Open Chronicles From Alliria to Heilige Stad

[Hahnah]

Vestof chuckled at Rou's remark--a gruff sound. He brought the pipe to his lips and breathed in and exhaled more smoke over his head.

The man Rou spoke to didn't seem to mind being given a temporary reprieve from his spot on the side-mounted seat of the cage wagon. The overall speed of the caravan was going slow enough for him to dismount off of the seat and to the ground and hop onto Rou's horse without really falling behind.

* * * * *​

Hahnah listened to the sounds outside of the cage wagon. The shuffling of clothes and armor, the plop of boots to the road, the sliding in of someone new on the side-mounted seat to her right.

It was not a human smell, what faint traces came through the barred window. But it was difficult to place, faint as it was. Hahnah thought she had an idea, though as of yet was unsure. She was nevertheless glad that it was not another human.

The new person outside the cage asked her a question. Asked Hahnah her name--if she had one. And a small swell of cautious hope alighted in her chest. To be asked if she had a name was rare, even in encounters with elves. It spoke of a different demeanor. A demeanor that was different than that of Vestof and the men who captured her: who are you, instead of what are you.

She turned her blindfolded head slightly toward the barred window. And spoke her name to Rou.

"My name is Hahnah. I do not have a surname."

Her accent was elven: Fal'Addasian.

* * * * *​

Vestof squinted his eyes. Glanced around. From the covered wagon ahead of his own to the road behind the caravan and then to the driver on the platform with him.

Said, "You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Vestof shrugged. "I don't know. Sounded like someone yelling. Out...somewhere. Hard to say."

The driver, in a resigned manner, said, "We'll find out soon enough if it's business we need be concerned with."

"True enough."

And Vestof went back to the lounging. Casually listening to Rou have her conversation with his captive charge.

alphabunny Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr Ánië Táralóm Tzuriel Alanthis

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

The Golem discarded the amulet, tossing it as far into the Allirian marsh as he could, and began a marching slog back to his horse. As he remounted the steed, he knew he needed to bring the situation at hand directly to the caravan master's attention and with a light kick to his horse and the pull of the reigns began a trot to this merchant king that he was yet to meet.

The caravan master might as well have been a guard, he was a man in his mid thirties just as big an burly as the rusted knight even without armor, scars crisscrossed his bear arms and he had a face like someone who would win staring contests with bears. He was a northerner tribesman, originally from the spine mountains and it was his booming voice that delivered orders down the wagon train.

The rusted Allirian watchman rose up inquiring about the Caravan master. He sat passenger with the driver of the lead wagon with a loaded crossbow in his lap and a war axe at his hip. He looked away from his vigil to see who was asking about him.
His voice was low and rumbling which gave the sensation that he was speaking loudly, but he didn't raise his voice in any way.
"I'm Ajax, the caravan master. What seems to be the problem watchman?"

The driver of the head wagon suddenly pulled the reins hard and brought his wagon to a halt, the huge caravan master cursed and his voice boomed back to the rest of the wagons so they didn't crash and have a pile-up, "CARAVAN HALT!"
Still cursing he looked to the driver, "What in the hell happened!?"
With a shaking finger and wide eyes the driver pointed up ahead on the road... or rather, just over the road...
Ajax looked ahead and his mouth dropped open...

"Damn... Did a troll do that?"

Up ahead on the road was a naked man with red skin hovering above the road with his arms outstretched... The red was blood, and he hung above the road from the trees by his entrails, his face a mask of abject horror staring directly at them.
The corpse was still fresh.

The caravan master cursed again and called out, "EVERYONE ON GUARD! WHERE'S OUR BOWMASTER!?!"

 

[Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr]

(OOC: are we dealing with another Nordenfiir here? If that is the case, his svalen should be able to tell what Cauldwin is right away, if not, is he human? If so being about seven feet is pretty rare. In a world with so much weirdness I need a bit more to work with than "here is a giant dude", you know?)

At the caravan masters attention, the Golem looked ahead and quickly rode to the front of the caravan to serve as the vanguard. These were his charges, if there was danger it was to go through him first.

