog shook his head. The company was about to travel all the way to the Comb Mountains, in a time where raids by the Corone Rangers were becoming more numerous by the week. Their mission to deliver the wages of every soldier of the Empire only made the convoy more prone to be attacked. Rebels needed money too.

“Moooove out!” barked the captain, and the soldiers, one of them grudgingly, obliged…

oblueknighto

07-25-09, 07:22 AM

Blue Knight walked along other soldiers while wearing a big helmet blue of colour, he had got it from 'volunteering' for this escorting job, he was also going to receive a big bonus if all went well on this journey but this he doubted. The Corone Rangers were going to assault the escorts for sure and when they do Blue was going to switch side and would easily blend into the crowd with a silk black mask underneath the helmet.

Blue knew that on the other hand he was usually refereed to as Knight, but he knew that they used that name to mock him of his position as a simple recruited town militia, he had fooled everybody in his platoon that he was an orphan with no first name so he make his own name, Knight. He always wore a helmet over his head because he told everybody he had suffered major burns on his face. What really surprised him was that not all of these soldiers were that they never asked any questions, they never questioned him and some of them didn't even listen to him. The perfect place for him to start up. The only reason he was here was because they needed more archers or at least somebody who could fire an arrow wasn't afraid to do so. He had also gotten in so easily because nobody cared who you were, all they knew was they they were your superior and they had power over you. Blue knew how the system in the Empire goes, you get picked on, you move up, you pick on the ones lower than you and the cycle goes on. Some people reached the top fast but some people just always stay at the bottom, doing nothing. Then he suddenly remembered Lorenor, Lorenor was a great man and they had some great adventures together, built up friendship and sometimes they talked about the Empire, they never talked of them as evil but they did talk about what happens in it, what Lorenor wanted to be and what he heard some people talking about, the '103rd Legion' they called it, they accepted anybody into their ranks and even paid them a decent amount, gave them training and the best part was that they didn't judge you on your appearance, all they did was see how well you fight and your in. If Blue ever wanted in, he would need to leave a mark in the Empire, build his way up and with Lorenor, strike from within.

Blue started walking with the others when he heard the captain tell them to move out but then he saw the poor lad, the person who was forced to go with the escorts all the way to Comb Mountains just because he captured when he tried to rescue his brother from prison, he had heard of his story and wanted to approach him with a proposal, one that he might easily bite at. He had to take it slow and build up his trust.

Blue then walked closer to the boy named Kade and said to him in Common, "Hi Kade, how are you today?"

Kade Underbough

07-25-09, 12:22 PM

Thin blades of grass crunched under several boots, wheels and hooves, leaving broken limbs in their wake. They began their journey in silence, some fearing the possible dangers on the road, others anticipating great battles to throw them up the ranks of admiration and nobility. Then there was Kade. He wasn’t thinking about the mission at all. He simply listened to the crunching sounds created by the convoy and watched a bumblebee hover around the two horses dragging the heavy load. The insect remained near one of the horses’ ears, as if chained and trapped within inches of the animal. Kade could tell that the beast of burden was uncomfortable, shaking its head every now and again to get rid of the pest.

The theatrics were interrupted.

“Howdoyado?” The thief looked over at an older man, built like an ox, giving him a slight smile.

“I’m sorry? You spoke too fast.”

“Oy, sorry bout that. Just asking how you’re doing, is all. You’re the kid that’s in trouble, righ’?” A shaggy blend of brown and grey hairs fell in front of the man’s face and he flicked them back in place with a movement of his head.

“Yeah, I guess that’s me.” Kade shrugged. Then he hinted at a smile. The soldier knew of his predicament, but didn’t seem to care. “How about you? What’s your reason for being here?”

“Oh I’m representin’ my country o course. These rebels, these here Rangers, are causing a lot of trouble for us. Once this war is over, well, our new government is gonna be able to do some good thing fer us. A lot of people in our country don’t like the Empire, but they be misinformed is all. War brings out negativity fer all. Once we clean out the rabble, the Empire’ll build a stable life fer us.”

I’m not so sure about that. Kade new very little about the politics involved in the war, but something about the Empire struck him the wrong way. Well, I can’t say it’s all their fault. Maybe if I lived differently… maybe the Empire isn’t all bad? It was something to think about, but at a later time. The older soldier departed to chat with another man, only to be replaced by younger man.

“Um… fine I guess. How’d you get my name?” The man gave Kade an eerie feeling. The older man had simply been friendly. This one's manner hinted at an angle.

oblueknighto

07-26-09, 12:12 AM

Blue saw the boy's attitude change as he turned around, he was either just very cautious about this journey or he took in something of Blue's attitude. Blue then replied to the boy in a completely stoned voice, "Well Kade, to tell you the truth I heard some people talking about you in the tent next to mine, don't worry about it. I've seen many people be treated a lot worse than you in this army so don't think your in a bad situation."

Blue then paused for just a quick moment to think of how much exactly he should expect of Kade then he spoke showing none of his true emotions yet showing exactly what somebody would normally do to promote something, "My name, as you know, is Knight and I am part of a group that you may know as the 103rd Legion. It is currently recruiting almost anybody who is willing to fight and will even train them in combat!", Blue didn't want to note this but he had to say something about it to the boy that wanted to save his brother, not trying to lead him on the wrong track.

Then as he started using hand gestures and showed how he was not at all the man people think he was, at least not how people see him he went on talking, "You could even get your brother out of whatever trouble he is in if you could work your way up with all the others that are going to join. It's a great opportunity for somebody like you who is forced under conscription. So if you fight, fight you own way and help the country at the points where they really need it, so how about it Kade?"

Blue just realised what mistake he made, he hadn't been received into this job as a Cadet for the Legion, he was accepted as a local militia so he better get the official stuff cleared when he returns from the mission. "I sure as hell better remember to tell those higher ups where I went. Hmm, maybe I could even pass this off as a mission, yea that would be good." Now as Blue was eagerly awaiting an answer from Kade, he drifted off into his own imagination of what his reaction would be. He estimated around three probable scenarios but the one most likely was for Kade to decline. Blue thought that being asked to join a Legion by somebody wearing a helmet who you've never met before was pretty suspicious were it not for the fact that Kade was under conscription.

I'll allow minimal bunnying, but not for dialogue and anything that shows attitude, personality, emotion or change. Maybe a 2 second bunny on a mental delay and around half a second on physical reaction. Is that okay with you? Of course if there is something wrong in my posts I will edit them out.

Kade Underbough

07-26-09, 06:57 AM

Yeah…

This masked stranger had to be crazy. For one, he wore a mask, and no man in a mask could be trusted. Second, he needed to dig himself even further into the Empire’s ranks just as he needed paper cuts all over his body.

