"Then I hope you won't be too offended if I disregard it entirely," Tiras replied almost cheerfully.
"Uh, sir?" Tiras turned. It was the woman prisoner from before. She had on pants this time, and a cloak, to go with her shirt, side-buckled shoes, and it looked like a green-colored book. Huh. She was an actual mage, not just a dissenter. Excellent. She'd brought all the prisoners that hadn't cut and run out the postern, which was most of them. They'd helped his men strip the guards' bodies and line them up, then equipped themselves in the gear.
"Line up! Rows and columns!" Tiras shouted, turning his body fully to face them. He was commander now. The ex-prisoners tried, and partially succeeded, forming a patchwork lattice of people that had no true shape. "Very good. This was your first command. I am Sir Tiras Howarth. I was knighted with the dying breath of Sir Adrian Verde, and I am a veteran of the war a few years back. Sir Adrian and I disagreed with the razing of the Tower of the Saint, and deserted. You, by virtue of staying here with us instead of using the opportunity to flee, are now under my command." He indicated Renata.
"This is Lady Renata. She has the honor of being my second-in-command. If she gives you a command, follow it. She is formerly of the Preservation Church, so she knows firsthand how nasty they can be, and has joined me in rebelling against them, and against the unjust monster that occupies the throne of our country!" At this, there were a few cheers. "Now, currently I have a suspicion that there is a force on its way here. Do any of you have any idea what is coming here?" A few moments of silence followed.
"I might know," a burly man said, breaking the silence. "I've been here a week and a half, and I overheard the guards complaining one night. Something about transporting prisoners. I don't remember much else of the conversation."
Tiras nodded. I suspected as much. 'Traitor's End' doesn't seem to be where the prisoners stay. But where are they being transported to? And why? "Thank you for that information." He thought about what to do. I'll be damned. I might have to take back what I said to Lennox. The humor of the Fates aside, Tiras needed to figure out what to do with these new recruits.
"Alright. Half of you, when that force comes in, are going to block off the gateway to the inner bailey," he said, running his arm across the middle of the assembled group. He picked which half, and they scurried quickly to do as he said. "You are to hold that line. Let no one pass without my say-so." He turned to the other half. "The rest of you, divide into two groups and occupy the shadows in the two corners beside the gate. When I give the order, you are to attack. The archers will fire first, just mop up the rest. Understood?" The group indicated 'yes' in various ways. "Hop to it, then. Go!"
As the did, he turned to Renata and Lennox. "Come, we'll greet this transport force from the tower, so I can also inform the archers. Oh, and Lennox, apologies. Your plan wasn't as unmeritable as I thought at the first."
They went into the gatehouse and climbed up to the walls.
"Uh, sir?" Tiras turned. It was the woman prisoner from before. She had on pants this time, and a cloak, to go with her shirt, side-buckled shoes, and it looked like a green-colored book. Huh. She was an actual mage, not just a dissenter. Excellent. She'd brought all the prisoners that hadn't cut and run out the postern, which was most of them. They'd helped his men strip the guards' bodies and line them up, then equipped themselves in the gear.
"Line up! Rows and columns!" Tiras shouted, turning his body fully to face them. He was commander now. The ex-prisoners tried, and partially succeeded, forming a patchwork lattice of people that had no true shape. "Very good. This was your first command. I am Sir Tiras Howarth. I was knighted with the dying breath of Sir Adrian Verde, and I am a veteran of the war a few years back. Sir Adrian and I disagreed with the razing of the Tower of the Saint, and deserted. You, by virtue of staying here with us instead of using the opportunity to flee, are now under my command." He indicated Renata.
"This is Lady Renata. She has the honor of being my second-in-command. If she gives you a command, follow it. She is formerly of the Preservation Church, so she knows firsthand how nasty they can be, and has joined me in rebelling against them, and against the unjust monster that occupies the throne of our country!" At this, there were a few cheers. "Now, currently I have a suspicion that there is a force on its way here. Do any of you have any idea what is coming here?" A few moments of silence followed.
"I might know," a burly man said, breaking the silence. "I've been here a week and a half, and I overheard the guards complaining one night. Something about transporting prisoners. I don't remember much else of the conversation."
Tiras nodded. I suspected as much. 'Traitor's End' doesn't seem to be where the prisoners stay. But where are they being transported to? And why? "Thank you for that information." He thought about what to do. I'll be damned. I might have to take back what I said to Lennox. The humor of the Fates aside, Tiras needed to figure out what to do with these new recruits.
"Alright. Half of you, when that force comes in, are going to block off the gateway to the inner bailey," he said, running his arm across the middle of the assembled group. He picked which half, and they scurried quickly to do as he said. "You are to hold that line. Let no one pass without my say-so." He turned to the other half. "The rest of you, divide into two groups and occupy the shadows in the two corners beside the gate. When I give the order, you are to attack. The archers will fire first, just mop up the rest. Understood?" The group indicated 'yes' in various ways. "Hop to it, then. Go!"
As the did, he turned to Renata and Lennox. "Come, we'll greet this transport force from the tower, so I can also inform the archers. Oh, and Lennox, apologies. Your plan wasn't as unmeritable as I thought at the first."
They went into the gatehouse and climbed up to the walls.
![[Image: 20c7YiV.png]](http://i.imgur.com/20c7YiV.png)
Thank you Destin, for the awesome mug of Ambrose.