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Turn 139.0: Arguments at Dawn

Posted: 1/29/01

As they mount up for the ride back, El feels a moment of shame. Riding alongside Wade, he looks at him briefly and clears his throat. "No offense, your honor, but...could I have my dagger back? I," he clears his throat, "don't have much money. And seeing as," he clears his throat yet again, "are subsidized by the monarchy, you hardly need it."

When Wade returns the dagger to him, he returns it to its sheath and rides along in silence.

After a moment Crayne slows his horse so he trots beside El towards the back. "El" he says, "remember that gem that I entrusted you with back at Old Halbraden's? Maybe it would be worth taking a look through it now and seeing if there is anything untoward about Robert. Whether anyone is with him or watching him! Also, I'll give detect magic a go! Be discrete!" Crayne says.

Crayne slows again and casts detect magic. As eyes adjust to the patterns of swirling colours, he glances over towards Robert. The figure of the Caerloon nobleman sits black atop his horse. Black. No magic, whatsoever. Was Crayne surprised? He wasn't sure. But it was clear that Robert carried no magic with him.

El nods to Crayne and reaches into his pack. He hadn't ever used the gem before, but now seemed as good a time as ever. He holds it out in front of him, its deep color affecting the image of Robert. El concentrates for a moment, for even his good eyes took some time to adjust to looking through the large gem. Still, he cannot see anything out of the ordinary. Looking away from the gem and toward Crayne (who had just finished his Detect Magic), El shrugs and shakes his head.

As they continue to trot across the dunes, Emma urges her 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."

"It seems the thing to do," Crayne says. His voice is distant, and he keeps looking at Robert. Was he so intrigued by Robert, or was he just staying quiet, gathering strength...for something?

Emma nods, accepting Crayne's counsel. Her thoughts turn inward as she contemplates Robert's speech. 'Is he sincere?' she wonders to herself, and not for the first time, 'He could be deceiving us all with his promises. Maybe just so he can strike back at me, the way I once wounded him. So, what's to stop Robert from rejoining his men, telling them of the Vault and our whereabouts, and then slaying the Hatheans outright?'

The desert breeze and the rushing wind from their ride blows her hair across her face. She frowns and instinctively shakes her head to clear her vision. 'No, I don't think he'll do that,' she tells herself as the lights of El-Balans come into view, 'I've seen his soul already. Only an evil man would deceive us so completely. And Anhur's words...his prophecy...regarding Robert's future actions seem to indicate he can be trusted. I know it...with both my own intuition and divine faith.'

She guides the horse closer to Skandor's where Robert rides double with the Sword Bearer. "How many men are with you?" she asks, talking loudly enough to be heard over the wind, "At the temple, I mean. How many soldiers did you bring with you? And what about the wizards? Did any remain behind?" Inwardly, it's the Red Dragon mages she's worried about, and fearing greatly for the nobleman's safety. After all, if someone like Paros could so easily eavesdrop upon a conversation of Rinder's Six in Parton, what was there to prevent these renegades from doing the same thing now and learning of Robert's strictly-bound alliance with the enemy?

Robert turns to look at the priestess. "You certainly do follow closely in the ways of Anhur," he begins. "Fifty-two soldiers. When we first arrived I had six mages with us. Four have returned to Caerloon, but two remain in addition to the soldiers." He narrows his eyes as he peers at Emma's face. "Why do you ask?"

Emma smiles, trying to deflect the question, especially since Robert had yet to be deemed trustworthy. "Just curious..." she smiles and slows her horse, effectively ending the conversation. As her horse slows, Emma nods and keeps her eyes on Robert's face. It's clear to Skandor that the attention she pays to the man runs deeper than most...possibly to the point of being distracted by it sometime in the future. She reaches out to touch Robert's shoulder, trying to convey all the emotions she doesn't really know how to express. 'He's not a full ally yet,' she thinks, 'But he's not our worst enemy either.' Her heart fills with hope and she smiles encouragingly. "Don't worry," she says out loud, "We're going to see this thing through to the end."

Later as the group nears the Temple of the El-Balans Crayne grows more agitated and looks to the rest of the party. "I believe we have things to discuss. Well at least I do!" Crayne pauses. "I think we should stop here. Also, I do not want Robert present! Is there something we can tie him up with just for now?"

Emma gives Crayne another look of surprise. "What is your game, Highbrow?" she directly asks, with more than a little defensiveness to her tone, "First you offer a position within Rinder's Six to him and now you're ready to tie him up?" Clearly, she's displeased with the notion and makes no moves or suggestions to follow through on Crayne's request for removing Robert, though she doesn't stop anyone from taking matters into their own hands.

Robert dismounts from his horse and takes two steps toward Crayne, who is still mounted. "Mage Crayne, I will not be subdued. And if I am overpowered, it will have to be by force and against my will."

Crayne tightens his jaw. Robert just stands there, facing the mage. Crayne raises his eyes, looking past Robert to Storm, who was quietly approaching the nobelman's back. With a quick nod by Crayne, Storm brings the butt of his sword down hard on the back of Robert's head, knocking him out completely.

Too late Emma sees Storm's move and though she objects by loudly shouting, "NO!", it does little good. As Wade slumps into unconsciousness, the priestess immediately narrows her eyes in ire.

"What have you done?!" Canter says, jumping from his horse. "What kind of message do you think this will send? He will send his entire army after us!"

"Then we'll have to deal with that," Crayne answers back. Clearly, he has more to say, and clearing his throat, he addresses the group. "Right! You have all heard what Robert Wade has had to say. And from where I am standing there is nothing at all which says we should trust him. Ok! He has made these big statements that he is our bound ally and that he will not disclose any information of what he has learnt this night. But, how on earth can we trust him? What is it Emma?" Crayne turns to her now, "Why do you have so much faith in him? Do you have some sort of romantic feelings towards him?" Crayne gulps for a second and wishes he hadn't said the last question.

Immediately Crayne receives a withering glare of pure anger from Emma. "I have faith in people, Crayne!" she nearly shouts, "It's a little more common than feeling romantic about them!" Inside, however, Emma is stung by the fact that there might be some truth to the Highbrow's suggestion, and it's what powers her anger at him. Still, she's not about to recognize that truth...not to Crayne, the rest of Rinder's Six, or even herself right now.

"I extend that faith," she harshly continues, "I practice it. Daily. Which is more than I can say for most of you!" Her angry glare moves from face to face, though she clearly excludes the irreproachable Skandor and doesn't linger for very long on Illena, Alara, or Canter. "You people have lived in darkness, despair, or outright apathy for so long that I swear there's not an ounce of kindness to others left inside of you.

"I also happen to think I'm a fairly reasonable judge of character most of the time," she says, "Though not a single one of you cares to acknowledge it...especially when I've reflected aloud on your own actions or words. You call me narrow-minded and stubborn? Look at yourselves. Your own counsel is all you care to listen to. Your own interpretations of this man are all you want to hear.

