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Dec 19, 2009, 11:55am

Halt's Playground :: Gallica :: La Rivage :: [La Rivage] Abducted!*

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Topic: [La Rivage] Abducted!* (Read 99 times)

Firehead
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[La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Thread Started on Oct 14, 2009, 5:15pm »

(OOC: private thread: This is Rick/Tam)

After the man had finished binding Tam's wrists, he'd slung him over his shoulder and walked away from the skirmish. Ten minutes passed as the stranger traveled through the trees, stopping every now and then to adjust Tam's weight, and finally he threw Tam to the ground, slapped him roughly across the face, and growled in perfect Araluan, "Stop wriggling, or I'll slit your throat here and now!"

Tam looked into his captor's face for the first time, and didn't hesitate to believe him: he looked perfectly capable of doing what he threatened. Aside from the man's face being a tracery of scars, his eyes held a light that would have rendered Tam speechless, had he been capable of it then.

As the man picked Tam up and slung him over his shoulder again, Tam heard him mutter, "Like I should have done a long time ago." Tam couldn't think of anything other than the man's words, for the rest of his unconventional trip.

The man carried Tam to the place where he and his late partner had left their horses, and once there, threw Tam across one saddle, and tied him securely to it, before vaulting into his own saddle. Spinning his mount around, he grabbed the reins of Tam's conveyance, and drove both horses at top speed across the open ground, away from the trees, the battle, and Rick.

« Last Edit: Oct 17, 2009, 7:07am by Brandwyn »

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[La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #1 on Oct 14, 2009, 8:30pm »

Rick followed the tracks as swiftly as he could, but knew he was loosing ground even though he was mounted and the man who had taken Tam was afoot. He had to take time to read the tracks and at times it was difficult.

Fifteen minutes after leaving Shanna, Rick found a depression in the ground where it looked like the man had laid Tam down. There was no sign of a struggle.

Rick studied the area for two full minutes, figuring that Tam was likely unconscious since he hadn't struggled. If he were dead, there didn't seem to be any logical reason his abductor would keep carrying him.

Rick moved on, picking up the pace as the trail didn't deviate from it's chosen course, until he came to where the hoof prints started.

Two horses. The man obviously put Tam on one horse and mounted the other. The following footprints were deeper on the lead horse.

Rick followed after, at a slow canter, and sometimes a trot, to make sure he didn't loose the trail, knowing he was falling farther behind with each mile.

As he rode he alternated between berating himself for leaving Tam alone and analyzing who might have taken Tam. The more he thought about it, the more he figured it was likely to be agents of Tam's previous "employer", the head of the thief's gang in Araluen.

But how had they found him? Rick pondered this as he rode, wondering exactly where the man was headed and forming a plan for when he caught up to the guy.

Most of all he worried at the condition Tam might be in and prayed to the Great Spirit that he would find Tam before he was harmed.

« Last Edit: Oct 17, 2009, 7:08am by Brandwyn »

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Tory Waterton (14) Ranger apr.; Brandwyn Elfstone (17) Scout apr.; Shanna Horsetrader (27) Ranger; Rick Greenriver (31) Ranger (Araluen); Katrina de Montgomery (22) Knight; Avaleah Goldsmith (25) Acquisitions Expert (SWC); Ian MacGreggor (38) Royal Scout Master: Meric; Henry Dell (25) Man-at-arms; Antonio de Cortona (Tony the Razor) (31) Merchant; Ashton Lewis Thornbury (20) Priest

Firehead
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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #2 on Oct 20, 2009, 11:57am »

The first hour, Tam learned to breath to the rhythm of a cantering horse. The second hour, Tam spent in trying to untie himself, quickly deciding that he was well-trussed, and turning his thoughts to coming up with a plan to get away...hopefully in one piece. He had come up with and discarded several, by the time the stranger elected to stop and make camp.

The man swore at the pain in his leg, as he dismounted and limped over to Tam. "You had to have learned that trick from someone," he growled, as he untied the binding that had secured Tam for the trip and hauled the boy off the horse. "I'd like to know who, but you always were an irritating little brat, so I'm not likely to find out." He gave Tam a violent shake. "Now am I?" He held Tam off the ground, pinned against the horse, and speared him with a frightening glare.

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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #3 on Oct 24, 2009, 9:38pm »

As darkness came on, Rick had a harder time seeing the tracks, but so far they hadn't changed direction. It seemed Tam's abductor wasn't expecting anyone to be following.

Rick placed a trail marker of three stones in a triangle with a fourth on top to mark the last clear print. He was going to keep going in the dark, but if he should happen to loose the trail, he would be able to come back to this spot and pick it up again.

He kicked Domingo into a canter and continued on through the dark in the same direction, keeping his eyes open for a campfire or any other signs that they had stopped for the night.

