Searching... - Galliban Tyren and Barrett

[Galliban Tyren]

Even though Galliban was not wholly unprepared for another attack, the man who jumped her obviously took her by surprise. Though she had a little knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, she had very rarely ever actually been forced to defend herself. She didn't panic, but her emotions were running on high. She could feel the adrenaline surging through her.

Galliban did the only thing she could think to do, and that was to go on instinct. She concentrated her energy as she had done whilst meditating, clenched her right hand into a fist, and struck as hard as she could at the attacker's face.

[Barrett]

Barrett muttered an expression that, at home, would have earned him a clout on the head from Ma.

Leave? Abandon Thean and let three women do my fighting!

He had started to draw himself up to his full height and assume a defensive posture when the third attacker jumped Galliban. He would have run to them but feared he would only get in the way of the armed priestess who was already rushing to Galliban's aid. Instead he fell back into a position of concealment in the shadows near the garden's entrance in an attempt to be neither seen nor heard.

Think, Barrett: You wear no armor, are unarmed and have not the training to use any of the weapons of the fallen. The best you can do would be an extra set of eyes for the three obviously well-armed paladins. They, on the other hand cannot draw back until you are out of harm's way since it is you whom they risk life and limb to defend. The longer you tarry, the longer must they be targets for harm.

The tall priest sprang forward and ran towards the temple and the sick bay within to fetch a healer. He ran as though his life depended on it. Certainly, Thean's life might. The priestesses might not have time to see to the fallen until their foes were vanquished.

And let's hope that "vanquishing" involves subdual rather than decapitation: it would be useful to have something other than a corpse to question.

[Finodborn]

Galliban

Since the man was on her back, it was hard to hit him. She touched him a couple of times, but never managed a full hit. Then she saw Lana charging down at her, her long sword clutched in two hands, the point directed at Galliban's forehead. A pretty yet frightening little star of light was seated on the tip that was rapidly approaching her.

"Hold still!" she yelled, but didn't leave Galliban much time to respond. She stroked her cheek with the flat of her sword, which made an awkward noise upon impact. The load on her back disappeared, and with a dry noise, the body with the pierced skull fell on the ground.

Lana was breathing heavily. Suddenly, she asked "Wasn't there a third guy against the wall there? For the close observer, there was some blood visible where the man's head had banged against the wall, but he himself wasn't there anymore.

Barrett

The few hedges and the little fence on the way didn't hinder the long-legged young man. Halfway, he encountered a familiar face. It was the healer that had taken such good care of Barrett.

She was carrying more instruments, bandages and herbs than she could really manage. "Make yourself useful, will you, Barrett?" she asked. Though her tone wasn't unfriendly as such, it was clear that she was a bit stressed. Without awaiting a response, she dropped most of her load in Barrett's arms. "Come on then hurry up!"

[Barrett]

Barrett was relieved that someone was already on the way. He eagerly took up the supplies to assist her.
"Thean... knife in back... poison... glow," he panted.
Likely the blood on his hands and clothes told her all she needed to know.
Between shouting and running, he did not have the breath left to explain better. Besides, what was important was to GET THERE.

To his credit, the lanky lad did not rush off in a flash, but he kept pace with the healer in case any more dark-clothed assailants appeared.

[Galliban Tyren]

When Galliban noticed that the man against the wall was no longer there, she drew her sword. She was not going to be caught unprepared for another attack.

"You are right. We should have this area searched. He may still be here." she said to Lana. Galliban found it more likely that the assassin had escaped during the commotion and may very well have been far away from temple by the time she spoke those words, but she needed to be sure.

OOC: I'm just assuming here that Galliban still has her sword with her and that she is still wearing her chain mail. I do not remember a post where she took them off.

[Finodborn]

Galliban

"Maybe we should search these gardens nonetheless, but this bird has flown." Lana pointed out some tracks that lead away from the place the man had lain. "Helen will guard Thean until reinforcements arrive. Let us follow this one while his scent is fresh. Together, we might be able to close him in in the end."

The priestess of the Red Warrior started running, following the tracks to the streets. The trail didn't continue on the solid pavement of the road. She muttered words in an arcane language, and a burn later she started running again, apparently confident of the route to follow. "Come on," she hissed.

Soon, they arrived at the edge of the village. "Are you confident to go on? I won't go on my own."