His horse was spooked, neighing, and jumping back. An experienced rider would easily been able to get control over the horse, but the Golem was struggling, fighting with his horse to keep it from running, and readying himself for whatever might be about to ambush the caravan...

Ánië Táralóm Esmeralda Sophia Le Roux Hahnah alphabunny Tzuriel Alanthis

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

Spoiler: Ajax

Ajax is just a giant dude, a barbarian from the spine, human, nothing special. Everyone in his tribe is really tall and bulky.

Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr

 

[alphabunny]

Rou's attention shifted from Hahnah, she heard the commotion up ahead. "I'll talk to you again later, if thats okay?" Rou hopped off her seat form her caravan. She took her horse back and mountined it, pulled her bow from around her shoulder and trotted forward.. "What in the name of Alleria-"
Rou stopped, the scene infront of her was enough said, she readied an arrow.
"Surround the caravans!" She barked. This was strange to her, never a leader, never really a follower either but here she was, shouting, on guard.

Whatever was coming wasn't going to be good, she smelt a fight in the air. The horses were unsettled and a depression feeling filled the atmosphere.

 

[Hahnah]

Vestof took the pipe out of his mouth. Turned it upside down and gave it a sharp tap against the side of the driver's platform, knocking loose the tobacco and the embers. Said in a manner of mild irritation more than alarm, "Now what's all this then?"

The driver of the cage wagon brought the vehicle to a halt once the caravan master's booming call reached all the way back to them. And the driver glanced over to Vestof and said, "I guess we're finding out sooner than we thought."

"Guess so." Vestof twisted his upper body around to look back at the men on the mounted seats of the cage wagon behind him--Rou had already jumped free. And to the men he said, "Alright. Eyes like a sailor in the crow's nest, men. Watch around, but spare a glance to our charge every now and again. Unmount the crossbows only if shit gets bad."

Vestof dismounted from the driver's platform. Stood with his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. Seemed like some kind of little commotion or obstruction up front. Probably nothing to worry about. The security of this caravan was solid.

* * * * *​

I'll talk to you again later, if thats okay?

Hahnah nodded. Heard the shuffling of the woman hopping off of the mounted seat.

And Hahnah waited patiently. Waited, and listened.

Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr Tzuriel Alanthis alphabunny

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

Everyone made preparations for an attack. The drivers all drew swords, axes, spears and bows and aimed them in every direction.
Ajax hefted his war axe in anticipation while his driver took the crossbow.
Multiple eyes scanned the trees and a silence fell across the caravan as if everyone took a collective breath and held it.

And held it...

And held it...

A minute passed...

Two minutes...

The corpse hanging with his intestines tied about his neck swayed gently as the breeze moved the tree it was in...

Ajax was getting impatient and turned to Rou.
"Miss Stonewall. Can you please shoot down the corpse? Let's see what we have here..."

 

[alphabunny]

Let's see what we have here..."

Rou drew back her her arrow, then sent it flying through the are, a perfect shot it was.
The body dropped to the ground, Rou dismounted from her horse, retrieved her arrow and tried not to gag at the the sight of everything. She placed the arrow back in its sheath and looked to the men behind her, "do we have a medic here?" Maybe a medic could see what exactly the cause of death was, then they would know what they were dealing with.

Rou was once again on horse back, she trotted a meter or two forward. No sign of another soul nearby, from what she could tell. Her hearing wasn't the greatest, one or two to many burst eardrums. Rou didn't hear any rustling nearby either. Who ever the assailant was, from what she could tell they were gone now.

 

[Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr]

The Golems horse bucked the Golem off of it and ran into the opposite direction, taking his saddle bags of equipment with it, save for the satchel that held all of his alchemical tools, which had fallen out of one of the bags when the horse bucked. He fell on his ass, then in a barely audible harsh whisper he cursed under his breath and said in in a low growl, "Gonna eat that horse..." if it wasn't for the fact that horse was one of the few in Allirain stock that could both support the weight of his armor and wasn't out right terrified of his presence, he probably would have.

