When Cecily mentioned the Royal library, Paige nodded, confirming that much of the events since then were set in motion because she was too curious about the enigmatic emperor. She leaned closer to Cecily to keep her story confidential.
"I told Satsume much of this along with the others," she began. "Someone was burning copies of books detailing Ostia's bloodline. I was attempting research on the topic, so I eventually came across our burned copy. Whoever it was was hiding the origins of the Emperor. From the burned pages, I found his name: Emperor Coran. I was hoping to use that to derive a place of origin, but someone must have found out I was digging too deep. To avoid the Holy Guard, I had to resign my post and pursue leads elsewhere."
"We went to Santaruz, to find the author who originally copied down the Ostian lineage. ...We weren't able to save him from Imperial forces, but he was able to share something of Coran's bloodline. He has an heir, hidden from the public. He's likely a commoner with no idea of his heritage. Any other information is in Ostia's library, which I can't exactly visit on a whim."
"That's why I came to Tania. We were following a former keeper by the name of Yuri. I was hoping to sway him to our side and get into Ostia. Sadly, I lost track of him during the fighting. Now that we are in Bern, I can only hope a copy of the bloodline had made it out of Lycia."
Paige sighed in frustration as she began to take off her boots.
"Of course, it's likely that the only place for such a book would be in Castle Bern itself. Heh, I'd have better luck in Ostia..."
The trio had found their way back to the tavern and taken their seats while Shad and Satsume discussed their plan. Ellie stayed silent, having very little to add to the conversation herself; though she had taken a moment to order food and drink, stressing the importance on the quickest meat they could prepare and serve to the table. She paid for the hefty chunk of pork as it arrived and began to dig in when Satsume inquired about the plans following the reconnaissance.
The entirety of the plan was mostly sound, except for the lack of preparedness in the event the recon itself didn't turn out. Reckless as it was, Ellie was confident.
"Distraction...distraction...Oh. Eli, Maisie wanted me to tell you she took care of that thing you wanted her to do. What was that, by the way?"
"Oh, that... I needed her to deliver a ransom to Bern's soldiers, addressed to my brother," Ellie replied between bites. She took a long sip of water and set her mug back down before continuing. "I had another brother, Anthony... he was executed just after Leroy joined the army. I used his name for ransom."
God, he's going to be furious with me... and everyone else, too, I'd bet...
Her eyes sunk to her plate a moment before shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. She turned to meet Shad's eyes, then Satsume's before speaking further.
"I just don't even know if it'll work. Or if he'll even recognize me if he comes."
Cecily curled her hair around one finger as she thought about what Paige said. As one of the main ambassadors that represented Laus in Lycia, Cecily had the opportunity to meet many people as well as hear the gossip of many places. However, not once had she heard of a noble by the name of Corran, particularly one of Ostia. There are several possible explanations that would make sense, but Cecily did not dwell on them. In any case, it is obvious that the Church is involved.
"We shall see whether there is an opportunity in the future, but there are more immediate matters to attend to," Cecily said. She stood up and moved to her own section of the bath, opposite to Paige's spot, and took off the towel that kept her modesty.
"It would do no good to keep the men waiting!" she teased, splashing some water from her bucket at Paige.
Paige was taken aback as Cecily suddenly revealed herself. As a result, she wasn't able to move out of the way as she was soaked with water.
"Alright, fine!" Paige surrendered, seeing that she needed to change clothing anyways...
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With everyone cleaned up, Paige had finished up redressing. For the journey ahead, she opted for pants for better protection from the elements. Who knew when they would come across another town?
"I hope the others came up with a plan that doesn't involve storming the gate," Paige said. It had been Shad's go-to strategy for more than a few battles.
Satsume furrowed his brow as Eli (thank you Shad, for clearing up that boy/girl situation) went into detail about his ransom plan. Seems like a lot of people I meet and travel with conveniently have relatives in high stations, he thought, peering over the rim of his stein as Eli spoke. I should look into marrying a princess.
"I just don't even know if it'll work," said Eli, staring down into his half-eaten plate of food. "Or if he'll even recognize me if he comes."
"Sounds like a fine idea to me," Satsume said, trying to cheer him up. "And besides, who wouldn't recognize their own brother?"
