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Post by Brandwyn on May 6, 2009 19:34:40 GMT -5
"You're getting better at this," Tandar told Tory.
"Thanks," Tory replied, "but I am not sure I want to get good at this." She shuddered as she glanced at the bodies down in the stable yard. Then she remembered what they had done to Brandwyn and now Drenith was hurt too and that made her angry. As long as she held onto her anger, she could deal with the fact that she was killing men. "I guess I just need to take my time with each shot. I don't know if I will ever be good enough to be a ranger."
She looked back at Tandar who seemed to have suddenly come to life for the first time since she had met him and Brandwyn had gotten hurt.
"Are the two of you gonna be okay in here if I go check on Drenith? I'm anxious to see how he's doing." Tandar asked.
Tory swallowed again, but nodded. "I think I can keep them pinned down, but-" she didn't want to admit it, but she really didn't want to be the only one here to guard Brandwyn. If the Grizzlies broke in here, she doubted she could hold them off for long. "well, just make sure they don't get into this room and we will be ok." She finished lamely. "I hope Drenith is ok." She said as she turned back to the window. One of the Grizzlies was glancing out the stable door up in her direction. Tory scanned the window where their archer had been and didn't see anyone else there.
___
Brandwyn watched Tandar draw and shoot with admiration. His motion was so smooth and fast. She knew when the arrow left the string that it would find its mark, his technique was flawless. Brandwyn drank in the site of him. Things had been happening so fast since they had landed here in Gallica, and with her being unconscious for most of the last 24 hours, she had not really had a chance to get used to the fact he was back here with her and not out in the rolling hills of Gallica somewhere. Everything from the time he had saved her life back on the trail until this morning was a foggy, nightmarish blur, but now she was awake and alert and he was really here. As always, she couldn't take her eyes off of Tandar, he was so handsome.
Panic ripped through her when he asked if they would be ok if he left and for a moment she wanted to grab his hand and hold him here. But she was being foolish and she squelched the feeling. Her head knew that, even if her heart didn't. She knew he was worried about Drenith and she had no right to make him feel guilty about going to check on his apprentice. She nodded at him, "we'll be ok." She told him, "but Tandar, I would feel a whole lot more comfortable if you would hand me my long dagger that is right here under my bed."
Brandwyn knew he was probably thinking she would untie herself, and he was actually right, but she did not plan to get up. "I swear to you that I will stay right here in this bed, no matter what." She promised. "I just would feel a whole lot safer if I had a knife in my hand to stick one of those guys with if they should happen to get past everyone downstairs and break in here. Please?" She asked calmly. "Besides, my nose is itching like crazy and I cannot scratch it with my hands tied like this."
It didn't look to her like Tandar was going to give in. "Look, I don't believe I actually can get out of this bed, even if I wanted to. I'll tell you the truth, I feel weak as a newborn baby and everything spins when I lift my head. So you really don't have to worry. I promise I will stay right here and only move if one of those guys breaks in here and threatens my life." She pleaded with him, using one of her most artful innocently pathetic looks that normally worked like a charm on Ian.
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♥★Evanm7♥
Apprentice Messenger
Implausible. Unreasonable. Impossible.
Posts: 454
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Post by ♥★Evanm7♥ on May 6, 2009 20:11:19 GMT -5
Richard called to some of the men. "Come on lads, we got fighting to do!" He rushed of at the group of Grizzlies,pulling his sword out of its scabbard. The small group of villagers-turned-soldiers followed. Richard cut down a Grizzlie on his left, then he had to pull his sword up to block a strike from one of the Grizzlies. Richard brought his sword down, feinted at the Grizzlie's leg, then pulled his sword up and plunged it into the Grizzlie's chest. He then pulled the sword out and scanned the crowd for other victims. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James rushed towards the Inn,putting his bow away as he did so. He pulled his Saxe Knife out in a fluid motion. He then slashed at a nearby Grizzlie. The Saxe Knife made contact with the Grizzlie's neck, breaking bone. James leaped through the door to the Inn and looked around, just in time to see Evan answering a Ranger's question. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Evan Answered the Rangers question with a simple "Yes" Evan then saw James and ran over to him. "What's happening?" Evan asked. "Not sure." James replied"But I know this;this is going to get dangerous."
