Lassara - Shards of Neril - Story Thread

"I really don't know. If he is trying to secure his power over the kingdom he cannot look past Cantun but it might not be his priority target. I picture he will send whatever he can south, to secure Leon, Vintom and finally Anaba. If he holds the west and south of the realm, his grasp is pretty strong but the problem is, we don't know what powers are at his disposal. If he actually controls Vayne and his followers he could very well be attacking on numerous frontiers."
The captain stood up and walked towards the small window of the hut, looking into the night.
"Another thing that worries me is the fact that the army hasn't done anything to help in the defense of Lassara. While it might be due to the fact that most of their leaders were lost in the palace I rather think that he has somehow assumed control over the military which is a frightening thought because honestly, then I don't know where to look for help. The princess seems intent on going to Leon to talk to her old instructor. He might be of great help in finding out what we can about our enemy but then we need to find the strength to fight him."
Now Alain turned around and leaned against the window, facing Thomas and Gilford.
"You say you want to go for Tar Cantun. Have you heard of your father? Has he made it out of the capital?"

All things considered, Meghghan was feeling rather pleased with how that had turned out. Granted, she still didn't know where she was, it being much too dark for her to discern shapes and the smell of the place being unfamiliar; but at least she didn't have to look at that brown room anymore. And this new pigeon she'd found was a lot less emaciated than the pigeons from before. It hadn't even tried to get away! It had just been lying there, on a little rock.

Even so, she wished she'd been patient enough to remove the feathers before trying to eat it. Now she had to pause in order to remove the errant quills from her teeth. Which was annoying, because she'd much rather have been eating.

Before she could get too far with this job, however, her reverie was interrupted. A few yards away, Meghghan could just about make out a patch of yellow-orange that had appeared suddenly, as if provoked. The new and intriguing colour was accompanied by some pleasant sound:

"don't even think about it..."

"Oh!" gasped the girl, under her breath. "A 'song voice'!" It was 'music'! But the music had been back in the city - had she merely been summoned to a different part of the same town? She could smell a faint tinge of 'boos' coming from the song's direction...

She didn't care, though, for she was enraptured. 'Music' was, it turned out, a yellow-orange colour! That made sense to Meghghan: yellow and orange made you feel warm and so did music. The thought of warmth returned her concentration to the quest Cloude had sent her on, long enough for her to remember that she had an empty vial to fill.

"the soil seems hard and rocky..." The patch of colour grew larger as the music continued.

The pigeon could wait, she decided. She would fill her vial now and listen to more of the colour music. Grabbing a couple of nearby stones and positioning them above her vial, she began to grind them down.

skrrrrrrtch... skrrrrrrtch... skrrrrrrtch...

"Nothing." Replied Gilford. The Squire smiled weakly as a thought occured to him. "He was accompanied by Tar Cantun's arch mage, maybe he was able to cover his tracks?" The smile vanished as he remembered the last time he had seen the doting old man, to call him blind as a bat and only a tenth as nimble would be optimistic.

"Alright, we will have to decide tomorrow then. It's been a long day, I'm sure you excuse me, Sires. Have a good night, all of you", the last bit was directed at Glungard, right before the captain left the small hut and made his way towards his cabin, hopinh he'd finally get some sleep now.

Frijyk looked at Kyran, who had offered to lead him out of the forest. Then he looked at the old wizard Morangul, who was about to tell a story about this "Vayne" person, who commanded the flying mountain, and sounded conspicuously like one of the demons who had terrorized the Borians in he past. The decision was clear in his mind.

"Thank-you, Kyran, but I will stay to-speak with the-wizard. Do not-wait for me if you must-leave. Though I do-wish you would-stay."

As Frijyk looked back at Kyran, the beautiful elf woman, now standing, had caught his eye again, and would not seem to let go of it.

"You... you looked-hurt before. Are you not-harmed?"

