[IRP] Vanguard Rising

[Andy]

"Excellent," Ambrose said, clapping his leather gauntlets together. "And I've never put a great deal of stock into the station of one's birth. I'm just glad to have more help. And speaking of help," he lowered his voice, "In the event that our presence gets noticed in Pascal's castle before we've killed him, I'm of a mind to send you and Priam off to cause explosions in another part of the castle. If necessary, flatten the whole damn thing." He grinned wolfishly. "We'll make them regret their decisions here, my lady. One way or another, I promise you, in the name of Etruria, and the Vanguard."

He let his promise hang in the air a moment before standing, declaring, "Well, let's go back to the others. I'm sure they're at each other's throats by now."

#
After dinner, once most of the patrons of the tavern had gone home drunk, warm, and full, Ambrose led the others in the dark. Their feet made faint funth funth sounds as they walked through the snow. The group skirted the edge of the nearby lake, which had not yet frozen over, though the snow at the water's edge was covering ice. The snow continued falling in soft flakes, the wind having died down some time ago.

The castle was situated atop a nearby hill, and the postern was set behind that. If Ambrose hadn't gone over the place with a map from Caleb beforehand, the snow would have left him lost. At last, taking a lesser known trail, they came upon a post, where lay the corpses of two guards, their throats slit. An old man stood just visible inside the doorway. Ambrose recognized the old man as soon as he set eyes on him, but they did not greet each other aloud. Their mission required silence.

They entered the castle, and Ambrose felt a small sense of alarm as they passed immediately through a barracks.