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Post by Tandar on May 7, 2009 17:05:50 GMT -5
Some time later, the lieutenant sat in a corner of the compound. He slowly brought a stick of rolled, burning leaves to his face. He took care to inhale only a small amount of the fumes. Taking a deep breath could potentially be lethal. If he continued to repeat this process daily, his body would build up an immunity to it.
Palisade tugged on the leather straps securing his Pactflex armor. He didn't want anything coming loose while in the field. The breastplate was flexible enough that the ex-Ranger could do it without assistance. He hefted his repeating crossbow, now fully loaded with a bolt in firing position.
"Summon Hunter. We'll have need of his expertise."
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Post by Brandwyn on May 8, 2009 5:26:03 GMT -5
Shanna saw Richard charge around the back of the Inn and attack a Grizzly. She kept watch on the window and as soon as the archer poked his head out she let her arrow fly. The man toppled through the window and into the street. Before he hit the ground Shanna let loose another arrow at the archer in the first floor window. The arrow slammed into his forehead and his bow fell from his fingers, hitting the floor mere seconds before the body did.
She heard a horn sound from the back of the Inn and ran across the roof to see what was going on. She was just in time to see a third Grizzly hit the ground next to his two dead companions and could see a dead archer through the window of the building behind the stables. She couldn't get a clear shot at any of the Grizzlies on the ground though.
"Keep them pinned down." She said to the man who had helped her crash down the door to the roof. "Brice and his group should be coming back, so don't shoot them, but try to keep those Grizzlies from getting into the Inn." Then she crossed back to the front corner of the Inn to resume her cover fire for Richard.
______
Brice withdrew his axe from the forehead of the last archer and looked around for another target. He heard his son winding the horn from the back of the Inn. "Back to the stables behind the Inn!" he bellowed to his men, noticing that they had completely wiped out the group of Grizzlies they had been sent to neutralize. He wasn't sure, but he thought the numbers of the enemy might just be dwindling.
He led the way back around to the back of the Inn and ran into another group of Grizzlies who were trying to make their way around to the front of the Inn. Jack didn't hesitate. Screaming his battle cry he launched himself at the lead man, swinging his axe in a wide arc at the man's chest, a big grin on Brice's face. He hoped they kept coming. He hadn't had this much fun in a long, long time.
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Post by Tandar on May 12, 2009 16:08:56 GMT -5
"Oh, all right." Tandar gave in to Brandy's begging and he handed her one of her knives. After giving her a warning glance to stay put, the Ranger slipped out the door and down the stairs. He hoped Dren would be okay. Taking a hit from an arrow could be a pretty traumatic experience.
Arriving downstairs where his apprentice was being treated, Ranger Tandar looked around. He didn't spot Shanna anywhere. I wonder where she's gone, he thought.
"How are you feeling, Dren? Should I help you back up to the room?"
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Post by Tandar on May 13, 2009 17:30:03 GMT -5
"I should get back to my post," the soldier said.
"You are dismissed, Lieutenant Killington. Thank you." They saluted each other.
Bolt turned on his heel, raising his right arm to give the "regroup" signal. As he headed for the tunnel exit, his unit joined him, moving from their positions against the walls, and they proceeded.
Patrick removed the gag from the mouth of the lord of La Rivage. Even if the man were to scream at the top of his lungs, no one would be able to hear him, especially not this far below ground. Then ex-Ranger waved an operative over and posted him as a guard over the prisoner.
Palisade walked down the passage. Lanterns every few feet kept the hall well-lit and eliminated dark corners. He paused in the doorway of a room. Hunter was already waiting for him. He sized up Hunter. The man had proven himself time and time again. This time though, his mission was crucial. Their eyes met and Palisade saw a lethal calmness there. He was satisfied.
"I'm going to get straight to the point," Patrick said abruptly. "We need Gauge taken out. I don't care if you kill him or bring him back alive. Just get it done."
"Understood," Hunter replied in his deep voice. He slipped out the door as Patrick stepped aside and was lost in the maze of tunnels and passages.
Patrick moved over to a table near the back of the room. The piece of furniture was probably salvaged from a warehouse in the business district. On it were the official seal, keys, and ring found on Jack. Picking them up, Patrick stored them in a bag which he deposited in a safe in the corner.
"We have the keys to the city," he murmured to himself.