Getting to his feet quickly, still keeping his one good eye and ears open for any attackers, the rusted giant approached the victims body, it didn't take a doctor to tell that this man was dead. He examined the corpse: human, male, brown eyes, tanned skin, curly long raven hair, and a beard to match the hair. From a glance the Golem could see that the mans neck was slit almost to the vertebrae, blood soaked both his hair and his robes, had scratches down his body as well as a large, clean laceration across his gut. Wasn't hard to guess how the man died, was wounded with a slice to the gut, tried to fight off the attackers with what strength he had left, then they slit his throat... Strange part was how he was garbed, fine robes (Amol-kiate fashion,), religious iconography, this man was pretty devout. Not many of these kinds of people in Alliria now-a-days.

The Golem frisked the body, but found the coin purse intact, rigor mortis had not yet set in, and the eyes weren't even glazed. That meant whoever did this wasn't after money, and the kill happened within the hour. This in combination with how the body was hung as a warning... this wasn't done by thieves or brigands. He got off his knee and yelled out in the same robotic voice he always used as the Golem, "Vic's deceased, focus on the surround-!" The Golem was interrupted by a flaming arrow from the tree line that hit his helm right above the spherical opening of his right eye, with a loud TWANK!

This was followed by other projectiles being fired right at the caravan: arrows, spears, flame magics, until stopping suddenly for a moment.

Ánië Táralóm Esmeralda Sophia Le Roux Hahnah alphabunny Tzuriel Alanthis

 

[Hahnah]

Vestof heard a hearty and metallic thump from up ahead at the front of the caravan, but nothing else other than that. Well, like he thought: this stop wasn't going to amount to much. Just a little due diligence, precautions or what have you, with whatever was causing the hold up.

And then this thought was immediately rebutted.

From the tree line around the caravan projectiles flew. A whole godsdamn variety of 'em. One of Vestof's men--sitting on the seat mounted on the back door of the cage wagon--took a whole no-shit spear through his torso. Eyes glazed over, he was dead before he'd even fallen free of the seat. A trio of fire bolts, the magic complement to this sudden barrage, hit the cage wagon itself. Caught the wood on fire.

Vestof cursed. Barked orders to his other two men to unmount their crossbows and to get down off their seats and watch the left and the right tree lines. He called to the driver, saying to find some godsdamn thing to smother those fires before they got too big.

(before the monster inside had a way to get free)

* * * * *​

Hahnah heard the commotion. Smelled the smoke. And she thought that maybe...maybe...the Dying God--He whose presence she felt in her heart--had listened. Had heard her prayers. And given her this chance.

She tilted her head back. All the way back, as if she were trying to look through the solid roof of the wagon and to the sky directly overhead. And the charcoal-colored strands of her Living Armor near the back of her neck slithered onto the cloth of the blindfold, threading through the tiny crisscrosses of the cloth itself, finding the knot, the myriad collective of the strands working within the confines of their narrow, communal intelligence, like an army of ants set about to discern a solution to a task. This as well happening with the bindings at her ankles and wrists, the strands at her thighs working as fervently as the strands at the nape of her neck.

She could be free.

Soon.

Tzuriel Alanthis Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr alphabunny

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

Everyone took cover as the assault began. Ajax dove under the wagon cursing in three different languages, "They have b*#$+ motherf$#*% magic users! $#@%©^* take them out!"
The assault was answered by a volley of arrows and bolts from the wagons in every direction, mostly unsuccessful but a few found flesh instead of a tree.

While the bowmen drew again those using crossbows dropped them and drew their weapons to prepare for the next assault.
Ajax called out again as he climbed out from under the wagon, "Damn idiots are trying to burn everything valuable! Someone get on those fires, protect the cargo! Use magic if you can!"
While he raised his axe in preparation for the first marauder that stepped out of the treeline with sword drawn.

 

[alphabunny]

The assault from the trees, bush, sky , wherever- were unexpected as they came, before Rou even stood a chance to raise her bow and shoot a warning shot, she felt an exhilarating pain in her left arm. Rou down, as as true as bob she saw what she wished was an illusion. An arrow somehow pierced through her arm, her bloody arm she used to shoot. Well if this wasn't her luck.

