Fable - Ask 12 Shots On Target

[Teagan Monroe]

Teagan did not like the idea of leaving them, but Gerard was right. She would have said the same thing if her judgement was not clouded by the recent loss of her men and women. She thanked Indrani for her offer to return and send the now dead applicants to their final resting place. If she could, she would offer to return with the elf and help.

"But we must move on..."

Gerard stumbled slightly and brought his hands to his head. Teagan could see his face contorted with pain and she rushed over to him. As irritated she was with him, she still loved him fiercely. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ear that everything would be fine, she would get them home, and she loved him. It was only a moment after she finished speaking that he regained his composure. He was off, heading towards the guild hall like nothing had even happened.

Teagan frowned and jogged to catch up with him, "we will talk about that mess later. Gerard, I do not think you need to be walking right now." She had not realized the hit was that hard and now she felt bad for ignoring the injuries earlier.

Gerard Montefort Indrani the Huntress

 

[Gerard Montefort]

She was probably right. Teagan's words rang around like tinnitus in his ears, perhaps another symptom of whatever he was experiencing after that blow to the head.

"Perhaps not, but neither can we stay here. Those gnolls might come back for a second round..." he said, ominously. He'd taken a lot of injuries before, but never to the head; it only dawned on him after a few moments of walking that he might be headed in the wrong direction. He looked to Teagan, seeing the worry in her eyes but unable to address it. This wasn't the time or place. What he said next was not an easy thing to say.

"Teagan... I need you to lead the way home," he said, clutching his head again. He reached into his pack and pulled out a bandage, wrapping it around his head quickly, especially in the spot he had been hit. The effect was likely placebo, but doing this made the pain easier to bear for the time being. He repeated himself after bandaging his head, this time as a command. "Lead us home, Teagan."

The sounds of the swamp around them seemed to return, of toads and crickets and other beings that naturally lived in places like these. The fog was still thick, and seemed to resemble Gerard's growing disorientation. But he would follow Teagan wherever she went.

"We should discuss it more, later. Perhaps there is much to be learned from our new allies," Gerard said. "Whatever ill-fortune has grasped the Brotherhood must end, and if learning the ways of an elf, a horse archer, and a crossbowman might in some way save us from our growing plight, then I think those are sacrifices the Brotherhood must make. I will not allow the Brotherhood to fall so long as I am its Headmaster..."

They likely had returned to the group at this point. Gerard looked to Indrani, Pasha, and Robert as they joined them again.

"Indrani, Pasha, Robert," he said. "We leave for the guild hall. Teagan will guide us. But I may ask of your guidance as well--not for the trip, but for your ways of marksmanship. As of late the Brotherhood has seen many such ambushes and mistakes claim the lives of many a good archer. I cannot stand for this as the Brotherhood's Headmaster. Thus, I must ask a favor of you: I wish to learn your ways. The way of the bow from an elf, the way of the nomad from a nomad, and the way of the crossbow from an arbalester. Perhaps these teachings can reverse our ill-fortunes."

He let the question hang, seeing if they would respond as they began making their way back to the Brotherhood guild hall again.

 

[Indrani the Huntress]

Teagan followed after Gerard when he began to march off in the wrong direction. His head injury, Indrani realized, was much more serious than she'd thought. Truthfully, he needed to rest, but neither the swamp nor the forest would allow them any respite tonight, so long as there were gnolls about.

Indrani eyed the two human men she was left with, Pasha and Robert. She knew little and less about the people of the Taagi Baara Steppes, though she hoped to one day rectify her lack of knowledge, but of Anirians, she knew more than enough. It had been centuries since the wars between their people, but elven lives were long and their memories were longer. She had heard tale of the Dreadlords of Vel Anir from numerous elders throughout her life and come to dislike Anirians on principle alone. And this man had served them directly!

"Don't scowl at me like that elf," the man called Robert said.

Indrani flared her nostrils, still glaring.

"Please?" he tacked on. "I'll always be Anirian, but this ain't Vel Anir, miss. We're brothers now."

She arched a single eyebrow.