First the older man, and now this Knight guy… I’m surrounded by the Empire’s lackeys.

The horse finally whinnied in agitation, stomping in place, and Lionel had to wave the bumblebee away. Content, the beast continued on.

“I’ll think about it,” he stated rather flatly. I’ll think about it… for about two more seconds.

He forced himself to daydream about the good times of his youth, rather than give another moment’s thought to Knight‘s proposal. A gentle shower came from the blue sky above, allowing the company to cool off a bit as they marched. Several miles ahead, the bridge crossing the Niema River slowly came into sight.

Many of the men tensed every time the convoy passed a lone traveler or small group. Kade didn’t know why. Radasanth was still the melting pot of the world, even in a time of war. The city would always see waves of people come and go. Of course, the young man lacked the experience of these seasoned soldiers. They made a living by surviving perils he had yet to face. They knew the possible threat behind every person they passed.

Slowly, their worries crept over him as well. He couldn’t help it. His hand brushed across the hilt of the Empire’s sword. He had hardly any experience with the poor excuse of a weapon, but it gave him a better chance of surviving close combat. That was all he could really ask for.

((High five to anyone that catches my movie reference!))

oblueknighto

07-28-09, 02:08 AM

Blue was not exactly disappointed with Kane's reply as he was only trying to give him a helping hand and push him along the road, but not to the point of wasting his own time. He felt an itch through his mask so he pushed his helmet up against the mask so it would get that area without attracting that much attention then he glances around the guards. Noticing that the guards have become a lot more cautious he could also get away with anything if the time had come, not many know of his mask underneath his helmet so he could easily blend in with some rebels. Then his memory came back to the 103rd Legion and what he had joined, he was a soldier now and he needed to build up the trust the Empire has in him before doing anything rash.

He looked around for any danger but didn't find any until he hear sounds of flicking strings, there weren't many archers in this escort group and they certainly didn't need to flick their strings while they were still walking. Blue grasped his daggers when he felt his bow-string touch against his pack as he walked. He let out a sigh and continued marching with the guards with his hand on his bow to make sure that flicking sound was not heard again.

Looking at all the soldiers and then saw Kane touch his sword as his worries took over him, Blue wasn't even sure if he could use it so he drew his back-strap and checked his quiver, he better be ready for this fight if he was to do anything, using a bow in a planned attack would be very hard yet unexpected for those close-range fighters rushing for the gold.

Blue sneered then spoke in a soft but clear voice, "These guys call themselves guards even through they can't keep their cool over a passing citizen."

Kade Underbough

07-28-09, 09:34 PM

The Niema River was nearly upon them, licking and lapping over the bank as if composed entirely of light blue tongues. The body of water was calm however, giving one the possibility to swim across if needed. The company didn’t have that option. Their package was much too large to ferry across. That’s where the stone bridge came into play. Other crossings came and went, but none had been or remained as permanent as the one in which the company was headed. It was strong enough, and large enough, to allow an entire army to cross. Corone’s Civil War had turned the bridge’s luxury into vital importance.

Once only a few dozen yards from the structure, the conscript’s heart skipped a beat. A soft twang hit his ears and he immediately turned to the sky.

“Look ou….!” He was too late. An arrow glided into the troop of soldiers, crashing into a man’s shoulder with a sickening “plop.”

“Ambush!” Lionel roared over the cries of his wounded man. His voice was followed by several more twangs coming from the other side of the arching stone they needed to cross. Most of the soldiers hoisted their shields over their heads in defense and Lionel thrust his sword forward to lead a charge.

Kade wanted no part in it. Without a shield, his unarmored body was exposed, vulnerable to the volley of arrows heading his way. He had only chance to survive the opening attacks. Only one ability could save him. Cowardice.

Without a moments delay, he threw himself under the wagon, scrambling to get every inch of his body out of harm’s way. From his position, he could see about a dozen Corone Rangers charging toward the Empire’s guards. Lionel, true hero and full of endless bravado, was first to clash swords. His battle prowess was immediately revealed. The captain was a swordsman like none the young thief had ever seen. With a speed he hadn’t though possible in the powerful leader, he watched the first Ranger fall within seconds. Then Kade’s attention was forced closer to home.

“What the hell!? What the hell yer doin? Just thinking you’ll hide it out?” A pained voice came from the injured soldier, a nasty arrowhead sticking through the backside of his shoulder. He slapped at Kade with a bloodied hand. “Go on. Git!”

He had no choice. The soldier was reaching for his sword and Kade couldn’t turn traitor with Ramis still in the Empire’s possession. Standing in front of the wealth-filled carriage, he pulled out his prized yew long bow. Shakily, he fitted one of his oak arrows and began to look for an open target. The battle was just barely within his range, but fear froze his hand. Against a stationary target, from as close as he was, he couldn’t miss. The chaos in front of him provided no such targets. The battle was like a single living, breathing creature, mixed with foes and allies alike.

He stood and waited, a sense of worthlessness crawling over him.

oblueknighto

07-29-09, 04:09 AM

*Twinnnnnng*

Blue heard the sound of a flicking bowstring again, but this time he was right about it, an arrow had struck one of the guards. Blue had to act fast when the first wave of arrows were launched upon the guards closer to the front. Blue took to the carriage for cover as he saw one of the guards get hit by an arrow. The guard was his in the shoulder and quickly grasped at it as he went to the ground in pain. That was when Blue was determined to strike the archers down, he wanted no meaningless killing of the only people who could protect him. He was once a huge fan of bloodshed and killed for just a few gold coins but that was no longer his job, he took up a part in the army and changed for the better.

As his heart pumped blood quickly through his body his adrenaline rush went quick as he acted accordingly. Blue quickly drew three arrows and aimed for one of the archers he could get a good shot at. He had been trained to hold three arrows in his one hand at once, even thought not having a preferred hand over the other, his left hand held the bow in place and his right hand drew the arrows. Using all the fingers on his left hand he had three arrows in place ready to fire. His actions were swift and smooth as he let the arrows loose one by one, the quick firing not being as accurate as the usual sharpshooting but this wasn't an assassination but a battle where you were not along, people were fighting out there and you had no time to waste.

The three arrows zoomed past Lionel's head as the man swung his sword striking the finishing blow to his first enemy, Blue had watched the man kill a member of the Corone Rangers as he himself took the second fatality. One of the arrows had hit one of the archers straight in the eye instantly killing him while the other two arrows just missed their original target but found another, one of them hit the dead man's chest and the other surprisingly went completely off track and hit some other archer in the arm. The arrow now stuck in the man's arm completely rendered him useless in a fight so Blue took it as a kill.

