Private Tales Something Amiss

[Kaska]

"No. But I found this. " She passed over the letter, her eyes scanning the faces around her. Secretly she was relieved to see her own stress mirrored in their own, this whole mission dissolving into what she had feared from the start-- a suicide run.

"Was there anything else," she asked Sarah sharply, her tension leaking out into her voice for the woman.

 

[Lia]

Lia read, slowly, but she read. Her lips thinned as she did so, and the others remained quiet until she was finally able to finish.

The letter wasn't all that detailed, just a few snippets of things that the Lich was supposed to do. Yet that was more important than anything. The Lich was being ordered to do something. There was no signature save for an odd mark at the bottom, something that seemed familiar but...she couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Some of the Bandits...if you can call them that, they were rotting...not Human, not anymore. Though, they moved faster than any undead I've ever seen."
​

Her lips thinned as she folded the parchment and slipped it into her pack. Sarah was right, Lia had seen them too. "We need the Templar."

The Sergeant said slowly.

They had found the Lich, they had found his Keep, and it didn't look like he would be going anywhere any time soon. The Fortress was well defended and sealed up, meaning that the twelve of them alone couldn't pull this off. Especially with those odd undead.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska grimaced, turning away from them and starting to slowly pace. "So Arillia it is. Should I reach out to the Rangers there?" She asked, the heavy implication in her tone as she gave Lia an equally weighted look.

There were only 12 of them here, a number she doubted even the Templar would match. In truth, they would probably only dispatch one. A lich for them was not as large of deal as it was to the Rangers, and they certainly wouldn't expended resources to back them up. No, just one man then. Which would make them 13 to 40? 50? What if the numbers grew?

But likewise, telling anyone in Alliria about their task...

 

[Lia]

Her fingers tightened for a moment, lips thinning for just a few seconds as she took in a breath. The others were watching her now, something that she was painfully aware of as the seconds rolled passed. They weren't sure what she was going to say.

Truth be told neither was she. "No."

The word slipped from her lips before she could even try to catch it. The Sergeant wasn't sure if it was the right answer, but Kaska's idea of...something going wrong had slipped into her mind. She couldn't chance it, she couldn't chance this getting found out somehow.

The Templar would be more secure.

"Templar." She reiterated. "There's a Commander...Tal...something. Find him, impress the situation on him."

A lich was still a Lich. She couldn't imagine the Templar would ignore it.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska nodded grimly, wiping off her hands and fussing with her quiver. "You should have these while I'm gone then," she held out the arrows, careful with the motion.

"Where will you stay? The last compound? With two of them, you could hide rather easily. See any approach. Wouldn't need a fire for shelter."

 

[Lia]

She considered for a moment.

Kaska would take the ship of course, it was what would see her to Alliria in time to actually bring the Templar back. The Twin Fortresses however were nearly a week away, too far to make time effectively. She frowned for a few seconds, and then spoke quietly.

"There's a set of caves I saw on the way here." It wouldn't make the most comfortable living area, but it would be good enough.

"We'll stay there." She heard a groan from someone behind her, though ignored it. "It's far enough from the Castle that they shouldn't notice us, and we'll set watch just in case."

It would be a boring few weeks, but it would work. "Pick two to take with you, I'll keep Sarah."

She would need the elf as a scout.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska frowned and shook her head. "No. I will not leave you with fewer numbers. I will be safe enough on my own. Where are these caves, show me now." She didn't look at the others, her mind already set to her task, making her brisk and borderline cold.

 

[Lia]

"Take one." Lia said, clearly not looking for any argument on the subject. "Not Thier."

It wasn't that she didn't trust Kaska with the boy at her side, she knew that her friend wouldn't be fucking this up, but no one else could wield the claymore. The arrows she could give to Sarah, but that sword? That sword needed someone big enough to actually use it.

Without waiting for Kaska to argue her point, she stood up and motioned towards the others to follow.

The walk towards the cave took them back the way they had originally come from, cutting through the forest until they reached a set of cliffs near the river. Sarah went down first of course, finding a safe path to a set of three caverns that had been naturally dug into the stone. "Here."

Lia said as they found the entrance to the largest cavern.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska glanced around them, trying to take careful note of the land markings so she could find the location again when she returned. She glanced up, at the state of the lowering sun, and let out her breath with a puff of air.