"Well, brother and sister. Comrades. Err...Pasha, was it? Help me, would you?"

The horse-archer only chuckled in response. "The murder elf has no quarrel with me, and I aim to keep it that way."

"There is no quarrel between us," Indrani said. Murder elf?! "I just don't like Anirians. But that is unfair of me, for your great grand-sire was barely a babe when last the elves of the Falwood clashed with the Dreadlords of Vel Anir. But as you said, we're brothers now. You have nothing to fear from me, Robert."

Teagan and Gerard returned just moments later. Gerard seemed better, but Indrani knew head injuries were precarious things. He would most definitely need to see a healer of some sort whenever they reached the Brotherhood's lodgings.

"Indrani, Pasha, Robert," Gerard began said. "We leave for the guild hall. Teagan will guide us. But I may ask of your guidance as well--not for the trip, but for your ways of marksmanship. As of late the Brotherhood has seen many such ambushes and mistakes claim the lives of many a good archer. I cannot stand for this as the Brotherhood's Headmaster. Thus, I must ask a favor of you: I wish to learn your ways. The way of the bow from an elf, the way of the nomad from a nomad, and the way of the crossbow from an arbalester. Perhaps these teachings can reverse our ill-fortunes."

Indrani shrugged, having picked up the gesture from humans in Fal'Adaas. "That's partly why I joined. And perhaps you could tell me where you got that bow from?" The one he'd used against the Gnolls was definitely magical- she could almost taste the energy, like a spark on her tongue.

She wanted one.

Gerard Montefort Teagan Monroe

 

[Teagan Monroe]

Teagan was not pleased with having to trek back to the guild hall with Gerard in this condition, but she sucked it up. That's what a leader did and she was the leader. All the wanted to do was wrap him in her arms and hold him until he was better. That couldn't happen now though. "Will you hold onto me, at least?"

Gerard reluctantly let her support him with an arm around his waist so he wouldnt randomly go down while walking. It took them an agonizing hour to get back to the guild hall and she sent Robert ahead to let the single healer they employed know that they were coming in hot.

Teagan didn't pay attention to what the others did as she led Gerard to the healer and deposited him on the bed. She explained what had happened and went back out into the hall to pace.

Gerard Montefort Indrani the Huntress

 

[Gerard Montefort]

And perhaps you could tell me where you got that bow from?

Gerard was happy to speak of it. After all, it was one of the Guild's few artifacts.

"This is the Everbow," he said. "It's a mithril infused bow that is magically enchanted to never decay under any weather. It has shot power many times stronger than a normal longbow, and its draw is effortless. It is the greatest weapon a campaigning archer could ask for. I'm sure the Elves have many, more powerful artifacts, though. But in the realm of Men this is perhaps the finest bow you will ever see. It is the pride of any Headmaster of the Brotherhood."

He hoped that was a sufficient explanation; he hadn't done so for new recruits in a long while. Gerard found himself feeling that way about many events lately. He was too unattached from the Guild for both his and the guild's good. Yet he knew that only by involving himself in the community again and learning new ways to lead the guild, would the guild thrive and prosper.

Gerard accepted Teagan's aid, although their walking through the marsh would be awkward and unpleasant, especially with so many small pathways only one person could fit through. He'd insist he was fine, but he'd seen far too many men take a blow to the head like him and hours later were stone dead. He didn't fight Teagan about seeing a healer, either, because he had a sinking feeling that this injury he'd sustained wouldn't be so easy to shrug off.

Hours passed, and he waited in the guild infirmary for what felt like an agonizing amount of time. He had one of the medics go and grab his book, loose papers, ink, and quill while he waited, trying to stay awake on their orders until such time that he could go to sleep. He started writing as soon as they returned, some of it actual text, some of it musing on the possibilities of learning from an elf, a nomad, and an arbalester. He wondered if anyone would visit during this time...