"Well at least I sought out guidance in the matter," she explains, "I don't lean only upon my own understanding. I consulted with a higher authority. The same authority that saved us from death tonight on those desert sands. And do you listen to him? Do you ever listen to Anhur? Hardly. You scoff at him. You deny his influence upon this group. Because you're individualists. I daresay, there's no room in your hearts for anyone but yourselves. And that's why you can't see beyond what's right in front of your eyes regarding Robert Wade!"

Crayne quickly continues, "If we didn't believe in your judgement then we wouldn't have come this far, but now we have Emma and we still haven't any reason to trust this man! We are in a real pickle now! If we decide to dispose of him then the Caerloon troops will quickly be alerted and that means the Red Dragon mages too. If we let him go then that could mean death for us to! I really am at a stalemate! Is there anything any of you can suggest that might lead us out of this mess?" Crayne dismounts, shakes his head and leans against his staff.

"Don't simply believe in my judgement then," Emma replies, "Accept the judgment of Anhur. I performed a divination with my god and he sees more clearly than all of us...combined. And it is he that knows the heart of Robert Wade best. And it is his words that indicate the man is trustworthy."

She frowns again and smoothly continues, "So what? What is it? Anhur's word isn't good enough for you again? Too much interference from a power you don't trust or have faith in, Crayne? And my word isn't good enough either? So what does it take? Shall we spill his blood into the sand simply because we're too afraid to take a chance?

"There are a number of things working to our favor here, which I believe is enough for us to trust Robert," Emma says, turning to pure logic and hoping it might appeal to the wizard, "One, Anhur's god-given sight to me and Skandor allows us to know if there are evil intentions in the man's heart. I've seen nothing that would indicate he would betray us in the manner you suggest." She looks toward Skandor as if to see if the Sword Bearer cares to interject his opinion on the matter.

"Second," Emma continues, "I performed a divination with Anhur...a power that is beyond even your massive intellect, Highbrow. It also returned with a clear indication that he will side with us in the end. I take Robert's statements to be the early fulfillment of that prophecy.

"Third," she says, "Robert is a nobleman of Caerloon. Despite being our enemy, they do understand the concept of honor in that land. If he has given us his word, then it is his bond. And we have saved his life tonight, so he does owe us...much as he has indicated.

"Fourth," she concludes, "Even if he does turn on us when we return to El-Balans...so what? He doesn't know how get into the Ancient Chambers. We'll be well ahead of him and his men long before they even find the way. By then, we'll already have the ring and the means to escape them.

"Trust, Crayne," she finishes, "Either trust in Robert...or trust in your own abilities to overcome whatever obstacles he might try to throw our way. Yes, we'll exercise caution no matter what happens, but there's no need for us to go overboard on our paranoia by trying to anticipate a betrayal that may never come. If we do that, then there's really no reason for him to believe us...or to trust in what we've said to him. Is that what you want?"

As the argument between the two grows, Hannibal dismounts and moves forward stealthily towards the gate. He looks for the best way inside and then returns to the group. Before speaking, he whispers something to Storm in Thieves' Cant and then speaks even lower to El in Elven. Satisfied that they heard him and agree with his course of action, he moves back to the horses and where Wade is tied up.

Caught up in her tirade, Emma doesn't even notice Hannibal's reactions, disappearance, or return until he finally speaks to address everyone.

"I think I have found a good way in," Hannibal says to the group. "Possibly we may need to distract the guards, though, to get to Amos and I have just the idea." Crayne clears his throat, is if to object. But Hannibal stops the mage the preemptively, holding up a single index his finger. "Now is not the time. We move now, planting Wade's body somewhere to make it look like an accident, as if he fell and knocked himself out. We grab Amos in the confusion and make for your secret chamber. When Wade awakens we will know for sure how much we can trust him."

Hannibal pauses here for a moment, more to see how Skandor and Canter take his actions than anyone else. He's pretty sure how El and Storm feel about it all and could care less about Alara.

Emma's mouth works to object, but she can't quite put it into words. Her anger is simply too great.

Hannibal continues. "As to you Emma, your highness, I am thoroughly sick and tired of your endless bickering as to the inner faith of each member of this party! I am tired of being counseled time and again by you over my own dark past and when I turn to you for help once you dismiss me with your usual neutral 'Anhur is almighty' speech. Each man and woman here is here for a reason, because they believe in this cause! You are so quick to judge us all, except maybe Skandor who is gold in your eyes. Wake up Priestess, I've seen his eyes, his past is almost as tainted as mine!" Hannibal actually has to pause here for a moment, part to get his voice lower and part to look to Skandor, as if to say 'nothing personal.'

The Sword Bearer at first looks blankly back at Hannibal, definitely not the look of an 'offended' man. But then a look of confusion crosses his face. His mouth opens, as if to ask a question, but before he can speak, the priestess, the mage, and the warrior are at it again.

"And you Crayne, did you ever think to seek our council before you so carelessly offered Wade citizenship in our group? Maybe I heard you wrong but in the future why don't you seek the group's opinion before making such a move." Hannibal stops again, this time smiling as if something had just dawned on him. "Of course maybe when you find this second ring you will have no further use for the rest of us...right?"

Crayne shakes his head, "I could never expect you to understand, Hannibal the Thief!"

Hannibal ignores Crayne's comment, going on. "I'm tired of these endless debates on faith and cause. It's a miracle we have all lived as long as we have, spending so much time arguing as we have. We are strong together, but only when we work together!"

Silently, the paladin nods gently to reflect his agreeance with these words. It was simple truth: to succeed, they needed to work together.

Hannibal shakes his head, as if trying to clear thoughts from his mind. Finally he leans over and grabs Wade's limp body, throwing the man over his shoulder. "Let's get this over with, the sooner we can get back home the better." Withough saying another word, Hannibal starts to walk towards the temple.

Emma spurs her horse, guiding it until it bars Hannibal's path just a few paces away from the group. Leaning down she looks the thief square in the eyes. "You'd do well to listen to your own council, Hannibal Smith," she says to him, her voice low, gruff, angry, and possibly on the verge of tears, "By taking these matters into your own hands, did you consult the group? No...only those that you knew would back your horrible plan." Her eyes flicker to Storm and Elloharin as the two clearly had seemed prepared for the event.

Hannibal listens passively, hiding any emotions he may be feeling.

"And if you grow tired of my council, you certainly don't seem to grow tired of my faith when it saves your miserable hide," she says, her eyes flashing, "None of you do. Whether it was the battle with the Drow on the steps of Anhur's temple, pulling you out of your rash attack upon Bernigan in attempt to murder him outright, or even tonight when the undead ghouls dropped you to the sand like you were made of wood. They would have eaten your flesh tonight if Anhur hadn't intervened. And, not one word of thanks, praise, or acknowledgement do I hear from you for my god. You have no problem thanking me for stepping in, but you never recognize that I am only a vessel for Anhur. It's him that allows me to do great things in his name. And he does so because he cares about you, Crayne, and all of us. Yet time and again you reject him, you reject my words, you doubt my 'neutral, Anhur is Almighty' speeches. Look at what he's accomplished for us for once, will you? He is almighty as far as I'm concerned. Without him we'd all have been dead a long time ago...not because of our bickering, but because of your..." She points to Hannibal. "...and your..." she points to Storm. "...and your..." She points to Crayne. "...narrow-minded, selfish goals and foolhardiness."