Barrett

When Barrett and the healer arrived back, Thean was doing better. Helen stood next to him, her sword still in her hands. She was scanning the surroundings, but there was no sign of other intruders.

The healer knelt down. "Are you alright Thean?"
"Yes, I have purified my body already, but the bleeding won't stop" responded the paladin.
"Barrett, help me get out this armor. We can't help him this way." She started pulling the shoulder plate, after they had turned him backside up.

The wound was deep, but it was a clean cut, and no vital organs were hit. Around the wound, there was no trace of venomous green or orange, just different shades of red.

In the mean while, several other clergymen and -woman arrived, from the temple of Illuminatus as well as from the central dormitory. Helen made sure to keep them at a distance, and instructed them like a field marshall. They started searching the place thoroughly. The healer winked for two muscular types in order to carry the wounded man to sick bay, but the latter protested. "I can walk" he said, and he got up. "Perhaps you can better come with us, Barrett," said the healer. It wasn't so much a matter of free choice, for the big man had already put a substantial part of his body weight on Barrett's shoulder.

[Barrett]

Upon returning to the garden, Barrett noticed several things in quick succession: the attacker who had struck Thean down had disappeared; Galliban and the Red priestess were absent - likely they were pursuing one or more of the attackers; and, Thean seemed in much better shape.

Barrett had intended to bring the healer and then leave Thean in her care so that he could investigate the bodies of the fallen attackers. Instead, he found himself assisting the healer with the wounded paladin’s armor and care while the remaining priestess took control of the situation. Aiding the healer gave him a chance to see how she cared for the wound. It also allowed him to note the arrangement of the armor and the weak spot that the assassin had taken advantage of. He was especially careful about avoiding contact with the poisoned blade. He did not have the benefit of a deity’s purifying light. Indeed, the Thinker would likely take such carelessness as a sign that the priest was not worthy of his attention. Barrett put such thoughts aside and concentrated on the process of tending the wound.

As Helen competently took command of the area, the young Thinker attempted to excuse himself so that he might get a look at the bodies and any clues present in the garden. Thean seemed to be well in hand and there were several gathered who could assist in transporting the recovering giant. However, even in his wounded state, the paladin thwarted Barrett’s attempt to investigate.

Damn him!
The scowl and sudden reddening of the Dortenese man’s face were unmistakable.
He would use his own condition and my sense of compassion to control me even now! Unfortunately I can hardly claim to be too weak to support him. And it would simply look bad to abandon him after he “saved my life.”

Barrett decided to save his anger for a later confrontation. Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity to question the healer about the poison and about what they had just done, so that he might be prepared to dress similar wounds in the future. The way things were going, he was sure that such a skill would come in handy.

[Galliban Tyren]

When Lana ran off, Galliban sheathed her sword and kept pace behind her. Though the half-elf was nothing extraordinary in the matter of speed, she was in very good physical condition and was able to keep up with the Red Warrior priestess. She was not truly sure how it was that Lana was able to follow the assassin's trail, but she guessed that it had something to do with an arcane technique of some kind.

As the pair arrived at the edge of the village, Galliban was beginning to wonder just how much of a headstart the assassin had had. She then heard Lana speak to her.

"Yes, I will go on. This assassin attacked both a comrade and the person who is in my charge. It is my duty." she replied firmly. She hoped that she did not seem arrogant in her words. Her confidence in her decision could possibly be misinterpreted as arrogance. She was actually very sincere, and also very eager to find the person who had attacked Barrett and Thean.

[Finodborn]

Barrett

The healer saw Barrett's face flaring up with emotions, but she interpreted it as a reaction on the violence that had been surrounding the boy lately, and so very tangibly now.

She replied with enthusiasm to all his questions. "You say he was poisoned, but I have seen no traces of any substance or whatsoever. I've taken the blade of course, and we'll investigate it, but I believe there was no poison involved. As for deep wounds: clean, disinfect, sew. Better use a strong fiber.

Soon, the pair arrived in a room similar to the one Barrett had recovered in. Thean refused to take a bed, so they put him in a chair. His color was more or less normal again.

"Barrett, can you stay here with Thean for a while, and make some fire in the stove? I'll get some water in the men while. The tinderbox is in that little drawer, and there is wood next to the stove, as you can see."