A few choice words escaped her lips. She pulled out a remaining shard of an arrow, tore off materiel from her sleeve and closed the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding until she had time to tend to her wound.
Then she saw the fires waiting to set an entire caravan alight. She did her best to put out what she could.

Tension was thick in the air, this was not going to be an easy ride.

 

[Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr]

The Golem was pissed, though he held his composure. No one shoots for his good eye and lives with their spine intact. None the less, there were the first casualties of this journey: no deaths but a few horses and riders were wounded. That and now some of the damned carts were burning.

Some of the hands were filling buckets of water from the adjacent river, snuffing out the minor flames but battling hard against the large ones. The Golem was a devoted warrior of Nykios, but he was more was than just a grunt, he was also an adept alchemist in his own rite and had packed more than a few potions for the trip in case things went south.

Though he was not eager to miss a potential opportunity to get even with he and his charges ambushers, he also had to ensure the safety of said charges. He went sprinting for his satchel, leaning forward, making no contact with the ground for a couple seconds with each bound, and pumping his arms, until he reached the worn dark brown leather bag. He kicked it up into the air the satchel full of his alchemical supplies and then caught them with his left hand.

He ran towards the flaming carts in the caravan, while simultaneously fishing around in the satchel for the death's breath potions (potions filled with a substance that freezes when exposed to air), when he found the blackened glass bottles he yelled to anyone too close to the flames to, "Attention: make way for the Allirian watch!", before going through and hurling a bottle at each of the closest carts currently engulfed in flames. When the bottles hit, the flames were almost instantly extinguished and what was left was a light coat, of an ice-like, black, crystalline substance over the carts. He went through seven of the carts before he was out of the bottles. He was somewhat distraught that such expensive ingredients and a week-long extraction process had been used in a couple minutes, but he resolved with the fact that they existed to be used...

Having helped save what carts he could, he began running back to his position, being more help as vanguard than a bucket fetcher. He stopped dead in tracks when he heard a roar of what was borderline a warband from the tree line. Orcs, men, elves, dwarves, any common sentient creature really. All different ages, social standing, and arms. Every one of them with black glassy eyes. Every one of them charging at the now stopped caravan. In response, he unsheathed his longsword, wielding it in one hand and readied himself for what would be quite a fun slaughter...

...for the fools going after him and his charges that is!

Ánië Táralóm Esmeralda Sophia Le Roux Hahnah alphabunny Tzuriel Alanthis

 

[Ferelith Scathach]

Ferelith was watched from her perch as the caravan was fired upon. Glancing up from where her heavy crossbow was propped in front of her sighted in for the front wagon drivers head.

“Huh..Alexi?” She said glancing up to her fellow bandit. The matching tattoos they both bore marked them as members of the same gang. The drow was looking through a telescope helping Ferelith asjust
“That wasn’t us was it?”

The white haired drow crouching next to her surveyed the fight and ensuing chaos with ever narrowing eyes.

“Not unless Miles decided to completely f$@& the plan and suddenly gained a good 6 extra people, and assorted weapons to hurl.” She responded with a dead pan expression.

“A no would have sufficed.” Ferelith snapped as the drow dodged a swipe from her And booked her solidly on the nose before she dropped from their shared perch and landed gently at the bottom.

“Stupid... purple...knife eared..” Ferelith grumbled following after her. “I can still hear you.” The drow said causing Ferelith to fall into a dark silence. As she arrived at the bottom a group of three were already coming to meet them. A blonde young man with scars and a rugged look to him was looking concerned.

“We were on our way to signal you when these people came out of the wood work..” He said throwing up his hands in consternation. “It’s fine.. We won’t let go of this route, but something else is going on here..” Ferelith said turning to leave.

“Kyla won’t be happy. That buyer wants that cargo. You don’t think it might be...” Alexi said with a slight chuckle.

“I’ll tell her don’t worry.. .” Ferelith said with a dismissive wave as the small team packed up and took their leave.....