Flames were leaping across the sky, leaving grim and dark wounds in the dark blue sky. The stars had disappeared. The moon was drowning in dark smoke. Alyssa was on her back; her mouth tasted of blood. Her own blood. Her head spun from the violent pounding she had taken with a wooden shield. One of her eyebrows had swollen up and blood was running into her eyes. She could feel the scraps that were the rest of her cloth breeches around her feet as they hang down just above the ground. The wooden table pounded against her back and her shoulders, the back of her head as well, with the rocking motion, and the pain between her thighs was the worst thing she had ever felt. It was pure agony. Above her, the bandit's merciless eyes ate her half-naked body raw. Finally, he stepped away from her, before rolling her violently onto the ground and leaving her there. Salt tears were slowly flushing the blood out of her eyes as she tried to stagger to her feet, but pain shot through her abdomen and she collapsed on the ground.

Weak. She was weak. Weak and alone, and in agony. Around her the small village was aflame, and corpses littered the ground as the world spun beneath her. Finally, her consciousness seemed to fail as reality washed over her in waves of agonizing throbbing. This was real. This was happening. She screamed.

Guantano woke with a shock. Alyssa, on the other side of the small campfire, was screaming like nothing he had ever heard before. She was crying through closed eyes, too, he saw. She sounded as if all Hell's demons was gnawing at her skin. From inside. He got up and crawled to her side. "Alyssa, Alyssa, wake up." He grabbed her shoulder - ever so slightly - and she spun awake and held out a dagger. "Get away from me! Get awa-" She suddenly realized where she was. "I'm- It- I had a nightmare," she explained feebly, her grab on the dagger loosening till it hang in her grasp between them like a dead fish. "I know, you were screaming. I tried to help."
"Oh! What did I say?" She sounded suddenly emberrassed. "Nothing much. Just screaming. You... You frightened me."
She was silent, looking down and putting down the blade. Then suddenly, she picked it up again. "Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"Listen!"

Skrrrrrrtch.... Skrrrrrrtch...

Tawariell was grateful that Raina had returned to her, though she was somewhat confused at the aistar's behaviour around the veridian-haired creature; the old m- the abomination, as Tah had to remind herself, had said that the creature was a fey, but surely that was nonsense... not only were they creatures of myth, but they were said to use their powers for the good of nature, not inducing terrible visions of a lost companion and the ultimate treachery.

The nightmare! Tah had almost forgotten, but the searing pain that raced across her head served as a swift reminder of the creature's powerful magic; between the abomination and the supposed fey, the elf knew that she didn't stand a chance while she was in this sorry state, and so decided to slink away into the night to recover her strength and return another day.

At least, that was the plan until the new arrival spoke to her, seemingly concerned for her welfare; taking in his appearance, Tah noted that while he certainly looked human, the azure sheen to his skin suggested that might not be the case. Apprehensive about his motives, and perhaps slightly annoyed that her attempt to disappear unchecked had been foiled, she responded dryly in her own language, before sighing and translating into the common tongue.

"I am... fine."

The pained expression on her face suggested otherwise.

Frijyk was sure he understood the elf woman correctly, but her answer did not match the look on her face. He frowned as well, soon managing to convince himself that she was not as well as she let on. Looking over at the fey girl and the wizard, an idea crossed his mind.

"Perhaps Morangul can-heal you."

After scanning her face for her reaction, he quickly added a second option.

"Or- I have-some herbal medicine in my-possession. I know you are not-hurt, but if you-need it..."

Frijyk scanned his brain. What was that Lassaran saying again?

"What's mine is yours."

Massaging her forehead, Tah listened to the human-like gentleman talk, only narrowly managing to avoid snorting derisively as he suggested that the abomination could tend to her ailment, before he quickly averted the subject and instead offered her a herbal remedy that may be of some help.

The elf narrowed her eyes; why was the man being so generous? She turned to Raina to see that the aistar was levelling a cold glare at the Borian and thus, trusting in her companion's perception, she waved the man's gesture away.

"I am fine", she said haughtily, "alor'nah felen tor..."

Tah steadied herself, then knelt to the ground and began gathering her things.

Morangul noticed the elven archer gathering her belongings, preparing to depart.
"I would suggest staying for a bit longer, you're going to want to hear what I have to say."
The elf didn't even acknowledge him.
"If what I fear is true, then you'll be encountering worse things than a recently freed lich, elf!"
At this the elf did momentarily pause, but that was all.
"All right then, have it your way then; may whatever god you worship have mercy on your soul!"
The elf looked up then, surprised that the lich would make such a comment, then began to walk away,
her aistar at her side, looking back at where the Fey was.