Storm stands on the outskirts of the party, his mouth completely agape as the argument ensues. He has the thought to interject and add "and dwarf" to every comment of "man and woman," though he is too blown away--and the discussion is too fervent--for him to do so.

"This is where the problem always lies Emma!" Crayne objects, his voice growing louder and more frustrated. "You don't seem to understand the fact that we do not believe in your god! We are not followers! And to my eyes it seems that anyone who doesn't follow Anhur is condemned by you. I respect your magic and your wisdom but I am sorry I am not going to lay down my entire belief system and devote myself to Anhur! You have to realise that!

"And why am I so bad, Emma? What have I done that is so evil? Please tell me! When was the last time I murdered or slayed anyone without just cause? What have I got to do to show you that I'm in this for the pure reasons of stopping the Red Dragon mages and bringing peace back to the Kingdoms of Caerloon and Rinder. There has been enough death that is for sure and I really do not want to see anymore!"

"And you never seem to get it either, Crayne," Emma shouts, "I AM NOT UPSET WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU DON'T FOLLOW MY GOD!" She looks to the heavens as if to figure out how to get that message through to the wizard. She softens her voice and continues, "I am upset with you because on one hand you show a generous extension of kindness and trust to Robert by inviting him to join us...and then, the moment we're within sight of El-Balans, you basically suggest that we tie him up, dump him, and don't take him at his word. And to me, that's a total reversal from your earlier statements. Did you intend to betray him the whole time?"

She shakes her head as if not caring for the answer. Crayne's response might not be to her liking. "I tell you the man is trustworthy," she finally says, "I know this with my heart...I know it with my mind...and I know it within my very spirit through my consultations with Anhur. None of which seem good enough for you or anyone else..."

Crayne nods and looks as frustrated as ever. He remains silent and ponders the words that Emma had previously spoken. 'They would have eaten your flesh tonight if Anhur hadn't intervened. And, not one word of thanks, praise, or acknowledgement do I hear from you for my god. You have no problem thanking me for stepping in, but you never recognize that I am only a vessel for Anhur. It's him that allows me to do great things in his name. And he does so because he cares about you, Crayne, and all of us. Yet time and again you reject him, you reject my words, you doubt my 'neutral, Anhur is Almighty' speeches. Look at what he's accomplished for us for once, will you?'

'What did she say?' Crayne thinks to himself, 'she is not upset because we do not follow her god? Ludicrous!' he thinks to himself. He then speaks up regarding Robert Wade IV. "The reason I asked him to join us was an attempt to try and understand where this Robert was coming from. I still find it extremely hard to contemplate why you have so much faith in this man. Ok! You say he is good. But aren't many other Caerloon soldiers good? Just because we see them as enemies doesn’t mean that they are evil. They are loyal to their kingdom and they fight for the kingdom. That doesn’t make a man evil does it? I mean what if this Robert now went back to his soldiers in the Temple and told them everything that had happened this night. Would that make him evil? As far as my eyes could see he would be doing a great duty for his kingdom!

"To be honest I can't see why he wouldn't go through with such an action. But there we are! Thus, can you not see from my point of view that I find it absolutely incredible that you have so much faith in a person you have met only twice. And the only thing you have given me as a reason is that he is not evil! Thus, the only conclusion I could come up with was that you had some sort of romantic feelings towards Robert. I have seen the two of you talking and I am sure that there is some sort of spark between you. Please! Emma try and see where I am coming from without your faith clouding your opinions and without you going off into the deep end again and calling us all evil."

Emma looks to Crayne. His words deserved a response. But first, Hannibal. She makes a fist with her hand shakes it once at the thief. "You say each man and woman is here for a reason? Well, at least I've made my mind clear enough from the start. I'm in this because it's the noble, good, and just thing to do. I'm interested in seeing this to a peaceful end, and by god, Anhur has stood beside me in that goal. So tell me, why are you in it? Because you wanted to stick a blade in Bernigan and watch him die?"

For the first time in Emma's tirade Hannibal shows anger, intense anger! Had it not been for his last outburst, Emma may have been assured he would not do something drastic...but now he had a strange look in his eyes. Again, however, he remains quiet and allows Emma to finish.

The paladin watches and listens carefully, at first in shock over the current course of events. Once again, it seemed as if the powerful group were about to unravel itself, self-destructing from the inside out. He looked around from member to member, hoping someone would step forward to ease the tension and calm the stormy emotions. But then Skandor sees the effect Emma's words were having on the warrior, Hannibal, and he notices Hannibal's tension growing. Blinking, clearing his mind, Skandor, too, tenses, ready to spring into action should the moment call for it. Remembering his assignment from the High Priest, he wouldn't let anything--even her own friends--harm the priestess. Skandor waits, on edge, for the altercation to relax...or calm down.

Emma continues, addressing Hannibal. "Why is Crayne in it? Because he's on some kind of power-trip? Why is Storm in it? No particular reason...he just enjoys killing people...especially those he feels has wronged him somehow?"

Storm nearly leaps forward to defend himself here, his anger seething, almost actually leaking out of his ears. His face flushes a bright red, and he begins nervously fidgeting with one of his daggers.

"I'm in this for some kind of power trip?" Crayne says in an angered tone, "Well if that is all you think of me then I think we should part our ways now! For that is the most offensive thing you have said to me yet! And if it wasn't for my good nature then I would strike you down this instance! You think I'm in this just for the rings!"

Crayne really is fuming with temper now, "Here!" Crayne shouts, "Have it!" Crayne pulls the ring from his finger and throws it at Emma. "Have my staff too!" He does the same. "I cannot hear anymore of this!" Crayne stomps off. He makes his way over to Canter and mutters, "I'm in this for the power!" he shakes his head and spits.

Speechless, Emma watches Crayne fling away his ring and staff. 'He's gone insane!' she thinks to herself, 'He honestly has no idea what this is all about...'

She looks around the group, her face an angry shade of red that can hardly be seen in the moonlight. "I suggest you all examine yourselves and your reasons for being here...and then let those reasons be reflected in what you do and how you choose to do it. So far, I haven't seen a noble reason behind anything you've done...," she says, "And especially not the methods you've employed to do them. And that's what really cuts to the heart of this matter, Hannibal. You do whatever it takes, no matter what laws you have to break, no matter what innocents get trampled in the process, and no matter how badly someone watching your actions might perceive them to be. You are so short-sighted!"

This comment seems to have a reverse impact, softening Hannibal's eyes, almost a hurt look. Nonetheless, he says nothing.

Seeing Hannibal's demeanor change, perhaps even soften, the paladin relaxes slightly as well...but watches closely.

