Private Tales Something Amiss

[Kaska]

The arrival to Arengale that night was a bitter sweet one to Kaska. As the men unloaded themselves from the ship for the last time, she felt a pang of... a pang, was all she'd allow herself to call it. With a heavy sigh she followed them off, casting Lia a look as the dusky evening set across the hull.

She shrugged as if to say, 'One more night then.' She stepped off, picking up a bag of cooking supplies and walking them towards the gathering group.

 

[Saul Talith]

To call Arengale a city was more than a little bit generous. The town consisted of no more than thirty buildings, a third of them warehouses, a third Inn's, and the last third a smattering of houses and whatever else was necessary. Most people in Arengale did not live there, instead traveling daily from outlying towns nearby.

It was an odd system, but made that way due to the constant turn over in merchants, smugglers, and sometimes military men who made their way through here. "We'll take a night here."

Saul said to Leane quietly.

"I'll arrange some horses for tomorrow." He paused for a second, glancing at the Rangers. "Get everyone a room."

Just for a night, they deserved beds.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska blinked, instinctively reaching for the spare coins of her money pouch and squeezing it. She glanced back at lia again, already braced for the woman's words of protest. "Thank you," she uttered to Saul before anyone could get an idea to decline.

A bed sounded fucking wonderful. Whats more-- a hot meal and proper ale. On her, though Saul would come to discover that token of gratitude later.


The crew managed to settle between two inns, the common room of the largest homie enough to sit every body in as meals were served up and drinks were had. Kaska found herself sitting besides Sarah, of all people, the elf silent but... --dammit, no, this was just because she was buzzed. Sarah was never pleasant when not buzzed. -- strangely pleasant company as the men around them enjoy themselves.

 

[Saul Talith]

He was tired.

It was something he noticed while sitting at one of the several dozen round tables within the Inn known as the "Upside Down Unicorn". Saul had no idea why it was named that, but the sign had been amusing enough.

Sitting there though he felt a weight on his shoulders. It had been a few weeks since he'd been at home now, and a part of him dreaded what he would find there when he returned. Things would change soon, he could feel it in the air. The idea of it, the simple fact wore him down.

He was tired, but rest would not come soon.

Taking the last sip from his cup Saul motioned to one of his men. "I'm headed to bed. Make sure no one stays up too late."

Otherwise they'd never get going.

 

[Lia]

​

This had been a bad idea.

Neither of them had seen it coming, neither of them could have guessed it would land them here, but...well what had they really expected? Allies were short in Alliria, and their expectation that a contact who had reached out to them would help had been foolish.

So now they were running.

Lia turned a corner, her boots practically skidding across the paved stones as she jutted out her hand and practically pulled a woman to the side of her. The finely dressed lady let out a muted scream followed by a curse, but Lia didn't care.

"GO!" She yelled to Kaska. "The Slums!"

It was beyond the wall, but the City Watch would be hard pressed to follow them there.

She hoped at least.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska scattered, her heart in her throat as she obeyed without question. It felt as if the pavement was falling out from under her. No one left of their own. No where to go.

No one to trust.

Trust. The concept gave her a thought— a poorly formed idea that could be as stupid as stupid could be, but when your neck is on the chopping block you’ll take what you can get.

She only said one word to Lia, her voice raw from strain as she landed hard on the other side of the wall.

“Templars.”

 

[Lia]

For a second Lia hesitated.

Trust was thin these days. The Rangers had betrayed them, the city watch had betrayed them. Everyone else? Everyone else was not to be trusted. Her heart sank a bit at that thought, the idea that they were so pushed Into a corner they could hardly trust a single person.

It was depressing. She'd been taught the Rangers were a brotherhood, a group dedicated to one another as much as the Reach itself. She supposed at heart she had always believed that, but now? Now it all seemed a convenient lie to hide behind.

Her stomach felt like emptying itself.

Half a moment more passed, and then Lia gave the only answer that she felt like she could in that moment. A single curt nod.

What other option did they have?

 

[Kaska]

And that was how the Templar courtyard found itself stormed with dust and overrun by horses.