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Post by Brandwyn on May 13, 2009 18:59:36 GMT -5
Brandwyn smiled sweetly at Tandar's warning glance after he handed her one of her daggers. She barely waited until he was out the door before she was slicing through the rope around her wrist. She cut her other wrist loose and then had to rest. Damn! She was weak. After a couple of minutes she cut the rope around her chest. Then she tried to sit up, carefully, to cut the one around her legs and the pain that was becoming so familiar shot up to her neck and down into each leg. She sucked in her breath and glanced at Tory. Sure enough the girl was watching and glaring at her. Brandwyn lay back and relaxed again and wiped her face off, scratching her nose that really had been itching.
She was so frustrated at not being able to help, but now knew that she really could not get out of that bed, probably not even if her life depended on it. A tear slid out the corner of her eye. 'None of that now!' she told herself firmly. No feeling sorry for yourself. For the first time she realized that she might have been injured badly enough that she wouldn't walk again. She mulled that over for a few minutes, but couldn't wrap her brain around that idea. She just needed time to heal up and she would be fine.
The rope around her legs was loose enough that she could move them a little. She very carefully and slowly rolled onto her side, moving her right leg onto her left as the rope pulled tight around them. She tucked the dagger just under the corner of her pillow and then watched Tory who was trying to keep the Grizzlies in the yard pinned down and trying to keep her eye on Brandwyn at the same time. Brandy soon found herself getting sleepy and in spite of the sounds of fighting in the street and her growling stomach she soon drifted off to sleep again.
___
Tory glared at Brandwyn as she cut herself loose. She kept glancing from the wounded scout to the Grizzlies down below and occasionally sent an arrow down just to remind them she was still there. She smiled to herself as Brandwyn gave up and then rolled over, but showed no outward sign that she was pleased the older girl wasn't going anywhere. She was sorry Brandwyn was hurting so bad, but she had promised Ian that she would keep his apprentice in that bed and she intended to fulfill that promise. She relaxed considerably when she noticed that Brandwyn had gone back to sleep.
Tory noticed the rope on Brandwyn's legs was pulled very tight and she didn't think that would be good, so she went over and used her saxe knife to cut the final rope holding Brandwyn to the bed. She took a moment to lift the blanket and checked the bandage on her back. It looked good and it didn't appear as if her struggling had broken open the wound again. Tory poured Brandwyn a mug of water and left it where she could reach it when she woke up. Then Tory closed the shutters on the side window, just in case the archer over there was still inclined to fire an arrow in that window.
When she got back to the back window the Grizzly in the stable had taken three steps into the courtyard and was moving fast to the back door.
Tory lifted her bow and fired, but her shot was hurried. The arrow landed in the dirt just to the side of her target. She quickly knocked another arrow and this time took a bit longer to aim. But the man was running and she was brand new to archery. The arrow grazed his head and glanced off it and landed in the dirt behind him. The near hit made the guy stagger though, but he made the shelter of the small overhanging roof over the back door entryway.
Suddenly the guy was thrust back into the courtyard from someone at the back door. Tory had been waiting for her chance and she let her arrow fly. At the same time she saw two more arrows descend from the roof. Three arrows thudded into the man's chest and he lay back still.
Tory knocked another arrow and waited for the next Grizzly to make a dumb move.
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Post by Brandwyn on May 17, 2009 7:58:52 GMT -5
Several hours later Shanna was sitting in the main room of the Red Feather with most those who had defended the Inn sitting around having a beer and drinking to their success. The Grizzlies had pulled out of the city just a little while ago, giving up their bid to take control and the common people were just starting to emerge from their homes to see what was going to happen now.
Brice entered through the front door and made his way over to where most of the rangers were gathered. "Well, the merchant's guild has control of the castle, with quite a bit of help from the thief's guild believe it or not." Brice sat down and motioned to his wife to bring him a beer. "However some group of men stole the Lord of the city right out from under the nose of the guildmaster, Jack. Used some sort of nerve gas according to Jack's physician. Made them all so they couldn't move. Jack said they looked to be Araluen. He is wondering if you rangers were behind it."
Shanna looked at Brice in surprise. "We have all been here defending your Inn. How could we have anything to do with it?" She asked and took a sip of her beer.
"Ayll of yew eyxcept thayt Palisade chayracter." Ragnar mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.