Morangul sighed, then turned back to face Kyran and Fryjik, "Its about time I tell you whats going on.
You all know of the old tale of how Lassara came to be, right?"

Morangul was met with the blank faces of Kyran and Fryjik.
"Ok then, a short history lesson, then."

Morangul took a deep breath, and began.

"When men came to Lassara they settled on the island of Cantun where they prospered. A little later they attempted to settle on the mainlands and after initial success they encountered a citadel, ruled by a man named Darganta, who was not really a man though. He killed the king's son and destroyed the human foothold on the mainland and then set out to destroy their dwellings on Cantun. The king sunk his fleet though and brought his whole army to the mainland where he marched to Darganta's citadel and defeated the "Dark Lord" in battle, killing him with the help of his sword Neril, which was enchanted by the human's goddes of light, Lassa.
The rest of the dark host was to be sent back to their dimension, called the Void, from where they had originally come. Their new leader, Vayne, formerly right hand of Darganta, tried to trick the men and bring a great host back through the gate. In the ensuing short battle the king Cantus died, and his daughter magically wrested Dargantas sword from Vayne (the sword was the "key" to the gate) and sealed the gate, dying in the process. As there were no heirs an old friend of the king, Undine, was crowned the first king of the new kingdom of Lassara."

Morangul looked at the elf and the Borian before him, both of which were trying to absorb all of this info.

"And now, we are currently about 800 years later, and Vayne has returned. And by the looks of it, he brought some new friends with him, and even his own flying fortress!"

"Are-you leaving?"

Frijyk asked the question more as a formality, as he had already guessed the answer. He was genuinely sad to see her leave in such a sorry state, and disappointed that her pride had prevented her from accepting assistance. It was a pride his own people knew all too well, and one that he himself had been victim to at times. Nonetheless, he was not going to waste the effort conversing in this unfamiliar language any longer, especially since the elf only seemed to become more irritated the more he spoke. But he couldn't help but sneak a glance as he returned to Morangul and the shy fey girl. And when he heard the wizard's words, his interest was instantly held.

"Morangul, you must-tell me more about Vayne! He-is a demon from the ancient times? But it's getting-dark, and I am-hungry... I have-food, if you would like to share it. Surely it-is too late to-hunt for anything."

He had spoken loudly enough that the elves could hear him if they so chose.

Tawariell rolled her eyes at the elderly mage's ramblings, holding little interest in the tangled affairs of humankind; she could have sworn that she heard a mention of food from the azure-hued human, but the elf's pride grudgingly shrugged it off before she gathered the rest of her things and following Raina's lead back into the depths of the forest.

Or at least, that's what she wanted those in the clearing to believe, for when she was certain that she was out of sight, Tah began to listen intently as the mage regaled the elf and Borian with a lengthy history lesson; her knowledge of the common tongue was insufficient for her to understand everything, but she knew enough to get a basic interpretation of a 'dark lord' who had apparantly returned to wreak vengeance upon Lassara.

Satisfied, Tah and Raina descended further into the darkness of the woods, their heightened sense of vision serving well in the absence of the moonlight which had failed to break through the thick canopy.

Glungurd had trouble falling asleep this night, a problem he rarely faced. He was exceptional at falling at sleep, often without meaning to. Especially when he had some warm ale to keep him company. But this night, he felt anxious. More than when he was imprisoned in the city. He tried counting sheep, but that only made him worry about his missing flock. Even apart from that, there was a great deal more uncertainty in his life now than there had ever been before. He did not know where he was, he barely knew the people he was with, and he didn't understand the great significance and urgency that they all seemed to feel about the war within the Kingdom of Lassara. Why didn't they all just run away? Or surrender?

He definitely wanted to run away, but he had no idea how to get back home. He only knew that it was north. The only person he trusted at this point was Rufus, and he clearly wanted to run away, too. But much as Glungurd liked the man, he also had his doubts. Rufus seemed too rash and unpredictable when compared to the other men in their company. He did not seem to ponder things the same way Glungurd did. Still, the other men were clearly on a mission that did not interest Glungurd at all. He had no reason to care for one side over the other in this war between men and demons. And it seemed like he was still their prisoner. He desperately wanted to be free again. Free and at home.