Slowly advancing with the forward guard as they charged forward to take on the rebels Blue looked out for more of the supposedly well hidden archers, but as he became exposed against the carriage he noticed the injured soldier screaming at Kade for jumping under the carriage. Blue wasn't surprised over the turn of events as he watched the boy crawl out of his hiding place and while he was surveying the battlefield he noticed the boy was doing the same. He smiled at the fact and continued doing the job he was hired for.

There is no need to stop Lionel from decimating the rebel forces as an ambush should have been well planned and everybody knows a good plan comes with a good backup plan. ;)

Kade Underbough

07-30-09, 04:59 PM

"I said GIT!" An open hand slapped into the back of Kade's head, knocking him a few steps forward. His readied arrow made a harmless "thunk" as it embedded itself in the ground a few feet away.

He turned to see the injured man, sword in hand and a snarl written in his face. The arrow was no longer in his shoulder. He must've pulled it out. Jeez that would hurt.

"I'm trying to get a good shot off. Ya don't want me hitting one of our own, do you?" The annoyance in his voice did little to hide his fear. His hands were shaking, small droplets of sweat dangling off the fingers of his free hand.

"Then whip out your sword and let's go!" The injured warrior gave the thief a hard push, sending him several feet forward.

There was no turning back. He dropped his bow to the ground, yanking out the short copper sword the empire had given him. The angry man behind him had to duck, mystefied by the stupidity and inexperience Kade showed with the weapon. Kade had nearly decapitated the soldier in the process of unsheathing.

"Boy, don't fight near me. Now move, over there!" Another sharp push, and Kade was on his toward Lionel.

Four of the attackers already lay on the ground, along with two of the Empire's men. A fog of dirt surrounded the battle as the warriors kicked up massive amounts of the soil in their fury. Kade remained at the edge of the fight, watching the injured soldier make his presence known immediately. A Ranger fell to the ground, a sword sticking from his back.

Seemingly from nowhere, a Ranger charged at the thief from the side. Kade swung at his enemy wildly, stepping backwards. Almost immediately, he felt something soft and uneven underneath his foot. He stumbled and toppled to the ground, landing next to a dead body. The fall sent his sword flying through the air, landing far out of his reach. The Ranger advanced, sword raised and poised to deal his lethal blow.

oblueknighto

07-31-09, 03:28 AM

Blue was still scanning the battlefield when he saw Lionel strike down another Ranger and thought, well I'm glad I never tried to bolt with the money and bolt with the Rangers now because I would have probably been minced meat with how he cuts up those enemies. Then Blue noticed that Kade was being pushed around by one of the other soldiers and the boy had finally entered the brink of the combat zone.

As Blue heard an arrow zooming towards him from his left so he make a roll forward right before the arrow flew into the carriage leaving a hole which Blue looked through to find the arrow just lying there, stuck into one side of the transport vehicle. Then searching for the bowman he looked in the direction of which the arrow struck but right as his eyes scanned through the battlefield he noticed that Kade had tripping and a member of the Ranger approaching him with his sword ready to strike a blow.

Acting posthaste Blue nocked an arrow and looked past the fletching and aimed right at the Ranger ready to strike and let loose. He watched the arrow soar above the body of a dead Ranger and hoped for the best, Blue knew of what suffering many people had fighting for the army but this boy was forced into the army with threats and was blackmailed with his brother part of his family. He didn't want anybody to feel the loss of their family and has never liked the feeling of killing but if it was for money then he was willing to defeat people in his way to get what he needs.

*Thump*

The arrow had struck true and hit the Ranger right in the middle of his slashing motion. The velocity of the arrow had made him step back and fall but in the end he wasn't finished and as the Ranger sat up he still had the shine in his eyes. Blue knew that now he was free to finish off even if it was by an ordinary person like Kade. As he had just avoided the weight of another death on his shoulders he made a sigh and hoped that somebody would finish the Ranger already putting him out of his misery, he was hit in the chest and it was pretty deep so there was absolutely no chance that he would survive in this battle.

Kade Underbough

07-31-09, 05:20 PM

Kade threw his arms in front of his body in protective futility. The attack never came though. Instead, he watched in surprise as the Ranger crumpled to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Blood dribbled from his lips as his breaths came in ragged, shallow form. The will to fight for his cause kept him from fully giving up.

"You... bleh..." He vomitted more blood as he dragged himself forward, determined to pursue Kade.

The young brigand pushed himself back up, pulling out his small dagger. Sluggishly, the Ranger lifted his sword. He was too slow to accomplish anything more, as Kade jumped into the wounded man, bringing the tiny blade to his foe's side. The blade caused blood to immediately soak his hand and wrist, but the Ranger's pain filled, teary eyes remained open. Again and again the teenager brought his weapon into the man's torso, his chest, his back...

The sword dropped to the ground as the Ranger slumped forward, leaning against Kade to stay upright. The boy took a step back, but was held in place by a feeble embrace and the two slowly sunk to the ground. Kneeling, the man could only summon the strength to raise his head, staring blankly at his assailant. Then with a small shiver, the body collapsed for the final time.

Kade continued to kneel staring at the lifeless mass in front of him. Gaping wounds were all over the man's body. His gaze slowly moved to examine himself. Blood soaked his shirt and was quickly forming a thick jelly-like layer covering his exposed arms. He shoved himself backward about a foot, still clutching the dagger. He began to shake, gripping the hilt of the blade with a strength he had never known. His nerves tried to stop him, to tell him that it was hurting, but he ignored it. All around him, the battle continued, but he ignored that as well.

His mind swirled around one terrifying fact. He had just taken his first life.

oblueknighto

08-01-09, 07:17 AM

Blue Knight watched as Kade stood up and approached the Ranger to stab him multiple times in areas completely unnecessary to strike he then looked away from the mutilated body. The boy had become a man and with that Blue observed as he pushed himself backwards and started shaking from the truth. Blue didn't want to be involved any longer in the boy's melodrama and put his mind back to somewhere it would be more useful.

Blue noticed the archer further away from the battlefield who was too hard to see clearly with all the geographical cover he had but his bow sticking out was a dead give away for somebody like Blue. As Blue drew his arrow he heard a loud noise in the carriage behind him so he turned around to find that the carriage had moved closer to him than it was before. This aroused some suspicion in Blue's mind so he slowly stepped around it placing his bow back into it's strap and getting his knife out of his boot before turning..... to find nobody. He then pops his head into the carriage and then suddenly feels a icy cold sting against the back of his neck and then as soon as he hears some sign of talk he moves his head to the left to get out of his locking position.

