Chasing the Trail [Chyril 26th early TT]

[Yin Lorin]

Yin returned from his meeting with the Captain, entering his home with a thoughtful look. He went to the room Constance was using and knocked on the door. The others should be getting ready, it was almost time to go out and follow down that lead. He had some things to ask Constance, one of which was if she would join them.

When she opened the door he would give a short bow. “I do not know if I got the chance to ask you if I could get your help. We are going to follow a man who is bringing that powder into the city. We could use your talents there, in case they have someone with your talents there, the mind crafter.” He looked around. “I do not want to put you in harm’s way, but you would be a good asset.”

There was more he wanted to say, more he wanted to tell her. “Also, Constance, I want you to know I enjoyed this morning, at the temple, with you. It was nice to sit with you. Of course the Baron, well, he was not that great a joy. I was hoping tonight we could share dinner. I have some guests coming, but I would like to spend some time with you, alone, after, if we could.” He asked her feeling a blush rise in his cheeks.

[Guido Cercatoro]

Constance was sitting quietly in her room when Yin entered. Framed by the light filtering in through the window, the young woman's beauty was immediately apparent. Long blonde hair cascaded down to sit on her shoulders and cover the top of a low-necked pale blue gown. She smiled softly at the Paladin and she appeared to be far more relaxed than had been the case earlier in the day, when the Baron's questions had clearly troubled her.

“I will accompany if you wish,” she replied, “although I must change into something more suitable. And when we return, I will, of course, meet you for dinner.” The girl’s eyes flickered briefly to the floor and she coloured a little.

When Yin returned to the main room he would find the rest of his company assembled and ready for the expedition. Boros, Ardar, N’kallor and Lorend were talking quietly whilst Hanitus was sitting by himself in the corner looking a little edgy. They would be joined by Constance once she had finished changing.

[Yin Lorin]

Yin could not help but pause a moment and just look at her, in all her beauty. She was a woman who could have had any man in the city, could it be true her heart went to him. Even though it was told to him in a vision, he could hardly believe it. He stood a little straighter when he realized she had answered his question. “Yes, of course, is there anything you wish, to wear, or a weapon you wish to carry? It will be dangerous.” In fact he thought it was most certain it would be dangerous. He would see to it she got what she needed.

He entered the room where the others were waiting, walking to the ex-priest and smiled patting him on the shoulder. “I am glad to see you here.” He looked at the others. “Glad to see you all here. I hope you are all ready for what we may meet. These men are well funded, and dangerous. Surprise may be out only advantage. We will need to put that to good use, if you know of any of them being mind mages, we need to put them down first.” He walked to the table. “Is there anything we need to know, any questions we need to answer before we leave? Please, speak now.”

[Gutter Rat]

OOC: Taking over the thread here. Please enjoy the ride and nudge me in PM if it gets too 'bumpy'.

Constance perked an eyebrow skyward and smiled. “Well, if it is as dangerous as you say, sir, then I should slip into something a little more…formidable…yes?” She let go of a small laugh edged with just a touch of pre-battle nerves and rose walking to her wardrobe, her smile and hand pointed at Yin as she politely motioned for him to run along and let her get dressed in peace.

The men, on the other hand, were focused on Yin not leaving the room, Boros, Ardar, N’kallor and Lorend in deep discussion amongst themselves about the question that he had posed while Hanitus continuously looked back and forth between Yin and the group, giving an audible gasp as Constance stepped out moments a flicker or two later, dressed in dark tight-fitting robe with the occasional hint of leggings worn underneath just in case of trouble.

“Mmmhmm…” muttered Ardar, giving a nod of approval to Constance’s choice of clothing. “I do have one question for you…we do, rather.” Acting as spokesman for the group, he stood and addressed Yin with an honest question.

“Besides taking out their mages, what is the plan? Don’t want to be caught standing there in a ‘now what?’ moment, you know?”

[Yin Lorin]

Yin smiled, it was a good question. “We need to take their leader captive, so wound him, but do not kill him. Baros can point him out.” He looked at Baros for confirmation on that. “We will N’Kallor giving us cover fire. Ardar and Lorend, you will fight together, we may be out numbered, so we need to use our team work to our advantage.”