"If we do not stop along the river to camp, it shoulder only take a week to return. But... It will alert any that are watching out for us." She paced for a moment, stressed.

"Though, " she mused. "That might just draw their attention to me. Give you breathing room." She turned back to Lia, concern pinched in her eyes. "This could take me three weeks. Are you sure you can remain so close to him without getting into trouble?"

 

[Lia]

She nodded slowly. "We'll stick to the caverns mostly, go out hunting in pairs."

They wouldn't have the supplies to survive out here if they didn't go hunting, plus they needed to keep an eye on just what the Lich was actually up to.

Three weeks as a long time to wait, and she was half afraid the creature would go somewhere in the meantime. He did not have an army yet, but certainly enough men to sack a village or two. It would help if they knew what this was all about, the letter had been brief, depressingly so.

"The letter told them to stay put for now." She said quietly. "But that might change quickly."

Her lips tightened. "Try to be faster."

It was an impossible task, one couldn't suddenly force the winds to blow harder, but Lia needed them to.

 

[Kaska]

"I'll try my best," she swore, handing off her stash of dried meat. There was more on the boat. "As long as those bastard Templars don't delay."

She hesitated, half turned to leave just like that.

"Philp." She chose the most unassuming of them all. A mossy man, practically still a recruit. Quiet enough to not bother her. And no real help to Lia if something like a Lich came through.

She looked to Lia, eyes hard, then nodded and turned to leave.

 

[Lia]

She nodded at Kaska's choice, and then spoke quietly as they turned to leave. "Good Luck."

There was not much more to be said.

All that she could hope was that Kaska's journey would be a swift one. There was no telling if it would be, no telling if they would make it back before the Lich received new Orders from whomever was moving the pieces around...but Lia hoped so. They needed to kill this thing.

Even if it was only a small piece of a larger plan.

It was still a piece.

She frowned for a second, watching as Kaska left, then slowly tuned towards the others who were standing behind her. They watched their Sergeant quietly, expectantly.

"Get a fire going, set up tents in the caverns." She looked over her shoulder. "We're gonna be here a while."

​

 

[Kaska]

Kaska's return to Alliria was a wet one, storms having giving her a good soaking through on more than one occasion throughout the night. It both slowed her down and sped her up, in the end she still arrived on the 7th day, her shoes sloshing and her hair frizzy around her head like a halo.

And that was the state she stood in as she stood at the Alliria Templar holdings, tapping her foot as she waiting for this commander Tal to receive her summons.

Of course that had earned an odd look as the man left to fetch Commander Tal, of which she had glared right back at. Seriously, with their attitude already.

 

[Saul Talith]

Ranger? Saul thought to himself wondering as he quickly fell into stride beside Owinn.

The lad seemed to beg somewhat excited, though why he had absolutely no idea. It wasn't like Rangers were all that uncommon in Alliria, and it wasn't even all that rare for them to come to the Compound. Though their Orders had issues, sometimes advice was asked.

Other times there was arguing, but still it was never really that big of a deal.

Of course, as Saul grabbed the handle to the doorway and pulled it open, he understood. A glance was cast at Owinn for just a moment, his head shaking as he saw the half mess of a beautiful woman that was standing in front of him. The exasperation was more than clear on her face, though why he had no idea.

"You've asked for me." Saul launched right into it, no point in beating around the bush. "Why?"

 

[Kaska]

Kaska huffed, crossing her arms and kicking her weight to one hip. She looked miserable and uncomfortable, but she made no comment to it, glancing around with an edgy air before insisting, "In private. If you don't mind."

She didn't know much about Templar Holdings, but the small waiting room towards the front of the main building could very well have ear holes and spy spots that she frankly didn't want to risk.

Lia said to go to Tal. It would be only Tal she would trust.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul raised an eyebrow at the woman for just a few moments, lips thinning at the demand.

This was why he hated Rangers. Just because they had funding and were a little bit bigger they thought they owned the world. Arrogant fools. She'd probably come here to tell him about how one of his men had groped her in a tavern or something like that. "Owinn."

The Commander said in a tight voice.

"Go stare at girls somewhere else." The lad let out a laugh, casting a glance towards Kaska for just a moment before he clapped Saul on the shoulder and headed out of the door. "The room is more than secure, Templar don't spy."