Blue could feel the blood move down his neck then reaching his shirt. The cut was right between the gap between his helmet and his collar. Looking up Blue stares into the eyes of a young man with two daggers in his hands it can't compare to how crappy Blue's weapon was. All he had was an iron dagger and wasn't even proficient with it. He needed to move fast, either towards the man or away, he needed to really get a move on.

As the young man turned and lowered himself to make rushed attack against Blue, Blue had no chance of sidestepping his attack so he make a risky attempt and jumped over the Ranger then quickly regained his balance and started running away towards the battlefield. He needed range and he needed time to get that. He peaked behind him and it seemed like the Ranger had actually followed him which was surprising with nobody near the carriage guarding the money he assumed that he would take some already.

Blue then turns around to face the enemy then gets ready to pounce at him as soon as he comes into close proximity. Blue prepares to jump right at him with his legs now bent slashing the Ranger's left side with the knife held by the tearing end. I sure hope this works out how I want it to, or maybe I'll just screw up.

Kade Underbough

08-01-09, 07:31 PM

It was an ill-minded ambush. The initial volley of arrows had failed to cut down the number of guards surrounding the carraige. That had been a vital part of their plan. With roughly two of the Empire's soldiers for every Ranger, they had been horribly outnumbered. Daniel now realized his folly. He was young, rash, and very capable of convincing a small fraction of his fellow Rangers to raid the caravan. With heart, but little experience amongst them, they fell quickly.

Lionel made sure of that. Personally, he had brought down four of the approximately dozen attackers. His men ran to cut down the one archer that had remained hidden. Nearest to the wealth of the Empire, another one of his men was still in combat. There was only one other Ranger alive. He lay sprawled on the ground, the captain's sword pointed within an inch of his neck.

The rash, young man whimpered, knowing he promised fame and honor to his friends, but had led them to a slaughter. The captain ended his heartbreak with an unmerciful thrust.

A mere four feet away, he saw Kade kneeling, immobile as a statue. The body in front and the blood covering the kid told him that the conscript had done his part. A twinge of pity touched him as he realized he was looking at someone frozen in shock. Maybe I've been too hard on him.

He couldn't dwell on it. Last he had seen, one fight still remained. He rushed in that direction.

**********

Kade's thoughts twisted and spun in his mind, making it hard to focus on any one idea. He vaguely remembered seeing the Ranger mortally wounded before his assault. It did nothing to help him cope. He had been scared, but that meant little. He had been forced to join the battle, but ultimately, when the time came, he had wanted to kill the man.

I'm nothing but another murderer in the world...

oblueknighto

08-03-09, 05:04 AM

*Wrunch*

Blue had jumped at the Ranger and had indeed injured him, even if not fatal. Blue looked to his side and saw that the wound was not deep but it had tore some surface skin off so that the wound would hurt from even a simple touch. The Ranger had then dropped one of his daggers but soon grasped his other with both hands and rushed at Blue with his dagger when Blue pushes the weapon away with his knife.

Blue hears the stamping of feet running towards him and recognises him, Lionel was coming and now that he had reinforcements Blue could simply hold out for a minute to avoid any real combat with the Ranger. Blue springs back as soon as the enemy once again approaches him, gaining some distance from the enemy Blue sprints off not in the complete direction of Lionel but getting closer he does gain time. He performs a back flip and gets right behind the man as he is slowing down.

Noticing that Lionel was only metres away Blue pulls out his bow and aims it at the Ranger, as Lionel charges towards the man he is caught off guard by the flanking and when he turns to face Lionel Blue puts an arrow through his back. Then attempting at placing his hands against the ground to support his weight he collapses and falls to the ground, the ground so hard yet relieving his stressed body just wishing he let the Ranger steal the gold. For a few moments he just lay there then he got up and walked towards Lionel speaking to him in a tone taken from elsewhere, "You should look after your men, two of them almost died fighting foolishly. I mean that conscript and of course, me. Then again weirdest thing was how there wasn't anybody else guarding the carriage. Wasn't that what we were escorting in the first place?"

Sorry for the late post, weekends are always busy for me. For Lionel, the bunny was okay right? I guess 'charging' was all I actually made him do anyway. I need to get some melee weapon sometime. If there is anything wrong with the post you can just point it out and it will be changed if possible.

Kade Underbough

08-04-09, 01:51 AM

Lionel's eyes bulged and he almost punched his man square in the jaw. “Are you kidding me? If you two had died due to fighting foolishly, I would have said good riddance. Do you see those four men on the ground, the ones with the Empire’s armor?” He pointed toward the small battlefield. “Those men are true losses. Those men who died I will lose sleep over. You have some worth. You’ve joined our cause and proven yourself to be a noble citizen of the Empire, but that criminal? When he dies, I’ll gladly use his body as a shield.”

He stormed off. Yes, he had left the carriage unguarded and left no such orders for any of his men. If that fool hadn’t been there, the lone Ranger could have rummaged through the wealth. He refused to give the soldier too much credit though. He had, after all, struggled in a skirmish with a little boy with some little daggers. The real men had done the real work.