Eli just shrugged. Satsume grabbed his mug and tilted his head back, downing the last of the unspectacular beer. "Ahhh..." He reached into his pocket, grabbed a few gold coins, and dropped them on the table. "Well, I'm going to step outside for a bit." He lowered his voice, "...if we're going to need to be covert, I should get a good pipe in now while the sun's still up."
Satsume left the tavern and walked to the corner of the building, propping himself up against the side while he reached for his pipe and tobacco pouch. The sun was just beginning to set behind the mountains, tossing a yellow-orange wash over the tavern's wooden sign. Hmm. Wonder how the girls are doing, he thought. He pressed a clump of tobacco into the pipe and slipped a finger into his belt's side pouch to grab a match. His mind briefly flashed to an image of Cecily and Paige tossing water at each other, sans clothes - an image that caused Satsume to subconsciously smile as he lit his pipe. Yeah...
The sound of someone in the distance slamming a door shut snapped Satsume out of his brief fantasy. He quickly peered down both sides of the road, but upon seeing no one went back to contentedly hitting the pipe. Now the matter at hand became keeping everyone safe during Shad's recon mission. It made Satsume a little bummed out to not be in the middle of things, but he understood Shad's thinking. For once, he thought. My armor does make a bit of a racket. And it's hard to hit a man with a javelin in the dark, anyway.
Satsume slid down to the ground, seating himself against the tavern siding. There was nothing left to do now but collect everyone and wait for nightfall.
"Sounds like a fine idea to me. And besides, who wouldn't recognize their own brother?"
Ellie tried to perk up some, reminding herself she had to play the part until she couldn't anymore; she still regretted not having a moment to speak with Paige before everything came to a head. No matter, there was nothing she could do at this point but go ahead with the plan now.
* * * * * * * * * * *
As night fell, Ellie made her way from her room at the inn with a loaded quiver on her back and her bow slung over her shoulder. She headed out the front door and scanned up then down the street - just as dead now as it had been before. Part of her stifled a laugh; it would be sign for alarm if the streets were busier after dark than during the day after the nonexistent bustle surrounding their arrival. She ducked left and ran her hand along the outer wall of the inn before she slipped into an alley nearby.
Shad better not be late...
Ellie continued slinking her way between buildings, doing her utmost to stay under cover of darkness as she made her way to the foot of the mountains. Upon her arrival she did another quick scan - still empty, not even the sound of crickets to fill the air. She heaved a sigh of relief and found a low stack of crates to huddle behind; all she could do now was wait.
A ransom?! I hope this doesn't backfire. Shad thought about that. It could be handy if Bern soldiers happened upon the castle during their attack. Who knows how many people they have. It was enough to overwhelm nineteen Etrurian soldiers. Sure, half of them were older vets and the other half were newer recruits, but they must have overwhelmed them. "Let's hope it works out," he commented as he stood up. "I'm going to prepare. Satsume, watch over the girls for us. I'll meet up with you later, Eli."
He walked out of the inn and stopped by the blacksmith again. He caught the man by surprise. It didn't matter to him. Shad bought himself a whetstone. He's not planning on sleeping and will need something to pass the time. Why should he impose on the others to find out if they have one when he could just acquire one himself. After that he went back to the inn and met up with Maisie. "Would you know about an alternate way into the castle?"
"No. Don't you dare ask me that. You're-" Shad put his hand over her mouth. He didn't want her to alert anyone to their plans, even the locals. She stopped speaking and glared at him. He gave an expression asking 'Well?' and she pulled away from his hand. "I know one exists, but the only ones who probably know were the kids and that spy of yours."
"What?"
"You have a pair of kids with no other kids their own age around. Of course they would find stuff like that."
"No, the other thing." That was a bit confusing to him. "I didn't assign a spy to follow Maria."
"She's about the age of that boy. White hair, green eyes, couple of facial scars. You don't know her?"
"Sounds like one of mine. Cass must have sent her. So, she's been shadowing Maria then?" Of course, Cass does still without consulting him. Hopefully she can be helpful, if she's still alive. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. I know all that I can about the matter. Be sure to go to sleep early, I'll be needing you tomorrow." He said as he left Maisie's room for his own. He sat down on the bed, pulled out the whetstone and started sharpening his schiavona. Now to wait.