"And even now you would strike a defenseless man," she continues, "one that has promised to aid us, and dump him somewhere because you simply don't trust him enough right now? Well you know what? I don't trust you! Shall I simply strike you one night while you're asleep and leave you trussed up somewhere too? Would that finally put some sense into you? What makes you think Robert will side with us now that he has a knot on his head to remember our so-called 'trust'? We were making progress with him. Now you and Crayne have jeopardized it with your words and actions. I can only hope your stupidity doesn't get the rest of killed when we come out of the Ancient Chambers, with or without the Ring of Fire."

She knees her horse and finally removes it from Hannibal's path. "Now that we can't undo your 'brilliant' plan, by all means lead us onward to the path of destruction, brave Hannibal," she says with an acid bite to her tongue, "You've ever been the greatest general in all our eyes. No doubt you have a vast amount of proven experience in such things..."

Hannibal looks on to the fort, a few hundred meters away. He stares into the night absently for a few moments, allowing the group to squirm under a blanket of tension and angst. Finally, he rolls his shoulders slightly and allows Wade's limp body to fall to the ground, not even bothering to soften his fall in the process.

Emma watches Robert fall to the ground, her eyes focused on him with concern. But finally, she turns to face Hannibal, fully prepared to match whatever anger he tries to generate against her. But the longer he talks, the less angry she feels.

Turning to Emma, Hannibal smiles. Not the smile of a man who shares a joke with a friend though, this is a different smile. He speaks slowly, calmly, as if something else was on his mind. "If it is thanks you want priestess, then you have it. You have given me more reason to live in past months than I have had in as many years prior. You say I am an evil person, no doubt I am. You say I have no regard for law and none for innocents, in this too you are accurate. I am a selfish man, angry, bitter, hateful, and definitely prone to fits of aggression. I am every bit of what you say and then some."

The conversation goes on, and Storm's head simply begins to swim. His anger becomes mixed with confusion as Emma's quick, complicated words fly into his ears. He is thoroughly confused when Hannibal resigns to agree with her. 'How could he be takin' that from the woman? I sure ain't be!' Again his anger for Emma grows. What was her problem, anyway? Why did she take everything so personal? How much does she really know about all of us anyway? His thoughts are interrupted by a splitting headache, which causes him to turn away from the group and aggressively rub his eyes and forehead.

When he turns back around, he finds he is quite tired, mentally exhausted from the dizzying conversation. The one thing that remains, though is his anger toward the stubborn priestess. Another thing he notices, though, is that the party has moved...he looks over and notices they've moved closer toward El-Balans. Genuinely pissed off at the moment, Storm's face crinkles into the coarsest scowl anyone has yet seen on him, and he doesn't even bother running to catch up. In fact, he looks over his shoulder at the open desert. 'If they don't be wantin' me, I could jest get outta here. I's got all I need...' The idea is very appealing....he turns and takes three quick steps toward the open desert, but stops. Something...something unexplainable...was holding him back. He very well could just leave, he knows, but something inside him tells him he shouldn't. He has no idea what it is, but it somehow wins out, and he turns back to the party with a sigh and walks--slowly--back toward them. He stays a short distance away from the rest of the group, however.

Hannibal takes a moment, closing his eyes and feeling the wind blow off his face. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, a look of peace crossing his face. Opening his eyes again, that same look of distance crosses his eyes. He looks back to Emma and finishes. "This fate has been given to me though, it is not of my choosing. If I had my way I would be standing as Canter, or possibly Skandor, a noble warrior serving his king. I would have a beautiful wife at my side and..." Hannibal nearly chokes on his words here, taking a moment to compose himself. "...a son in my arms."

Hannibal's choice of words take all of the wind out of Emma's sails. Her face softens completely. Her anger is spent. And now it's clear that she has hurt the thief with her rash words. She doesn't know how to take them back, and sits silently upon her horse as he continues.

"You don't trust me Priestess, that I can see plainly." Hannibal swallows slowly. "I hate to say it but sometimes I don't trust myself. I'll make you a deal. When we get back, when this is done, I will step out and you can find another to take my place. It will be the last of Hannibal Smith you will ever have to deal with."

"Hannibal...I..." Emma softly mutters, "That's not...I mean, that was never...what I wanted. It's just I get so angry sometimes..." She seems at a loss for words, but of course, the wordy priestess is never completely out of any conversation. "Look, I don't believe you're really an evil man. None of you are. Remember, Anhur lets me peer into the souls of man, dwarf, and elf alike? I know you're not that bad. But I see so much good in you. All of you. And it goes to waste, I think. And every time I see you do or suggest something that clearly devalues nobility, kindness, and trust in others, it sickens my heart. And when I have allowed it to sicken for so long, eventually I have to let it out. I'm just sorry for doing so in such an angry and hurtful way..."

Hannibal responds, "I'm sorry for not consulting with the rest of you but I see little time to waste. We need to move quickly though to pull this off and too many lives depend on our success to place our lives in his hands." He points to Robert's body. "If you all can think of a better plan by all means say so, I will concede."

Hannibal waits in silence for a moment before turning back to Emma, whispering quietly so only she can hear. "Leave a note for him if you wish, tell him your sorry for my actions, but I work for a greater good now. I am trying to prevent a war that he is starting and if a little bump on the head upsets you that much then strike me down where I stand! Otherwise, get out of my way!"

Emma nods and backs her horse up another pace. In truth, Hannibal couldn't take back his actions any more than she could take back her words. But his suggestion of writing a note didn't sound so bad. As least she could try and explain things to Robert that way.

At the end of this speech, El interjects tightly. "Listen girl. I have every respect for your god, and for you, but when was the last time your faith was tested? Maybe it was just now, when Hannibal knocked the crown of the Baron's son. I do not know a damn thing about your past. But from what I know of Hannibal, Storm, and myself, trust is something we can ill afford. Perhaps your faith would last until Wade brought us to our knees in front of the mages. Would Anhur's scales of Justice save you then? I perhaps might have trusted this man, but it would not be the first time I have been deceived. As to your condemnations of Hannibals method," El struggles with himself, the breath coming in short gasps, "perhaps Hannibal too is a vessel for your god, no? Perhaps we all are," his tone is bitter. "Perhaps Justice works in mysterious ways. Wade is no innocent. You saw the way he spoke of his father. He is well aware, and well versed in deceit, greed, and injustice. And he is a soldier, he has killed. If a knock on the head is all that Justice has for him, then, may we all be so lucky. At least this way, his troops will not have cause to question his loyalty. Where would justice be then, if Robert Wade were drawn and quartered by the mages for insubordination?"

Emma looks sidelong at the elf, her eyes mostly upon Hannibal and Robert. "Perhaps we are vessels for the gods," Emma agrees, "But which ones? Let's follow Hannibal's plan to its conclusion. There's no way for us to turn back now..."

Hannibal bends over and picks Wade up again, waiting for some consensus from the team before proceeding.

