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Turn 138.0: A Strictly Bound Ally

Posted: 1/24/01

Emma stares down at the sand. For a moment it had seemed as though Anhur wasn't going to answer her prayer. A seed of doubt had crept into her resolve, but she had fought it off, because she knew to give into it would have allowed the undead a chance to continue ravaging them. 'Poor Alara!' the priestess thinks to herself, 'She almost became a meal for those ghoulish things!' The thought makes her shiver and she feels the chill of the desert breeze on her face and hands. "So...cold," she softly murmurs. Cold as a grave...

Hannibal relaxes his muscles and no longer fights the overwhelming paralysis. If it was to kill him it would have done so already, he figures to himself, and fighting it would only further drain his energy. For a moment he worries about one of the creatures falling upon him, eating him alive while he could do nothing, but that attack never comes. He just lies there, staring at Skandor's boots hoping the others would be okay.

Suddenly he feels it...his finger twitched! And then another, and another! Then his leg moves, an arm, and soon he finds himself rising slowly, still very stiff from the ghoul's effects. Looking around he sees the others rising as well, slowly, but Emma and Crayne still stand. Once again those two had saved his life, soon he would be making a living of repaying their kindness.

Crayne moves over to where Emma kneels. He quickly reaches for his water bottle and hands it to Emma. "Drink this!" he says as he kneels to Emma's level, "I think we have learnt tonight that messing with the dead isn't as secure as we had first thought. We must be more careful in future!"

"I...I've not...I mean, Crayne, I've never faced such things before," the Shield Maiden answers, her hands trembling as she tries to drink some of the water. Her whole body aches from the casting of the Speak With Dead enchantment and now the effort to turn away the undead. Worse than the physical pain is the mental stress of having second-guessed her role among Rinder's Six, re-encountering Robert Wade the Younger, and trying to be a spiritual anchor while searching for the Rings of Damacht. It's all too much for her to overcome and a few tears streak down her face with the trauma of what has come to pass.

"I've read about them before...," she says, wiping at her eyes as she hands back the bottle, "Ghouls, I think they're called...or Ghasts. But I've never had to...you know, call upon Anhur to actually deliver people from them. I guess dealing with the dead isn't something I particularly care for much anymore." It would be awhile before the priestess felt comfortable summoning spirits to speak with her again, too.

"Nevertheless, you have done well this night Emma," Crayne compliments her. "If you do believe that Wade's judgment can be tipped to our favour then you have led him far down the path tonight. You have also helped us find out where this play lies--Killner's Vault wasn't it? Deep in the hidden chambers of the Temple. I fear, though, that it will not be an easy task to retrieve it. I am also wary that we may cross paths with some Red Dragon mages on the way! We have a long path ahead of us Emma and we need you fit and strong if we are to succeed!" Crayne reaches for her arm and helps Emma to her feet. Tapping her on the shoulder Crayne then makes his way to the nearest paralysed victim which happens to be Hannibal.

Emma turns quiet and somber as she watches Crayne go about the task of helping everyone regather themselves. She looks about the rest of the circle of light, taking stock of the situation. Would the ghouls return? Something tells her that Rinder's Six shouldn't remain for much longer. Her eyes fall upon the Coreognate's tortured body. She wouldn't be leaving that behind for the undead beasts to feed upon either, as far as she was concerned.

As the paralysis wears off, Skandor feels the strength return to his limbs. He is unable to see what has happened, though he knows the sounds of combat have faded. Had his friends been slain? How many did they lose? He heard Emma incite The Turning, as he could also feel its power and the presence of Anhur. That warm feeling of being close to his deity did nothing to shake off the feeling of helplessness, though.

As he is fully able to move, he rises quickly, heart pounding, looking around for the foul creatures which caused his condition. Not normal for the young man, a scowl of anger and hatred crosses his face as he looks this way and that for the undead, one hand resting on his sword. Suddenly, he feels foolish as the others go about their various tasks. He watches with some amusement as Wade hurls and deposits his dinner onto the sandy ground. Skandor had thought him to perhaps have been of a hardier lot. But then a small wave of pity washes over him as he remembers the total feeling of helplessness.

Calming down considerably, he rushes to Emma's side, attempting to help her up or assist her in any way. As she shrugs off the attention, he watches carefully as she goes about checking on the others.