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Nightfall came and Shad finally put the whetstone down. He was sure his Schiavona could probably split a hair just by laying it on the edge by now. He sheathed the sword and crept out of his room. He knocked on Eli's door and got no answer. He must have left already. As he was going to leave the hallway, he heard the door open and a man come inside. He couldn't get a clear look but his presence appeared to stir the innkeep who met with him. They started talking, and Shad moved a bit closer to try to listen in.
"-'bout seven of 'em."
"We counted six."
"Well, you missed one last ti-"
They were talking about something. Was there some kind of mistake? About what though? Whatever it was about, he didn't want to attract any attention to himself. So he snuck back into his room and out the window.
There was almost no difference between this town during the night than during the day. If anything, that was a good sign. Nothing good would really come from the town being active at night. Shad was reliving his meeting with Ambrose and Paige back in the town they saved, when they were hiding from the church. Thankfully, there wasn't a patrol going around town like there was last time. The silence was almost getting to him. He looked up and for a second thought he saw his father in the darkness, wearing the very coat he began his journey here in. The lack of sleep and the crazy thoughts going through his head must be getting to him.
Shad finally found where Eli was waiting. As he approached, he thought he saw Alice crouched where Eli was. This wasn't the first time he's made that mistake, but he knows for sure Alice isn't here. This was one of the very few times Shad had been by himself with just his thoughts and he didn't like it. He knelt down beside him and spoke. "Good news, Maisie confirmed there is another entrance. We just need to find it." He started his way up the mountain. Why did the castle have to be higher up than the town?
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Maisie just sat at a chair near the window, taking in the cool night air. She couldn't go to sleep. Shad's last words had been getting to her. This town has been getting to her. She didn't feel safe, but can't explain it. At least, she can feel some comfort at knowing that hopefully the Bern army will be here to help. But who knows how quickly that will be. She wanted to go check up on Taika, but she'd been out all day. It didn't seem right. Nothing feels right.
Unlike Paige, Cecily opted for a dress: something that she bought while traveling with Satsume, but was unwilling to wear it knowing that she had not taken a bath in a while. It was probably once worn by a merchant man's wife, being both fashionable while remaining practical for travel. In other words, perfect traveling garb for a fallen noble.
Although she did clean herself as well as she could, the fact that there is no way that her long hair would dry quickly. The growing chill of the coming night soured her expression as it seeped into her hair.
"I hope the others came up with a plan that doesn't involve storming the gate," Paige said.
Cecily sighed. "I hope the others don't do anything."
She would especially be unhappy if Satsume involved himself without her consent. She would be especially unhappy if it was by Shad's suggestion. She would be furious with Shad himself for all of that. Cecily had to take a deep breath before her mind continued to race. Is the cold and growing hunger getting to her? There would be extra anger to spread around if there was not a bite to eat when they regrouped with the others.
"Let's check the tavern before heading back to the inn," Cecily suggested. "Perhaps they have something left for us there."
The two continued onwards, down the street together.
Paige nodded as they traveled through the streets. It was just as quiet as in the morning. She didn't like it then and she especially didn't like it with the addition of reduced vision. Fortunately, the tavern wasn't far. Paige was a little surprised to see Satsume just sitting outside.
"Hey," Paige asked Satsume, "We're hoping the food is halfway decent. I don't think either of us had eaten all day. So, are the others waiting for us inside?"
Ellie was getting anxious - it wasn't like her, not with her experience hunting. But this was wholly different, she thought. The town was eerie enough, and Shad was reckless to boot; more so than herself, at any rate. She thought back to their scuffle in Tania a moment, but her thoughts were cut short as Shad stepped into view. She stood carefully, bracing herself against the crates.
"Good news, Maisie confirmed there is another entrance. We just need to find it."
"Excellent!" Ellie replied, chasing after Shad with a jump in her step. She toned it down as the two exited the town's limits and started up the mountain trail. Light was especially scarce on this side of the mountain, the moon hovering behind the silhouette of the castle in the distance, but she could tell that they were clearly on the path most traveled.