At the conclusion of Hannibal's speech, Skandor ushers his horse closer towards Emma's, speaking for the first time. "Emma..." As his horse pulls up alongside hers, he speaks again, reaching easily over to place a hand gently on her shoulder. "Your words ring truth, as do Crayne's and Hannibal's. But this is not the time nor the place for this discussion."

He looks around to Crayne, Hannibal, and the rest of the group as he speaks. "What's done is done. Berating each other, questioning each other's motives and reasons will merely slow us down, or ultimately, stop us. If we slay this man," he nods towards Wade's now-unconscious form, "we set into motion an unstoppable wheel: the enemy will learn of his disappearance. They will learn of his death. They will learn of the reasons behind it, and then we are surely doomed. However," he pauses, gathering steam, "If we allow him to return to his men, and force ourselves to trust him... we at least have the chance that he will remain truthful and aid us. One way, the first way, guarantees further danger for us. The second way, the trusting way, at least gives us the opportunity for an ally."

Turning back towards Emma, he smiles softly and speaks softer still. "Lady, I admire your conviction, especially in the midst of the current situation. But also remember the Scrolls...these people, your close friends, are but lanterns whose hoods have not yet been removed. They still hold doubts, and it is not for us to decide when they will see the light. It is up to them. Until then, we must do what we feel is right...and that we have done so far."

He gives Emma's shoulder a gentle reassuring squeeze, hoping in that moment she would realize that he fully supporter her, as he has since joining Rinder's Six. He then places his hands back on the reins of his horse. Looking down at the slumbering form of Wade, Skandor looks to Hannibal.

"Your plan sounds well and good enough to me, friend. But as you mentioned...we should make haste. Time is not an overflowing commodity for us." Skandor looks to the horizon, where the sky is beginning to lighten.

After a few minutes pass Crayne rises again and walks up to Emma, "I feel since our discussion before that you still haven't changed your ways in any shape or form. Your religious fanaticism is just too much for me and believe if it continues it is going to endanger to the group. This constant arguing and constant insults that seem to come from your mouth is beginning to tire me immensely. To say that I am in this merely for the power has struck me hard Emma and I will never forget what you have said. Perhaps I will never trust you again and after this escapade with Robert Wade I feel that I will find it hard to agree with anything you say again. By going through with capturing Robert and now returning him to his troops I believe you have put Rinder's Six in more danger than ever before. I hope you realise that Emma. I really hope you know what you are doing."

Emma waves Crayne's comments away. "I grow tired of hearing you turn this into a religious argument as well, Crayne," she says, "I have simply looked for an ounce of goodness in your actions...and I never expected any of them to be a zombie-like blind-acceptance of the faith of Anhur. Instead, I expected some common kindness from you. I was pleasantly surprised by your acceptance of Robert and invitation to him...but then you betrayed all of that with your later suggestions. I simply don't understand you, Highbrow."

"You see there we go again an ounce of goodness in our actions! What is it that I am doing which is so evil? You keep on insulting me again and again. I have done nothing without consulting the group or you! All I am basing my assumptions and proposals on is sheer logic!" Crayne says trying his best to get through to Emma.

She shakes her head ruefully, saying, "And obviously you don't understand me...as hard as I try to communicate my pain, frustration, and disappointment. What's more, when I suggested the power-trip thing, I was speaking out of turn...angry because of your insinuation that I have feelings for Robert and that they are clouding my judgment. Couldn't you see that? Didn't you understand how deeply you wounded me with your own words? You struck me, so I struck back. For that I'm sorry..."

"Why is that you are in so much pain Emma? What is the real reason? You have said that none of us are evil earlier on so what is it that we are doing so wrong? That is why I keep on bringing up your religion because as far as I can see that seems to be the problem. It's the fact that we are not abiding by Anhur's rules on a day to day basis. Thus, that is why I am saying all of this. We are not of Anhur and we are never going to do everything the way you want it to be done! That is why I think you need to change your attitude towards the group. You have to respect other peoples beliefs and thoughts without flying off at the deep end and insulting everybody. You have to bite your tongue. At the moment I feel that you are just not fitting in to what we are trying to do here and I feel that you are beginning to bring danger to the group!"

Hearing these words, Skandor turns his horse around sharply to face the mage. He makes sure that his horse does not trample the mage's ring and staff, still lying on the ground. His visage is stern as he takes in Crayne's angry face.

"Right now," the paladin says deeply, slowly, "We're all bringing danger to our group with this squabbling. This is NOT the time!" he says sharply, the first time anyone can remember the Sword Bearer speaking so harshly, or raising his voice. Perhaps if they each heard a voice of reason, a voice that did not belong to their rival, they would listen a little closer. "There will be time enough later to reflect on our actions, our goals, and who 'fits in' where. But for now, if you two continue, we'll be here until sunrise!"

He pulls the reins tightly to control his horse, which grows just as agitated as its master. He glances towards Hannibal, hoping to see him walking off with Wade's body. He looks to Storm, El...anyone, hoping that they, too, are ready to continue their escapade this night.

He sighs heavily, though, when the conversation continues. As the debate continues, Skandor turns his attention to the ground where Crayne hurled those items. The conversation is lost upon him from that point as Skandor dismounts swiftly and retrieves the Crayne's staff and the ring. He pays close attention to the ring, inspecting it for the first time since he had joined Rinder's Six. So much had been said about them, curiosity and confusion had filled the paladin's mind. All this uproar over this tiny band of metal? He turns the ring over again and again, wondering what made it so special.

Skandor walks up to Crayne's horse and offers the ring and staff to him. "I will carry these both, if you do not accept them now. However, I believe that they would do much more good in your hands, Crayne."

Crayne pauses and then continues, "And as to the ring I feel that I no longer want to wear it! Both Hannibal and Emma seem to think that I am only with this group in order to obtain the rings all for myself. I dread to think what they think I'm going to do with them once I have them." Crayne shakes his head, disappointed. "No! I refuse to wear the ring! I never wanted it in the first place. I wish Karelth was still here to wear the dam thing! This however, is just what I've been talking about! An item so powerful in one persons hands is bad news. That is why these rings must be destroyed once this feud is over! The both of you seem jealous and perhaps somewhat envious that I wear it! And that I crave for the Ring of Fire Command so that I can become the all powerful and rule all!" Crayne begins to laugh in a crazed fashion.

Emma shakes her head again. "I don't know where you get your illusions from, Highbrow," she replies, "I don't' envy your ring...or your staff...or any of your other powerful enchantments. To me they are all heavy burdens. Burdens that only you are capable of carrying. If I'm concerned about anything regarding your so-called power-trip...it's simply that I have seen nothing from you that indicates you're questing for these rings to help people."

"There we go again! You have insulted me again! You have seen nothing to indicate that I'm searching for the rings to help people! So, in other words you are saying that I am merely in this for the power. That is what you are saying Emma! You do believe it as I suspected! I have said it time and time again. I want to get these rings destroy the Red Dragon mages, bring peace to both Caerloon and Rinder and then destroy the rings. What have a got to do to convince you? Is there no trust at all between us?"