Amongst all the troubling thoughts in Glungurd's head, there was one comforting one in the person of Alain. Glungurd found him to be a very calming person, and he had been fairly kind to the Odglok. Glungurd perceived a strength in Alain that was reassuring to him, even though he was his hostage. And with a more pleasant thought to ease his mind, Glungurd eventually drifted into sleep.

Kyran simply shook his head at the lich. He summoned a leafy branch, and ascended into the canopy. "If Vayne wants the cities of men, I don't care. If he wants to burn the forests, I will find new ones. Now, again, I request you leave, Lich. And you, Borian," he said with a curt nod. "May you not regret your decision."

With that, Kyran took off, vaulting himself through the treetops and away from the other three. He was not intending to completely isolate himself, however. The elven girl... she intrigued him. She held a power and wisdom he lacked. She and that beast seemed to operate almost as one being. It was far more than bond between pet and master. Bending plant life to one's will surely paled to mastery over the more dynamic animal kingdom, he thought. Even after over 50 years in isolation, so many beasts of the world remained elusive, hostile creatures. He would find her, and she would teach him this command. Yes, of this he was confident. Somewhere, deep down, they shared common heritage. And she had come to his aid against the lich, afterall. There was no way she would refuse him.

First thing was first, he needed to get back to his canopy home. He had felt sore without his staff and sword against the lich. He silently scolded his carelessness as he leaped through the night.

Skrrrrrrtch.... Skrrrrrrtch...

Definitely not a natural sound. Come to think of it, didn't the quail go missing before they slept? They had eventually passed it off as some scavenger who had nipped by and nabbed the bird, before scampering off, but now... there was no other explanation. They had company. Guantano motioned for her to stay there, a concerned look lining his brow as he saw the state that she had been reduced to by the nightmare.

Drawing his short sword, he quietly advanced towards the other end of the camp, where the sound was originating from.

Skrrrrrrtch.... Skrrrrrrtch...

Apprehensive now, Guantano readied his sword and crept up to the bush which shrouded whoever was there.

Skrrrrrrtch.... Skrrrrrrtch...

Leaping out from the bush with a yell, Guantano raised his sword in anticipation of a quick chop and thrust, only to find a young girl there, a blank expression on her face, not even registering his presence, engrossed (was she even conscious?) in the act of grinding some stones... with her bare hands.

His posture relaxing as he considered the sight of the seemingly unresponsive girl, Guantano lowered his sword but did not sheath it. "Hello? Who are you, and what are you doing here? Are you lost?" Guantano asked in a soft nonthreatening voice.

Blood.

He was there again, standing over the torn body of Lord Carus. The body was barely recognisable under the lacerations caused by a blade of some sort and Drax could only discern his identity by the heirloom armour the lord was wearing. Evidently his liege was practicing his swordcraft in the armoury, which made the murder all the more troubling – who could have had the skills to kill a well-trained and armoured noble in such a brutal fashion and not raise the alarm elsewhere?

Conflicting feelings fought inside him. Though Carus had essentially given Drax a new life as a ward of his House, he always suspected it was for a more utilitarian reason instead of any sense of charity. After all, trained mages were in high demand and a young child that demonstrated magical talent early on was not a tool to be wasted. Not that his initial talents had manifested into anything useful despite years of study of course. Indeed, Drax had suspected that he was recalled to Carus’ side so that his education can end without too much embarrassment for the Academy, who otherwise produced some of Lassara’s finest mages.

It was only the first step in your path.

What is the Voice talking about? Was it talking about the murder? Drax was puzzled; he had just walked in here, hoping for an audience with Lord Carus, hardly something that cou-

A small shape is in his hands, wet and sticky to his touch. Its edge sharp enough to cut through the finest armour Lassaran smiths can make…

Realisation struck Drax.

Blood. Blood stained his hands and robes.

Blood will always out.

---

Was it just a nightmare? Or was it something more? Drax wondered as he stared at the wooden ceiling, pondering the Voice's words. It was dawn now and footsteps could be heard just outside. He closed his eyes and decided that whatever the truth is, he can't let anyone know...

(OOC: This takes place at the same time as Shlin's, then a little after)

Goddamnit. That stupid boy had made his ears grow massive. Rufus gritted his teeth and tried to suffocate himself with his pillow to go to sleep. Unfortunately, the stupid ears got in the way. He's gonna regret that later, that's for sure...