"We should try to get above the castle, gather our bearings from there."
She didn't wait for Shad's response before she took off ahead of him - she glanced frequently towards the castle, hoping there would be no heads peering over the cliff towards them; for all of their misfortune thus far, they were doing quite well in that regard tonight. A few minutes passed at a snail's pace, until the duo arrived at a fork in the road; one path leading to their left, the way they had come during the day, and a path leading mostly straight ahead and funneling into a narrow pass.
Ellie ducked low and felt the ground before her, taking a few cautious steps ahead. The ground was mostly smooth, but had been disturbed somewhat recently - at least since the last rainfall. She waved Shad over and huddled close to the walls of the pass; a choke point wasn't ideal, but they needed to continue upward.
"What's your plan? Someone's gone up this way, but I don't like it."
Cecily did not expect to see Satsume sitting outside the tavern. She also wondered why the others were not with him and immediately thought of Paige's worry that Shad is off on some crazed self-prescribed mission. It did not seem like Satsume is out here to escort them to the table: that is reserved for butlers and maids, not knights.
"They better not have eaten everything," she added with her cross-but-not-serious look.
She looked towards the door, half-expecting there to be a surprise waiting for them on the other side. Given the atmosphere that the company has experienced, it would seem like an elaborate joke for the townspeople to be gathered inside for a shout of surprise when they enter. Cecily turned her gaze back towards Satsume, who took a moment longer than he should have to fabricate a reply.
"Please tell me that they are having dinner in there," Cecily said as her cross-but-not-serious look became a serious look.
The lady felt her own stomach grumble. Cecily hoped that was not her own conscious answering for Satsume.
Satsume looked up amidst a cloud of smoke as Paige and Cecily returned. Satsume mentally suppressed his disappointment that Cecily had chosen the most modest of the clothes she brought to wear.
"Hey," said Paige, "We're hoping the food is halfway decent. I don't think either of us had eaten all day. So, are the others waiting for us inside?"
“They better not have eaten everything,” added Cecily.
“Yeah, they’re still inside,” Satsume replied. He watched as Cecily walked past him and peered into the window. “And whatever you do, don’t order the local brew.” Satsume scrunched his face in exaggerated disgust. “Tastes like dirt.”
“Please tell me that they are having dinner in there,” said Cecily. Satsume noted the subtle change in her tone.
“You can’t miss them,” Satsume replied. “It’s the only occupied table.” He turned to look toward the sun, which had sunk further behind the treeline. He pulled one last hit from the pipe and tapped it against his boot to empty it before getting to his feet.
“I hear the pork is good, too,” he added, stepping in front of the girls to open the door. “Ladies first!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that night…
Satsume suppressed a yawn as he laid down his hand. “Fifteen two, fifteen four, and eight’s a dozen,” he said softly, as he reached to move the pegs. It had been nearly a half-hour since Eli and Shad had ducked out of the inn and headed for the castle, which left Satsume to (as Shad put it) “protect the girls in case things went wrong.” Satsume wasn’t entirely sure what harm could befall Paige and Cecily in the inn – which up to that point had felt like the safest place in town – but at least it had given him this small chance for recreation.
Cecily made a face and muttered something under her breath.
“I heard that, milady,” Satsume teased. “Maybe next time you’d like to cut the deck?” He flipped over the small pile of face-down cards in front of him and counted up his score.
“Four more in the crib,” he said, moving the pegs again and pushing the cards over to Paige. Satsume laced his fingers together and reclined in his chair. The candles on the table flicked about, throwing a pale light on the walls across the room. The common area of the inn was eerily quiet, save for the occasional shuffling of the innkeeper downstairs. I wonder how he finds so much to do with it being so empty in here, Satsume thought.
He looked down at the table again – there was a new pile of cards in front of him. “So how long do we wait for those two until fearing the worst?” he asked the girls. He picked his cards up and fanned them out. Four, six, eight, queen, ten.
“…And gods alive, who dealt this mess?!”