Emma replies angrily. "It appears more often that you're simply eager to compete with...and topple...the Red Dragon mages. Kind of like the same pride that destroyed Damacht and Vohnungt, remember? I see you and Paros in the same sort of light. Do you deny your interest and fascination with the man? It's plainly written upon your face...and in all that you say or do. I see a day of reckoning on the horizon for you and him. And it worries me...it worries all of us...because we fear that your pursuit of enough power to overcome Paros may undo you as well. And we care enough about you that we don't want to see that happen. Does that make sense, Crayne?"

"That is a valid statement Emma for once!" Crayne responds. "And I see where you are coming from and I am glad that you care for me. As I have said time and again these rings are dangerous and do cause trouble wherever they go. And as to me having too much power you again speak the truth. That is why I never wanted the ring in the first place. As for me being obsessed with Paros I admit that I do respect the man as an opponent. He is intelligent and wise! Thus, isn't it wise not to underestimate your opponent?"

Crayne was really finding it hard to get past their comments. After all he had done for Rinder's Six none of them still seemed to show any sort of trust towards him. It was still the same to Crayne that no one could be trusted. No one could be considered a friend because in the end they always seemed to stab him in the back when his guard was down. Perhaps the only person who he did put some trust in was his beloved Melli. But, other than that everyone had let him down. He would be wary of this group from now on.

"I have said what I feel. I believe we now have two choices to make. The first being who will now wear the Ring of Water Command and secondly what are we going to do with Robert here? Are we going to go through with Hannibal's suggestion. Quite frankly I don't think we have any alternative!" Crayne makes his way over to Skandor and takes his staff.

"Keep your ring," Emma says, watching Crayne take his staff from atop her horse. "Who else among us could master its power? Or even keep it under control? Elloharin? No, I would prefer it to stay upon your hand, Crayne. As for Robert, Hannibal has made our choice for us...and we must follow it, for better or worse. I will leave a note with him explaining our actions and our reasons for it...that we saw it as the best way to guarantee his safety upon returning to his men. Hopefully, he won't hold this against us..."

Emma looks around at everyone else. "Is there more for us to discuss this night?" she asks, feeling tired, all of her anger spent, "I hope not. Too much bitterness has passed our lips already. Skandor is right. I say we put aside this petty arguing. We make ourselves stronger because of it. And we renew our bonds of friendship with one another. But please...I ask of all of you...consider my faith occasionally before you act. All of you know my feelings and general philosophy by now. If you can't respect my god, then please respect me before doing something that you know will anger me outright. I will do my best to extend the same courtesy to all of you."

Crayne remains silent. He had had enough for one night. He just wished he could get through to Emma and open her eyes to other things outside of Anhur. How he had tried for so long, but had failed. He just wished that she would bite her tongue occasionally and not be so stubborn in her ways.

For a moment there is silence as the sun begins to slowly peek over the desert's horizon. It is as if time were standing still, and for a moment the mild chill not so cold. The grayness of those few pre-dawn minutes casts a shadowy tint over the scene, muting the bright colors of tabards and the glint of metal. The wooden walls of El-Balans seem stone-like, their wood-brown color washed away by dawn's arrival.

And then there is a noise. Hannibal snaps his head around, looking toward the gate. It is opening! And that could only mean one thing.

With a shart, piercing sound, a single arrow soars through the morning air, landing firmly in the cold tundra at Alara's feet. And then, like floodgates, the main gate to El-Balans swings open, releasing forth a wave of soldiers. Shoulder-to-shoulder, five across and at least three rows deep, they come jogging out. The front line is armed with bows, cocked and ready to fire.

Seeing the enemy rushing onto the scene, Rinder's Six scrambles. They were discovered! Had the Caerloon troops awakened to find their commander missing? Or had their arguments carried to the compound, just yards away? There is no time to answer such questions, for with a swiftness like the desert wind, the battle has begun.

The front line opens fire, sending a salvo of missiles toward the party. Alara is struck in the leg, causing her to fall over before she can even ready her weapon. (3 hp damage) Canter catches a glimpse of an arrow headed in his direction, and jumps aside, barely escaping the hit. Hannibal, the closest of Rinder's Six to the oncoming enemy troops, takes a hit to the stomach. The pain of the arrowhead entering his flesh is piercing, and Hannibal reaches for to remove it as soon as possible, feeling the warmth of his own blood on his hands. (4 hp damage) Emma is lucky, the arrow intended for her neck sails wide, landing on the tundra somewhere beyond. The final arrow of the salvo careers toward Crayne. The mage sees it coming, and tries to spur his horse away, but as he turns he feels in impact of the sharp arrowhead on his side, just above the hip. The force sends him to the ground, and the pain knocks the wind out of him. He had not felt such pain in a long time. (5 hp damage)

"You there!" a voice echoes from behind the oncoming troops, "Halt and stay where you are. You are to be charged with the kidnapping and murder of an officer of the Army of the Kingdom Caerloon! You are ordered to surrender and drop your weapons. Any attempt to flee or resist will be met with deadly force!"

Canter looks to Robert's body, lying lifeless on the ground. 'They must think we've killed him!' he thinks to himself. "Do you see what this petty bickering has gotten us into?!" he screams over his shoulder toward the others. With a swift motion, he throws his bow off his shoulder, catching it in one hand while grabbing an arrow from his quiver with the other. He quickly readies that arrow, preparing to return fire.

Pushing herself up, Alara reaches for her bow, which had fallen with her. Wrapping her delicate fingers around the bow's shaft, she grabs an arrow from her quiver and readies it, aiming for the closest soldier in the front line.

Both Alara and Canter hold their actions, though, as if waiting for orders.

"You dare threaten us?!" the voice calls out, presumably in response to Canter and Alara's movements. "Very well. Commence the attack."

Hearing these words, Alara tightens her jaw. It was inevitable now, she knew. Closing one eye and drawing her bow, she fires. Her aim is good, and the first arrow flies straight and true. It strikes the archer as he prepares to reload, hitting him in the chest. The hit is immediately followed by another arrow from Alara, which strikes the immobilized archer in the stomach. He drops his bow, and kneels on the ground, spitting a mouthful of blood.

Seeing Alara fire, Canter does the same. 'If we're going to stay and fight this out, we might as well get a shot in. If we're going to pull back, I may as well cover the retreat,' he tells himself as he looses his first arrow. It strikes another archer from the front line, catching him in the shoulder. Canter's second arrow misses, however, falling just short of the enemy line.

Crayne scampers to his feet, staying behind his mount so as to use it for cover. He looks around to take stock of the situation: not good. "Stay close to Robert!" he calls out from behind his horse. "They won't fire if you're close to him!"

Elloharin can feel the rush as the sounds of battle reverberate around him. Acting as quickly as he can, he readies his own short bow, knocking an arrow and firing at the nearest Caerloon soldier, an archer in the front line of the tight formation. His first shot is short, but his second is a hit, striking the archer in the leg. It's not enough to kill the man, or even stop him from firing his weapon. But it's a start.