Tory, who was sitting in the corner, trying to make sure the adults didn't notice her and put her back up in the room watching over Brandwyn again, stiffened and looked at each of the rangers in the room in turn. She had been thinking the same thing. Patrick's horse was still in the stable and most of his gear was still in their room, but all the items that he would never leave behind were gone with him and she had not seen him since she had fallen asleep the night before. Her heart was encased in the cold clutches of fear that he had left her behind and she had no idea what the other rangers would do with her now. She watched the others warily.
Shanna sat up and set her mug down hard when Ragnar said Patrick's name, "Patrick Palisade?" She asked and Ragnar nodded. "He is here in La Rivage?" She pulled out the knife that had been prying the door shut to the roof of the Inn. "Would this happen to be his?" she held it up for the others to examine.
Tory held out her hand and looked it over carefully, holding it up to the light. Then she saw the nick that she had put in the hilt during one of the lessons with Patrick and her heart sunk. She nodded dismally and clutched the knife to her as if she could use it to summon him back.
Shanna watched her confused. Ragnar saw the look and said, "Tory iys Palisade's ayppreyntice." Shanna looked at him as if he was insane and then she studied Tory intently. "Patrick has an apprentice???" She couldn't believe it. She would never have thought Crowley could talk him into taking on an apprentice. There must be something special about the girl or he would never have agreed to it, she thought.
"Wh- where did you find it?" Tory asked, barely audible.
"Stuck in the door on the roof - from the outside. If he left it there, then he was on that roof and didn't want anyone else to get out there. Any idea why?" She asked sternly, but Tory only shook her head and looked at the knife again. Shanna held out her hand. "I may need that for evidence if it turns out he is involved in something." Reluctantly Tory handed the throwing knife back to her and then turned away to hide her depression. Patrick wasn't coming back.
Shanna continued to study her as the others carried on the conversation. Finally Tory couldn't take it any longer and got up and ran out to the stables to commiserate with the horses. She climbed up on Chip's bare back in the stall and debated on just running out and trying to track Patrick on her own. She gave up the idea though when she realized that he could have leapt from roof to roof and she would have no idea which way he went. Besides, he was an expert tracker and if he didn't want to leave a trail, he wouldn't. Not one she could follow, even if she was good at tracking. Besides, tracking through a city was nearly impossible anyway. No, she would have to wait and see what fate had in store for her now. She buried her face in Chips mane and clutched her horse tight, but she was all cried out now. No tears would come. There was only a dull, hallow ache deep inside her.
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Post by Brandwyn on May 17, 2009 8:36:26 GMT -5
Early the following morning Ian hobbled out into the hallway to go get some food brought up for Brandwyn and nearly ran into Shanna who was trying to find Tandar.
"Shanna, Hi." He said warmly and smiled at her. It was good to see her again. "I am glad you were not hurt in the battle yesterday."
Shanna laughed. "You know me, Ian - nine lives and all!" Shanna was very good at avoiding getting injured even when the odds seemed impossible. It was almost a form of luck or fate or something that seemed to keep her safe. In all her years as a ranger and all the danger she had been, she had hardly ever gotten wounded. "Looks like maybe I need to lend you a cat life or two!" she smiled at the splint on his leg as she slid in under his arm and slipped her arms around his waist. "I have missed you!" She looked up into his brown eyes.
"Well, you knew where to find me," he grinned down at her. "I wasn't the one running all over the countryside!" He teased her. Then he got serious. "I suppose you are going to be off on some mission right away?"
Shanna nodded and lowered her voice, "to get the Grizzly leader with Tandar."
Ian figured as much. "I could come along and provide back-up with my bow. Might not be able to walk, but I can ride and still shoot."
Shanna thought about it and figured it might not be such a bad idea. "Tandar will have to agree, and you will need to stay in the background with the horses. We are probably going to have to infiltrate their camp to get to him."
Ian considered a moment. "We have quite a few rangers here in the city right now. Maybe we can make some sort of diversion so you two can get at him."
"Maybe. I wanted to discuss the options with Tandar. Is he in there?" Shanna asked and pointed at the door to room 234.
"I think so." Ian nodded and turned back around and allowed Shanna to help him back into the room. Ian automatically glanced at Brandwyn to see how she was doing. She had rolled over onto her side and was now stretching carefully as she came awake. She smiled at Ian and Ian smiled back in relief. She was obviously feeling a lot better.