Galliban

"I find it suspicious that this man can run so fast, for I understand he was seriously hurt? There was blood against the wall... In any case, draw your sword before we continue. We aren't that far anymore."

Soon, they were wading through a green sea of little bushes and trees. It was impossible to run or even walk fast here. After half a mark, Lana held still. "We are very near now," she whispered.

A war cry sounded, and the pair were attacked by yet a new load. It was hard to tell how many there were, for the black flashes in the dark forest were hard to discern. At least four, that was for sure.

"Get out of here!" yelled the priestess, after she had slain two. They kept coming. "Warn the others!" She was dancing with the grace of a falcon, creating a gap for the paladin novice to escape.

[Barrett]

"No poison? But he was convulsing and foaming at the mouth initially, before he "purified" his body - if that is the correct term for the light I saw enveloping him."
Perhaps I have jumped to an incorrect conclusion.

Alone with his wounded keeper in the recovery room, Barrett was silent for several burns. He concentrated on starting a fire and making the room comfortable for the older man.

It is useless to be angry with Thean. If he is following orders or merely doing as he thinks best you should not take it personally. Do not let your frustration ruin a potential alliance.

With a sigh, the young priest set his mind to considering what details were available about the attack. For one thing, there was no sure way to know that the assassins had been after him. it was merely a probable based on the prior days' events. In fact, the assassins could have, by all rights, killed Barrett several times over. While the first was engaging the paladin, the second could easily have sent his dagger for Barrett's throat instead of the Thean's back. Then there was the third man who had been alone in the garden with an unprotected Barrett. he had not attacked until reinforcements arrived. Then he had attacked Galliban, the least experienced looking of the priestesses. Possibly there were others in hiding who might have struck at the young Thinker as he ran for help. As Barrett pondered these factors two possible explanations emerged.

"Thean... I am thinking that perhaps I am not the target for this violence. Both of the attackers concentrated on you when one could easily have targeted me. And there was the third who could have taken me as I scanned the garden before the others showed up. Instead he only showed himself when more paladins arrived and attacked the youngest. I think the attackers were more interested in injuring the followers of Illuminatus than in doing me harm. Of course, this is mere speculation. Perhaps their orders are to take me alive and get rid of any witnesses or interference. I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter, since you have more experience with these things."

The moment of consideration he had taken had cleared away the flash of anger from earlier. Now there was only genuine concern and a desire to make sense of things and learn from Thean's experience in his voice. Barrett's family would have recognized the change with some amusement, as his mother had often managed to distract him with some puzzle or complicated question when he was getting out of hand as a child. It was a peacekeeping tactic that had never failed.

[Galliban Tyren]

Galliban drew her sword as Lana instructed, then continued to follow the priestess.

The terrain that they soon were walking upon required quite a bit of maneuvering just to avoid tripping, but Galliban managed to keep up with Lana. As they walked, Galliban began to get a bad feeling about the whole situation. With every step, the pair got farther and farther from the village and thus farther and farther away from aid. The possibility that something bad would happen seemed to outweigh the possibility that they would find the assailant. When Lana finally stopped in her tracks, Galliban's worries were only reinforced.

Unfortunately, the achadhiel's concerns soon proved to be valid. The war cry sounded and their attackers surrounded them. It was difficult for Galliban to tell exactly how many there were, but she knew that they were certainly outnumbered. She raised her sword and prepared to defend herself. Just as she got ready to fight, she heard Lana yell to her. Galliban did not want to abandon Lana, but she put aside her pride and and did as she was told. She made her way through the gap that Lana had made for her and moved as quickly as possible back the way the pair had come.

OOC: The quality of this post makes me shudder. I'm having a bit of a creative block at the moment, and I sincerely apologize to everyone who has to read it.

[Finodborn]

OOC: Galliban, I as your mod, have written much worse

IC:
Barrett

The healer frowned. "we'll make sure to investigate it thoroughly."

Later, Thean listened closely to Barrett's observations about the ambush. "Your interpretation sounds very plausible indeed. On the other hand, I do see other possibilities." He peered in the fire Barrett had made. "The first and foremost possibility is coincidence combined with panic. It is unlikely that they knew exactly when we would be in the garden, even that we would be in the garden at all. Maybe we surprised them and caught them off guard. They lost their cool, the third one wanted to sneak out, but reconsidered when even more paladins arrived.

