Private Tales Those Fallen

[Saul Talith]

"Row-boats." Saul mimed a rowing motion.

Despite coming from one of the largest Merchant cities in the entire world, none of them were particularly gifted when it came to operating at sea. They were armored Knights, soldiers that did well on land. In short; Heavy Infantry tended to not work all that well on water.

"We'll go at night." He told her. "Get to land and then make our way to the bank."

He shrugged. "Should work."

Saul didn't see any reason why it wouldn't.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana nodded slowly, leaning into the table. “... Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then.” And for a brief moment, she wondered why she was still here. Why she hadn’t left with the others.

What made her different? Nothing. Still. She lingered for a moment before pulling herself back to her feet.

“I’ll leave you to prepare then.”

 

[Saul Talith]

Before she left Saul caught her arm.

For a brief moment silence reigned in the room, only punctuated by the sound of creaking wood and shifting cargo beneath them. The Commander frowned for a brief second, then let his hand slide down her arm and grasp her hand. He squeezed gently.

"Dont go too far." There was so much more to say, so much more to do, but he couldn't at that moment. Their entire existence hung in the balance, the lives of those om the ship...everyone they cared about.

Saul couldn't risk them by being selfish.

As much as he wanted to he couldn't. Those that depended on him had to come first, had to come before his own wants and needs. At least until this was done. Until Arrawaith set down his arms and admitted defeat.

Otherwise he was putting them all in danger.

 

[Anastasia]

Anastasia also frowned, her thoughts mirroring his.

As much as she liked the feel of her hand in his, there was something different about this tenor between them. Some lingering tension from that night that had not yet faded. It confused her. And concerned her.

There was no space for this inside their lives.

She pulled her hand away, responding wryly, "It's a boat, Saul. How far can I go?"

She turned and left him there, a hand pressed to her aching stomach as she went to see about food and a gentler form of herbs to tide her over.

 

[Saul Talith]

Her words rang true, but he still couldn't help but feel a twang of concern.

They were Templar. They had spent most of their lives training and fighting evil. Arguably they were some of the best and most disciplined soldiers in the entire world. They could hold out against monsters, fight evil, but at the end of the day they were still human.

They had feelings, they had needs. Saul knew that, and in the back of his mind he couls still feel the temptation.

The temptation to just walk away.

He watched quietly as Ana left the captain's quarters, eyes lingering on the doorway for a few quiet minutes until finally he let out a sigh and turned his attention back towards the map on the table in front of him. There he stayed, planning, waiting until finally the sun began to set and night fell.

It was time.

 

[Anastasia]

Valerie woke Ana with a cup of hot, bitter liquid. It burned down her throat and set her stomach buzzing. But it woke her up and cleared her head well and good.

She felt stronger now. Funny how empowering naps could be. She managed to give the girl a genuine smile, more confident in here ability to join on the mission than ever. Together, they gathered on the deck and helped prepare the row boat, Ana gently stretching and warming up her body.

Yeah. She'd be fine, she concluded. They were built up as children for moments like this.

This confidence radiating from her composed expression, the woman sitting inside the rigged rowboat hanging over the side as she watched her comrades join her one by one.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul was the last aboard the tiny boat, his sword in his hands and clothed in what could only be described as an ordinary tunic.

Ana had gotten him this, and as silly as the thought was he couldn't help but hope he didnt end up ruining it with blood or some other kind of stain. The very notion of worrying about something like that was utterly foreign to him, and the commander couldn't help but glance over to Ana as the thought crossed his mind.

He smiled for a brief moment, then looked over towards the others. "Lower us into the water. Don't let anyone else aboard until we're back."

There was a nod and then a sarcastic 'aye aye captain' before Saul felt the first jerk of the ropes lowering to the water below.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana smirked at Edwin's comment as they fell out of sight, Saul's right hand man being left to keep the ship and the people in it secure.

The journey was quiet and near somber, every person on the boat set to the task at hand. Ana focused on breathing steady and keeping her body moving normally, knowing it was more important now than ever that everyone's confidence not waver.

They split off on land, Valerie and one other moving briskly towards the shop she had spoken on paying for this distraction. The others all split into groups of two or three. Moving through the lantern-lit streets towards the bank in mind.

 

[Saul Talith]

The city was as lively as it always had been at night, sweeping with parties and half a dozen different activities.

That was the boon of Alliria really, the city never seemed to sleep. In Vel Anir and Elbion the nights were a dessert, quiet and with only soldiers on the streets. Here though? Here the city seemed to beat it's heart louder than ever.

Saul had always liked it.

They'd never had much opportunity to go out of course, their upbringing had been as strict and regimented as could be, but he remembered staying up at night and watching the distance lights of Alliria dance throughout the night. It was those thoughts that came to his mind as the crept through the city.