"Hi Ian. Hi Ranger Shanna." Brandwyn said softly, trying not to wake those still sleeping in the room. The sun was just beginning to poke in through the windows. Brandwyn knew that Ian liked Shanna and she hoped things would work out between them, but Shanna was a free spirit and Brandwyn didn't see her settling down to marry anyone for several more years. Still, there was obviously something between the two of them that was stronger than mere friendship.
Brandwyn carefully rolled back over and noticed that her back did not hurt nearly so much when she moved her legs. She very carefully tried to sit up and felt only a slight pull as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bunk. She was so weak, though. 'Must be from the blood loss I guess,' she thought and then looked at Tandar's bunk, wondering if he was awake yet or not.
"Where are you going?" Ian asked her sharply.
Brandwyn glanced back at him over her shoulder and then looked at the curtained off corner on the other side of the door, "I need to use the chamber pot. I think I need help." She looked up at him, knowing her mentor wasn't going to be able to help her across the room.
Shanna chuckled and eased Ian down onto his bunk and handed him is crutches and then went over to Brandwyn and easily yet gently pulled her to her feet and helped her to the other corner. The girl hardly seemed to weigh anything, even though she was considerably taller than Shanna was. She waited and then helped Brandwyn back to her bunk.
Brandwyn lay back and panted, her face pale and beads of sweat formed on her upper lip. She closed her eyes and fought back from nearly passing out. She noticed Ian watching her intently. "I am ok. Just very weak. At least I can walk now, though and moving my legs isn't hurting nearly as badly as it was yesterday." She smiled at him and then looked back to Tandar and smiled at him too. "So, is anyone going to bring me up to date and tell me what the plan is now?"
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Post by Brandwyn on May 24, 2009 8:42:07 GMT -5
Jack sat in the Lord of La Rivage's study waiting for his men to report back on their attempts to find the Lord of the city and who took him.
It was the following morning now and since none of his men had reported back he wasn't holding out much hope. He had gotten reports that there was a fire in the merchant square but the residents there seemed to have it under control and only three businesses were going to be affected. Basically they were just keeping it contained and letting it burn itself out. Not much else they could do. The guild would compensate the business owners and help to rebuild the shops. Jack was not concerned about that.
He was concerned about the condition of the Lord of the city. King Henry had entrusted Jack to keep the man out of harm and in power with the understanding that Jack actually ran the commerce in the city. Jack made a great deal of money from the transactions in the ports, a percentage of taxes and operating fees and other business deals throughout the city. He had no interest in putting a more forceful Lord in charge and therefore had a vested interest in ensuring that the current Lord was not harmed and was returned to "control" of the city. Of course King Henry would likely put someone else in charge that would go along with the current arrangement since Jack was sure to forward a significant amount of bonus money into the King's coffers. Still, why take chances?
There was a knock on the door and one of Jack's men burst into the room before he could answer. "Good news, boss!" the man stepped aside and two more of his men ushered a third man into the room. It was the Lord of La Rivage. "They found him somewhat dazed, wandering in an alley with this hood over his head."
Jack jumped up out of the Lord's chair and helped his men ease the Lord down onto one of his couches. "Get him some wine, Matt, and summon the doctor." Jack noticed some bruises on the Lord's wrists and he didn't seem to be entirely in his right mind. "My Lord, are you alright? My men have been searching for you ever since those guys took you. Did you find out who they were?"
The Lord shook his head and then groaned in pain. "They kept me blindfolded the whole time and hardly spoke around me. Why did they take me? They didn't ask me questions or torture me, thank God!" The Lord groaned again, but took the offered wine and drank greedily. "What is going on?"
Jack quickly filled him in on the current state of the city. "The good news is that the Grizzlies are gone from the city except for a couple of small pockets where they are putting up a resistance. That will soon be over though. They have probably pulled back to their camp outside the city, wherever it is."
The Lord nodded, "Where is Thomas?" His chamberlain had some answering to do for knocking him on the head.
Jack shook his head, "I am afraid he was killed in the fighting, Lord." Jack didn't know it had been Thomas who had knocked out the Lord and left him slumped in the chair where Jack had found him.
"That is too bad. I was hoping he could tell me why he knocked me out and who he was working for." The Lord stood up shakily and Jack assisted him with a hand under his elbow. "I am tired. Send the physician in when he arrives. You will take care of everything?"