Emma watches the exchange go on around her from atop her mount. 'I won't last long if I don't stay moving,' she tells herself. She spurs her horse into motion, though she doesn't really have a direction yet. Just enough to get her moving, to make her a harder target to hit. 'We must take command of the situation before this goes from overwhelming to ridiculous!' Until she can do so, however, she simply readies her bow, searching the enemy formation for some kind of officer's uniform. She can't see one right away (he's probably still inside the gate!), so she settles on sending two arrows at the front line. The first shot misses. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she takes a deep breath, remembering this firing position from her training. Her second shot is right on target, striking an archer in the thigh.

With a short but strong yank, Hannibal removes the arrow from his stomach, throwing it aside. He knows he is the closest to the line, and so he backpedals toward his own party, under the cover of their arrows, all the while readying his longbow. Kneeling down beside Canter, he fires at the front line. His shot is a hit, and the thief smiles for a moment, until a wave of pain in his belly reminds him of the seriousness of the situation.

At the outbreak of battle, Skandor immediately unsheathes his huge two-handed sword. Looking over the field, he finds Emma. His first duty is to the Shield Maiden. And so he rushes across from his position toward hers, dodging friendly and unfriendly fire in the process, until he has reached the priestess' horse. "Do we stay and fight, Shield Maiden?" He breathes heavily from the excitement of the battle, but keeps his eyes on her as he follows with her horse. "If we can draw them away from the gate, perhaps someone can get to the stable--it's not far once your inside. If we can release the Hatheans, we might stand a chance!"

Storm reaches for his best range weapon, his crossbow. Grabbing a pair of quarrels, he loads, cocks, and takes aim. With an archer in his sights, he pulls the trigger, sending the short, sharp projectile hurling toward its target. The quarrel strikes the same archer Alara had hit twice, this time at the base of the neck. The archer spews blood from the wound as if he were a fountain, and keels over, dropping the arrow in his other hand. He will soon be dead, Storm knows.

Seeing the battle erupt all around her, little Illena takes a step back, away from the oncoming soldiers. Then, she narrows her eyes as she begins to recognize what is really happening, and the faces of the archers. With sudden action, she sprints toward Crayne and, touching his arm as he arrives beside him, she speaks. "May the songs of praise to Hathe restore you'n!" (1 hp restored to Crayne (Orison)) As she finishes, Crayne can feel her hand grow warm for a moment, and looking at her face, she smiles to him. "Do not let my people die here," she pleads.

---

1. HP Status: Alara: 25/32, Canter: 41/44, Crayne: 11/15, Elloharin: 25/25, Emma: 42/42, Hannibal: 16/26, Skandor: 24/31, Storm: 44/44, Illena: 12/12.

2. The party, including Alara, the Coreognate's body, and the unconscious Robert Wade IV, are grouped roughly in a circular area about twenty yards from the El-Balans gate. The group has six horses; Crayne was on one until he was sent off during the initial attack, Emma rides one, the carries the Coreognate's body, and the other three are standing around, their riders having dismounted. That makes Emma the only one actually mounted and functional at the moment.

3. The gate is open at the moment, and the Caerloon troops are coming out of the compound through it. The troops are in formation, shoulder-to-shoulder five across and three rows deep. The first row is the archers (all of whom were hit in this round). So far there is no evidence of mages, and though there appear to be only fifteen soldiers, there are undoubtedly more inside.

---

~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Turn 139.3: Bloodshed at Dawn

Posted: 1/31/01

Cursing loudly, after wounding one of the archers, Elloharin sets his bow on his shoulder and runs to the downed Wade. He curses again, "Damn Emma and Crayne's overweening pride!" The Six could not go on like this for much longer. Looking at Wade, in peaceful slumber, he sees a slight tinge of dried blood on his hair. "The time for stealth is past, once again." He starts slapping Wade's cheeks roughly, trying to wake him up.

"Wade! Wade! Get your lazy bones up before your own men put an arrow in you!" Robert's head turns from side to side with each succeeding slap, but he makes no indication that he is actually coming to. He must have been hit pretty hard.

Crayne scampers to his feet, staying behind his mount so as to use it for cover. He looks around to take stock of the situation: not good. "Stay close to Robert!" he calls out from behind his horse. "They won't fire if you're close to him!"

"Idiot!" Emma replies, "They think he's dead!"

Hannibal glances over to Wade's body, fearful at first that he had been hit while over his shoulder (though the body now lies on the ground once again, with El). Satisfied that he had not, Hannibal prepares for the inevitable battle. "Damn my stubbornness!" he curses quietly.

"Do we stay and fight, Shield Maiden?" Skandor breathes heavily from the excitement of the battle, but keeps his eyes on her as he follows with her horse. "If we can draw them away from the gate, perhaps someone can get to the stable--it's not far once your inside. If we can release the Hatheans, we might stand a chance!"

Hannibal hears this and looks beyond the soldiers to the gate beyond. "You would have to be a fool to try that, there's too many of them!" Hannibal calls back, not sure if he had been heard over all the commotion.

"Aye, it seems our best hope," Emma replies, wheeling her agitated horse around. She jerks on the reins to control the beast and looks down at the Sword Bearer, "I'm still mounted...so I stand the best chance of getting there quickly." She gives him a sad smile, full of the leftover pain from so many of the harsh words that had passed between Rinder's Six.

"I'm sorry, Skandor...for everything," she says, "Tell the others our plan. We'll draw them out and then I'll start my charge." She wheels the horse again and lifts her short bow for another shot into the packed Caerloon ranks. The shot takes off from her bow, cutting through the morning air. It strikes an archer, knocking him off his kneeling stance. She quickly fires off another shot, again striking the same archer. As her eyes momentarily remain trained on the archer's body, she can the man has been slain.

Skandor's eyes widen as he realizes her plan. His mouth drops slightly in an open display of shock and disbelief, and his voice is low and guttural.

"NO!!"

But the shield maiden whips her horse around and away from him...her mind is set.

In that brief moment, in that split second of time to the others gathered in this small part of the world, Skandor seems almost outside himself. Images of Emma's dead body falling from her horse as she gallops towards the temple fill his mind, and along with those images, scenes from the night of his family's passing also flash by, reminding him what we was.

A coward.

Standing behind his horse to protect himself momentarily from missile-fire, Skandor grips his hands tightly around his claymore. Shutting his eyes tightly, pressing back tears from the images that had just flashed through his consciousness, Skandor beseeches his god. "Anhur...heal your warrior so that I might die a clean, full death. Let my foes feel your wrath." (8 hp restored)

Looking to eliminate the threat of the archers as quickly as possible. Hannibal readies another arrow with his bow. Taking aim at the three archers who remain firing, he looses his missile. It is a miss, landing in the dirt between the two sides. He rapidly readies and fires off another, this one catching his target in the arm. He can see the archer flinch with the impact, and is sure he has caused some damage, but the archer is not defeated.

