Andrew
04-19-06, 07:40 PM
(This thread is closed. If you want to join, PM or IM me.)
The night air had more of a bite to it now that Luryll had taken off his armor. Maybe it was that he had fewer layers, or maybe it was just the way temperature drops at night when one is far from any mediating bodies of water. Whatever the reason, it had prompted him to build a small fire, in spite of the ever present danger of highwaymen. That warmth, though, carried more than just the danger of being found; it was causing Luryll to procrastinate on going to his cold bed, which would result in his being tired the next day if he did not correct it soon.
A twig snapped.
Luryll cursed the shininess of his sword silently as it flashed in the fire light, obliterating the option of stealth. He cursed the fact that his armor was packed away in his tent, rather than adorning him, as he dashed in the direction of the broken twig. If his attackers were worth their salt, they would have encircled his camp by now; if they were stupid enough to have clumped together, they might just be unskilled enough for him to take them. He should have put out the fire, he realized, although it was too late, so that he could more easily move unseen if they had circled around. Luryll cursed as he saw a lone figure slightly to the North of where he had been charging, because the snapping twig had made him half expect the bandits to be bumblers. "They may yet be," he thought to himself triumphantly; as he turned to chase the one he saw, it began to back away, and then to run.
Something didn't quite add up. "Why would they encircle and then flee when confronted? Spreading out like that requires a certain amount of confidence, which this one is surely lacking. And why am I being attacked by cross-dressing brigands?" When the figure had begun running, Luryll had noticed something strange about the shape of its legs, which had just clicked. His curiosity dictated that questioning was in order, which meant catching this one alive. He sheathed his sword, still running. When he was finally close enough, Luryll executed a diving tackle, which sent his quarry sprawling against the ground.
His quarry felt a lot more supple than he had expected. It felt very much like sitting on the back of a human woman, and not at all like sitting on an armored man; even an armored man in a dress. She started to cry.
"Ugh," thought Luryll, "what a weakling." He said, getting up off her, "I am terribly sorry for my forwardness, my lady, but I was suffering from a case of mistaken identity." He extended a hand in order to help the young woman up. "Had I suspected that a beautiful lady such as yourself would be unescorted after dark in a place like this, I would not have been nearly so quick to assume that you were a bandit. Please forgive me. My name is Luryll K'Ou and I am a soldier of fortune."
Meekly, the woman accepted his help and rose to her feet. "I'm sorry if I startled you," she said to a point on the ground by her feet. "It's just... I had to leave under the cover of darkness or else they would have stopped me."
"You need some time to calm down. I would be honored if you would share the warmth of my fire for a while. Perhaps you can even tell me who these people who would have stopped you are. I may be able to help. I would also be glad to know your name, my lady." Luryll noted to himself that the young woman he had nearly killed was was a fine specimen of human femininity, and was glad that he had not killed her. The fact that she seemed about to provide him with what he liked to think of as a "business opportunity" sweetened the deal. The only drawback was that he was finding his business before pleasure policy somewhat restrictive.
"My name is Elaine," she stammered, "some time by a fire would be nice."
After he had calmed her down somewhat, Elaine began telling Luryll of the plight of her town. It had been a peaceful place, inhabited primarily by farmers. Everybody knew everybody else. There were rarely any fights, because everyone respected the word of the council of elders as law. Even the town's name spoke of peace. "Pacifburough."
Two years ago, a mercenary company known as Ulrik's Marauders decided that they wanted to retire from the high stress life of fighting in wars. However, none of them had the skill sets or inclinations necessary for good, honest work. All they knew was fighting and intimidation. So, one day, they started building a fort on a hill just outside of Pacifburough. The people didn't know why they were doing it, so nobody stopped them. After a few weeks, the fort was finished, and Ulrik himself led a group of marauders into the heart of town. There, he declared that the town was now under his jurisdiction. Taxation would begin one week after the proclamation and resistance would be met with deadly force. Both statements were later proved to be true.
At first, the elders had decided that they should just go along with the demands of Ulrik's Marauders, but lately the demands had been increasing. The latest set of demands included several nonspecific unmarried women. That pushed the elders over the edge, and so they sent all of the unmarried women of marriageable age to go find help. That way, not only did they have a chance of ending the mercenary threat, but the women would be safely away when the Marauders came to collect.
Luryll made sympathetic comments in all of the right places while Elaine was talking. When she was done, he took on a posture that indicated deep thought, although the truth was that he already knew his course of action. "I shall return with you to your town first thing in the morning, and then I shall see about rousting your oppressors. Men such as that must not be allowed to practice their twisted desires upon ladies such as you, nor should they be allowed to feed off of the work of honest men unopposed."
He found himself, unexpectedly, held tight in a bear hug upon the completion of his miniature speach. "This is going to be easier than I thought," he thought to himself, looking forward to being able to retire to a warm bed after all.