"Great idea. It should give us a better idea of...what we are in for," Shad replied as Eli took the lead. He hoped Eli didn't hear the hesitation in his voice. How narrowly he avoided saying what he really thought. A better idea of how crazy I am. He looked down. A better idea of how stupid I am. How reckless I am. How suicidal I am. How reckless I am. His thoughts flew by quickly, each one trying to keep him in check. But one train of thought lingered. How angry I am. How angry I should be. How angry they've made me. How many of them will pay. How many will suffer for crossing me. How many will wish they never heard of the Hyperion name.
Shad's thoughts began running wild, all thoughts urging him to press on. To attack. He looked down at his sword, ready to unsheathe it and charge the enemy, but then saw Marcus' headband wrapped around the lip of the sheath, meeting up with the the basket hilt. That's a terrible idea. I know. It's a horrible idea. Though he didn't hear Marcus admonishing his idea, he knew that he would. He was right, after all. Daren wouldn't have trusted him so much if Marcus had the same ideas that passed through his son's head. He looked back towards Eli to see him motioning him forward. He crouched down and slowly approached. He didn't even know where they were. He had really zoned out there.
Shad looked Eli over while thinking of a plan. With Shad's current state, he probably couldn't climb onto the walls. If he did, he doesn't think he'd be able to lift Eli up with him. He'd be able to get Eli up there...which sounds perfect. The path wasn't that wide, so trying to fight with an archer in an enclosed place spelt trouble. Shad got right up next to the walls of the pass, cupping his hands together. "You take the high road, I'll take the low road. And don't use me for target practice. How's that sound?"
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Maisie was feeling anxious. She could vaguely hear the sounds of activity from inside, it sounded like that knight. Perhaps the others were back already. She should be feeling at ease knowing she isn't alone there anymore, but this town still doesn't sit well with her. Wait. She was hearing multiple men speaking. She cupped her ears to the outer wall, trying to get an idea of what was being said.
"Don't those people sleep?"
"'Course they do. We can wait."
"Can't the inn keep spike their drinks. It's easier when they are sleepin'"
"They wouldn't trust it. They've been around town. If they aren't on their guards, they deserve this."
"Deserve what?" Maisie said, thinking out loud. She muffled herself after that. Damn my loud mouth.
"What was that?"
"Shhh...someone might be listening in. Get the others ready. We'll sweep the rooms first. Get the easy ones out of the way."
Maisie got up and grabbed the nearby chair. She propped it against the door knob and waited. If she tried alerting the others too soon, they might flee before they can discover what's going on. If they have to break down her door for them to get to her, the others should get the message quickly enough. She went to the other side of her bed and crouched behind it. "Shad. Lenny. One of you...please hurry up. I...I..."She slowly starting to lose her composure. Why must she break down like this now, she thought to herself.
After a moment's hesitation, Shad shuffled over to the walls of the pass and postured to lift Ellie above them - a sound idea, though a big risk for Ellie being so exposed. In the darkness, however, the risk was somewhat more bearable. Ellie took a step closer to Shad with a smirk, scanning the pass for movement one last time.
"You take the high road, I'll take the low road. And don't use me for target practice. How's that sound?"
"I can do my best!" Ellie joked, clapping one hand down on Shad's shoulder and stepping into his cupped hands. As he boosted her up, she fumbled about looking for a strong handhold before hoisting herself to the ledge. She turned and cast an eye in Shad's direction, nodding ever so slightly as she did. "Don't be a hero, Shad."
With that, she set off ahead of Shad, peering back and forth from the cliffs that surrounded them and down into the pass. It was oddly silent for a mountainside rife with bandit activity... Ellie tried to shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen, but it did nothing to ease her worries.
Minutes passed as the duo proceeded through the pass, nothing but darkness and dust to stand in their way. The pass began to open wider as it rounded a bend, crates piled haphazardly on either side against the walls; some crates lay smashed to pieces or with it's contents strewn across the ground. Ellie stepped closer to the edge and peered down, where she noticed a single bandit sitting on the makeshift steps leading up the path - a hatchet in one hand and a bottle of what Ellie could only assume was wine in the other.
Some guard...