 

[Indrani the Huntress]

"This is the Everbow," Gerard explained as they walked. "It's a mithril infused bow that is magically enchanted to never decay under any weather. It has shot power many times stronger than a normal longbow, and its draw is effortless. It is the greatest weapon a campaigning archer could ask for. I'm sure the Elves have many, more powerful artifacts, though. But in the realm of Men this is perhaps the finest bow you will ever see. It is the pride of any Headmaster of the Brotherhood."

It was true, her people had many such artifacts- her mother's bow had been imbued with actual lightning. Every veteran ranger had a magical bow of some sort, crafted by ancient artificers and enchanters, though some were skilled enough with magic, after so many centuries, to craft them on there own.

But Indrani wasn't a veteran ranger- she was barely a rookie ranger, by her peoples reckoning- and she knew little of magic, save the magic of nature. She only owned a plain yew bow and her monster of a recurve bow that she'd left behind in Alliria.

The trek back through the marshlands was slow going due to Gerard's head injury. Teagan led them as swiftly as she could with Gerard half-hanging off her shoulder; Pasha and Robert were in the middle, and Indrani brought up the rear, eyes peeled and ears tuned in case there were more gnolls lurking about.

The gloomy marsh gave way to the forest, and then the plains again, and a rutted rode that cut straight through the fields of green. Eventually, they reached the guild, a stout, formidable structure, and the group went there separate ways, for a time. Teagan escorted Gerard to what Indrani assumed was the infirmary, and Pasha and Robert sort of meandered around the antechamber before someone led them away to get cleaned up and fed.

Indrani, ever curious about the habits of humans, went exploring the guild hall. She hadn't forgot her promise though. She had every intention of returning to the swamp to cremate the dead recruits.

Gerard Montefort Teagan Monroe

 

[Teagan Monroe]

Teagan had gone to her office and to get some food before making her way back to the infirmary to check in on Gerard. She pushed into the room and saw him scribbling away. She sighed and went to the bed he had been placed on. "Really, Gerard, can you not stop working for a few minutes?" Her voice was teasing but she was one hundred percent serious. She stood awkwardly near the bed because all the wanted to do was kiss him.

"What did they say?" He seemed like he would be fine, but she was going to worry nonetheless. He had been hit pretty hard. "And what are your thoughts on things moving forward? We lost the majority of our applicants today, Gerard." It would not be good for morale.

Gerard Montefort Indrani the Huntress

 

[Gerard Montefort]

Gerard was glad to see that Teagan had come to visit him. It was written in his face much as he'd written on many of the pages that were scattered over his hospice blanket. He laughed when she teased him about working; this book was a pet project of his that he was determined to finish before he caught another hit like that in battle. He was writing remarkably well considering he'd sustained a head injury.

"What did they say?"

"The medic said I'm lucky, but that I would need a few days in case something happens. I... we've both seen head injuries before, Teagan. They're usually pretty ugly. Sometimes things happen that we can't see. I'm sure that's what the medic was talking about, too."

He paused. She was right, of course; it didn't look good to lose so many applicants on a training mission.

"It seems we can't catch a break, Teagan. First the Wurm, now this..." he trailed off, looking out the window for a moment. "...and us, too, of course. I think we should definitely do something. I had an idea that we take 10% of the wages of the contract payouts we collect, and save those earnings for situations like this so that we can send compensation to the families. I didn't know the men we lost, but who knows how many widows and bereaved their loss has created. The guild may not take kindly to a contract tax, but I hope that our brothers and sisters will see the value in having the assurance that their families will not be completely lost should they fall in battle."

He smiled softly. "My book is coming along nicely, I just realized. I hope it may someday be used as a manual for advanced archers for the guild's posterity. Speaking of, have you seen Indrani? I wanted to ask her about elven archery and compare it to our own techniques. I may not be able to fully compare until we can reach a range, but... maybe it's time we started looking for expertise outside of just the bow. Maybe that is how the Brotherhood will survive this streak of ill-fortune."