Crayne waits patiently for Hannibal to stir and when he does Crayne hands him his water bottle. "Arhh! It is good to see you with us again young Hannibal!"

Shaking the sand from his armor and breaches, Hannibal thanks Crayne, then gathers his things and moves to follow the mage toward Wade. Finally, a chance to show this whelp how the world turned!

Crayne approaches Robert Wade IV. "I hope you have now gathered that what our priestess has told you is true! That these Red Dragon mages aren't interested in anything but finding the Ring of Fire Command. They regard you, me, the Coreognate, your father and Emma over there as mere pawns in all of this. They do not care how many lives are lost in their quest for ultimate power. They are megalomaniacs! All they care about is finding those rings. You must now see, Robert, that they must be stopped at all costs. For otherwise it means doom for all of us--both the Kingdom of Rinder and Caerloon!" Crayne stands there tall with his cloak billowing in the wind. There is still a stench about the place which brings distaste to Crayne's mouth.

"What we tell you is the truth, Robert, you must surely realise that, for why else would we have taken such risks to prove it to you? Emma here is a priestess of justice. She sees good in everyone and believes that she can use that goodness to make the world a better place. She has put her faith in you, Robert Wade. She says that you have a good heart and that you will fight for the right side at the end of all this. I must admit from the actions of your father so far I have found it hard to except what Emma keeps on telling us. If it was left to me I would leave you here along with the Coreognate. But if Emma believes that you are good and you are valiant then this is your time to show us Robert."

Crayne offers his hand out to Robert, "Join us, Robert! Join Rinder's Six and unite with us so that we can bring down the evil of the Red Dragon mages and restore peace to both the Kingdoms of Rinder and Caerloon!"

Emma watches, stunned by Crayne's offer. The Highbrow never ceases to amaze her. Often at odds with her philosophically, she can just never be sure what he'll say. And now this...this offer to Robert to actually join Rinder's Six. 'How unprecedented,' she thinks.

The priestess stays silent though, turning her eyes to the Baron General's son. She had betrayed him once. Would their actions tonight recreate some level of trust between them? She could only hope so. But it would have to be his decision. She had done enough to explain herself and her thoughts to him.

Hannibal's jaw just about hits the desert floor. Crayne had just invited the son of evil Baron General to join Rinder's Six?! And without even asking the rest of them! Furious, Hannibal turns his back on Crayne and the others, heading out to a nearby dune where he sits and watches for returning undead. "Wade, a member of the Six!" he mutters in thieves cant, just to be safe. "Well see about that!"

The paladin listens to Crayne's speech with respect and great interest. As Crayne invites Robert to join their group, the Sword Bearer can not help but widen his eyes in shock. Every part of him wanted to jump forward and protest such an invitation. Robert was the enemy, the foe of his Kingdom! Granted, the man did not have an evil heart, but to invite an enemy so early into your own ranks smelt of disaster.

Skandor watches as Hannibal silently stalks off. It is quite obvious that he did not agree with that course of action, either. Perhaps it was also because Crayne had made the decision to invite Robert into their group without consulting the others. Sadly, the paladin agreed with Hannibal's actions, and feelings as well. Their group had done everything they could to prove their intent and honesty to Robert, but what had Robert done to earn their trust?

Skandor sets his jaw firmly, resisting the urge to speak. He glanced long and hard at Robert, waiting for the man to respond to Crayne's speech. Perhaps the man's reply would settle it for them?

Still sitting on the sand, Robert's eyes rest upon Crayne's outstretched hand. There is a pregnant pause as the cool desert breeze filters through the scene, carrying away some of the ghastly stench. But Robert does not take Crayne's hand.

Pushing himself off the sand, Robert stands up and brushes off his trousers carefully. Then, raising his head toward Crayne, he responds. "I am my own man, and I will not be taken advantage of. I will not be misled. What I have seen here tonight," he continues, looking around the group, but pausing at Emma's position, "has surely convinced me of one thing: that my officers have failed to carry out my orders as they were spoken. For that, they shall pay. But it was not my mages that disobeyed the order. You heard the Coreognate's spirit yourselves: this man was killed with a knife to the back and dumped in the desert to rot. If these 'Red Dragon mages,' as you call them, were responsible for his death, then surely wizards whose power is vast enough to pull the wool over my father's eyes could kill this priest without lifting a finger! But they didn't. He died by military execution. Unwarranted, yes. Politically motivated, no."