He completely ignored Kade as he met up with a few men collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades. They had died for the Empire, but more importantly, for him. They were the ones he reserved all credit for.

~~~~~

Kade’s shock gradually began to recede. The guilt of his murder stayed heavy on his spirit, but he managed to pick himself up off the ground. The four fallen guards were laid next to each other, distant from the rebellious Corone Rangers. Most of the convoy’s men surrounded the four bodies, slowly burying them. With all the respect they wanted to show, they couldn’t take the bodies back to their homes and families. The carriage still needed to reach the Comb Mountains, and now they needed to move before more Rangers arrived.

Kade slowly retrieved his fallen weapons, arms feeling like dead weight. He hadn’t been a huge factor in the battle, but it had taken a huge toll on his energy nonetheless. He slipped on the spilled blood from various areas of the battleground. The grass no longer crunched underneath his feet. Storm clouds loomed in the distance, and a light drizzle fell over the convoy, keeping its distance from its angry brother.

He glanced over at the older man who had shown him some kindness, but he stood side by side with Lionel. They were facing the bridge and the soldier was talking eagerly about something. The conscript assumed the man had some sort of past experience he felt the need to share. The captain was listening politely.

The young man looked at Knight standing by the wagon and, at a snail’s pace, made his way over to the acquaintance. He had nothing important to say. He wasn’t even sure if he was up to having a conversation. Any familiar face seemed comforting though, so he stood by the masked soldier, unsure of how to proceed.

“So…”

((It's all good.))

oblueknighto

08-05-09, 02:11 AM

Blue was totally comfortable with Lionel's answer to his remark but Lionel still came to save him so he was totally in control of the situation, four Empire men dead and he didn't even slip on his bow. Keeping a straight face was his speciality but he never did need the skill when he was wearing a black mask and over it was a helmet covering the entire of his head. He then turned around to find Kade close up and muttering something to him.

"I'm sorry but you weren't really clear with what you said, so I'm going to speak to you first. So how was the fight, you took a man's life and avoided your own loss in battle so be happy about it. Don't worry about the favour of the arrow, it's just a show of friendship between soldiers like us, we all need to get along with each other. I won't even tell people about how I saved your life, just something for me to remember you by.", Blue rushed through his words but spoke them clearly while speaking softer and slowing down and as he ended his sentence as a whisper in Kade's ears. Blue then stared on as the Empire soldiers were being buried with their armour on and so he quickly moved to take action to prevent perfectly good equipment to be wasted.

"What are you doing with that good equipment, it's all going to rust if you bury it with the bodies so at least put them to good use like making it into a tombstone for them. These soldiers deserve no less than that in your eyes don't they?", asked the other escorts as he was stepping towards the pile of dirt. Intent on getting at least one piece of equipment Blue was evaluating what was worth more and what was actually better equipment.

Kade Underbough

08-07-09, 12:27 PM

Knight was a peculiar man. From behind his masked face came the comforting words of a friend, but they did little to help the young thief. He didn’t seem to hit the sorest spot of what the teen was feeling. The kill had been in self defense, but that didn’t chance the thoughts and desires he had experienced as the Ranger fell. No, sometimes, even in battle, a person could be a murderer. He didn’t say any of this and allowed the masked man to dart toward the other soldiers, yelling at them about the armor. He didn’t care one way or the other about the precious scraps of metal. He didn’t want to wear dead men’s equipment and he doubted it’d fit him anyways. He was the leanest of the squad.

The storm clouds seemed to be rolling toward them, the light drizzle growing stronger. Thunder could be heard miles away. The battlefield was turning into a bloodied, slick area of mud, making it difficult to navigate through. Kade had no desire to walk amongst the dead, or the soldiers burying their own and arguing with Knight about armor. He wanted to leave, to get as far from the area as possible. He looked around for Lionel, and found him still talking to the older soldier. The captain seemed to be growing impatient, with his leg twitching every now and again, but he remained patient.

Kade made his way to the wagon. The horses were extremely nervous, eyes darting everywhere rapidly out of fear. They were too well trained to run away though, so the wagon had stayed more or less in place. Inside was the steal of a lifetime, and his hand instinctively touched the handle as he passed, finding his way to the backside. The sounds of the men seemed distant as he fell out of sight.

I could run, right now. I could get away and they wouldn’t realize till it was too late.

He looked at the road that would lead him back to Radasanth.

Just a minute or two and I’d be out of sight.

He started to move forward.

Ramis…

He stopped. He couldn’t desert the Empire with his brother still trapped. He had to stay, had to follow Lionel’s orders to the letter, had to kill. He leaned back against the wagon, feeling leaden inside. The steadying rain did well to mingle with and hide the tears now strolling down his cheeks. The sounds behind him were starting to wind down, suggesting that the dispute over how to handle the belongings of the fallen comrades was coming to an end. They would be back on the move soon. He didn’t care one way or the other. He was a prisoner after all. He had no say in the matter.

I’d rather be in prison.

oblueknighto

08-11-09, 05:02 AM

Blue got the other soldiers exactly where they wanted, he helped them with burying them and soon after they refilled the holes with the dirt Blue spoke out in their favour. He needed to put on a good face in front of all these Empire men, an easy way to score more brownie points.

Blue got to his knees and spoke, "We honour these soldiers who fought for the good of the empire, escorting the funding of our country and thank these soldiers for their brave fall. All soldiers rise and fall but we are all one in spirit with the country we fight for and what makes up the country?! The people!", then as everybody else ended their own little promise and vow against the soldier's names.

Getting up slowly he picked up the sword of one of the soldiers and lifted it high above his head and struck it deep into the hard soil in front of the grave of one of the four soldiers. Blue then placing the armour of the soldier onto the cross-guard of the man's sword making what he would call the greatest military grave of all time, they had actually made a grave for him, buried his body and even gave prayer in honour of him. As he waited for the other soldiers to mimic the grave that he had made he spoke again hoping to get on the good side of all of them for sure.

Raising his voice to just above a whisper he said, "Sorry that we couldn't give you a funeral, but this is the best that we could do in the time being since we need to deliver the gold all the Comb Mountains. At least when your dead you still look better than me."

Blue then prepared his stuff and was prepared to set off again for his long trip to the Comb Mountains. He looked at Kade and still felt sorry for the boy, he then really thought about it, who would actually get caught in a jail while trying to break somebody out. Must have too big of a group and they couldn't all get away. Then again, that would mean he was abandoned by the rest of his group or was it that he went to save his brother, who was abandoned by the group. It must have been out of his league to break somebody out of a jail, that boy's too passionate.

Kade Underbough

08-12-09, 05:43 PM

“Alright men,” Lionel called out. Everyone made their way toward their captain. “We’ve lingered far too long. We’ve already lost good men today, but staying here will only cause us to lose more. Those scoundrel Corone Rangers are still out there, begging for a chance to bring us down. We’re not going to let that happen now, are we?”