Another possibility is that they'd aim for those armed, so that they could get hold of you alive, which would be impossible as long as there were people with swords around. We have intercepted one other assassin in the garden before, but we don't know what he was up to. Maybe he planned to drug you and take you away? But you are right, something here smells fishy. I agree fully with that."

It was obvious that the man was too tired to maintain his normal mask of harshness and formality.

Galliban

Galliban heard the singing of arrows or bolts shearing by. Branches scratched her face, and their nails wrote red tracks on her pretty achadhiel face.

Now and then, she heard the heavy breathing of at least one, two -three?-pursuers, but she managed to keep up her pace, even though she had already walked quite an end. She heard one swearing from frustration. She'd tripped. Sweat started streaming down by the gallon. The same way back always seems longer.

By the time she arrived at the cobbled road of the village, there was no trace left of her assaulters. Apparently they had suffered enough injuries for one night in the little city. The people's word about the Isle as a place of rest and meditation seemed more mythological now than ever.

At the central dormitory and the neighboring temple of Illuminatus, the streets as well as the gardens were swarming with armed men and women. Galliban didn't immediately spot Helen.

[Barrett]

The recovery room reminded Barrett of the quarters he had vacated only this morning. The most striking feature of that room had been the window overlooking the garden. He wondered if that were normal or if it might have been arranged... but by whom? Someone influential with the healers or Lumi's temple? The thoughts of room security had him performing a mental search of the room and the nearby hall. If the cultists knew the layout of this place, were there tactical advantages they might take advantage of here?

He was uncertain whether to share these half-formed suspicions with Thean. Would the stolid paladin even consider corruption within his own order? Or would the suggestion merely send him into a rage? In either case, now did not seem like a good time to disturb the man's rest with such thoughts.

Instead, he found himself pacing near the door awaiting the healer's return. Mindful of disturbing Thean, the tall lad found himself attempting to modify his steps so as to make as little noise as possible while moving about.

[Galliban Tyren]

Galliban ran as quickly as her legs would carry her back to the temple. From what she could see, the attacks had caused quite the ruckus. Indeed, Galliban wondered if there was anyone in the whole temple who had managed to sleep through it. She did not see Helen anywhere, and she did not know where she could have gone. However, Galliban knew that she could not waste time by running around the temple in search of her mentor, so the half-elf did what seemed plausible at the time. She approached one of the paladins, one who looked as if they actually knew what was going on.

"We were ambushed... where is Helen?" she said to the paladin, breathing heavily and quite a bit less composed than usual.

[Finodborn]

Barrett

"Want some tea?" asked the healer seemingly only flickers later when she arrived with a damping pot. She had brought three cups. "My name is Nima, by the way. I don't think we've been properly introduced yet."

She poured in for Thean without asking, and pressed the cup in his hands. Then she poured one for Barrett, then took one for herself. "You seem to be the spill of spectacular events, Barrett. How has this come to be?" She smiled, her question wasn't offensive, teasing, rather.

At that point, Helen, one of the two priestesses who had come in the garden with Galliban entered. She looked strained, but she was one of the few people who weren't dressed for the night. She made a less messy impression than most of the others waling through the corridors and the garden, although many were already clad in armor now.

"Is Thean alright?" Only then she spotted the man. She took the cup Nima had just poured in for Barrett. "Ah. Just what I needed. Can you tell me what has happened, boy? In detail?" She dropped herself in a chair.

Galliban

The man gave her a stern look. He was one of the order of Lumi. "No novices are allowed on this site. Remove yourself. Your mentor is in the healer's quarters, but I doubt whether she wants to be disturbed for your personal questions right now."

That being said, the arrogant prick took off, yelling some orders to others. They all seemed very busy. Busy with truly pointless matters. Now, naturally, there were several guards for each door in a big radius around the scene of the assault.

Although novices weren't allowed to the commander, nobody actually drove Galliban away either, assuming there was probably a good reason for her presence, a higher command of some sort, most probably.

[Barrett]

“Healer Nima, I am thankful for both your care with my recovery and your timely response this night. Honestly, I do not intend to create this much work for you.”

The young man smiled at the healer’s teasing tone.
“It’s me Ma: she must really want me back home, to pray for such a ruckus.”
Then his expression turned a bit more serious.
“I have been pondering this thought for myself. I think that is part of the calling to my order: the Thinker calls his servants when circumstances combine in such a way to create a need for us. So it is the likelihood of these events that have caused me to come to the Isle at just this time.”