He sounded somewhat exasperated already. "Now what is it?"

 

[Kaska]

She gave him a hard look up and down, taking him in before stubbornly verifying. "You're Commander Tal?"

 

[Saul Talith]

"Talith." He said dryly.

Did these fools not know anything?

"Commander Saul Talith." Perhaps she would expect him to show her the birthmark on his ass to properly identify him, he wouldn't put it past these fools. "Commander of the Legions of the Broken Sword and First Guard to the Lord Captain."

He waved his hand dismissively, as if listing the titles was more annoying that anything. "Now what do you want?"

 

[Kaska]

She gritted her teeth, thinking on Lia's safety as she forced herself. To. Play. Nice.

She dropped her arms and huffed, the next words harder to say than she would have thought. "We need your help." She hesitated on the next words, speaking vaguely. "There's a lich. With an army. And for reasons you're just going to have to trust, I cannot get back up from my own. We a need a Templar before this becomes everyone's problem."

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to jump to.

Please.

Oh god please jump to.

 

[Saul Talith]

A lich?

He frowned for a few seconds. There had been no talk of a lich, no reports of villages slaughtered, caravans taken...nothing. He frowned for a moment, looking at the girl with more than a little bit of doubt. "What kind of an army?"

It wasn't that he didn't believe her...the mixture of panic and the state of her was almost enough for him to rally the troops right then and there...but he needed to know more. He had authority to take whatever forces they needed, or wanted, but he couldn't go on one line alone.

"Where is it?" This could also be some elaborate Ranger prank.

They did that sometimes.

 

[Kaska]

She became tight lipped, her nostrils flaring in slight panic. "North," was all she said. "And don't go asking me where North. I'll tell you if you decide to do the right thing and help." She struggled for a moment, then begrudgingly admitted, "This can't get out. Now I won't tell you more unless you commit to the cause, but unless you want to deal with an army of undead descending upon villages too far away for you to save in time, you'll help. Because it's getting there. I guarantee it."

"So. Are you coming?"

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul drummed his fingers against the side of his thigh. His gauntlet made soft clicks of metal against metal ring out within the empty room.

A lich was dangerous, more dangerous that a horde of Skeleton or a dozen Ghouls. Unlike those a Lich could raise more undead if given the resources, not to mention the powers that it had on it's own. He frowned for a brief second, one more question coming to mind. "Who raised it?"

He doubted she would know.

A lich often came into being through it's own volition. Either a Sorcerer lost control of his magic, the effect was intended, or someone else did the raising. The last was far less common than the other two, if only because a Lich was near enough impossible to control.

Only a powerful mage could do that, or several working together.

 

[Kaska]

She gave him a deadpan look. "A question I will answer on the boat over. You may not know me, you don't even have to like me. But trust me when I say it's important I keep this to myself." She crossed her arms again, glancing him over.

"Unless you single-handedly want to be responsible for a dozen ranger deaths and deal with those politics breathing down your pretty-little templar neck." She tapped her foot, getting impatient.

 

[Saul Talith]

"Responsible?" He almost laughed at that. "It's not my fault you fools run into situations you neither understand or have the capability of dealing with."

Idiots.

Ranger's thought themselves masters of every problem. They ran around chasing werewolves and monsters, undead and Liches like they had any sort of idea what they were actually dealing with. Fools. They would get themselves killed, and Saul wouldn't even blink.

He didn't care about politics, he didn't care about Rangers, and he most certainly didn't care for this girls attitude. There was no doubt in his mind that they would have left him to die if their roles were reversed. "I don't care about politics, or your friends."

Simple truth. What was a dozen Rangers to him? They always had people lining up to join them.

"But a Lich..." He sighed. "A Lich I cannot let run free."

There was no telling what Havoc that could cause.

 

[Kaska]

She raised a brow at him.

"Well perhaps if you had been more diligent, we wouldn't have had to fill in for you. It was marching a day's ride from Alliria just four months ago."

Had it really been so long already?

"Him and his army slaughtered a noble in his mansion, or were you unaware of that as well?" She should have been biting her tongue, but she had already been silent for so far. What the hell was his problem, calling them fools. They were picking up his slack.