They had driven their stolen horses at breakneck speed, unable to shake their pursuers. It became starkly clear to Kaska that to be caught would mean her death. Strange how a horse ride could feel so akin to battle.

The daily drills of the uninitiated were disrupted and scattered The master Templars tried without success to reign in their minors as the two rangers came barreling in.

“Sanctuary, I plead sanctuary!” Kaska practically screeched. There was no dignity to her arrival, a kid being yanked away from the threat of being trampled as the guards struggled to break their speed as they pulled in behind them.

She dismounted, half stumbling as she did so. “Saul? Where is Saul- we need-“ The guards surged onto her, and Lia alike, resulting in a fierce scream ‘no’ and a broken jaw that wasn’t hers.

Another guard sought to restrain her, and would succeed without intervention.

 

[Lia]

The Templars were on the guards in an instant, an army that was well trained, an army that was better disciplined than any member of the City Watch could have hoped to be.

A short struggle erupted within the courtyard, fully armored Templars grappling and pulling City Watchmen away from the two Rangers, the crack of bone ringing out, the sharp sounds of swords pulling from their scabbards singing in the air.

Then everything went silent.

Lia could feel her breath catch in her throat, could feel her heartbeat practically erupt from within her chest. The Guards were held away by the Templars, one of their Captains was swearing, cursing, yelling, but a stone faced Templar peered back at him.

She recognized the woman, her eyes closing as she tried to recall her name.

Leane she thought.

"Leave. The Compound belongs to the Templar, the Watch has no authority here, not since the treaty of Vasallion."​

The Guard looked like he was about to speak before Leane cut him off.

"Do you want to challenge a thousand years of tradition for two girls?"​

The question seemed to hang in the air, and then slowly the Captain backed off, barking an order for his men to retreat from the compound.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska felt herself fall to her knees, her fingers digging into dirt and grass to steady the shakes that racked her. Not because she had just narrowly escaped a death sentence, no... though she had... It was just...

Her father didn’t.

The painful silence that filled the courtyard cut through to her, every weighted Templar gaze demanding an answer.

She swallowed hard, all loyalty to her people lost as she uttered the words, “Someone is taking over the Rangers. And they aren’t good,” she gritted, standing up and tossing her fist full of dirt back to the ground.

“Where is Saul?”

 

[Lia]

Lia grimaced slightly as Kaska spoke, spilling the secrets of their organization to a rival that they'd held for centuries.

It would have gotten out anyway of course, but for some reason the prospect of actually saying it out loud made her want to cringe. She felt guilty for that. She should have been able to put the situation first, not worry about appearances.

"Not here."​

Leane answered calmly.

Lia couldn't help but feel her stomach turn in knots at the words. Would the Templar's even help now? Saul had been their only connection.

"Things...changed since the last time you saw us. He is currently to the east, and has taken the role of Lord Captain of this Chapter, as well as several others."
​

For a moment the Ranger couldn't quite process what that meant, only coming to understand after the panic in her heart subsided and what knowledge she had of the Templar kicked into gear. Saul was their leader now, and not just the leader of These Templar.

Was that good? Bad?

She had no idea.

 

[Kaska]

Kasha’s eyes widened.

Well at last one of them pulled out of their old troubles okay. Kaska felt a small coil in her check unravel- a small bit of relieve to a worry she had never noticed she had been holding.

She swallowed hard again, her own countless troubles come back to the forefront. “Who is in charge of here, then?” She asked in a very careful and uncharacteristically high tone. It had been Saul who she had formed a semblance of trust with. Saul she knew, Saul whose character she believed she could toss her and Lia’s lives into.

They had said as much, after all. That day on the boat...

But that was Saul, and these were Templars. And they were staring at a defective, wanted Ranger. She couldn’t help but slide her hand to her pommel.

 

[Lia]

"I am."​

Leane answered back simply, though her tone did not change. Instead she simply observed the two Ranger's in muted silence. She had been with Saul on that journey, had worked together alongside him to help them take down the Lich.

Lia thought that might count for something. "They will accuse us of sedition and murder."