He moved to the table, laying out some of the silverware to make a small path. “Baros and I will attack from one side, Lorend and Ardar from the other, Benthius and Constance will stay hidden, do what they can without drawing too much attention from themselves.” He put the salt cellar and a gravey boat on either side of the silverware path. “We will lay in wait, and when they are almost past we will hit them. Try and get them from the rear, force them to rearrange things. I want to keep them off balance. Do not give them time to unify. If you see someone giving orders or organizing, you need to silence them. N’kallor, this is your job. You need to either put them down, or stop them somehow.” He looked at N’Kallor. “This will not be a problem will it?”

“Baros, how many men do you suspect he will take with him?”

[Gutter Rat]

Baros nodded with a smile on his face. “Aye” N’Kallor nodded as well, when his turn came, as did Ardar and Lorend. Benthius quietly watched the proceedings for a bit, as did Constance, the latter smiling as Yin created the impromptu map out of the objects at hand. When Yin had finished with the question, Baros answered it and countered with the possibility for a flaw in the scheme.

“Eight to ten, I would imagine. You don’t get into the trade without getting paranoid and, although your plan looks good on paper…” Baros began, giving a small chuckle at the utensil-based map before them, “…men such as these are used to watching their backs – what do we do if they prove to be ready for it?” Once more, all eyes turned to Yin, but Constance interjected before he could answer, stepping in closer to the table and surveying the plan closer.

“Attacking from the sides sounds perfect – they might outnumber us, but it would allow us to ‘surround’ them somehow. What we need is a diversion, something to help keep them from acting as a group, right?” After giving a smile to Yin, acknowledging his skill with cutlery cartography, Constance reached into a bowl and withdrew a small handful of raisins and one grape. With a good combination of speed and care, she placed the grape in the path and surrounded it with raisin ‘guards’.

“Mindcrafters or no, mages have a fair amount of difficulty weaving if distracted. Since none among them will likely be carrying or wearing a sign exposing them as mindcrafters, we would really get no warning before they started using their magic, right?” Constance placed her hand down edgewise along the silverware path and gave a little push, invisible jets of air splitting the edible enemies into three groups, half of the raisins pushed violently toward the salt cellar while the other half found themselves colliding with the gravy boat. The grape lay untouched and unprotected in the center of the path.

“What do you think?” She asked the group, but looked mostly to Yin for his thoughts of her alterations.

[Yin Lorin]

Yin rubbed his chin and nodded. “I think that is an option I have never had before.” He said with a smile on his awkward face. “If this is ok with everyone else, then I am ok with it.” He looked around the room for their approval.

“One thing we have to remember is that we need to see who he is meeting, and we will only attack him as he is returning to the city.” He looked at the others. “This means we need to hold back and have a scout we will follow, the scout will need to keep hidden and let us know when it is safe to get close and see the meeting. We will need more then one witness as to who he is dealing with.”

“Then we can move a head of him as he makes his way back to the city.” He looks at the party. “Does this sound agreeable?”

[Gutter Rat]

The nods were slow in coming as each man (or woman) took in the plan and weighed the options, but they all came in the end, with no objections. Boros stood and looked to Yin, a dark smirk on his face. “You mentioned a scout and as I am the one who will be pointing out key figures, I guess I’m volunteered for the job.”

Ardar was the next to stand, giving Yin yet another silent nod, Hanitus and Lorend following suit. It was only N’kallor who had words to add as he winked at Yin and chuckled “If blood makes the grass grow thicker and greener, then by Dominicus, that road will be overgrown by Jaym!” Constance replied with a hearty - yet femininely tinkling - laugh as the rest of the men gave murmurs of agreement.

Yin Lorin had a team and a plan. All that was left was for him to call it into action.

[Yin Lorin]

Yin smiled back at them. “Then let us pray.” He went to one knee, making the sign of the One. He focused his mind as he prepared to pray, settled his heart on the One and his glory.