With thoughts of revenge, Rufus drifted off to sleep, having strange thoughts of celery, which was weird, considering he hated the damned thing. The sun started to creep over the horizon, and a rooster was about to start crowing to start the day, when Rufus sat up.

"CCCCCEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He rushed out of bed, still in his armour, past the stunned guards, checking each hut for food. He found one, but the guards were on his tail. He dived into the hut and shoved the boxes out of the way until he found celery.

He started shoving the disgusting thing into his mouth, his ears shrinking as he did so. After a few minutes, he slowed down and realised what he was doing. His eyes widened and he turned around, to where the guards were standing in amazement and threw up all over them.

"Sorry about that, late night craving," he grinned, wiping his mouth and walking out to the sunny morning.

The two guards were soon to be replaced by two others. Alain was watching the whole scene from the door to his cabin, where he discussed provisioning with one of his officers. Although it had been very late when he finally found some sleep last night, he had been up before dawn, beginning preparationgs for their departure. Skins had been filled with water, horses packed with food and other necessities and the guards and their weaponry was ready for their duty. All in all there were twenty-two royal guardsmen, including those that had been stationed here as permanent sentries but would now accompany the princesse's escort. They had twenty horses at the camp but Alain was planning to leave at least six man behind anyway, to man the camp and hopefully conceal it again after the rest of them left. This meant that with the princess and himself riding they had two spare horses so depending on what the nobles and Rufus decided to do they might have to leave more men of the guard behind.
Shortly after the incident with the celery Alain was approaching Rufus, now wearing his full armor, ready to ride. "So, Rufus, it's time for you to decide. My offer still stands. I could use a man like you in this, so if you ride with us your service will be compensated. You will also be reinstated with the army and whatever you deserve for the past years will be given to you. You have my word on that but if you decide so, you will have to swear an oath to me. Honestly, I am not sure I can trust you but I'd rather have you close where I can keep an eye on you and then you can prove my mistrust wrong, right?" The captain took a walk towards the hut Thomas and Gilford were sleeping in, he didn't enter yet though as he didn't want another fight between Rufus and Thomas. "If you decide to leave us, the guards will take you right back to the hut you have been sleeping in. You will stay there for a few hours after our departure so we can be sure you are not following us to lead our enemy onto our tracks. After that you will be given back all your possessions, including your weapons and you are free to go where you will. So, I need your answer, now."

Rufus scratched his beard. He had nowhere to go if he left, but he had no friends here besides Glungard, who might not even consider him a friend. What would he do? Join the demons? Unlikely. They'd kill him first. To the east, on the run again? Or a chance at having a permanent life?

"I'll tag along for the time being. We can talk about what I deserve later, right now I want my weapons back, a horse, and to know exactly what is going on. I heard about Vayne and the Void, tell me the rest."

Alain nodded. "Fair enough, I will tell you what I know but not right now. I need to talk to your two friends in there", he added, smirking. He then waved to one of his officers. "Here, follow Gerard for now and he'll take you to your weapons. Make yourself ready for a long ride, I'll be there in a few moments and will tell you what little I know." He entered the hut but turned again in the door. "Also, Rufus, please do me a favor", the captain almost looked pleading on this one, "and don't do anything stupid."

Gerard and Rufus dissapeared behind another hut and Alain was about to finally enter this one when one of his guardsmen came running up to him. "Captain! I need to talk to you!" With a sigh Alain approached the young man and a few minutes later he finally entered the hut where Thomas and Gilford were already getting ready for their journey. "Sires, I have bad news. Our sentries have spotted the flying fortress that was above Lassara yesterday. It is headed for Tar Cantun and at current speed my men estimate it will reach the city before noon. I am sorry."

Meghghan picked up her vial and examined it. While it was still too dark for her to figure out how much sand she had collected by sight alone, the weight of the little flask in her hands suggested the following answer: not much. She grimaced a little. Her legendary patience with her woefully inefficient methods was starting to wear thin.

Why was this? Was she worried? Had she seen or heard anything worrying recently? Meghghan cast her mind back as far as she could.

...

Oh! That's right. She was worried because her flask wasn't filling up fast enough. That'd be it.

Maybe she should get a grinding tool. Whatever that was.