She finally broke in, deciding that it was her turn to speak.

"It's lies. The Majors...they've turned on us. We're not sure why, for what purpose, but it's connected to the Lich." The Ranger watched as the Templar's eyes narrowed. "Something bigger is going on."

For a moment the Templar stayed quiet, and then she nodded.

"Come inside, you'll be safe here."​

 

[Kaska]

They had heard those words before. Such reassurances could easily be nothing more than a trap. Kaska hesitated, realizing that it didn’t matter whether or not Lia felt comfortable following her in. They had no choice.

The guard was likely sitting a mere mile away, waiting to see if their marks would be turned out and back into their jurisdiction.

She followed the blonde in, recalling the small attempts the two had made to befriend one and other. Not that that had gotten further than a gesture or two... but she clung to it. They walked in, neither ranger having anything to their name but the clothes on their back and a small reassurance.

“You guys made out well then? When your commander passed- Saul had spoke of concerns...” Not the most politically correct thing to say in that moment, fact that it was even said to her would likely not be appreciated to be made public news. But Kaska was desperate to reestablish that there had been trust there. So she asked to in an appropriately hushed tone.

 

[Lia]

Lia watched the people around them like a hawk. She expected a blade at any moment, a knife slipped between her ribs, an arrow shot from somewhere.

Nothing ever came though. In fact the Templar that had surrounded them all but disappeared, slipping from sight and wandering away to either return to training or some other task that they'd needed to fulfill. It filtered down until it was only Leane and the two Rangers.

"There was a coup, of sorts."​

A frown.

"We won."​

Lia doubted that was the whole story, but it didn't seem like Leane would be any more forthcoming about what had actually happened.

"Since then we've started to regrow. Saul has taken the initiative to open our ranks to new recruits, and we've forged an Alliance with several other Chapters. It is part of why the Watch did not press the issue of seizing you."​

Leane did not say it, but the implication was clear.

The Templar were growing in power, and no one on the City Watch wanted to tip a very trepidatious balance of power.

 

[Kaska]

The implication was not lost to her. If this had been four months ago the news would have deeply disturbed her. Now she could only muster a slight uncomfortableness.

“Arethil needs more soldiers like you in the world.” That was also a phrase that would have never left her before. Now she actually meant it.

She lingered in uncomfortableness for a slight moment. Being diplomatic or vulnerable was also a new thing.

“The guard isn’t to be trusted anymore either. MajorWHATSHISNAME has them in their back pocket. Along with MAJORNAME1 and MAJORNAME2. ... They arrested my father on false grounds. That only leaves MAJORGOODGUY. If he’s not with them, he’s dead by now.” Her throat tightened, ignoring the implications of what that meant for her father.

 

[Lia]

"They have the Alliria Garrison, and the Green Keep." The two places from which they'd fled.

"Major Urn and Southwatch could still stand..." Lia argued quietly with Kaska. He, as far as they knew, was not in on the conspiracy. The man was old, even by the standards of Majors, and by all accounts had always been an upright and good man. "Though if he was anywhere near Alliria, then yes he's dead."

Which would likely mean Southwatch was in the hands of the traitors as well.

The fortress was one of Three that the Rangers actually operated, and as it's name implied sat to the South of the eastern Allir Reach. It was a port, meant to watch the sea for threats from the Naga. "Still, as of now Kaska is correct. Majors Cabrus, Terith, and Rasmus are all traitors."

Traitors who controlled most, if not all of the Rangers, but still Traitors.

Leane listened carefully to the two women, frowning for a brief moment and nodding along before she spoke.

"What do you think you can do?"​

She asked pointedly.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska was struck into silence.

She made a helpless reeling motion, no solution forthcoming. “I’m just a ranger. Most will say a poor one at that.” She shook her head, letting out a frustrated huff.

“I’ve done myself no favors over the years. No one will listen me. And they will disregard Lia’s status because she’s in my company.” Her jaw clenched in anger. How could she have been so stupid!

“We need my father. He’s our only hope. If we free him, he has the ability to affect change.” The rangers were far too big for two girls to move much of anything.