Ellie drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it against her bowstring, turning away from the ledge and shifting back towards the narrower pass, taking aim just a few feet ahead of Shad. She drew hard and loosed a shot across his path, splintering the arrow against the cliff walls. They locked eyes a moment before Ellie drew a second arrow and retreated to the ledge once more, this time looking towards the bandit on guard, completely oblivious. Nocking her second arrow, she drew hard and aimed at her target; with one final glance back, she saw noticed Shad rounding the corner and stepping up to the crate columns.
With no further hesitation, she trained her eyes on the bottle in the guard's hand, and let her arrow fly.
Paige was feeling much better, now that she had food in her belly. While Shad and Eli were out scouting, she joined Satsume and Cecily in the tavern in a friendly game of cards. Even with Satsume's explanation of the rules, her only strategies involved variations of saying "go fish" or "tap two forests and one other to summon the Bernese Python". Needless to say, the librarian was more interested with the activities of Shad and Eli.
"It hasn't been that long," Paige replied. "Then again, I don't know how much time we need to cause trouble."
Dinner was better than Cecily anticipated it to be: perhaps it tasted good because of the terrible taste of traveler's food, which Cecily only ate with the understanding that maintaining her strength was more important than comfort on the road.
Her improved mood brought Cecily to the card game that Satsume suggested they play, despite her own inexperience at anything with cards. It simply was not something that was done among the Lausian nobility; she could not recall it being a favorite pastime of other Lycian nobles either.
Satsume's latest pegging placed him far enough ahead of Cecily that there was no chance for her to actually win. But the lady was not one to give up easily.
Cecily had her own reservations about Shad scouting around. He seemed impulsive, from what she could discern from seeing him and talking with Paige, and Eli was an unknown to her. For Satsume to allow him to go too had to mean there was something that her retainer knew that Cecily did not, but she also did not press the thought. Nothing would change by voicing her reservations. Except for one.
"You let them go, but did not agree upon a time to wait for their return?" Cecily asked with an inquisitive expression.
Anything can happen over the night. Waiting too long can be their death, but waiting too soon can waste the time and effort that is being placed in this clearly impromptu plan. But Cecily could not criticize it too much, considering that one impromptu plan, with plenty of luck, saved her life in Bern.
She was about to lay down her hand for comparison with Satsume's when someone knocked at the door. Cecily looked expectantly at the clock, curious to why one would be at the door at this hour, but remembered there was no clock in the room. The clock is in the common room, not in the individual bedrooms.
"Yes?" she called out to the door expectantly.
"It's the innkeeper. I have a box to deliver," came the reply.
Cecily turned her eyes to Satsume, gesturing him to get the door. "Go on."
Little did the three know that on the other side, the innkeeper was accompanied by brigands. The keeper, having done his job, returned downstairs to wait for the inevitable.
Satsume perked his head up at Cecily's inquiry and ruffled the cards in his hand.
"Shad said 'an hour or two,' but given his track record lately..." He laid a six on the table. "Would you wait that long?" He glanced at Paige, who had a look of bewilderment on her face as she laid a nine down.
"That's fifteen for two. No, don't move my pegs-"
*knock knock knock!*
Everyone's eyes darted up toward the door. They're back already?, wondered Satsume. A brief moment of silence followed the knock, none of the three being immediately sure how to respond.
Finally, Cecily spoke. "Yes?"
"It's the innkeeper. I have a box to deliver."
Satsume met Cecily's eyes. She motioned towards the door with her head. "Go on," she mouthed. Satsume sighed, dropping his cards on the table face-down and standing up from his chair. Yep, send the mule to go fetch your things. Gods forbid if it's really some kind of-
As soon as Satsume's hand twisted around the doorknob, the door exploded inwards, catching Satsume completely by surprise and hurtling him back into the room.
WHAM!
"Errrgh!" He toppled backwards over a chair, sending him - and his armor - crashing to the floor. Three large men hurriedly filed into the room. Two of them bore large metal clubs, and the third had a short sword at his hip. Satsume scrambled to get to his feet, but one of the club-bearers was upon him almost instantly, catching him square in the lower ribs with an uppercut swing. He shouted in pain, grabbing at his side as the brigand kicked him over onto his back.
“Good, now take the girls,” snarled the leader. He and the other man advanced toward the girls, throwing a chair aside. The man standing over Satsume grinned devilishly.