"Don't worry about a thing, Lord. There is nothing you can do right now anyway." Jack soothed him and helped him to his private chamber and into bed. The doctor arrived right on their heels and Jack left them to determine what condition the Lord was in.
Then Jack went back to the study and sat down in the Lord's chair again and pondered who would have taken the man and why. More importantly, why did they just let him go after the fighting was done? It didn't make any sense.
"I want the tracker's report on where you found the Lord." Jack told Matt. Matt handed Jack a goblet of wine and said, "They are looking at the alley now, Boss. Should know something soon."
Jack nodded and stared out the window, sipping his wine and trying to solve the puzzle.
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Post by Tandar on May 25, 2009 9:58:43 GMT -5
Tandar returned Brandy's smile. "Well, Ranger Shanna and I have orders to go after Captain Gauge, the Grizzly leader. We're gonna pull out later today, providing Dren is in a condition to travel. Hopefully it won't take us long, because I'm ready to go back to Meric."
He climbed out of bed and got dressed, pulling on a clean, light brown tunic and buckling on his cutlass. Using the his throwing knife, Tandar shaved off the light accumulation of facial hair. He was careful not to nick himself with the razor-sharp blade.
[OOC: I'm ready to lock this up and start a new thread as soon as you are, Brandwyn.]
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Post by Brandwyn on May 25, 2009 15:43:00 GMT -5
Brandwyn looked a bit sad. "Looks like I am going to miss more of the fun." She sighed and turned to Ian, "So, what about us?"
Ian said, "Well, you are staying here until you can ride. I was thinking to go with Shanna and Tandar, but now I am thinking that I might just be a liability with my leg like this. Besides, we have our own mission to complete before the army gets over here."
Shanna looked disappointed, but she'd been harboring doubts about Ian going along to hunt for the leader of the Grizzlies. "Maybe Richard could help you two out more than me. He knows the country and could guide you to the front and help you scout out the situation to take back to the King."
Ian nodded. "So you will not be hooking up with army once you track Guage down?"
Shanna shrugged, "Depends on what our orders are. The army should be landing in a few days though, so it is quite likely we will go back there to check in with Crowley before heading back to Araluen."
Brandwyn was watching Tandar, knowing they were going to be separated again for a while at least. It seemed to her to be quite unfair that their jobs kept them apart, but that was the way it was. She didn't want to make things difficult for him. "When are you leaving?"
"Sometime today. If I were this Captain Guage, I would be striking camp about now and high tailing it out of here." Shanna answered, looking at Ian instead of Brandwyn. "I wish we could stay longer, but we need to get on his trail right away before he slips away."
Brandwyn nodded and reached out for Tandar's hand and pressed his palm to her face. "I will miss you." She then smiled impishly, "maybe next time I shall have to ride to your rescue!"
Ian stood up and gave Shanna a hug. "Take care of yourself and send word back here if you need any help. We will be here for a few more days at least. Neither of us is in shape to ride right now."
Shanna hugged him back and then turned to Tandar, "when do you think you will be ready to go?"
___
Tory sat on her bunk and listened to the others planning out what they were going to do. She wondered what she was supposed to do. She'd had no orders from Patrick. If Tandar, Drenith and this Shanna, all rangers, were going off on a mission, was she supposed to go with them? Should she stay here and wait for Patrick to come back? Arrow had woken up long enough to tell her that he intended to go meet the army and hook back up with his mentor, so where did that leave Tory? Her original orders were to help Ian and Brandwyn. She supposed she should probably follow them, but she wasn't sure.
Tory stood up and walked over to Tandar and the others, "ummm," she wasn't sure if she wanted to draw attention to herself or not, but decided to plunge on ahead anyway, "what should I do? Should I wait for Patrick? What if he doesn't come back?"
Ian looked at Shanna and Tandar. "That is a good question. She is a ranger's apprentice, I think one of you two should decide."
Shanna looked at Tandar, "I don't know anything about her or this situation. What do you think Tandar?"
(OOC: You can wrap up you and Drenith and Shanna in your reply to this! ha! I am making you post again! I will then wrap up Ian and Brandwyn after that. Tory will depend on your answer or if you post what Patrick is going to do. I am leaving her fate in your hands!)