“NEVER!” The answer erupted from the men. Kade listened, but remained silent.

“Then let’s get moving,” was all Lionel needed to say to get the men buzzing around the area, collecting any fallen materials and getting ready to leave.

The preparations only took a minute or two before the soldiers aligned themselves with the carriage once again. The young criminal took his place at the rear. As one, they continued forward.

"Hey boy-o, glad to see yer still around yet." The old soldier returned to Kade's side, clapping his shoulder jovially.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Say, I never got your name." The young bandit had to admit, there was something likeable about the man.

"Name's Jared, and you?"

"My name's Kade. Oh, and I'm glad you came out all right too. That was a nasty fight."

The soldier chuckled. "That? Heck no. That wasn't nothing but a bunch of kiddies pickin' on some real men. Nay, I'd say we've yet to see what them Rangers really have to offer. Keep yer eyes peeled and your nose clean, lad."

The two continued to converse as they crossed the bridge and continued down the road. The number of travelers that passed by shrank considerably after leaving the Niema River behind. The smallest villages and towns that depended so much on Radasanth's presence to survive were hard to come by as they came ever closer to the Comb Mountains. They were headed straight for the storm, just as it headed toward them. Drops of thick rain came down in sheets, bringing endless tinking sounds as they fell onto the soldiers' armor and weaponry. A few of the men seemed annoyed by the weather, but none complained.

Laughter broke out between two of the soldiers and Jared rushed over to them to find out what was so funny. Kade continued on in silence, praying that there would be no more attacks. Of course, he had no religion to speak of, no god to heed those prayers.

oblueknighto

08-13-09, 02:52 AM

Blue Knight kept walking on with the troop as they climbed hills and passed valleys. The most tired of the group were Kade and the wounded soldier who got worst of the pre-emptive strike of the last battle. The escorts were now well on the way to Comb Mountains but their journey was still full of dangers, the downpour severely limited the soldiers vision and made their group completely prone to ambush. Blue’s arrows wouldn’t strike true and shadowy figures could initiate a sneak attack easily in this rain. The soldiers seemed very tense at the time as the Rangers didn’t usually give any time for rest between their attacks so the soldiers were both preparing for an attack and curious why they hadn’t done so yet.

Blue scanned through the ranks of the escorts and found Kade alone and praying for whatever he wanted, seeing the boy so worried about an attack he pitied him as he was forced into his fate and was not free to do as he wished. Blue noticed three of the soldiers laughing their heads off and saw the wounded man; he was surprisingly still keeping up with the others and was even laughing with them.

Then he saw something moving in the shadows and so for the heck of it he fired an arrow in its direction, he didn’t care who it was and if he hit it or not, if there was any main reason it would be to test how accurate his arrows were in the rain. The wind was quite soft but the rain still affected the arrows, the water density in the air was thicker and just slightly slowed down the arrows.

The shadow was then revealed not to be an enemy but just a deer, the arrow was off by quite a bit but Blue was in a rush back then, he had not used any time to aim. Blue tested firing his arrows forward above the heads of his allies and see how far it would go and so he did. The arrow zoomed over their heads and in an instant flew out of their vision, it actually went further than he thought it would but one thing it did confirm was just how short their vision was. Their vision was already restricted with the routes they were forced to take and the lower ground they were on but the rain had made it such a small distance out it seemed that they were surrounded by enemies everywhere. They could be without even knowing, it was a perfectly plausible reason to why the enemy had yet to attack, and they were just getting into position.

Blue quickly ran over to Kade and spoke, “Hey Kade, did you know that using our bows here is totally inefficient, they would never strike true and even if they did their lethality would have already decreased, rain can mean the total demise of any military archer. I even heard that a lot of amazing archers were killed because they couldn’t shots in while the rain poured down. With us being the only ones on the team who even have bows I think this is terrible.”

Kade Underbough

08-13-09, 04:59 PM

Kade jumped at the twang of a bowstring, only to realize that Knight was the cause. The masked soldier looked troubled by their surroundings, attacking invisible enemies hiding in the almost torrential rainfall. The arrows disappeared almost immediately due to the storm, preemptively backing up the soldier's comments.

"Awesome, the only thing I'm good at is worthless," he mumbled to the one of the few men that could come close to being called a companion.

Another nearby soldier, close enough to hear their conversation, scowled and moved to a different part of the convoy. The man didn't want to rely on an incapable ally. His break from the somewhat uniform ranks was enough movement to draw the attention of the incoming enemy. He yelped and dropped to the ground as an arrow flew through his calf.

They had known it was coming. Each soldier around the carriage had mentally prepared for the immenent ambush. On a wide open road, with poor visiblity, no amount of preparation could help them.

A voice bellowed from just outside of Kade's vision. "For our children! Kill the murderers!" A roar of battlecries followed.

From the sheets of rain came a company of Rangers, this time consisting of grown men. Anger and hatred reverberated in their voices as they charged, causing some of the Empire's soldiers to take a few steps back. Kade quickly noted that they were outnumbered this time, both in manpower and the emotional fuel so often required in battle.

"Stand your ground!" Somewhere close by, Lionel fearlessly engaged the nearest of the ambushers.

Disregarding the unfavorable conditions, Kade stood behind the soldiers, letting arrow after arrow fly over their heads toward the enemy. He desperately wanted to run, but in hardly any time at all, they were surrounded. Setting his reservations aside, he realized there was only one rule to follow. Kill or be killed.

oblueknighto

08-21-09, 10:08 AM

Blue reacted to the boy's snappy comment by looking around, just to find that the battle had already commenced, their position given away from an ignorant fool breaking ranks for his own doubt. He surveyed the enemies and found more suitable fighters now among their ranks. Lionel commanded the escorts not only as their leader by name but leader by physical superiority.

The group was now surrounded by enemies and were in a complete disadvantaged position against the Rangers. The only card they had against the Rangers was Lionel whom relentlessly smites the enemies who engage him. The horses pulling the cart have gone into panic and Blue goes to calm them down in the chaotic battle, his combat abilities are rendered useless so he plans to pull an escape plan.

After he calms downs the beasts he starts firing arrows down into the enemy side of the battlefield. Their escape plans ready, their allies decimated, their enemies approaching Blue finds the only answer to be retreat. The carriage is too heavy to be pulled by any less than three horses or two ox so without the four horses currently pulling the carriage it will stay in it's position almost waiting for him to come back and take it.

The boy he met seemed useless in battle and had yet to prove himself to Lionel. The circumstances led to a battle that their envoy could not win without being allocated more men, soldiers of the army who fight not just for their country but for many more reasons than that. The blitz that the Rangers pulled on their escort has reduced their men numerically down to single digits.

Raining arrows down upon his enemies he must only hold out until his allies admit their defeat and come to terms with the prepared retreat. We must all escape together, then come back for our prized possessions.

Kade Underbough

08-21-09, 06:03 PM

((Guess you liked option 1?))