“How’s it feel, scum?” he sneered. “Does it hurt?”
Satsume said nothing, rolling over onto his knees, still planting a hand at his right side. His left hand moved quickly to his hip. With a quick shuffle, Satsume shifted his front to face his attacker and thumbed the button on his lance. Snap! The spearhead recoiled upwards, catching the side of the man’s knee and causing him to yelp in surprise, getting the attention of the other two assailants.
“Milady! Paige! Nnnngh…!” Satsume staggered to his feet. His ribs were definitely broken – trying to shout was like driving needles into his heart. “Get behind me!” He winced and took up a stance leading with his left foot, tucking his spear under his arm. Anything beyond a short breath seemed to drive a stake into his side. His free hand traced across the crack in his armor from the bludgeon. Bastards…
The lead man looked quickly at his compatriot, who was spouting curses at his bleeding leg wound. “He hit my fucking knee, Boss!”
“Shutup! Randal, cave this man’s skull in and get him out of the way!” The leader growled and drew his sword. “We want the girls alive.”
Don't be a hero. Don't choose a bad time to be a hero. Your family just seems to be full of heroes. Shad's starting to notice a trend. Kalin referred to him and his family as being full of heros. Satsume warned of picking a bad time to be a hero. Even Eli said not to be a hero. Perhaps they were being kind, but they didn't mean hero. Well, Kalin might have, but what they really meant was reckless. Don't be reckless. Don't choose a bad time to be reckless. A bitter smile momentarily flashed upon his face. "No promises."
Shad walked cautiously through the path, feeling quite alone despite knowing that Eli was still in ear shot. This path was not like he imagined. He had some kinda romanticized path that lead them underground into some secret entrance hidden in the depths of the castle. But that wasn't what this castle was built for. This was meant to be a garrison, not a home for some noble. There would be no need for some secret path to escape. But someone made this castle a home.
A stray arrow hit the wall against him. Eli. He looked back the archer, understanding what he meant. Something was ahead, so get ready. He looked around the bend while Eli got into position. Cover. He ran over as delicately as he could. Fortunately, his sacaen garb was much quieter than his hooded coat. No chainmail interwoven into helped. He felt much lighter running in this than before. He glanced around cover and saw...a drunk. With a hatchet. Perhaps he could get information out of him.
As he went to take another sip, Eli shot her arrow. Shad waited until he heard the bottle shatter and jumped out from cover and sprinted full speed at the man. The man was covered in wine, covering his eyes and he let his hatchet slip out of his hands. By the time he opened his eyes, he saw Shad lunging with a left hook right to the face. The force of the falling fist, and the man attached to it, knocked the brigands head into the step behind it. Shad braced his right arm against the mans collar bone and swung again. Question him. And again. Interrogate him. And again. Capture him. And again. And again. By the time Shad realized it, the man's face looked like paste and a few of Shad's knuckles were in excruciating pain. He took out his sacaen blade and slit the mans throat. He was useless to them now.
"Carl?! You out 'ere? You're late reportin' in!"
"Come on! You can drink back at the castle!"
"We got more merchandise being collected right now! You don't want to miss on any loot, do ya?!"
Shit! More are coming. Shad got back up and retreated back to the crates. He held up three fingers towards where Eli was as he got back into position. Three voices. Three more brigands, at least. Merchandise? What does that mean?
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Maisie started cowering when she heard her doorknob rattling. The door was unlocked! Where did they get a key?! She heard a bang from somewhere else in the inn, and that was when the kicked down her door. The chair broke rather easily, almost as if it was intentionally weakened in case someone did this. "Help! Someone help!" Two guys ran into her room and she tried to fight them off. "Anyone?! Please! HELP!" She tried to run to the window but a brigand grabbed her by the nape of her neck and forced her momentum face first into the wall. She was a bit woozy from that hit and as she pulled her head away, the man smashed her face against the wall again, knocking her out cold.
The man picked up Maisie and began walking out. His partner went into the room next door where Taika was drugged asleep and picked her up without any trouble. They moved the pair to the common room, waiting for the others to be collected.