Ah yes, and there had been 'music', too. She only recalled this fact as it had just started up again. Not as nice as before, she dreamed. A lot higher-pitched. She had noticed that the patch of yellow-orange had become smaller and less pronounced as of late. Perhaps it was on its last legs. Meghghan hoped she didn't have to stick around long enough to witness the death of music.

Satisfied that all of her dreams were in order, she went back to her grinding, her previous doubts about its effectiveness blissfully forgotten.

skrrrrrrtch... skrrrrrrtch... skrrrrrrtch...

---

A rustle, and the colour vanished. What a shame, dreamed Meghghan. Music is not what it once was, she concluded, before going back to listening to the Stones.

She thought for a moment that she heard a soft, non-threatening male voice, as well, but decided to ignore that. Non-threatening boys had nothing to do with music.

No, it was the smell that made her turn her head.

There was something there, casting a silhouette against the dying embers of the music, and it was very, very close. Much closer than Meghghan would have wanted something smelling of... that to be.

So this was what 'boos' looked like, she dreamed. And this boo had come to claim her. Well, she didn't have to stand for that!

The fire exploded from her body like the malevolent demon bursting forth from the lowest circle. The fearsome blade, the Gutripper, instantly liquefied as the intense heat burst ever further. Alyssa could only watch in horror as Guantano the rogue, the old soldier, the man so married to combat that he had somehow managed to acquire the nickname 'Cannon-Fodder' in a world without gunpowder, was wordlessly immolated.

Two black, soulless spheres. A scream.

Okay, that's not what happened. What really happened was that some of Meghgan's dust got in Guantano's hair, and that annoyed him a bit.

Meghghan was surprised by this. How was this monster still standing? She had thrown a tiny amount of non-magical sand at him! Surely no living being could stand up to such an onslaught... but were boos alive? She couldn't remember. Nevertheless, she decided to move on to plan b): surrender.

Resigned to her fate, she wandered past the (somewhat nonplussed) abomination that had attacked her, into a small clearing, where she could see that there was another one, and also a... no. Surely not.

"A girl?" exclaimed Alyssa, softly, her instincts not yet permitting her to lower the arrow that she had already notched (although it wouldn't have been much good in a combat situation because she was aiming it at Guantano. She had fought temptation, and lost). "Are you alright? Were you making those... sounds?

It can't be, dreamed Meghghan, staring at the dying embers of the campfire.

Boos made music?

Suddenly she did not know what to believe.

Alyssa lowered the bow again. The stranger looked harmless. She saw as the strange girl sort of nodded towards the campfire and stopped.
"Guantano, get the fire going again, will you?"
She draped her cloak around her and looked at the strange girl again. "Hello," she said, tryingly, "who are you? What are you doing here?"
She frowned for a second, then, a bit louder, "Can you hear me?"

It certainly was very orange. Very orange indeed. Very very very very orange orange orange orange orange orange.

But no music. That was unquestionably coming from the boo. This was amazingly disappointing!

Would the boos eat her, she wondered. They didn't eat the men in the town, but those men were all men, and she was not men. Maybe they spared the men and ate the ladies. I should make sure that they do not eat me, she dreamed. I shall give them food and tell them not to eat me. Then they will not eat me. That orange orange sure is very orange. I wish I hadn't eaten part of my pigeon already.

Turning away from the (very) orange campfire for a moment, she addressed the song-voiced boo. "Hello, I am, Meghghan Waltz, love and dreams to you 'boo'. You can be my friend, but you make the men fall over, when they go to see you, they fall over. And then they make green. You should not, but do not eat me. I have food, for you."

She then reached into the cowls of her quiltrobes, pulled from their depths the (headless) remnants of the quail, threw it at Alyssa's feet, spat out about a million feathers that had all decided to go down her throat at once, and then sat down to watch the orange orange orange orange orange orange orange orange orange.

[OOC - Consider this to be Guantano's perspective of things through the events]

His guard lowered, Guantano had been caught semi-unaware when the girl unleashed a shower of... sand? At first annoyed, as it would be very hard to remove, Guantano had then reminded himself that the girl was hardly in the realm of the living.

More surprising however, was the presence of Alyssa who had her bow at the ready before she finally lowered it. He had motioned for her to stay at the campsite. Then again, the sight in front of him was a clear example that women seemed to operate under different rules from mere men.