 

[Lia]

Leane stared at them quietly, lips thinning for a few seconds as she considered the decision in front of her. It was clear she was sympathetic to them, at least enough to hear them out, but just how far that sympathy went Lia had no idea.

She hoped it was far enough. "They will be keeping in in the Garrison."

The Rangers had long ago built their own prison within the Keep they had in Alliria. The City Council had never liked it, but the organization was too large to question in that regard. Most of the time the Dungeons did not keep anyone important, just vagrants and criminals who the Ranger's captured on their missions.

Now...now it would hold dissidents.

"We can't attack the Garrison. I don't have the manpower and if what you say is true the City Watch would wipe us out in no time. We're better Soldiers, but they have the numbers."​

An aggravating fact.

"I could send a Raven to Saul, but I doubt he could muster the Templar to assault Alliria Itself."​

Lia's eyes bulged at that statement. "No. No no we can't do that."

They didn't want to start a war.

"We can't attack them head on, It would be suicide." Plus, whomever lost would likely be erased from history.

 

[Kaska]

A frightening thought for even Kaska. Sure she had been careless and immature during her time as a ranger, but that didn’t mean she wanted them dead from war.

“No fighting, no casualties. It’s not their fault they are just following orders. We only need to make them see where their orders are really coming from— wait.” A realization smashed into her. “Saul said something once about the owner of that dagger. It was Ranger, wasn’t it,” she accused, finally identifying the look he had had in his eye that conversation.

“The dagger you took from us.”

 

[Lia]

"Yes."​

Leane said with no apprehension or even a second of waiting. Apparently deciding that any secret that had been kept was no longer worth keeping.

"A Ranger who fought in the Templar Wars some three hundred years ago."​

Lia narrowed her eyes. That War had been one of the more contentious events of the last thousand years, and much of the history around it was colored by perceptions on either side. Lia knew most of the history of course, at least what was written by the Rangers. "Why would a Ranger carry a cursed dagger?"

She asked pointedly.

The Templar glanced between the two women for a moment, then shrugged.

"A weapon is a weapon. I suspect your predecessors had less qualms about utilizing the tools in front of them than you do. Especially the man that carried that dagger."​

 

[Kaska]

Kaska head began to swim, something tickling her memories and feeling just out of place. The missing piece to this all perhaps?

She glanced around them then said in nothing short of a wary tone, “How about we sit some place private and you tell us about this man.” It was not a question.

 

[Lia]

"Any Templar in this compound can hear anything you have to say."

The retort came back at such speed that it might as well have been a whip lashing out. Lia's eyes narrowed for a moment, her lips thinning. "We meant no offense."

She spoke quickly.

"We are simply...weary." For half a breath the Templar appeared as though she were about to throw them out, but then she simply shook her head and continued to speak.

"The man was named Aserius. He was a General...Major...Whatever you called them then. He lead several armies in combat against the Templar. His tactics were...brutal to say the least."

Lia listened carefully, frowning.

"War is never pretty, but Aserius was harsh with us. In victory especially. It is my understanding that after the war your High Command exiled him."

 

[Kaska]

Kaska took a step back, guard going up in an instant. Templars had always been testy and short tempered with her. No problem, run of the mill, to be expected. But with that came the expectation of a sword in your back first time you turned around.

So with Leane abrupt tone came the millennia long expectation to be stabbed in the back shortly after. Once the doubt was instilled, it was hard to shake. Kaska listened with a reserved expression, too distracted to really consider any implications.

“Okay. We just need a way into the woods and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

 

[Lia]

"Why would we go into the woods?" Lia asked with a frown, giving Kaska a perplexed look.

They couldn't run, not now.

The Falwood was to the west, yes, and they could probably survive for months on end without anyone ever finding them, but that wasn't the solution to the problem. Running had only ever been a part of the plan until they got to someone who could help.

The Templar could help. "What we need is a way into the city without getting caught. Then a path to the Garrison to get your father out."

Lia said, looking at Kaska and then Leane.

For a moment the Templar gave the two women a confused look, then shook her head and offered an idea.

"The sewers."​