Kade noticed his companion head toward the front of the convoy and closer to Lionel. The assaulting Rangers forced his attention toward them however, as he heard the painful cries of a few soldiers falling to the ground. Some blood sprayed onto his cheek from the left, and he turned just in time to see one of his allies kneeling before an enraged rebel. With surprisingly little hesitation, the conscript let an arrow fly into the neck of the Ranger from point blank range. The man made a sickening gurgling sound as he fell, dying almost immediately. The soldier turned to give Kade a smile of thanks, but the sword of yet another Ranger cut into his shoulder. The bandit kid let another arrow fly true, felling the second Ranger before he could turn his blade on the young man.

“To me! Soldiers, to me!” Lionel’s voice bellowed across the area, drawing in everyone’s attention for a fraction of a second. Kade started to head toward his leader without bothering to look out for more attackers, once more proving his inexperience.

“Look out kid!” Jared suddenly charged toward his young comrade, letting his previous enemy collapse to the ground. Kade ducked and felt the wind of something rustle the short hairs on his head. The older soldier pushed his hand forward, open palmed. Some sort of invisible force came from his hand, pushing the Ranger several feet away and off his feet. Kade looked at his friend in amazement, but Jared simply gave him a quick smirk and a wink. “Come now. Get to Lionel.”

The front of the convoy was hardly a safer spot. Lionel was bravely wielding his sword and fending off three lesser fighters at once, but the few other soldiers were rapidly losing ground to the overwhelming odds. Knight was sending arrow after arrow into the coming enemy, but it all seemed futile. A second glance at the archer made Kade wonder if Knight’s attacks were possibly coming out half-hearted. He seemed to be hiding amongst the horses and waiting for the battle to be lost. Jared made his way to Lionel as Kade ran up to Knight.

“Dude, what are you do…” He noticed the horse nearest to his ally was no longer tied to the carriage. The masked soldier was planning an escape. Thoughts of escaping on his own and leaving the squad behind flashed through his mind, but was quickly replaced by thoughts of his brother. “You escaping?” He glanced at his comrades doing little more than defending lethal blow after lethal blow. “Lionel, Jared, guys come over here!”

Four melee combatants turned, including Jared and their captain. The distraction was enough to get one of the four killed, and Kade winced. The oldest soldier sent a few more forces from his palm to keep the Rangers at bay and Lionel barked, “What the hell is going on?”

“We can escape with the horses,” Kade replied as he noticed the Rangers slowing their approach, making sure to have the five remaining soldiers solidly trapped. Understanding seemed to dawn on the proud captain.

“Well, you aint goin’ lad. If one of us is getting left behind, it’s you,” the fifth soldier snarled as he grasped the reins of a horse.

“Bring them down! Don’t let them escape!” An arrow grazed Kade’s shoulder and a second struck the mounting soldier in the back.

“Get out of here, now!” Lionel ordered, leaping onto his own horse and cutting the beast’s leash.

More arrows whizzed by, mercifully inaccurate because of the storm. Kade ignored the crumpling body of the soldier as he stepped over him to claim the horse as his own. Climbing haphazardly onto the large animal, he swung his sword at the leash. The blade inexpertly cut through the thin leather strap and cut a somewhat deep gash in the horse’s hindquarter. It let out a heartbreaking cry before dashing off, with Kade barely hanging on, laying on its back sideways. He was forced to let go of the blade, needing both hands to stay steady enough to not get bucked off. Within seconds, he was out of reach of the hail of arrows, the horse following Lionel’s beast.

oblueknighto

08-21-09, 08:27 PM

As he had planned, his group had escaped; Blue had totally disabled the carriage with taking five bolts out of the front right wheel. He turned to look at the carriage and saw that the wheel had already fell out of place and it was leaning onto where the wheel once was. Riding with the only three others that had survived their encounter Blue was satisfied with their numbers, he would have thought that only one or two would come with him but even Lionel joined him.

Blue was tired of all the war games that he was forced to play with, protecting the wages of the military while only having the small envoy was an impossible task. He was going to speak out his opinion, but only that. Wavering over his appearance and his outer feelings he spoke with the image of a proud warrior, "It seems that only you three have escaped with me, why did you do so... Lionel? I would have assumed that you would stay behind and die on the front lines, or was I not mistaken about your attitude to military orders?"

Then turning to the boy that rode behind him he said, "Now turning to you I must ask. Why do you run when you already know that your brother is in custody, do you not care for safety any longer?"

Now riding behind Lionel and in front of Kade he stared at none of them but at the soldier to his right, the other person who had come with his group. He had noticed that the man could bend some kind of unseen force to strike at others with whatever it is, seeming to push them away or something of that kind but now wasn't the time to discuss strengths and weaknesses. Their little group of four needed more allies, get reinforcements then build up a plan to retake the carriage.

Kade Underbough

08-25-09, 03:15 AM

“Live to fight another day, Knight. My orders are to make sure we get that money to the Eli forts, and that can’t be done if I’m dead. We took the horses, so they should take a few hours rounding some up some of their own along with new lashings for them. Farrian isn’t too far away, and I’m sure we’ll find some willing men there to aid our cause.” Lionel seemed worn down, devastated at the turn of events. Kade couldn’t blame him.

Knight’s question to the young man confused him a bit. “Um, I ran because that was your plan and everyone decided to do it. Was I supposed to stay behind and get killed?” He was starting to feel worn down as well, unused to full days of endless marching and battling. “Never mind, that was rhetorical.”

The four continued on toward the town Farrian, supposedly home to a few ex-soldiers loyal to Corone according to Lionel. The rain died down as they moved away from the angriest of the grey clouds. For the first time, Kade was glad to have his short hair, knowing how matted to his face it would have been if it had remained long. His horse started to lag behind the others after a while, and he could feel a slight limp coming from the animal’s back left leg. Blood continued to dribble from the wound he had caused, but he was sure it would survive until they got to the town, where it could receive some medical attention.

After roughly an hour of travel, which could have gone much faster had the companions not been so tired, Farrian came into close view as the came to the top of a hill. The town was near the Comb Mountains, somewhere between the convoy and the Eli forts, and Kade wondered why there would be a sufficient number of soldiers living in such an obscure spot. He had always assumed that any upstanding citizen of the Corone Empire would live closer to Radasanth, free from the threat of the well-known Bandit Brotherhood living just on the other side of the small mountain range as well as the Corone Rangers that swarmed the area. As they neared the gates, trained arrows were pointed at them from either side, but the guards of the town lowered their weapons as they recognized Lionel.

“Well I’ll be damned! Lionel? What’re you doin’ here? Boy do you and yer fellas look a mess. Fighting with the Rangers, I’m guessin’?” A tall, broad shouldered man came forward to shake the captain’s hand. “Come on in. We’ve got some place you can rest I’m sure.”

Lionel took the man’s hand, but shook his head. “It’s been a while Balin, hasn’t it? I’m afraid we aren’t here to stay. We were attacked and need help recovering what the Rangers stole from us. We just need men, and quickly.”

Balin’s bearded face began to frown, but Lionel’s declaration of a need for men seemed to lift his spirits. “Well, if it’s men yer lookin’ for, you know yer in the right place! You still gotta come in though, so let’s get movin’.”