Eventually they reached the bank, the square laid out ahead of them and at it's corner the great Marble building.

Two guardsmen stood outside, more stationed around the corner. The Vault was beneath the bank itself, though that would come only after the distraction.

 

[Anastasia]

And so they remained dispersed, acting enthralled by stalls or lost in conversation as they each watched with restrained alertness for the arranged distraction. It came from four stores down, at the corner of the block. Glass shattered, punctures by screams. A few bodies came running out, and one terrified appearing man went straight to the bank, knowing there would be guards there.

Ana watched as the commotion unfolded and the man lured out the city watchmen down the street.

Be safe, she thought for Valarie.

She pushed forward, walking into the bank in her simple tunic.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul quickly followed after Ana, his footsteps quick.

Around his shoulders he wore the same red cloak that usually went around his armor, though without the heavy plate surrounding him it felt somewhat larger than usual.

Still, it was enough to conceal the sword at his hip, and that alone made it useful. With quick successive steps he fell into place just behind Ana. The two of them were the first to enter the bank, finding it mostly abandoned save for a few of the workers. He nodded his head towards them. "Distract them."

The others fell into the bank behind the, grabbing the doors and closing them.

He just needed a second.

 

[Anastasia]

....Well okay then.

Ana wobbled in place, a hand going to her head. ... And then she fainted splendidly into the teller booth. Valerie would have proud.

Owin reached for her, a look of distress on his face. "Help! My wife!" He then went on to blubber about pregnancy, babies, and needing a doctor.

She'd kick him for that one later.

Everyone jumped to, gasping and reaching out in concern.

 

[Saul Talith]

The doors to the bank were shut, Ana tumbled over, and Saul made his move.

Inside of two heartbeats he crossed the entirety of the floor of the bank. As everyone stood to look at Ana, the Commander dashed towards the heavy metal door in the back of the room. Two guards stood there, not having been pulled away, and as they turned their heads to look at them he struck.

His blade was drawn quickly, though he did not use it's edge.

Instead the hilt of the weapon went crashing into one of their throats, then half a second later he used the weight of his body to bring the other man to the ground. There was a loud crack of bone, and then both the guards went tumbling onto the ground.

The noise pulled everyones attention, and a loud scream echoed through the floor.

They had to move fast now. "Gather them all up! Keep them quiet. We're not here to hurt anyone."

 

[Anastasia]

And just like that, everyone jumped into action.

Ana took care to lift herself up, but just as swiftly as the others, she grabbed a startled man and wrestled his sword out of his hand and into submission.

The civilians in the room were promptly gathered, weapons removed as the templars looked to the vault door. No one paused, Leane moving to help Saul open the door and charge in.

 

[Saul Talith]

The good thing about being a Templar Commander was...he'd done all of this before.

Not the breaking in of course, that was...more unusual, but he'd gone through the bank and entered the Templar Vaults in more legal means. The first door was simply made of heavy steal, and all that was required were two keys kept by employees of the bank.

Leane gathered those, tossing them to Saul so that he could insert and undo the locks. After a moment there was a loud click, and then the door pulled open. "Ana, Leane, with me."

He didn't feel a need to obfuscate their names.

In his mind they were not stealing from anyone, they would not touch anyone else's vault, only that which belonged to the Templar. That which belonged to them.

"There will be at least five guards." Probably more. "Take them quickly."

 

[Anastasia]

Ana nodded in understanding, steeling herself as they walked through the cold, stone hallway of vaults they would not touch. Turning a corner, they reached their own and Ana wordlessly rushed up on one and sliced his hear from between his ribs.

Unlike the city guard, she would not trust any of the fellow Templar once disabled. It was dead or alive, and only one of them guaranteed they weren't a threat.

Leane dealt with the other, making room for Saul to open the vault himself.

 

[Saul Talith]

The battle, if it could even have been called that, was quick.

There were six Templar guarding the Vault, each of them dressed in full armor. They were slow to realize what was happening, and before they could steel themselves the three of them attacked.

Ana was the first to strike of course, she had always been the fastest. Before Saul could even reach his first opponent she had already downed two, Leane falling on her second. Saul rushed the third, his blade slicing through the gaps of his platemail as he wordlessly stepped by and reached the vault.

Someone tried to rush him, but one of the two women put a stop to it before they could reach.

Trust.

That was what they held over the others. That was always what had made them the best. Trust in each other.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana straightened from the third as it fell at her feet, moving between armor and through it with that push dagger of hers leaving all dead in her wake. She straighten with a grunt, feeling Leana fall in besides her as the woman fell her second.