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Post by Tandar on May 25, 2009 21:04:12 GMT -5
Ranger Tandar ran his hand along the smooth skin on Brandy's face. "I'm gonna miss you," he said softly. Leaning in close, he kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I'm ready," he informed Shanna.
The sounds of booted feet outside the door caused Tandar to pause as he reached for his Ranger cloak on the back of the chair.
"Take up your positions," ordered a muffled voice.
The door swung open quickly and Patrick Palisade stepped into the room. The hood on his special black Ranger cloak was pulled over his head, but his gait was definitely recognizable. A slight rattle could be heard from a part of his Pactflex armor that wasn't completely silenced by the soft leather padding. His repeating crossbow was loaded and slung across his back.
"Tory, get your things. We're moving out. The horses are already saddled."
Through the open doorway, several armed men could be seen. All of them were dressed in black and were standing at positions where they could either see what was transpiring in the room or they could get through the doorway quickly. Some wore cowls to protect their identity. Palisade reached out with gloved hands to help his apprentice gather her gear. Tandar stood motionless, wondering what the ex-Ranger was up to. Patrick retreated into the hall holding Tory's pack and gave a signal to the Brethren. They began to withdraw and move toward the stairs.
"She's just a girl," one of them whispered.
"Tory will be fine," Patrick assured him. "I'll take full responsibility for her actions."
"She'd better not jeopardize the operation," Hunter warned.
"She won't," Palisade promised.
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Post by Brandwyn on May 25, 2009 21:30:31 GMT -5
Tory's face lit up in a wide grin when she saw Patrick. 'He came back for me!' She nearly sang out, but instead quickly and quietly jammed the last bit of her stuff into her pack and rolled up her bedroll. She was most of the way packed already anyhow. Patrick grabbed her pack and she picked up her bedroll and bow.
She shot Drenith a guilty look, "I am sorry Dren. I hope you can understand." She said softly as she turned to follow Patrick. "Good luck and I hope your arm heals up fast."
She skirted around the rangers and scouts, just in case one of them tried to stop her. She noted that Ian looked like he was thinking about grabbing her. "Bye Tandar, Brandwyn, Ian. Good luck." She said to them as she slid out into the hallway among the armed men.
She heard Brandwyn holler after her, "Tory! Stop! You are making a huge mistake." But Tory ignored her, hoping she was wrong. She had to be wrong. Patrick had come back to get her, how could she be making a mistake? He was her mentor and she belonged with him.
She quickly headed down the stairs. Finally she was getting out of the Inn. She couldn't wait and nearly ran to Chip and mounted. Not saying anything, even though she wondered where they were heading. She sensed that questions at this time would only prove to Patrick's friends that he should have left her behind and she was determined to prove them wrong, even though she had no idea what was going on or what their "mission" was.
She reached over to Patrick and handed him back his throwing knife hilt first. "I nicked this from Shanna. She was holding it for 'evidence'. She said she found it in the door to the roof. I thought you might want it back." She smiled crookedly up at him.
"Thanks for coming back for me."
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Post by Brandwyn on May 27, 2009 5:57:16 GMT -5
Brandwyn jumped when Patrick burst into the room and glared at him, reaching for her dagger. If she could just get one clear shot at him... No, Ian would never forgive her if she just killed Patrick in cold blood with no trial.
She couldn't believe Tory was going to go with him after everything. She called out as Tory went out of the room, "Tory! Stop! You are making a huge mistake!" and she tried to get up, but Ian held her down.
"Now is not the time, didn't you see those men with him?" Ian muttered softly. "You'll get yourself killed. Let him go." Ian watched Patrick and his men, his own hand fingering his dagger hilt. He was ready to defend Brandwyn, but didn't really think Patrick would have his men attack them. After all there was no evidence that they had that Palisade had done anything wrong, so why would he attack them? Ian watched him and Patrick's men carefully and didn't say anything to Palisade.
Brandwyn glared at Patrick, "you better make sure Tory doesn't get hurt because of you. Because if she does, there won't be a place you can hide. I will hunt you down and kill you." She figured Patrick would think it an idle threat - that she was no threat to him at all, but he had no idea how single-minded and determined she could be once she set her mind to something. She would put aside everything and hunt him down if she ever found out Tory was hurt or killed because of Palisade, even if it took her years to get him.