“Dominicus, Father, Creator of us all, we come to you as your servants and warriors, to beseech your help. As we go out to meet the enemy of our city, and our people we ask for your guidance and light to be in our hearts and in our minds. Make our weapons sharp, and our wits keen, shore up our hearts from fear and add strength to our arms.” Yin prayed softly, humbly, he knew his own weakness now, he had felt it in the throne room. “Cloud our enemies minds, and weaken their resolve. We do this task this day for your glory, Dominicus, so grant us a victory. We ask these things this say, Amen.”

He looked up at his troops and sighed. “Let’s get going.” They had no horses, so they would be walking the way.

[Gutter Rat]

Since the earliest days of King's Court, there has always been a large skirt of open grassland surrounding it's high walls. The land was cleared initailly as a result of the growing city's need for timber and charcoal; the land was also cleared for defense so that invading forces would have nowhere to hide as they approached the city. Now the Downs houses several small spread out homes, farms, and orchards as well as broad stretches of grassland, all nominally protected under the watchful eye of the city's garrison. What little forest that remains within the Downs are still within sight of the vast city, and mounted patrols of the city guard still ride their easy routes, quick with a friendly greeting or helpful hand in these more peaceful, calmer areas of the township.

The sun, which had been bright and sunny upon their shoulders during the journey, began to dip below the horizon as the party neared their destination as if it, too, played a part in their scheme and was merely hiding behind the for off Eastern Empire awaiting Yin’s command to rise once more and attack. Baros, true to his task, had outpaced them without running, the self-appointed scout long vanished from their sight by the time the rest of the team arrived at a spot along the roadside – or at least what many of them believed to be a road, the thick underbrush closing over the narrowing passage like motionless waves of green and black crashing into a jutting reef of dirt.

The thick scent of vegetation hung in the air amid the buzzing of flies, a shift in wind tainting the otherwise pleasing scent with the smell of rot from within the taller of the undergrowth as if something had either not been eaten fully or just killed and left there to rot. While other parts of the Downs may have been recovering from the Orc fright, this one path through them certainly remained the one of the least traveled, but according to the fresh markings left upon the ground by Baros, it was the one that Yin’s target had chosen to use.

[Yin Lorin]

Yin waited for Baros signal, he wanted to know who this man was meeting with, who his contact was. He was used to waiting for the enemy. They had ambushed many orc parties like this, sitting and waiting a night or a day for the orcs to come by.

He was ducked down in the tall grass, his armor smeared with a little muck to take the sheen off it. He said not a word, and he knew the others were out there as well, he could more feel them then see them. He whispered one more prayer asking for the One to inspire him and to help him. He did not wish to take home any dead of his own.

His sword was out and ready, in case Baros was not able to give a signal, or something happened at the meeting. He had put a lot of trust in the man, and now saw into himself to sense what it was the One would try to tell him. He focused to know the small voice of the One, or his angels, in this quiet of the field, to know what it is he must do.

[Gutter Rat]

It was a good wait, about half a mark, but when Baros’ signal came, there was no mistaking it. At first, there was nothing but the sound of the wind through the tall vegetation and the continued buzzing of flies. Footsteps approached, fast-paced at first, followed by grunting and tumbling, the air filled with small cracks and pops as something – or someone – tripped and fell out in the dense growth beyond. After a few flickers of scuffle, the unseen noisemaker was on the move again, its labors through the grass noisier and more chaotic as it moved closer to the party.

And then, after an infinity-long burn, Baros emerged from the thicket, his hands bloodied and a wild look in his eyes as he searched for Yin. The scout’s breathing was heavy and labored, coupled with a type of wheezing which those in the party who were familiar with it would recognize before Baros made his final lunge to fall behind the ‘line of safety’ that Yin and the party represented. Crossbow bolts, matching the three in Baros' back, whizzed overhead as a group of six angry looking men emerged from the same location that Baros had fled, their eyes narrowed into slits as they looked for the fallen man, swords and crossbows ready for conflict.