--------------------------

His weapon finally sheathed, Guantano had grabbed some more firewood and sticks that he had gathered from their surroundings and set them upon the dying embers, cupping his hands around them and blowing gently onto the flickering flames. As the orange tendrils started to rise again, Guantano placed a few more sticks onto the now crackling pile before settling back onto a sturdy log that he used to rest his back.

She was young, very young. Couldn't be past her teens even, and already she had... issues. Guantano couldn't help but feel pity for her mental state of mind, perhaps lyrium magically induced. As she began to address him, the 'song voice boo', Guantano noticed a feather sticking out of her robes, coincidence? Suddenly, the girl reached into her robes and yanked out the headless remains of a quail and tossed it at Alyssa's feet, before she literally spat out a series of wet and slimy bombardments at the same position. Despite his tiredness, observing the now unpalatable sight right before Alyssa, and her cringed up face oozing with a mixture of disgust and shock, Guantano burst out laughing.

The squire looked that the guardsman in surprise, then as quickly as it came the look vanished.

"Yeah I was expecting something like this."

He stood and took one of the bags, Gilford, with less enthusiasm than his charge, set about appling his armour. They had found that the camp had no containers large enough to put them in or animal to carry them so the knight had resigned to wearing full plate near constantly, in afew days day and he'd start showing the strain of carrying the constant weight.

"My father's advisors were probably left in control of the island, the city will surrender the instant a daemon flies over the city so I dont think there's much danger to my family"

The squire scowled, it was obvious he did not think highly of the advisors. He sighed and started helping the knight into his breasplate

"They will probably be used as hostages to keep the bannermen in line. Thank you for the report, We'll be out in a afew minutes, you may go."

Alyssa frowned. There was clearly something wrong with the woman. "Hello Meghghan," she said, "do you have a horse?"

Then she turned to Guantano. "We can't possibly drag this one along without another horse. Not that I'm sure we want to, in any case. I intend to ride at sunrise no matter if she can follow us or no."

"I sure hope that you are right and they spare the city if it surrenders. I can spare two horses if you need them to get there as soon as possible. Just talk to Gerard outside, he will also give Essa back to you. You might need the sword more than anyone if you should arrive in time and since it has bound itself upon you no one else could use it anyway."

The captain was worried but he didn'T speak of it just now as he waited for the two nobles to leave to have a word with Glungard.

Rufus followed Gerard over to the hut where his weapons were being held. Rearming himself, he walked outside. It was good to be back in control of his future again. And that future would contain his revenge, one day Thomas Targryn will die by Rufus Guiscard, and the many wrongs done to him will be repayed in kind. But none of that showed in his face as he smiled to Gerard and walked to the horse pen to collect a steed. There would be a while to go yet, but so far things were looking up.

When Thomas and Gilford had left the hut Alain sat down on a stool across from Glungar. He smiled at the Odglok who didn't really seem in a hurry to leave right away. "Glungard, right? I hope you did get a good rest this night."
He waited for an answer and then continued: "I need to talk to you, because I will be leaving in a short while. I am sorry if it seemed like you were our captive because that is not the case. You are free to go where you will. I understand that you probably don't know the way home from here and if it were in my might I would take you there myself but right now I can not." The captain sighed. "I will try to explain. You are a shepherd and your duty to protect your sheep is important to you, right? In a sense it could be said that I am a shepherd too, the one I protect is not a sheep but it is my duty to protect her nonetheless and at the moment many want to harm the one protect so I have to make sure she is safe and for that I will have to fight those that want to harm her." The captain nodded and continued after a moment to let the Odglok think about it. He had decided to offer Glungard to accompany them. First of all he knew that the Odglok were strong and they could be stubborn and strong willed if they decided on doing something and secondly he knew that the Odglok would probably get lost on his own or worse, would get himself harmed or killed. "Now listen Glungard, as I said, you are free to go where you will and if you want you can come with us. You can help me to fulfill my duty and when we have fulfilled it you have my word that I will take you to your home and do what I can to help you fulfill yours. What do you think?"

"Hello Meghghan, do you have a horse?" said the music.

Do I have a... what? she dreamed. A 'whores'? Well she didn't know what that was at all. She felt a bit confused by the song-voiced boo. There was clearly something wrong with the woman.

Orange orange orange orange. Orange.