Barrett was not a paladin, nor a paladin-in-training, nor a soldier of any type. In fact he was rather tired of answering to the paladins, so his initial reaction to Helen's manner was one of mild shock accompanied by a snort of amusement.
Likely she needs the tea more than I. And her control in responding to the situation has been admirable.
He paused for a few flickers before responding - to gather his breath and his thoughts and make sure he spoke in a dignified tone.

"I assume you mean 'what has happened' in the immediate sequential sense. I'll also assume that you know of Thean's earlier encounter in the gardens."

"We came across to the garden where at least three dark-clothed persons were hiding. I did not detect them at first, but shortly after we entered I heard Thean engage one in combat. I do not know if the man attacked him first or if Thean detected him and drew his sword, forcing the issue.”

“A second man revealed himself and was able to sink his dagger into Thean's back from a distance. Thean had decapitated his first foe and charged this second man despite his injury. A flash of light augmented his strike at the assassin and sent him backwards to strike the wall with what appeared to be fatal force.”

“After dispatching two foes, Thean fell to the ground. I attempted to scan the garden for other attackers before calling alarm. That is when you and Galliban and the red priestess arrived. When Galliban was attacked by another lurking killer you ordered me to seek the temple where I encountered Healer Nima who requested my assistance. Upon returning to the garden I observed the absence of the fallen body near the wall. Since Galliban and the other priestess were also missing, I assume the man recovered and they pursued him.”

Barrett’s face was touched with a slight frown as he considered the amount of time that had passed.
“Have they returned?”

[Galliban Tyren]

The arrogant paladin made Galliban very angry indeed. Normally, she made no conflict when it came to her superiors, but the man's arrogance had struck a nerve. She was exhausted, she was stressed, and she was very worried about Lana. The last thing she needed was arrogance coming from someone she was supposed to respect. If she had been more given to outbursts, if her business had not been so urgent, and if the paladin had not been a member of her own order, Galliban might just have given him a very large, curse-filled piece of her mind. Alas, she did not have time to explain the finer points of humility to the paladin. She had to find Helen immeadiately, so she took off in the direction of the healer's quarters.

Galliban ran rather haphazardly through the temple to the healer's quarters. She may or may not have bumped into people along the way, and she would not have known if she had been asked later. When she reached the healer's quarters, Galliban did not bother to not knock. She burst into the room, an action that might have told Helen that there was something very wrong concerning the otherwise very courteous achadhiel. She spotted her mentor sitting down in a chair, as well as Barrett and Thean.

"We were attacked... four at least. Lana fought them... told me to warn the others." Galliban said between gasps for air. She was even more out of breath than she had been whilst speaking to the paladin outside, as she had very little time to catch her breath.

[Finodborn]

The entrance of Galliban was a sufficient answer to Barrett's question. The young paladin was dirty, and looked worn out.

Thean wanted to get up immediately. He had barely stretched his knees, or Helen had already jumped up to push him back.
"No way Thean. Not in your condition, not without descent preparation. The Isle is already in chaos, let us wait a while before charging frontally. I will address this to the order superiors, and tomorrow at best we will get going."

"There is a single priestess there, who-"
"Cut it out, Thean, she's a warrior priestess, she knows of the risks involved in solo adventures. Anyway, if she hasn't made it on her own, we can only find her dead, probably after being ambushed. It is madness to start a wild chase now."
"Most probably, this priestess, whom you seem to consider a bit crazy-"
"She's my best friend!"
"Well, in any case, she and Galliban have probably found a hideout of them, possibly the only one. All our investigations have been fruitless. The only thing we will find tomorrow is an empty nest. We must strike now, while the wasps are still in panic. We mustn't let them the chance to reorganize!"
"I will not have it, Thean."

That being said, Helen left the room.
"I'm going to get some salve for your wound now, Thean" said Nima. She looked at Barrett, implying that she was confident that he would stay with him. She'd only just stood up, or Thean had risen from his seat. With renewed energy, he started putting his armor fragments back in place.

"I'm going" he said, and he headed for the door, the light of determination shining brightly in his eyes.

[Barrett]

"Galliban! Are you injured?"