Shanna wasn't sure exactly what was going on. She only had one side of the story and wasn't sure about the facts. She decided to try to get some info out of him, a near impossibility, she knew.
"Patrick! How good to see you again. It's been ages." Shanna had always had a good time trying to flirt with Patrick, just to bug him at the gatherings. He was always so quiet and grim and she thought he needed to loosen up a little and have some fun, but now was not the time for that. She wasn't expecting him to answer, but asked it anyway, "So, what are you up to anyway? New orders from Crowley?"
She wouldn't be surprised when he didn't answer. She watched him help Tory gather her gear and then leave, She moved to the back window and watched them mount and made a note of the direction they rode off in. She reached into her belt to pull out the throwing knife she had found jammed in the door on the roof to examine it again, as if it held the answers. The knife was gone! "Now what happened to that knife? I know I put it here in my belt!" Then she remembered how Tory had barely brushed up against her as she had left the room. "I don't believe it. That girl must have taken it."
Brandwyn looked at Shanna in surprise. "I doubt that. She didn't strike me as being a thief."
"No, but she is loyal to Patrick and it was his knife. I bet she did grab it on her way out and is giving it back to him right now." Ian said. "So you guys going to go after him?"
Shanna shook her head, "Tandar and I have a different mission. Maybe I should send a report, though, before we leave. Problem is, at this point the army is supposed to be on its way over here and they will probably miss the message by the time the pigeon gets home."
"You can't just let him get away" Brandwyn raised her voice slightly. "What about Tory? What if he leaves her stranded somewhere or she gets hurt because of him?"
Ian looked thoughtful, "I think he will protect her. For some unexplainable reason, he does appear to care something about her well-being. He did come back for her when I didn't think we would see him again. Just like back there on the trail when it looked as if he had set us up and then left." Ian went over the fight again and the aftermath. "Besides, we don't know if he is working against Araluen or not. Not really. As Tory said, he could be working undercover."
Shanna said, "Well, I can leave a note with Brice for anyone who comes asking after Patrick and let them know what we do." Shanna pulled some parchment and writing tools out of her satchel and quickly scribed a note. She put some drying sand on it and shook the excess back off into the small jar. She rolled it up and sealed it. "There, that is taken care of." She stood up and grabbed all of her gear. "Let's go Tandar and Drenith."
Shanna gave Ian another hug and Ian kissed her back for a long moment. "Don't stay away so long this time." He rubbed her chin with his thumb. "I'll try not to, but you know Crowley!" Shanna grinned. "It is always something."
Brandwyn watched Tandar with a sinking heart, but tried not to show it. He was probably already worried about her and she didn't want him to have his mind on her if he was going to be going after this Grizzly leader. She didn't want him to get himself killed. She sat up carefully on the edge of the bed and said, "Love you, Tandar. Please be careful out there." And she smiled up at him as she watched him gather his stuff and head out the door with Drenith on his heels. "Bye Drenith. You be safe too!"
Now it was just Brandwyn, Ian, Richard and Ragnar in the room. Ian turned to the ex-Grizzly. "So Ragnar, where are you off to?" He had seen Ragnar packing up his gear.
"I aym bayck fer home in Teutlandt. Hopefully I cayn geyt oyn a shiyp an sail theyre so I donna get conscripted iynto someone's ayrmy while crossing land." Ragnar grinned at them. He shook both their hands and wished them luck and then strode out the door.
Brandwyn lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, a giant feeling of emptiness settled into the core of her being. Tandar was gone again. But this time she didn't cry This time she had the assurance that he did love her and she knew that he would be back. She knew the only way he would not come back to her is if he wasn't able to. She pushed that thought aside. She wouldn't think about it. Tandar would be alright and they would see each other in few days probably, when they all met back up with the army.
"So, Ian, what are we going to do now?" Brandwyn asked her mentor. "I am tired of lying around in this bed."
Ian patted her on the head, "well you might as well get used to it. You are not going anywhere for at least two more days. Then we are going to head for the front and see if we can complete our mission." Ian turned to Richard. "I am hoping you can go with us, Richard. We could use a guide to avoid the local Lords and knights that plague the countryside."
(OOC: The tales of the various characters now break off from here and pick up in other threads…
Tandar and Drenith, Shanna, Patrick and Tory are all now in "hunting guage" on La Rivage Board.
Ian and Brandwyn are now in "Spying on Aslavia")
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