Some four hours later, near midnight, he slowed Domingo to a walk again. He had been alternating gates every half hour , even getting off and walking for a bit, scanning the ground for tracks by the faint sliver of moonlight. He had actually found hoof prints on two occasions that suggested he was still on the man's trail. He figured he had to be nearing their camp soon and so he proceeded cautiously, his bow strung and an arrow knocked.

He was walking again when Domingo suddenly pricked his ears forward, stopped and sniffed the air. Rick placed a hand over his nose to keep him from whinnying. "Quiet boy." he breathed softly. "They are near?" Domingo tossed his head. Something was definately near, but there was no way to tell for sure it was Tam and his abductor. Horse pulled up beside Domingo and pawed the ground. "Okay." He commanded Domingo and Horse to stand and pulled his ranger hood over his head. As silent as a wraith, he moved in the shadows, blending in until he could not be seen, even if someone knew where to look for him. At least he hoped so. Unseen movement was not one of his strong areas. He had yet to see their camp and hoped that was what Domingo had smelled.

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Firehead
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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #4 on Nov 11, 2009, 5:43pm »

In the hour since they'd stopped for the night, the stranger hadn't done much. He'd trussed Tam up like a holiday turkey and tossed him-- literally-- to one side of the cleared ground, unsaddled the horses, then gone about the business of starting a small campfire. Tam tried to wriggle free of his bindings, but the man really knew how to tie a knot an he hadn't been able to do so. Now the man was busy digging through his saddlebags for supplies, often glancing over at Tam as he did so, as if to reassure himself that the boy wasn't going anywhere. One of the horses gave a low nicker and the man jumped, whipped his head around as though looking for something, then became still. Even from Tam's uneducated viewpoint, it was clear that the man was waiting for something.

Darrel didn't know exactly where he was, geographically, but he did know that there was a campfire just over that hill in front of him. He could see the firelight reflecting off the leaves of the trees and brush. Now he planned his approach. Walking straight into trouble without a plan had often come close to killing him, and he wanted to have a plan that would work. He took close stock of his surroundings, then ascended the rest of the hill in a crouch, pausing at the top to study the layout of the camp below.

Something isn't right. Darrel paused, trying to place the problem and restudying the camp. The smaller of the two men appeared to be bound. Deciding that it was this which had given him pause, he stood to his feet and started down the hill.

About half-way, the wind shifted and one of the hoses caught his scent and nickered. Darrel dropped like a shot. he didn't know why he did so, but he had an overwhelming feeling that warned him not to give his position away just yet. He watched as the Aslavian looked carefully around him at the perimeter of the camp, and was struck by the niggling sense that he knew the features of this stranger.

Nothing came to mind, and he took a closer look at the bound prisoner. That person was not full-grown, and moreover, he realized, he was only a boy. Darrel shook his head in self-recrimination, as he realized that he was looking directly at Tam.

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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #5 on Nov 12, 2009, 6:37pm »

Rick circled around the area to get downwind and approached a clearing silently. He saw a man stop and stare in the opposite direction as if waiting for something. Rick scanned the hill in the darkness, but didn't see anything.

In the gloom he made out the shape of someone tied up and lying on the ground. He stared at it for several minutes until he finally noticed tiny amounts of movement from the dark bundle on the ground.

Tam's captor was still staring, as if waiting for something and Rick hesitated to reveal himself. He didn't know if the man had an accomplice or not.

Since Tam didn't seem to be in immidate danger, Rick decided to wait and see what or who the man was waiting for. Rick knocked an arrow to his bow string and pulled his cloak tightly around him, concealing his face in the hood and blended into a tree trunk to wait.

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Firehead
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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #6 on Dec 2, 2009, 5:07pm »

The stranger finally relaxed and turned back to his saddlebags, apparently deducing that the horse had not been communicating with another animal, and giving it no further thought. Tam went still again, now that there was a better chance of the man seeing him trying to work his hands free. His eyes scanned the clearing around them, looking for anything that might be of help to him.

Darrel crept the rest of the way down the hill, remaining in a crouch as he worked his way around the clearing , until he had the man between himself and Tam. It was a position that would force the man to leave his back facing Tam, while facing in Darrel's direction. Or vice-versa. Thus in position, he rose, and padded silently forward, into the ring of light cast by the fire. He knew immediately when Tam spotted him.

Tam's eyes lit upon the second figure so suddenly in the camp with them, and for the briefest of moments, thought that it was Rick. Immediately after, though, he realized that this was not Rick, but yet another stranger, and his breath froze in his lungs. He became very still indeed, and his eyes grew wide.

It took a few seconds for Tam's kidnapper to realize that something was wrong. First he glanced in Tam's direction, to ensure that his captive was still there, then upon noticing his wide eyes and startled gaze resting on something behind him, the captor turned. Upon seeing his self-welcomed guest, he started, and his own eyes widened....

Then the look was gone, to be replaced by a sneer. "Oh......You." Silence filled the air as Darrel said nothing in reply to the obviously unwelcome tone in the man's voice. Finally, Tam's captor, apparently uneasy about the silence, asked, "So...what are you doing here?"
"I'm not here for your peace of mind. I'm here for mine."