A heartbeat or two after they had emerged, two more men followed, both seemingly unarmed, one watching the men before him while the other seemed focused on something else in the air, unseen by the party. The focus of the second, however, did not go unheard by any of them as the mindcrafter’s voice whispered in their minds.

“Show yourself…” It was unspoken speech, luckily, and not a mentalist command, but the look in the man’s eyes showed that he was not beyond pressing the magic to that point if need be.

Behind the party, Baros lay still, his wheezing breath muffled by a clump of grass. He still lived.

For now...

[Yin Lorin]

Faith and trust…

He had to remember those words, as if he was lifting them from some deep place. Fear wanted to rule his mind, fear wanted to make him run. The plan had gone wrong someplace, Baros could die, they all could die. Fear and doubt wanted to settle in and make him run.

Faith in the One...

He had to remember he had the One on his side, and what would happen, would happen. There was no need to fear because things would happen as they should. The thoughts raced through his head in a flicker.

Trust in his friends…

They knew what to do, and the dangers. He had to trust they would follow his lead, adapt and overcome this snag. They were all good fighters, they would do what needed to be done, he could give the commands, and they would follow. This is why they did what they did, just like fighting the orcs.

Yin pushed the fear aside, he let himself become empty all except for the One. He was the sword of the One, he was the arm of his justice. He tried to push out the voices of those mages, they were deadly, and he tried to screen out their commands.

Yin was ready to pounce, he waited for one to get closer, and when he was close enough, Yin sprung into action. “For the People, For Justice, and for the honor of the One!” He screamed out at the man as he lunged at him. The sword whipped through the grass, he wanted to take the man’s head with one swing, ore at least cause enough blood and gore to shock the others for a moment. A flicker of a pause is all they needed, just a moment for these men to try and realize just what was happening. A lot can happen in a flicker, and that is all he hoped for.

[Gutter Rat]

“Nooo!” It had been Constance who had screamed her amendment to the plan coming through in swift and brutal force as she let forth the funnels of air, dividing the group into thirds, albeit not as forcefully and as controlled as she would have wished, had they not been the ones ambushed. N’Kallor’s arrows whipped through the air, two in quick succession, burying into the chest and throat of one of the swordsmen as the man raised his weapon in an attempt to blindside Yin, his lifeless body taking another strike as it fell as Yin’s bloodied blade passed easily through its intended target, the force of the strike aided by the man’s off-balance forward fall, Yin’s blade sinking into the top of the second man’s skull at the end of the strike with a satisfying *thunk*.

For Ardar and Lorend, however, victory was not as swift and bloodless as they, too, rose to attack. Ardar killed the man before him swiftly and turned to find another when he paused in shocked disbelief, noting the smallest inkling of a crossbow bolt protruding from Lorend’s forehead as the shooter still held the emptied crossbow a mere hand’s-width from its target, the enemy soldier just as shocked as both Ardar and Lorend that it had happened, his features bordering on apologetic even as Ardar screamed and rushed him.

Hanitus, like Ardar, had been shocked by the unanticipated arrack, his normal nervousness doubled as he half-crawled/half dove toward the spot where Baros lay as he began to check the man’s wounds and to look for signs of life.

Three soldiers remained, as well as the mentalist and his companion, the three soldiers turning toward Yin, Constance, and Ardar as the mentalist fixated his concentration in N’Kallor’s direction and the other man began to slowly back away from the scene.

[Yin Lorin]

He had his target, the men without the weapons. Everything else seemed to fade away. He pointed his sword at the mentalist. “Take him down!” He shouted, hoping N’kallor would land his next few arrows in that man.

Yin moved to the man, trying to keep himself from becoming a stationary target. He tried to feel the battle, to watch everything that was happening. “Get up Ardar!” He shouted as he swung his sword for another kill, if not a kill a crippling wound. “You Bastards, Lorend will be waiting to send you to the demons!”

She was like a sister to him, and as he tried to keep his focus on the battle, he could not help but feel the red hot fire of hate burning at the edges of his serenity. He could not let that hate take him, could he. It was that hate that had inspired him in killing the orcs in these fields when his brother died as they fled their homes. Now Lorend, who had always kept him in step, she was the first to join him, she was the first to have faith in him as a leader.