What followed the twang of her bowstring was the sound of glass shattering - right on target. In that moment, Ellie could make out the silhouette of Shad through the moonlight, darting towards the now bewildered bandit. Within moments, the scuffle was little more than the sounds of bone meeting bone as Shad pummeled the life from the man; a poor career path, Ellie thought.
Ellie looked away a moment, allowing Shad his taste of vengeance, until voices filled the air about them - three of them, she thought. Facing Shad, reeling in his rage, her thoughts were confirmed as he gestured towards her; three fingers, three voices. Ellie faced the stairs where the bandit now lay motionless and spotted a light moving towards the edge directly above them. The light flickered ever so slightly in the wind, but she knew what it meant.
She slid towards the edge and dropped down to the pass below, patting Shad on the shoulder as she brushed by and drew another arrow. She nocked and drew hard, kneeling at the base of the wall and aiming straight up in anticipation of their impending visit.
"Oi, Carl! You nappin' on duty again, you slouch?" bellowed one of the voices, the others laughing in response. Ellie blinked once, took a deep breath, then blinked hard one more time before the light from the torch began to make its way over the ledge. A faint glow brushed across Ellie's forehead, and then there was a moment of silence.
"Carl? Are you-"
As the brigand leaned over the edge, focusing on the lifeless husk of his friend Carl, Ellie released her bowstring and pivoted, standing tall as she nocked another arrow and planted one foot firmly on the step below her. With a sickening thunk, the man was cut short, and Ellie let a second arrow fly for good measure.
THUNK!
The torch fell to her feet, lending light to the recession in the rocks in which they stood, and the brigand tumbled lifeless to the ground; a single arrow protruding through the crown of his skull, and another planted firmly in his abdomen. Ellie stepped down the stairs quickly as she nocked another arrow, scanning the tops of the pass for any other attackers.
"What the hell!?"
"Fuck! Where are they!?"
Ellie's heart was racing as she heard the voices getting closer, and she knew the fight was upon them. They'd never even found their way into the castle, and now they had nowhere to run. Ellie shot a glance of worry towards Shad, his face twisted with rage in the glow of the torch resting on the steps.
"I'm sorry," she mouthed, turning back to the steps, bow drawn taught.
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Several leagues to the East...
The pounding of hooves echoed through the otherwise undisturbed countryside; they slowed, however, as they approached a grouping of tents. Faint light shone through the canopies, offering a small glimpse of a resting wyvern in the center of the grouping. The rider disembarked with haste, approaching the nearest tent.
"Hold, stranger!"
The rider stopped abruptly, standing at attention. He turned to his left, facing the voice. The Bernese soldier approached, a firm grip on the hilt of his blade. As he approached, he noticed the Bernese armor beneath the rider's cloak and relinquished his blade.
"My apologies, sir; I've been sent to deliver a message. Is Sergeant Vael in attendance this evening?"
"Aye. May I ask, what is the message?"
"I cannot say with certainty, it seems a ransom of some kind."
"Surely you're joking! We stand on the brink of war, we can't possibly be bothered by bandits!"
"I agree, sir... but surely, you have family at home, do you not? I know I do - and I'd want to know."
The soldiers locked eyes for a moment, when their attention was broken by the sleeping wyvern; no longer resting, it raised its head and eyed the duo. Just to its left, a figure emerged from the glowing tent before it, placing a hand gently on the wyvern's neck. The soldiers met eyes once more, the guard nodding as he took a step away from the rider.
"Sergeant, a word!"
It was fortunate that Paige had her weapons with her. With the town atmosphere so unsettling, she had kept her rapier and light brand on her person. When two men approached to apprehend her and Cecily, the librarian was seated, her hand brandishing the rapier from under the table. When she stood up, Paige immediately slashed at one of the henchmen. The gash across his test was enough to get him to back off as Paige went over to Satsume's side.
Though Satsume wanted them behind him, he didn't seem to be in any position to protect him. Paige felt like she had to step up and cover him. She stood beside Satsume, sword at the ready.
"You won't be carrying us off that easily," Paige declared, sounding as tough as a proper lady could sound. This was of course just as two other men were carrying off Maisie and Taika into the common room.
"Well, you won't get all of us so easily!"