Teagan Monroe Indrani the Huntress

 

[Indrani the Huntress]

After exploring the guild and gathering a few materials for her return to the forest, Indrani made her way to the mess hall. It was a large, spacious room, lined from wall to wall with rows of trestle tables. There weren't many people about, given the odd hour. She saw Pasha and Robert sitting together among a larger group of brotherhood members, about a dozen men by her count, doubtlessly speaking of their harrowing recruitment test. They were still filthy from the muck of the swamp, looking more like brigands than archers. Robert noticed her first, eyes widening before he nodded at her, head dipped in respect. Pasha noticed her the moment after, and then the others, all turning to her seemingly in unison.

"Indrani!" The dusky skinned horse archer called out, standing and beckoning her closer. "Join us. Come, come, come. I have food for you."

She slide gracefully onto the bench beside Robert. Her plate was laden with grilled meats and vegetables, and a thick slice of bread. "Much obliged, Pasha." She immediately began to eat, savoring the meat especially. It was a juicy cut, and very well seasoned.

"So why would an elf like you decide to join the brotherhood?" one of the men asks. He didn't seem suspicious, she thought, just curious.

"On a whim, really," she said around a mouthful of meat and bread. By some manner of magical elven grace, she managed to eat and speak in perfect harmony. "You humans are interesting, to say the least. You live such short lives in such imperfect bodies, yet you've done so much as a people despite your limitations. Have any of you ever seen a flower bloom?"

If they were thrown by the non-sequitur, they didn't show it. Some of them seemed a little upset by her blunt words.

"Of course," another man answered. "Come spring the meadows 'round back of the range are covered in wildflowers."

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" She smiled. "That is what humans are to me. Blooming flowers."

"...I don't understand, ma'am," said Robert from beside her.

Indrani laughed and continued to eat.

Gerard Montefort Teagan Monroe

 

[Teagan Monroe]

Teagan took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Gerard. She would have made herself more comfortable by laying next to him, but she did not know who would find their way here. They had decided that they would not hide their relationship but they were not going to openly flaunt it either. Her sitting on the edge of the bed would not be too weird…she hoped.

Her mouth formed into a frown as he spoke. A contract tax was a terrible idea and he knew that. The members were not going to be okay with that at all. Maybe some would accept it but the majority would fight back against it. “Gerard, I do not think a contract tax is a good idea. At least not telling them about it. Perhaps if we just upped the guilds portion slightly and saved that money away for the same reason.” Telling the members that there was an increase in operation costs seemed more reasonable than telling them that they now had to pay a tax. Same result, different delivery.

“No, I have not seen Indrani,” Teagan answered his question once he was done speaking. “I can go find her though if you want to talk to her now. She probably went to find some dinner with the others, I am sure.”

Indrani the Huntress Gerard Montefort

 

[Gerard Montefort]

These kinds of good ideas were exactly why Teagan was his second-in-command. Yes, maybe all his idea needed was a little rebranding and a little shuffling and it could work exactly how he wanted it to. It was strange; he wasn't usually so sentimental, but recent events with the Lindwurm and now his head injury had him feeling strange, off-balance, even peculiar. He held Teagan's hand, squeezing it gently just for a moment before letting go again. He didn't feel right being in a medic bed.

"That's a good idea, Teagan. We'll have to try it that way. We can figure out the numbers later when my mind is more... open to such thoughts. For the moment, yes, could you fetch Indrani for me? I'd like to speak to her regarding the way of the bow..."

It was a hard pill for him to swallow still, but if his archers could be half as good as Indrani, or even Robert and Pasha, then he could be proud of what he'd done for the guild before he couldn't be its Headmaster anymore... and this injury seemed to have put a sudden timer on that task.

 

[Teagan Monroe]

Teagan leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Gerard's lips. They were alone in the room for now and she felt it was safe. "Yes, I will go find Indrani for you, my love." She smiled at him and then left the room without another word.

Teagan has taken a guess that Indrani would be in the guilds mess hall. That's where she would have gone upon her return normally, but today was different. She spotted the tall elf woman immediately and picked her way through the tables slowly.

"Indrani, the Headmaster would like to speak with you. Please follow me," her words were simple yet commanding as she waited for the elf to respond.

Gerard Montefort Indrani the Huntress