“And no..I don’t think they would be that far out here..I know what people say, but I would keep those speculations to yourself for now Alexi...For the time being...“ Ferelith said as they disappeared into the shadows leaving the caravan to its own devices...

for now...

 

[Hahnah]

Hahnah could hear Vestof shouting outside.

("Goddamn it, it's not enough. See about gettin' some water! Hurry, for the gods' sake!")

She paid it no mind. She had not been shot by those weapons which were pointed inward through the barred windows of the cage wagon, so that was good. She could feel the bindings loosening around her ankles and wrists, her Living Armor ripping into them and untwining them more vigorously now, learning and adapting quickly to the challenge. Hahnah tried moving her arms and her legs. Could not. Not yet. Not yet...

And then, all at once, the ropes about her ankles and wrists gave way and her blindfold dropped down from her eyes. The twin chains bolted into the wagon and the attached shackle around her waist was all that was left. Her Living Armor began to crawl over that metal like the marching legs of a millipede, enveloping the shackle and constricting about the links of the chains. She did not try to wrench herself free or try at the chains with her hands. She knew it best to let the strands do their work. A symbiosis at play. Her eyes provided for the host of strands information and feedback that the collective intelligence among them could use to become more and more efficient at the task.

Black burn marks from the fires on the outside were becoming visible from the inside of the cage wagon. The smell of smoke was becoming stronger. And a roar of battle Hahnah heard from the outside.

She was frightened. But she had faith.

She believed with all her heart that she would not be forsaken.

Tzuriel Alanthis Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr alphabunny Ferelith Scathach

 

[alphabunny]

Rou marveled at the sight of what the contents of The Golem's jar accomplished.
Every fight Rou had ever been in was one on one or even two against one but never had she experienced what she did this faithful day. Seemingly the attack had ceased and most of the flames had been snuffed out. Mummers filled the air and each member of the crew took to making sure all that they were hired to keep safe was still intact. Fortunately not much had been damaged. Maybe we should find somewhere safe to camp for the night, she thought to her self. Her best bet was going and talking to Ajax, most of the men would listen to him before they even gave her a second thought.

Rou's arm was throbbing and the material she had wrapped it in was now soaked and dripping blood. As Rou made her way to Ajax she thought of Hahnah, the poor creature was stuck in the cage during the onslaught. It was probably petrified. Rou found her water and stopped by Hahnah.

"Here," she smiled softly and placed the water on the inside of the cage and turned, leaving Hahnah and making her way to Ajax.

 

[Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr]

The Golem had cleaved through two of the chargers, and a volley bolts, thrown tools, and arrows, cut down more than a few of the strange attackers number, forcing them to retreat back into the swamp lands. Sheathing his sword, Cauldwin resigned himself to his boredom, part of him hoped that this would not be the last attack less he die of a lack of brain function.

His damned horse had run off, with most of his tools and supplies no less. Which meant now he was on foot and would be without any of his brews and meals he had packed, only made more frustrating by the fact that Nordenfiir are carnivorous and now he would likely have to hunt for any food he eats on this long escort. So be it, his duty shall be done.

Since he never quite got to report to the caravan master some of the twisted things he had seen when he investigated the swamp thicket, now was as good a time as any, and so he began his jog back to front of the caravan.

Ánië Táralóm Esmeralda Sophia Le Roux Hahnah alphabunny Tzuriel Alanthis
Ferelith Scathach (and boy is this list getting long...)

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

Ajax was in the process of cleaning up the attackers that came at them from the front, he had some shallow cuts but was otherwise unharmed.
He looked back as the attack began to die down.
"Good work saving the wagons, damn idiots can't rob us if the fricken cargo's turned into firewood!"
He cleaned the blood off of his axe while the golem approached.
"Handy potions ya got there, glad ta have ya with us watchman."

Rou approached as well and he nodded to her, "Can ya still shoot with that arm? Might want the potion guy here ta check it out. Be a damn shame ta lose your skills!"