He could not let another die, not today. The fire of anger burned in him, but he had to use it, not submit to it.

[Gutter Rat]

The one chose that flicker to smile upon one of His champions as N'Kallor's arrow damn near outraced the words from Yin's lips, a gilded shaft probing through the mentalist's roving eye to see what the mage had in mind, finding itself passing through the all-too-quickly dead man's wet folds and burying into the back of his skull with no information passed along. The last thing that the mentalist witnessed through his remaining eye as he fell was Yin's fevered strikes through one enemy and then another as if it had been an attack practiced thousands of times in a training hall, Yin's opposition falling almost in unison.

The silent man beside the mentalist saw all of these deaths as well, plus felt the hot blood of Lorend's killer spatter across the side of his face as his breathing became shallow and labored. Hands clutched at his throat trying to pull whatever was choking him away, his blue eyes searching for the source franticly as he saw the way cleared for the ambush party to reach him. At the last flicker, his eyes found Constance's own staring back at him as her hand slowly tightened into a fist.

Much like Yin, the air mage had to fight her anger down as she drew the breath from his lungs. We need him alive.... We need him alive... We need him alive... It was a Herculean effort, but she dropped her spell as the man fell, knowing that there was still enough air in his body to keep him alive...unfortunately. She gave one more glance at her fallen target, watching him as he lay on his side facing her, and returned the stolen air in the form of an invisible fist which landed squarely in the breathless man's groin, doing little to ease Constance's anger or arouse her target from unconsciousness.

Constance turned and knelt to help with Baros while the others closed in toward Yin, the target of their mission, and their fallen comrade, their faces long despite victory.

[Yin Lorin]

Yin rushed the one man left and cocked his arm back to hit the man with the pummel of his sword. He wanted the man out, but not dead. He looked and if the men were all down, he cleaned his sword. “We need to take care of Baros.” He looked over at the fallen man, they did not need anymore dead on this trip. This better have been worth the cost.

He nodded to Ardar. “Get this man tied up, gagged and blindfolded. I do not want him using his powers at all.” He walked over to Lorend, feeling a shiver of cold go through him as he looked at her. He had seen dead before, people he knew. His brother, Lorend, these were faces he would not forget. The flesh hung limp, no expression, just dead.

He would have to see she was buried with the paladins of the order. She had earned that right. She died serving the people and the throne, more important, she died serving him. The tears on his face were not something he even realized until a warm drop ran down his neck and he had to check to see if he was bleeding.

“Lets get Lorend… N’Kallor, help me with her.” Yin asked as he went to collect his friend, pulling her cloak around her to wrap the body in and make a sling of sorts.

[Gutter Rat]

Paf. Paf. Paf. Paf. Paf. Paf. Kresden listened to the nightly lullaby of his horses’ hooves on the dirt road, his sleeping son’s snores providing lyrics to a song which had always helped him unwind from his long days in the King’s Court merchant’s quarter, the song interrupted only slightly by the sounds of conflict which lay just beyond the wall of night. He kept the cart’s pace steady, curious as to the nature of the noise – as things had been relatively quiet in the Downs as of late, and not wishing to rush headlong into danger, especially with his child.

A burn or two passed and the sounds began to grow quieter instead of louder, the aging merchant bent forward in his seat in order to attempt to triangulate where the sounds were coming from. It was only at the last possible flicker that he saw the faint outlines of Yin and his party moving that he realized that he had found what he was looking for and that his prior plans for rest had just taken an abrupt detour.

“Pallen… Pallen, wake up…” Kresden hissed gently, nudging his son gently as not to startle the boy. “I need you to wake up and run home, son… It is not far, I promise…” he continued as the boy rubbed his eyes and sat upright with a nod. Kresden was careful to use the bulk of his body to hide the sight of the battle from the boy as he brought the cart to a halt. Pallen obediently hopped out without question.