Growing more confident, Robert begins to pace around the small circle of light provided by the lantern, addressing all of those present as he speaks. "I believe that the mantle I carry is for the good all deserving subjects, both those in the glorious Kingdom of Caerloon and those that will soon fall within those boundaries. My advisors, and my father's advisors, have identified the means with which to defeat a slow-gathering but powerful foe, the army of the Kingdom of Rinder, and their respected leadership, the Knights of Rinder.

"Yes, priestess Emma," he yells, swiftly turning his head and shouting toward Emma, "I am here to seek the same thing as you: The Rings of Damacht. Those are the means with which we will reach our goal. I am truly sorry that we cannot fight on the same side of this battle, Emma," Robert steps closer to Emma, reaching out a hand and gently touching her cheek, "for I admire your skill in battle...and in deception."

Stung, Emma takes a small step back. How that touch seemed to linger on her cheek, but how those words stuck her.

Robert continues, "This body will be returned to its people. And for your efforts," he says, stretching out his arms to indicate all those present, "I thank you. Skilled though I am at the art of war, my experience with the living dead is, perhaps unfortunately, limited. You have given me my life back tonight. And so in return I shall give you yours:

"The penalty for the assault and abduction of an officer of the Caerloon Army is death, but it is a penalty you people shall not face. I expect that you will return me to my men and then promptly leave this place so that I may finish the job I traveled so far to do. You have my word that those responsible for the Coreognate's death will be punished to the maximum extent."

Returning to his original position, in front of Crayne, Robert concludes, "I hereby respectfully decline your offer of sedition. To the greater good as I see it, I will not be a traitor!"

Disappointed, Emma takes another step back. Then she ponders for a moment on Robert's words, 'To the greater good as I see it...' She is reminded of those words Anhur spoke to her, earlier in the evening, during her Augury: 'He will hear the truth of his actions at one time. He will understand the words at another. And he will act upon them with understanding when the time is right.' Is it possible that tonight's actions merely fulfilled the first third of the prophecy? How long would they have to wait until he understood? Or until he reached the point where he could act?

Canter listens carefully to Robert's words. This man truly refused to believe what was plainly evident to the rest of them! Was he blinded by faith? Faith in his father, faith in those his father trusts? More troubling, though, is Robert's admission that he, too, is in search of the rings. And now, the spirit of the Coreognate has revealed to both Robert and to Rinder's Six the location of the play they seek--the crucial clue! At least Robert still didn't know that Crayne wore the Ring of Water Command. If he knew that one of the rings he seek was but a few feet away at this very moment, the situation would probably be worse than it is!

Robert's last word echoes off the dunes, causing even Hannibal to turn around and look over the site. A beat passes. His eyes watch the figure of Robert cock his head, as if he had just thought of a new idea. Then he walks closer to Emma, addressing the Shield Maiden.

"Emma," he inquires, his voice much quieter and calmer, "how am I to be sure that you are not deceiving me at this very moment?" His eyes meet with hers, and their gazes lock for a moment. "You saved my life in the process of saving your own. That in itself is no assurance of trust. If I were to aspire to join with you, what token would you give me of your trust? And aside from a diety-aided glimpse into my soul, what token have I provided you?"

Alara narrows her eyes as she listens to these questions. Something about Robert's tone had suddenly changed. Was he toying with Emma, merely to get a rise out of her, or for his own pleasure? Or was he carefully testing the waters, perhaps preparing to actually join with them?

"You chose not to expose me," Emma replies, her voice soft and gentle, as if the tender underbelly of a great beast, "when with one word you could finished me. You held my life in your hand for that instant, and you let me go. That was your token, Robert."

Robert blinks as he stands before the Shield Maiden. His thoughts fly back to that night in the camp, as their eyes locked then. The feeling of pain, of rejection, the discovery of deception sweep through him.

"And..." Emma begins, but then stops. To tell Robert of Anhur's prophecy might break the delicate balance they had achieved. After a brief pause, she looks to Storm, standing beside Canter. "...and I held the same power over you, Robert. With one word...that night...we could have finished you." She looks once again to Storm. "We held your life in our hands."

Robert follows Emma's gaze to Storm. His eyes falling upon the dwarf, he does not understand. And Storm doesn't give any indication, not a clue, as to how it could have been done, how his life had been in the same mortal danger. A shiver runs down Robert's spine as another gust of cool winter breeze blows through him. His throat tightens and his stomach turns.