 

[Hahnah]

The flexible, amorphous strands of Hahnah's Living Armor curled about the chains like creeping vines, stretched up from the nexus of her body like the petals of a dandelion and writhed within the confines of the cage wagon. Some approached the bolts which secured the chain to the wagon. Some dragged their ends about on the surfaces of the wagon's interior, like the arms of an octopus scouring the ocean floor. And those strands about her waist infiltrated the locking mechanism of the shackle, toying with the tumblers therein, figuring them out.

Hahnah sat patiently in the center of this undulating forest of tendrils that had sprouted from her body, that she was at the center of. She was calm. This was a gift from the Dying God, her Armor. It lived on her, and it protected her. She provided for it too, eating for herself and for it. Her body provided for it senses it did not have access to. She provided locomotion, greater intelligence, purpose. This the symbiosis between Hahnah and her Armor.

Click.

The strands of her Armor inside the lock were successful--brute forcing their way through the various arrangements of the tumblers to open the lock. Hahnah felt the slight slack now in the shackle, and she knew what it meant more than the noise of the click. She grabbed at the shackle and opened it and let it fall down to the floor of the cage wagon. All of the elongated strands of her Armor started to shrink and slither back into her, and soon the strands once again appeared indistinguishable from short, harmless fur.

Hahnah crawled toward the back door of the cage wagon, still hearing the sounds of a battle outside. This was good. The humans of the caravan would be occupied. She could get away. Hunt them at night. Pick them off one-by-one.

She reached her arm through the barred window of the back door. Most of the creatures Vestof ported around in the cage wagon did not retain the intelligence to do this, and thus it had never been a problem for him--until now. Hahnah's hand smacked about on the outside of the door, searching for the handle. She found it, and a rush of gleeful excitement flooded through her.

The handle was heavy and hard to turn from her awkward angle. But she did it. The back door--with the mounted seat upon it--was incredibly heavy as well, and Hahnah had to put all of the meager physical strength of her body into the effort. But she did it.

The back door of the cage wagon swung open slowly, and Hahnah tumbled out and fell to the dirt of the road, sprawled out on her rear end. She pushed herself up onto her feet. Glanced around in a wild state of alert. Saw a few bodies around the cage wagon.

And then saw Vestof. The human who had captured her. Panting heavily and with a slick of blood on his sword. He saw her then. Shock and horror on his face. He mouthed the words I don't believe it...

A halo of five Knives manifested around Hahnah's head and shoulders. Magical Knives of vibrating black, white, and maroon hued energy. Knives forged from her Elemental Hatred. And all the points of these arcane Knives pointed at Vestof.

Vestof swore--an abrupt and curt sound, like the whomp of a thick bundle of leather hitting the ground. He dove just as the Knives, one by one, launched from their place around Hahnah with a flick of her hand. He had dove and disappeared among the oxen that pulled the cage wagon. Four of the Knives missed him (dissipating harmlessly as they struck the oxen or the ground or the wagon ahead) and one cut a trench into his exposed arm.

But Hahnah did not wait. Did not go to finish him. She had prayed for this opportunity, and had been given it. She dared not squander this gift.

So she turned and ran. Running with a queerly elven grace off of the road the caravan was stopped upon and into the treeline of the forest from which its assailants had come. She needed only to get away. To secure her freedom.

And then it could begin.

Tzuriel Alanthis Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr alphabunny Ferelith Scathach

 

[alphabunny]

Rou never realized when giving the water to Hahnah that there was infact no-one there to give it to.
Her normally observiant nature had betrayed her.
She had heard Vestof moaning and groaning about something but she decided to pay him no mind.

"Can ya still shoot with that arm?

Rou clutched her arm, "I've lost a lot of blood. I think I need to just rest." Rou turned to The Golem, "You think you can do anything about my little mishap?"

 

[Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr]

The Golem finished the jog, reaching the front of the caravan and standing in front of the the caravan master, seeing him now standing rather than sitting made the Golem aware of the man's tall stature. It was unusual for him to be standing roughly eye to eye with another person, even amongst orcs and other nordenfiir. He pondered for a moment if he was also a nordenfiir or perhaps a nord? He dismissed this theory however, for the man lacked the scent of the bear that all nordenfiir possessed.