The night air had more of a bite to it now that Luryll had taken off his armor. Maybe it was that he had fewer layers, or maybe it was just the way temperature drops at night when one is far from any mediating bodies of water. Whatever the reason, it had prompted him to build a small fire, in spite of the ever present danger of highwaymen. That warmth, though, carried more than just the danger of being found; it was causing Luryll to procrastinate on going to his cold bed, which would result in his being tired the next day if he did not correct it soon.
A twig snapped.
Luryll cursed the shininess of his sword silently as it flashed in the fire light, obliterating the option of stealth. He cursed the fact that his armor was packed away in his tent, rather than adorning him, as he dashed in the direction of the broken twig. If his attackers were worth their salt, they would have encircled his camp by now; if they were stupid enough to have clumped together, they might just be unskilled enough for him to take them. He should have put out the fire, he realized, although it was too late, so that he could more easily move unseen if they had circled around. Luryll cursed as he saw a lone figure slightly to the North of where he had been charging, because the snapping twig had made him half expect the bandits to be bumblers. "They may yet be," he thought to himself triumphantly; as he turned to chase the one he saw, it began to back away, and then to run.
Something didn't quite add up. "Why would they encircle and then flee when confronted? Spreading out like that requires a certain amount of confidence, which this one is surely lacking. And why am I being attacked by cross-dressing brigands?" When the figure had begun running, Luryll had noticed something strange about the shape of its legs, which had just clicked. His curiosity dictated that questioning was in order, which meant catching this one alive. He sheathed his sword, still running. When he was finally close enough, Luryll executed a diving tackle, which sent his quarry sprawling against the ground.
His quarry felt a lot more supple than he had expected. It felt very much like sitting on the back of a human woman, and not at all like sitting on an armored man; even an armored man in a dress. She started to cry.
"Ugh," thought Luryll, "what a weakling." He said, getting up off her, "I am terribly sorry for my forwardness, my lady, but I was suffering from a case of mistaken identity." He extended a hand in order to help the young woman up. "Had I suspected that a beautiful lady such as yourself would be unescorted after dark in a place like this, I would not have been nearly so quick to assume that you were a bandit. Please forgive me. My name is Luryll K'Ou and I am a soldier of fortune."
Meekly, the woman accepted his help and rose to her feet. "I'm sorry if I startled you," she said to a point on the ground by her feet. "It's just... I had to leave under the cover of darkness or else they would have stopped me."
"You need some time to calm down. I would be honored if you would share the warmth of my fire for a while. Perhaps you can even tell me who these people who would have stopped you are. I may be able to help. I would also be glad to know your name, my lady." Luryll noted to himself that the young woman he had nearly killed was was a fine specimen of human femininity, and was glad that he had not killed her. The fact that she seemed about to provide him with what he liked to think of as a "business opportunity" sweetened the deal. The only drawback was that he was finding his business before pleasure policy somewhat restrictive.
"My name is Elaine," she stammered, "some time by a fire would be nice."
After he had calmed her down somewhat, Elaine began telling Luryll of the plight of her town. It had been a peaceful place, inhabited primarily by farmers. Everybody knew everybody else. There were rarely any fights, because everyone respected the word of the council of elders as law. Even the town's name spoke of peace. "Pacifburough."
Two years ago, a mercenary company known as Ulrik's Marauders decided that they wanted to retire from the high stress life of fighting in wars. However, none of them had the skill sets or inclinations necessary for good, honest work. All they knew was fighting and intimidation. So, one day, they started building a fort on a hill just outside of Pacifburough. The people didn't know why they were doing it, so nobody stopped them. After a few weeks, the fort was finished, and Ulrik himself led a group of marauders into the heart of town. There, he declared that the town was now under his jurisdiction. Taxation would begin one week after the proclamation and resistance would be met with deadly force. Both statements were later proved to be true.
At first, the elders had decided that they should just go along with the demands of Ulrik's Marauders, but lately the demands had been increasing. The latest set of demands included several nonspecific unmarried women. That pushed the elders over the edge, and so they sent all of the unmarried women of marriageable age to go find help. That way, not only did they have a chance of ending the mercenary threat, but the women would be safely away when the Marauders came to collect.
Luryll made sympathetic comments in all of the right places while Elaine was talking. When she was done, he took on a posture that indicated deep thought, although the truth was that he already knew his course of action. "I shall return with you to your town first thing in the morning, and then I shall see about rousting your oppressors. Men such as that must not be allowed to practice their twisted desires upon ladies such as you, nor should they be allowed to feed off of the work of honest men unopposed."
He found himself, unexpectedly, held tight in a bear hug upon the completion of his miniature speach. "This is going to be easier than I thought," he thought to himself, looking forward to being able to retire to a warm bed after all.