Galliban's news only confirmed the general trend of information that pointed to some larger plan of the cultists. For so many of them to be openly active in one place was too much a change of tactic to be ignored. Something had stirred the dark coven to abandon their careful concealment.

It was slightly amusing to see Thean as the "hothead" rushing into action,after all of his speeches to Barrett about leaving things to his superiors.

"Thean. I agree with you that someone should investigate immediately. However, rushing off alone in your condition is not a good idea. Also, you may not even be able to retrace Galliban's path."

"Galliban? Do you think you could find your way back to the point of ambush?"
She looked a bit disoriented and Barrett was not entirely certain that she would have been able to make good note of her path of flight.

"Does it strike anyone as a bit too convenient... the attack scenario followed by what seems to me an easy effort to track a lone assassin - who just happened to lead followers into a convenient ambush? It seems odd that there would be a large armed gathering of a supposedly secret society. Maybe the entire encounter was meant to lure you and me into a trap. That may be why the third attacker waited until someone arrived who might pursue- and why the second would have faked being fatally injured when obviously he was well enough to escape unseen and lead Galliban and the red priestess - Lana?- a great distance in spite of his supposed injuries."

Unless this Lana is part of the plot...

"I don't think it likely that any semi-permanent 'hideout' exists, Thean. If they have infiltrated the various orders, then they have no reason to maintain such a place. In fact, the difficulty we have had in determining their identities and methods of communication would tend to counter such a hypothesis. besides, in the time it took Galliban to return, they could easily have left the area."

Privately Barrett suspected that the search should be conducted a little closer to home- say the temple itself. Still the young priest assisted the paladin with his armor. Of course, he made sure that his "assistance" actually added to the amount of time it took Thean to re-dress.
Perhaps I can knot one of the fasteners until Nima returns...

"Thean... have you considered that this whole attack and pursuit might have been a decoy? We have been looking at those who were in the garden. Attention was focused on the one who ran. But might there not have been someone else? Someone who may have used the confusion to position themselves in the dormitory or temple grounds."

More questions formed in his mind even as he gave voice to his suspicions. He culled through the various possibilities trying to sense a pattern to the events.

[Galliban Tyren]

Galliban looked on as Thean and Lana argued, and still remained silent while Barrett spoke. It was only when Thean moved towards the door that she spoke. She stepped in front of the big man, half-blocking his path.

"Barrett is right, Thean. It is not likely that a group shrouded in such secrecy would build a permanent base, at least not one so close to the village. Going back there may indeed result in another ambush," Galliban said firmly as she looked directly into the paladin's eyes. "As for Lana, we can only hope and pray that she is still alive. She is a priestess of the Red Warrior, and she will fight to the last. I want to go look for her, too. She saved my life. However, Helen has said that she will not allow a search at the present time. I cannot disobey her. If your mind is set on running headlong into this situation, I am in no position to stop you," she continued. Galliban paused for a moment and looked away from Thean. "But I ask that you do not go. I do not want to be responsible for endangering another ally." she concluded, her voice taking on a slightly more emotional tone.

[Barrett]

Privately, Barrett did not think a mere order from a superior would stop him from trying to rescue a friend. Clearly he was cut from a different cloth than these paladins. Sensing the emotions beneath the achadhiel's words, Barrett felt compelled to address them. He was unsure whether his motivation was concern for her or the fact that the sentiment echoed his own earlier feelings regarding Asran.
"Galliban, don't blame yourself for the situations created by others. We all take responsibility for our own choices in a dangerous time. And if you want safe allies you may want to distance yourself from me. Almost every person I've had close contact with on the Isle is dead. At this point existence is danger."

Barrett turned his attention back to Thean: "Which is why I'd rather you have back-up if you intend to pursue this."

[Finodborn]

To the keen observer, Thean was indeed a hothead, be it in the literal sense. Like a mosaic of clam pearls, his forehead was a surface ornamented with numerous seperate sweat drops.

"Indeed I cannot find the path back. I require her to go with me. And I will not go alone. Sure, Helen will have arranged for a formal interdiction through the High Priest to undertake anything tonight. But she has no power over the order of the Red Warrior."

With growing frustration, he listened to Barrett's thoughts. "The problem with smart minds is, that they are often so busy that they are able to connect things that aren't related in reality. The easiest explanation for tonight is coincidence. They were up to something, we intercepted them. I didn't bang the one hard enough, either he went unconscious but wasn't really hurt, or he used some stimulant to get back up again.