"Good work saving the wagons, damn idiots can't rob us if the fricken cargo's turned into firewood!"
He cleaned the blood off of his axe while the golem approached.
"Handy potions ya got there, glad ta have ya with us watchman."

The Golem replied exasperated between his muffled pants as he was currently short of breath after the log jog in heavy armor, "...Aye..."

Rou approached as well and he nodded to her, "Can ya still shoot with that arm? Might want the potion guy here ta check it out. Be a damn shame ta lose your skills!"

He was about to report his findings to the caravan master until that kindly voice he had heard before tore his focus away for a moment.

"I've lost a lot of blood. I think I need to just rest." Rou turned to the Golem, "You think you can do anything about my little mishap?"

The Golem turned and looked down at the woman, she had very bright blue eyes... he forced himself to concentrate. There was still a good chance that she was just there to get him away from investigating what was in the cargo. None the less, if he could help her he could not decline.

Cauldwin replied to Rou in a somewhat kindly voice dropping the robotic voice of the Golem, "Alright las, let's go patch up y'ur wounds."

Hahnah alphabunny Tzuriel Alanthis
Ferelith Scathach

 

[alphabunny]

Spoiler: OOC NOTE

is hanah free now? do we all know this yet or only vestof?

 

[Hahnah]

(((OOC: Free and running away into the treeline. Potential to be seen. Vestof will have a fit about it next post.)))

alphabunny

 

[Cauldwin Talson Valfnyr]

(OOC: so, who's got the next IC post?)

Hahnah alphabunny Tzuriel Alanthis
Ferelith Scathach

 

[Hahnah]

Spoiler: OOC

I 'unno. I'll post again to keep the thread alive.

"Fucking...son of a...bitch!" Vestof shouted as he stood. None of the oxen pulling the cage wagon were perturbed by anything around them, so they did not trouble him.

But his arm. His godsdamned arm. Those damned raiders had come and one of the donkey-faced bastards tore up the sleeve of his gambeson. Then the monster got loose somehow and cut him with its magic. Likely would've killed him where he stood if he'd not dived when he did.

Vestof stepped out from among the oxen at the front of the cage wagon and went to one of the dead raiders and stepped on the corpse's arm and tore a long strip of the dead man's tunic free. With an expertise that suggested he'd done things like this more than once, he tied off his own makeshift bandage with the torn cloth, pulling the knot tight and grimacing as he did so.

He had two men left: the driver, and one of the men who manned the turrets on the cage wagon. They were sweaty, bloody, tired, looking to him for orders, and they would do. They would do just fine.

"Pay's gonna split better three ways, boys," Vestof said, going to one of the turrets and roughly detaching one of the mounted crossbows. "Reload. Grab some spare weapons if you want. Fuck the caravan, ain't no good to us if we don't have the monster caged and with us anyhow. We're going after that thing."

And we're gonna kill it. This he didn't say, but this he fully intended on doing. The men--if they survived--might be pissed, but he'd pay them off out of his own coffers. Vestof Stringin would be damned if he let some filthy, bestial creature get the better of him.

Damned indeed.

(because your gods will allow it to happen)

After a short while to prepare, Vestof and his two men went sprinting off in the direction Hahnah had fled.

* * * * *​

Hahnah ran through the forest. Even while barefoot, she had no problem. Her legs were powerful and built for this, and she did not strain for breath. She was not particularly swift, but her endurance was relentless. (And though she did not consider this, perhaps she was designed this way on purpose.)

Trees whooshed by as she passed them in close proximity.

She sailed in small leaps over fallen trunks and continued on with nary a slowdown in her pace.

Down some hills she slid, dead leaves and twigs and undergrowth gathered alongside the shallow trenches of dirt left behind.

She changed her course as it suited her, moving erratically, unpredictably, all in the effort to throw off her pursuers.

And she knew that she would be pursued. That man, and all humans in general, desired to carry out his cruelty. Hahnah would put a stop to it. Put a stop to every human's seething profanity in that caravan.

For Arethil.

* * * * *​

Slowly, surely, Vestof and his men were catching up to Hahnah. The three of them moments away from having a direct visual.

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