“Tell your mum to dole out my portion between you, lad. The One has decided that I must dine with the monks tonight, but I shall be back bright and early to go fishing with you as I promised.” Kresden finished, keeping his voice low as not to startle the party as he did not know yet if he was to be dining with the Healers as a deliveryman or as a patient. He gave the boy half a burn in the darkness as the child moved to carry out his father’s wishes before debarking himself and waddling to the scene of the ambush.

“Netherbats on a stick…” he muttered as he carried a torch closer to the scene and slowly let his presence be known. He did not know what the curse meant – he had overheard it muttered by a beautiful woman one day when she had dropped the wares that she had intended to purchase – the shattered clay as much a shock to her as the blood was to him. “Praise the One, what happened here?” he asked taking special note of Baros and shaking his head. “Never mind…never mind… Tis probably better for my bones if I know not.” He listened as Yin gave command and made his way to Yin’s side carefully.

“My cart and horses await, sir…” Kresden offered, motioning with his hand toward the road. “I would be outside of my wife’s good graces, as well as Dominicus’, if I did not offer to carry you to the Basilica Dominici so that the healers there could save as many of your number as they could…” His words cut off as he watched Lorend’s body come to rest within the sling.

“I will be at the cart, sir…” he added in a near whisper as he turned to head back, allowing Yin and the others decide who of the fallen would go with them and who would stay. If Yin wished to say anything longer than a few words to Kresden, the old merchant made it silently clear that he would gladly wait until they were en route to hear it.

Meanwhile, the other carried ot Yin's spoken and unspoken commands as Ardar bound their target tightly and Constance focused her magick in an unusual way, wrapping 'bandages' of air around the bolts in Baros' back in order to help staunch the flow of blood as he was moved. Save for the merchant and the dead, however, Yin was not the only one shedding tears for their fallen companions as each of the survivors went about their tasks in almost total silence.

OOC: Would you like a final post and then jump to a Basilica thread, or carry on a bit more with this one? Either way is fine with me. Nevermind the edit count...the typo demon got loose tonight.

[Yin Lorin]

Yin thanked the One for the small gifts. The arrival of the cart was timely if nothing else. He said a quick prayer to the One giving thanks. “Thank you sir, and the One thanks you as well.” He gave the man a bow. Yin needed to return home. He had a dinner engagement he had to meet. He hoped Dangy could keep the guests until he arrived back.

He helped them get Baros and Lorend in the wagon. He stopped looking back at the other bodies on the ground. The tall grass covered most of the gore and blood, but the bodies were still able to be seen. Yin sighed, he had to do the noble thing. “Collect their dead. We will want to deliver them to the temple as well. Their families will want to bury them.” He went to the first dead man, picking him up with reverence.

He hated he had to kill them, why did it always come to killing. It was his calling though, it was his pact with the One. In the blood of the wicked he would find his redemption. Since there was no end to the wickedness in the world, what end would he find to the blood he must spill. But it was supposed to be the blood of pagans, not his own brothers in the faith.

He loaded the dead foes, even if it was just him taking their bodies. Once they were in, he climbed in back and sat next to Lorend. He nodded to Constance. “I am sorry you had to see all this, but I cannot thank you enough for all you have done.” He told her in a voice just loud enough to carry over the sound of the cart.

Once the cart got rolling, Yin moved to Baros. The arrows were not bleeding as much, but there was something he could do. He knelt next to the man a day ago he was locked in combat with, and prayed. His prayer was soft and sincere. He made the sign of the one and reached in and to his god for help. “Baros, faithful of the One, I pray for your blessing, may the power of the One be shown to you, and may your spirit and flesh be made whole so the glory and might of the One be shown through you. May you live to serve his good purpose in this world.” He placed his hands on the wounded man’s head. He focused his mind, centered his spirit, and let the One work his will through him.

He watched the road trailing off behind them, the downs turned to greys and silvers in the night. The blades of grass caught the moonlight just right and it made the downs look like magic. He hated to leave them. So much to do, he felt a terrible weight on his shoulders.

When they arrived at the Basillica, he helped to unload the wagon, getting the dead and wounded to the priests. “Get the prisoner to the a cell, a secure room, I want him locked up tight and gagged. He is not to say a word, not until we can question him.” He told Ardar.