That was disturbingly easy, the trio cutting through their experienced comrades like butter. Surprise was their weapon, it served them well.

Ana looked on at Saul as he surveyed the vault unmolested. "Hold position," she told Leane, pushing in with him and reaching out to help gather all that was there in the sacks they had brought in.

 

[Saul Talith]

Gold, bonds, and half a dozen titles to farm estates and manors that the Templar had gathered over the years.

That was what they grabbed.

There were other things in the vault, though they were tucked away behind lockboxes and half a dozen other things. He frowned slightly as he filled the pack that he'd brought, taking up a deed for a large piece of land in the east of the Allirian Reaches. "Ever wanted to run a farm?"

He asked Ana, smiling only slightly as he rolled up the parchment and slid it into his pack.

Then he stalked over towards one of the far walls of the vault, ignoring some of the smaller stacks of gold and fiddling with a lockbox.

 

[Anastasia]

"Does it have a pond?" She quipped back, going for the rare and valuable weaponry and briskly dawning some on her before passing off the rest for Leana to secure to herself.

Another sack was filled bonds and deeds, the last spare one being designated to what gold lay around. Most of the wealth had been consolidated to bonds, easier to store and assure pieces didn't go missing along the way. Lucky for them and unlucky for others, it made it a simple matter to steal most of the wealth not kept within the templar's own compound.

She bore these sacks over her shoulder, a gleam of sweat glistening on her brow.

"All set, sir?"

 

[Saul Talith]

There was a loud metallic creak as Saul forced the lock on the box, his dagger digging into the metal for just a second more as he pulled the door open. "I think so."

From the lockbox he pulled three items, two were in their own little pouch, and the last was a gauntlet. Well, really it was more of a glove. Each part of it was inscribed with a dozen runes, all of which seemed to overlap and crawl over one another, scrambling for what little space there was.

Saul stared at it for a second, and then slipped it into his bag.

"Ready." He told her, taking half a step towards the door and stopping for a second as he noted the piles of loose gold sitting on the ground. A smile touched his face. "Ana, Leane...grab and armful."

The smile turned into a smirk. "We should pay the people of this bank for the inconvenience."

 

[Anastasia]

Ana eyed the box with restrained curiosity, knowing there was a time and place for questions as she watched him pocket it away. Her arms remained too ladened with supplies to gather more, but Leane stepped in and did as he bid, gathering a few piles off the table into an emptied crate for paper.

She leaned forward and grabbed a shield of particular quality and slung that too across her sword-ridden back. Niether of the woman could fight like this, but wouldn't matter. As they pressed out, their comrades fell in besides them, quick hands grabbing a sack or spare holy weapon that had been deemed too noteworthy for use.

Now the precious wealth of the Templars sat in their hands. Leane looked along the room of suppressed members and dumped the money out.

"For your time," Ana told them, stepping close to Saul as they wasted no time in walking out. They didn't have long until the guard discovered what they had done.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul dumped another armful of coins onto the ground as he headed towards the door.

Those that had been gathered up in the bank quickly scrambled forward. Whether they were common or noble didn't seem to matter, all of them fell to their knees and grabbed as much as they could carry.

Greed was a powerful motivator. "The alleys."

Saul told the others as the heavy wooden doors of the bank were pulled open. His head poked out first, glancing around the corner and catching the commotion still running on around the end of the street. He frowned, and then motioned to the right of them. They had to avoid anyone they could.

"Hurry." He told them, adjusting the heavy pack on his back. "They'll be out here soon."

 

[Anastasia]

Ana followed obediently, Owin darting ahead to guide the group through unseen, much like he had done with Saul days before. She felt hands move to take swords off her and she easily shrugged out of it, more comfortable defending them with no weight on her but the leathers hidden under her tunic and her daggers.

However, it was all for naught. Their plan had worked out flawlessly and there was no cause for them to be found as they skirted back to the docks in the middle of the night. It was a dastardly genius plan, one it was a pity more couldn't appreciate as the templars loaded up and rowed out, back into the thicket of the sea.

It was only then that everyone dare breath ... dare look around.. dare crack an exhilarated laugh. Subtle shoulder claps were passed around, the crew loaded up back onto their hidden ship.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul finally let himself breath as his boots hit the deck of the ship, one of the other Templars coming over to relieve him of the pack that weighed heavily on his shoulders. "Careful with that."

He said quietly, motioning for him to take it directly to the Captain's cabin.

The man nodded, cutting across the deck and moving to where Saul had told him to. The others gathered around them, smiles spreading across their faces, more than a few shoulders being clapped. Saul himself half turned, looking back at Ana and offering her a wide grin.

"Worked out better than I thought it would." The Commander said quietly, clearly pleased with himself.

They'd dealt a heavy blow today.