"You will be in great danger," he says to Emma. Then, looking around to the others, "You all will."

Smiling, Crayne steps toward Robert and Emma. "That is nothing we haven't faced before!"

"No, mage, you've never faced this," Robert warns, turning to face Crayne. "Be afraid. Be very afraid. My presence places you and the potential accomplishment of your goals at great risk. And so I cannot join with you--for your sake." Then, looking back to Emma, he repeats, "...for your sake."

Skandor steps into the lantern-light. "But you will not stand in our way?"

Looking to Skandor, Robert steps away from Emma and Crayne, opening his hands as he explains. "Sword Bearer, consider me a strictly bound ally. I cannot openly aid you, for even my most minute actions are closely watched by the men who depend upon me. My father can be a ruthless man when he wants to, and if word of my subordination were to reach him, I fear the consequences, even for his own son. I do not fully subscribe to the cause for which you have chosen to fight. But what I have seen and heard while among you is reason enough for me to begin to question my own cause. This is a task I must undertake on my own, and carefully at that, lest I place myself in danger.

"Sword Bearer, I my life is planned for me, my actions prescribed. I must follow through on those obligations or I risk turning up on desert like the Coreognate. But insofar as I must fulfill those obligations, I will not stand in your way. And *if,* in time and upon much reflection, I come to decide that yours is the true greater good, then you may count on me to one day take action, perhaps when you need it most.

"Let us return to El-Balans soon, before the sun rises. I am the only one of my men who knows of this secret Vault or who has been to the underground chambers below the temple. I will keep this knowledge from my officers and from my advisors as long as I can. Hopefully that will be enough time for you to find what you need and to get out. For now, that is all I can do without risking my life, and yours."

Alara clears her throat. Things appeared to be beginning to pull together. But one string was left untied. "And what about the Hatheans? Will your advisors and officers continue to torture them for the information we here now know?"

Robert looks to Alara, and with a nod, replies, "There will be no more torture. I will tell my officers that if they failed to gather the information from the Coreognate, then it is unlikely they'll get it out of the rest of the priests at El-Balans. For they probably know less about this play than the Coreognate did... No, I will tell my advisors and officers that they must continue their search on their own, and when they fail, I will angrily order our withdrawl from El-Balans, calling it a useless desert outpost. Our withdrawl will be justified by their failure, and my father--while he certainly will be angry with me--will see it as they're failure, since they are the ones who promised him the rings would be there."

Robert looks around to make sure that everyone understands. "Will that suffice? Good, then let us return."

As the party makes preparations for journeying back to El-Balans, Emma gestures toward the Coreognate's body. "Canter? Skandor?" she calls, "Let's lash this to one of the horses. I made a promise to the Hatheans to respect the spirit and soul of their leader. Giving him an honorable burial according to their traditions only makes sense. Besides, those things might come back and further defile his memory by gnawing upon his bones. Rather than hunt every one of them down to make sure that doesn't happen, we'll just take this prize away from them."

The Shield Maiden looks toward Elloharin the Dimmed. "Keep an eye out in case they try to follow us, El," she says to him, "Anhur's presence only drives them away for so long. And they're probably a vengeful lot." With that, she rejoins Canter to ride double back to the temple, swinging up behind him onto the horse. "Let's make haste," the Shield Maiden calls out to everyone, "Lives depend on it. We can talk as we ride away from here." She puts the spurs to the horses flank and leaves a spray of sand behind her.

Skandor nods and walks wordlessly over to the body of the dead priest. Carefully, respectfully with Canter's aid, he hefts it up onto the back of one of the horses and secures it there with some rope. He gives a sidelong glance to Illena, who he knew would be watching the priest's body closely. He gives her a soft smile, understanding how she must feel. The corpse being secured, he walks to retrieve the rest of the gear, patting Illena gently on the shoulder as he passes by.

With that, the group makes to depart. All the while, the paladin's eyes bore holes into the back of Robert's head.

As they trot across the dunes, she urges the horse up closer to Crayne's. "I say we find Amos when we get back," she tells the wizard, "He might know of this Vault the Coreognate spoke of...as well as the means for getting into it. Something tells me it's going to be guarded quite well. Besides, one way or another, we need to free Amos so he doesn't wind up lying dead out here on the sand, too."

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