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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #7 on Dec 4, 2009, 12:12pm »

Rick watched the brush rustling as someone worked their way carefully around the clearing, coming near to where Rick was lying in wait. Rick was a bit farther downwind, though more at an 6:30o'clock angle to Tam's belly whereas the newcomer was straight in front of him.

Rick tensed, but did not move, not until the man stepped into the clearing and Rick saw Tam's eyes register that is was a stranger. The abductor greeted the newcomer and Rick used their distraction to swiftly flick his throwing dagger to land tip first in the dirt right behind Tam. The knife hilt bumped into one of Tam's fingers, and Rick flinched at how close he had come to cutting his apprentice's hand. He hadn't meant for it to hit quite so close to the boy. Hopefully it hadn't scared Tam. Rick held his breath and froze after making the throw, waiting to see if the men had noticed anything.

The two men seemed to know each other. Though Rick didn't think they had planned to meet up here by the way they greeted each other. It was also obvious there was no love lost between them.

This did not look good for Tam, though Rick knew he could easily drop both men before they even knew he was there. Still, he waited, wanting to gain some information on who these men were and why they were so interested in Tam. He barely breathed, making sure he didn't give away his location and the advantage he had over both strangers. If either man made a move toward Tam, they would be dead within seconds.

« Last Edit: Dec 4, 2009, 12:22pm by Brandwyn »

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Firehead
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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #8 on Dec 4, 2009, 1:17pm »

Something hard banged into Tam's fingers, causing him to jump. The sudden movement from the boy, caused the kidnapper's attention to swing momentarily toward him, but just as quickly it was back on Darrel. Luckily for Darrel, he had been able to stop his own lunge forward before it started. He had learned from past experience to avoid moves that would cost him an uncut hide, as this would certainly have bought him.

Upon seeing that Darrel hadn't moved the 'napper sneered again.
"Here for your peace of mind, huh? Ha!"
Darrel remained silent. Upon seeing this, the man scowled again, not liking this unnatural trait.Sounding somewhat truculent, he asked, "And what's around here for your 'peace of mind'?"

As much as this conversation's interesting, I gotta get outta here. thought Tam, as he continued sawing away at the binding at his wrists, being careful not to move his body to much, for fear of being discovered with the knife at his back. After the man's attention had gone back to the new stranger, Tam had explored the object that had startled him, and discovered that it was a knife--it felt similar to one of the throwing knives that he had practiced with on the ship. Finding the blade he had started working on getting himself loose. Now, as yet another strand parted, he felt the binding around his wrists loosen. Hope rising in his chest, he began wriggling his hands about, working them free.

Darrel waited a moment before answering. "The boy." The napper's scowl vanished into surprise and he started to glance behind him at the boy, but stopped before his eyes left Darrel's, wary of some sort of trick. "The boy?" He sneered, shifting slightly under Darrel's even gaze. "What do you want with him?"
Darrel dropped his volume lower still, but kept it just loud enough for the napper to hear without straining. "I gave my word of honor that I would keep him alive, until he came of age."

An incredulous look crossed over the napper's face as he stared at Darrel. It seemed almost as though he had lost his tongue. But then he let out a laugh of disbelief. "Ha! And what would you even know about 'honor'?"

Darrel didn't answer, instead, once again preferring to keep silent. Glancing over the man's shoulder he saw Tam bringing his hands in front of him, flexing his fingers. Their gazes met over the napper's shoulder, and Tam froze stiff. Darrel took his gaze back to the man, who was still laughing derisively. "Boy's getting away." he said mildly, as if it were nothing interesting about it.

Now 'er never, thought Tam, as he lunged to his feet. He was quickly brought back to earth--quite literally. He had forgotten the rawhide binding his feet together. Snatching the throwing knife from the dirt, he twisted around to get at his feet, slicing through the bonds much quicker, now that he was not worried about being caught. He was on his feet again in a heartbeat, and making a dash for the trees.

It took a moment for the man to process what Darrel had said, and when it finally hit home, he spun, forgetting Darrel and focusing on the boy, who was now lunging to his feet for the second time--this time successfully. Darrel wasted no time, he lashed out at the back of the man's head.

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Brandwyn
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Re: [La Rivage] Abducted!*
« Reply #9 on Dec 12, 2009, 5:56pm »

At the same moment that Darrel attacked the kidnapper, Rick launched an arrow aimed at the guy's mid-section. Since the man's back was now half turned toward Rick, the arrow struck him in the right side, impaling his kidney and rendering him paralyzed temporarily.

Rick loaded another arrow, but held the shot until he determined if the attacker was a friend or foe to Tam. It was obvious he knew the boy, but from what Rick could see, Tam hadn't recognized him.

"Over here, Tam" Rick said in a calm, yet loud voice so Tam could hear him from across the clearing as he made his get-away. Then he whistled for Domingo, knowing Tam's horse would follow.

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