He turned to the driver. "Good sir, I have no money to offer you at this time. I am Yin Lorin, Paladin of the Order of the One, and I will repay this kindness, I promise this."

He turned to Constance. “We need to get home, we have guests waiting. If you are still up for dinner?”

[Gutter Rat]

Constance was silent out of both respect for the fallen and respect for Yin – empathy for his pain in her heart as she reviewed the meeting earlier and how full of life the young woman was back then. It was all so sudden, so heartbreaking, to watch anyone die so young, especially at the hands of people who were more concerned about lining their pockets with ill-gotten gains than human life. It was not fair for her to die so young and it certainly was not fair for Yin to have to bear such pain when, on the tabletop, life looked to be so easy…

His words were a murmur in her ears as she watched Loren’s face grow darker with the rising moonlight, the girl’s pallor already resembling that of the long dead – as did Yin’s.

“No thanks…” Constance replied with emotion slithering into her voice. “I do not deserve thanks when not all of us are around to be thankful.” With those words, Constance fell into silence, her wet eyes turning from the group to study the passing landscape with apathy and indifference. If Yin chose to look around, he would see that Constance was not the only one in that state, their minds playing out their own memories of Lorend and trying so very very hard not to begin mourning Baros prematurely.

The One was weeping for the loss as well, His tears in the shuffling body of Father Marcus and a few other Healers who had all been stirred from sleep by a calling and had gathered bleary-eyed acolytes from their bunks to join them in the gardens by the gates, the elder priests rising as one and moving en masse as hoof beats approached.

Father Marcus nodded in agreement as Yin gave his orders, his eyes on Baros as the fallen warrior was lifted from the cart and placed on a gurney for transport. “I have faith in the One and my men, Brother… Come ‘round at daybreak and greet your friend.” His eyes moved to Lorend’s face as she was lifted free, the priest having his own ties to the lady in the past made evident as he chewed his lower lip in thought. His eyes moved back to Yin’s. “If he does not know of Lorend’s fate, Brother, I will leave it to your lips to tell him, if you wish it. Such news is always best delivered by a friend than a stranger.”

Father Marcus took two steps back from the cart as a young lad struggled out of the darkness bearing shackles that seemed to outweigh him, other workers moving quickly to bind the prisoner as ordered, the captive still lost to the world in a blanket of unconsciousness. “Your will be done, Brother. If it is by his hand or that of his men that Lorend was felled, then he shall be bound and gagged so tightly that he will not be able to flex sore muscles or even hear himself think.” With a final nod to Yin, Father Marcus turned away and followed Ardar and the last of the bodies inside where he could begin working on Baros personally.

When Yin addressed the merchant and offered repayment, the merchant shook his head vehemently. “The One has already repaid it through you, I think, although I know not yet how.” He extended his hand in greeting. “I am Harrid Odomn, sir, and my home lies no more than a few burns’ walk from where I found you. These men, be they bandits or worse, were damned close to my wife and children this tide, and I thank the One that you did what you did to keep them safe.” The merchant offered a weak smile under the circumstances.

“If you ever feel that the debt is still on your shoulders, friend, ask Dominicus to guide you to my home where you can break bread with me and the others that you have saved this tide.” With that, Harrid climbed out of the cart and followed the others inside where a meal and prayer awaited them. Constance and Yin were left alone in the moonlight, each glistening with blood which was not their own.

“Up for dinner?” Constance asked, turning toward Yin’s home. “Seems like such a greedy act, considering…” she choked off the rest of her words with a hard swallow. “Up for dinner, yes…” she finished after a flicker or two. “Whether I am up for actually eating remains to be seen, however…” she said as she took Yin’s arm for both comfort and stability, the often self-assured mage feeling very shaky at the thought of the frailty of human life and the irony of the fact that all in Tazlure kept time by candle…some candles burning longer than others, metaphorically speaking.

OOC: Fin?

[Guido Cercatoro]

Locked for skilling.

[Guido Cercatoro]

Archived and skilled