The other guard nodded at the four horsemen in approval as he remained at his post, allowing them to follow Balin into the town. Lionel turned to Jared, Knight, and Kade. “Alright men, take what time we have here to get some rest, eat, and maybe wash up if you wish. We won’t be here long though, so be ready to go when I call.” He gave the youngest of the men a stern second glance before continuing on with his old friend.

“Boy do I have some stories to tell you about what these Rangers have being tryin’ to do around here…” The two trailed off into the town, leaving the other three to do as they pleased.

oblueknighto

08-26-09, 06:12 AM

Blue just followed Lionel as he talked his way into the town. They led his horse into the town and then the conversations continued, Lionel was relating with his old friend and soon the other three soldiers were left on their own. Blue then dismounted his horse and then held tight onto the reigns seeking some stables. He looked at his two companions and then turned away as his helmet started bobbing up and down.

Blue approached his friends asking them, "Would you two like me to find some stables to rest your horses? They are awfully tired from that long ride and need to be kept in a good condition if we are ever going to reclaim that carriage."

In his mind scenario's rushed through his head as he fought to resist the temptation of stealing everything and leaving. With 3 horses he could let two loose and take once with him with the town's riches. Then again he could sell the horses and then keep the gold or even ride the horses back towards the Rangers taking off his helmet revealing his mask to claim a portion for himself. After all, the other soldiers didn't know that he held the key to the carriage. The five wheel bolts were still in his backpack along with who knows everything else that he has bought, found or even stolen.

Shaking his head and shivering at the thought of everything he could do he continued his fake guise as a simple town militia volunteering for a job so his family could live without starving. He changed his habits, posture, voice and behaviour. He patiently waited for whatever words would come out of their mouths.

Kade Underbough

09-07-09, 12:01 AM

Kade looked down at his injured horse and frowned. “Knight, friend, I doubt my horse is going to be very useful to us anytime soon.” He pointed at the deep gash he had caused. “I’m sure there are some horses in town that we would be able to borrow though. Feel free to take this poor fella to a stable for some rest if you want. I’m sure he’d appreciate me leaving him alone, after what I did to him.” The conscript hopped off the horse and the beast of burden immediately started to half limp, half trot away. Jared did the same, watching as Knight took the horses away.

“That there sure is a peculiar feller, ain’t he?” Jared let his eyes wander over Knight, as the man led away the horses. When their comrade turned around a corner, the older soldier shrugged. “Meh, he’s a good feller either way. Helped us out of that bind back there, didn’t he?” He popped Kade on the shoulder. “Come lad! Let’s get us something to eat.”

They found their way to an old inn nearby, complete with a rotted out wooden frame, creaking doors and a rickety stairwell inside that all inhabitants stared at wearily before climbing. It was obvious from the crowd that Farrian was a soldier’s town, full of ex-soldiers, mercenaries, and any sort of man capable of handling his own. Even the few women inside were a bit more on the burly side, most likely to handle any wayward men that might have too many tankards of ale to restrain any devious actions. It was a place Jared seemed to find completely satisfying, even standard by his judgment.

Kade on the other hand, was unused to such an unruly place. It was loud with angry conversation, at least one quick fight going on at any given time, and anyone not involved in that ruckus seemed to be a hair’s width away from joining in. “More ale!” erupted from every inch of the place. The young man stayed as close to his only companion as possible, hoping to go unnoticed. Eventually they made it to a small, open ended table somewhere near the middle of the raggedy building. One of the tough looking, middle-aged waitresses found her way to their table after only a minute or so, evidently capable of doing her job no matter what the circumstances.

“What can I get fer ya boys? Ale, I’m assumin’.” she glanced toward Kade briefly. “Maybe not fer this chittlin’. Water fer ya?” she directed toward the younger of the soldiers. Kade nodded.

“And some food Miss, if it ain’t too much trouble. Whatever’s easiest for ya,” Jared leaned back in his chair, entirely at home in the rat hole.

The waitress gave a curt nod and disappeared into the commotion, knocking a man clear out of his seat due to a discourteous groping hand. The other men at the grounded man’s table cheered and laughed at their drunken friend, and Kade noticed Jared was chuckling as well. The older soldier’s mood never seemed to dampen.

“Lighten up Kade. Ya never know when we gotta leave, so might as well make the best of our time here, righ’?” Jared leaned even further back in his chair, rocking it onto its back legs as he put his own on top of the table.

oblueknighto

09-07-09, 09:55 AM

Blue patiently waited for Kade and Jared to leave him the horses and set off for the stables, he had too much on his mind and he needed some things to do, not just hang around with members of the rotten town community. There were soldiers past, mercenaries, bandits, thieves and even whores in the town. He never liked the crowded busy places and so maybe that was the only reason he didn't like his upbringing, pirates running around screaming at the top of their lungs.

As he approached the stables he noticed a very large man looking around for something when their eyes locked. The man's eyes were quite fierce and had a kind of unleashing look about it but how he spoke was quite different, "Oh, it seems that you have arrived at your first destination, I was expecting three but at least the two horses part was the same. I'll pick out a third one by the time you leave so there isn't any worry."

As the stableman spoke Blue was pondering over why he even offered to take the horses to the stables but even now he could easily just run off with them. Yet Blue handed over the reins of the three horse and simply left to get some well deserved rest. While he walked off he took a sip out of his waterskin sighing as the dangerous dilemma dissolved into manageable memories moving mindlessly around his head.

Shame he was searching to find an inn of some kind when he came across Lionel walking along with presumably his 'old friend' so Blue approached him to thank him. So he started off, "Sir Lionel, thank you for notifying the stableman of their situation with our horses. If you do not mind I would ask, your friend here, where I should go to locate light lodgement for the night." Blue knew perfectly what attitude he took towards Lionel in the one-sided conversation but he did not know how the pair in front of him would react. A sudden formality in front of more formal acquaintances was not unusual in military standards but this was just somebody who classified Lionel as an 'old friend'. Again another test to see what Lionel was really like. Blue even took the courtesy of making a half-bow in this form.

Kade Underbough

04-21-10, 10:05 AM

“I’m sorry Knight, but a short rest can’t last the night. All I can tell you is the only place in town for a quick meal for the wayward traveler is Shandra’s Tavern, over by the front gate. I’m sure Jared and… our dog have already made their way in there, knowing the old codger. We’re headed there right now to reinforce our depleted troops if you’d like to follow.” He gave the masked man a quick look over. “But if you’re lookin’ for someplace quite, I’d suggest…” He looked over to his friend for help.

“Anywhere else!” chuckled Balin excitedly. “Everyone’ll be at the tavern ‘round this time of day.”

The captain gave a nod of approval, clasped his hand on Knight’s shoulder, and finally departed back down the short road to Shandra’s. Had he one of the rare pocket watches seldom found outside Corone’s nobility, he would have looked at it urgently. They had little time to waste, and oh so little men.

(( Closing post for this thread and will continue in a second part, where hopefully more characters can be brought in through the tavern. This is a quest from the Corone Empire mission board, though the task is incomplete. ))