And you forget that a priest has mystical tools at his disposal, follower of the Thinker: these thugs we killed today weren't inhabitants of the Isle. At least, I have never seen any of them, and their aura doesn't show any sign of religious touching by the... regular pantheon. This is very unsettling. Such people should normally be unable to reach the Isle. It is time to take action, and now."

Meanwhile, the healer stayed away.

"I am going, and so are you" said Thean, or rather 'growled Thean'. His pupils had narrowed down. "I'll find your trace. But it costs time and energy. Come. We have to hunt them down tonight."

[Galliban Tyren]

"Are you forgetting your charge, Thean?" Galliban said to the elder paladin, a hint of defiance suddenly appearing in her voice. Her words had switched to the adhiel language. Whether this had been intentional or not was unclear. She had never been one to brazenly question her superiors, but she was starting to wonder what in the world had gotten into Thean. "We were assigned to protect Barrett. If he goes with you, he is in grave danger. Remember that even though he may be a strong young man, he has no combat training. Do you really think it right to endanger the one who is under your protection?" she continued. She then paused and looked away from Thean for a moment as she thought. "I can not disobey my orders and I will not endanger Barrett. I will stay here. I am not proud of leaving Lana behind, but sometimes we must put aside our pride and do what is requested of us," Galliban said even more firmly than before. "As I said before, I am in no position to stop you from going. Perhaps you have the talent to follow my trail, and perhaps you do not. In any case, my position stands. I will not go. Not yet, anyway." she finished, her voice clear and decisive.

[Barrett]

The now-brutish paladin was trying to move Barrett to an emotional reaction. Indeed, his manipulation, whether intentional or not was quite effective. However, Barrett had kept his calm in dire situations before. Instead of leaping into an argument or casually defying Thean, he took a mental sidestep to put himself in the position of observer rather than participant. If Thean insisted on pursuit, Barrett's duty would be to witness and learn what he could from the outcome. It was therefore to his benifit to be a willing, prepared participant.

The paladin's physical and mental state concerned the young Thinker. Was it a fever-induced madness? He noted the profuse perspiration and looked for other clues that infirmity and not sensible strategy was at the heart of Thean's vigor.
Nima, where are you?

"Thean. I am not opposing you. Indeed, this seems just the opportunity my own searches have failed to turn up. I am simply urging you to take a moment to consider your own present behavior. Are you certain you are yourself? I had not thought you would drag someone you were supposed to protect into a combat situation. Especially when it involves threatening a novice of your own order in an attempt to get her to disobey a direct command. Also, given the identity of the earlier garden intruder are you sure it is prudent to trust only the Red order to support you?"

As he spoke, Barrett began packing what healing supplies he could find in case Lana might need wounds cleaned and bandaged.

The younger paladin's emotional state was also escalating, as was evident from her linguistic shift.
"Lady, Galliban, look and listen. Health and soul."
Barrett sighed, wondering if the girl had been schooled in a method of spiritual evaluation. it would be useful if she could tell if there was some physical or spiritual malady causing Thean's change in character.
"Cannot Lumi provide some calming light between his followers to avoid overly feverish arguments?"
There, that is as direct as I dare be in suggesting some spiritual means of calming him.

"At any rate... if I accompany Thean on this errand, are not you bound by duty to protect me as well? If you allow me to go off into danger then you will be guilty of abandoning your charge as well."

[Galliban Tyren]

OOC: You should have told me that sooner. I was waiting for you.

IC:

Galliban knew what Barrett was trying to say with his comment, but it was of little consequence. She had only had experience with using divine magick on herself and aggressively on a target. Even if Thean was suffering from delusions resulting from a fever, Galliban had not been trained in the ability to calm others.

Barrett's comments were starting to annoy the young paladin novice. He seemed to be thinking aloud, something that certainly wasn't appropriate considering the situation. Galliban thought him to be attempting to argue both sides. While she understood that this might seem natural for a follower of Aurelius, it was hardly the time or the place.

"That would be true if you were going, but you are not going." Galliban replied to his last comment. She looked directly at him, her dark eyes smoldering. If Barrett had a death wish, he would have to have it fulfilled while Galliban was not under orders to guard him.