Storm, who had remained at least twenty feet behind the party to begin with after his near-flee to the desert and beyond, grins with satisfaction as his quarrel strikes the mortal blow on one of the Caerloon archers. But he is not even close to happy. 'What be they thinkin'?? Them stupid humans!' he thinks, sure that had the non-humans in the group made the decisions their weapons would still be sheathed.

But it was too late now. From his position behind the group he quickly redraws his crossbow and loads another bolt. He fires the missile at the archer next to the one he had just hit, trying to work as fast as he can. With a nod of satisfaction he follows the bolt as it strikes that archer, impacting on the man's thigh.

Crayne sees the smile of Illena as he sits there behind the cover of his horse. He struggles to keep his eyes open the pain shoots through his body. He looks down and sees the blood oozing from his side and the end of the arrow head. 'Is this to be the death of me?' Crayne asks himself as he sees Emma in the background. His eyes direct sheer hatred towards her at the moment. Something which he had only felt once before when leaning over the bodies of his dead parents. He would not let her be the cause of his death.

He looks to Illena and her pleading eyes. A tear slowly runs down one of his cheeks as she offers him a healing prayer. As the instance passes Crayne suddenly feels a rage swell up in him. He was sick of this world. All that seemed to cross his path lately was death and slaughter and he could now not even look to his so-called friends for comfort. It was adrenaline now that kicked in to give him that extra strength.

Looking back to Illena Crayne replies, "I will not let your people down Illena! Stay close to me! This evil has gone on long enough!" he says as he rests his hand on Illena's. It is then that Crayne closes his eyes and reaches for the power of the Ring of Water Command. He had done it once before and the consequences had been near-fatal. But now he knew that he could control it better. He knew what to expect from it and this time he would not let what had happened last time happen again.

Kneeling beside Canter, Alara whips off two shots with her bow. The sails swiftly, striking the same archer Hannibal had just hit. And that was enough, for the archer falls backwards, dying. Her second attack is not as successful, though, as the arrow, originally aimed for the archer Storm had just hit, sails wide, striking the gate of El-Balans.

Concentrating intensely, Canter takes aim with his trusty bow. He fires a first shot, which strikes the archer Alara had just missed. It hits the foe with great force, ripping through the man's fleshy neck, killing him instantly. Not taking even a moment to enjoy the victory, Canter shifts targets to the last remaining archer. His second arrow strikes this archer in his bow-arm, causing him to drop his bow in pain. While not a kill, Canter knows that it is one step closer to victory.

With most if not all of the front line gone, the second line, armed with long swords and laden with chain mail, leaps forward. The first of these soldiers charges toward and attacks Elloharin, yelling, "This is for Wade!" Elloharin, leaning over Robert's limp body, is not exactly prepared for the attack, and though he unsheathes his sword with great speed in an attempt to block the attack, it is just too late. The soldier's blade slices into El's side, ripping open a large wound. (6 hp damage)

Seeing the next wave of infantry coming, Alara gives Canter a look, and both throw their range weapons aside. Now was the time for hand-to-hand combat, and these fighters knew it. Alara readies herself for the soldier advancing on her position, and correctly anticipates his fake to the left and thrust to the right. Moving her sword accordingly, she blocks the attack, saving her skin--for the moment.

In synchrony with the half-elf, Canter readies his sword for the soldier approaching him. With a combination of footwork (moving him slightly farther from Alara so as not to get hit by any friendly weapons) and defensive posturing, the leatherman's son denies the soldier's attack.

Hannibal then finds himself under attack as an infantryman moves on his position. Having prepared his blade (and tossing aside his bow), the thief does his best to defend himself. And for the moment, his best is good enough; his blade matches the soldiers and the attack fails.

Meanwhile, other foot soldiers from the second and third lines continue to move away from the gate, literally hopping over the dead and dying archers.

(139.2)

Emma spurs her horse, riding him at a right angle to the Caerloon force, putting distance between her and the others in order to set up a passable crossfire. She fires another couple of arrows at the soldiers before the gate, gritting her teeth in frustration. Both shots miss, and though she'd like to blame that on the horse, she knows that with her training it's more likely caused by something else--her own thoughts. She can't help reminding herself that this was partially her fault, too. If she hadn't argued so loudly and for so long with Crayne and Hannibal, the soldiers might not have heard them. But then, how could she have gone along with their plan? Distrusting Robert was the wrong thing to do. Why couldn't they see that? 'I guess they've lived a life of danger and mistrust for so long that it effects everything they do...,' she thinks.

Hannibal watches in horror as the Shield Maiden rides off. At first he is speechless, was she crazy?!! "EMMA!" he shouts knowing she couldn't possibly hear him. Gritting his teeth in anger, he returns to his own foe. As much as he'd like to cover her immanent advance with his bow, that won't be possible until he finishes with the soldier before him. He jumps to the side, trying to outflank the soldier. Though the soldier follows his movements, Hannibal spots an opening and exploits it, landing a solid blow.

As the priestess rides away from her companions, Skandor's visage contorts into one of rage and anger. His pulse quickens, his breaths come in sharp gasps, and he lets out a feral scream as he comes around his horse and charges towards the Caerloon soldiers. He holds his blade with both hands, out to the side as he rushes forward as fast as his legs will carry him.

Emma had ridden away at an angle, so there was a possibility that his charge might very well distract some of the soldiers from giving her attention. He sprints forward towards the enemy, and his eyes take sight of some of the men injured and wounded from his companions' missile fire. So much the better.

His howl is deep and loud, one of stern resignation. He hoped that this would draw the attention of some of the soldiers, and inevitably allow Emma to pass by unharmed, or harmed as little as was possible. Attacking the nearest and closest unengaged soldier, he uses his momentum to drive his mighty blade, swooping down upon the foot soldier before him. He feels a sense of satisfaction as he hears the blade impact upon the soldier's chain mail, splitting upon the links with its sheer force. He can feel the crunch of the soldier's shoulder blade and hear the scream coming from deep within the soldier's throat.

Before he can reload and fire once more, Storm sees Emma ride out with her horse, obviously planning another stupid maneuver. 'Heh, she be actin' like me now,' he jokingly thinks. Suddenly, though, Skandor draws his weapon and plunges right into the thick of the frey. Storm's line of fire now being cut off by the huge holy warrior, he curses under his breath and restows his crossbow.

"Now what?" he says out loud.

Then his eyes befall little Illena, and a wave of emotion courses through his veins. A little girl--obviously not a warrior--was stuck in the middle of a huge, gory battle that she was unnecessarily brought into by the stupid decisions of his friends. That was unacceptable. But how could it be fixed?

Storm had no clue. But the one thing he did know was that nothing all too beneficial was going to happen out here. And the wide open gate to El-Balans seemed to offer the best solution, whatever on earth it may be.

Storm suddenly drops low to the ground, in a crouch that makes him as invisible as possible. He then starts to work his way wide of the main battle scene, strafing completely sideways to the opposite side that Emma was making her charge. Just as Skandor was hoping to cause a distraction, Storm was banking on the distractions caused by the two followers of Anhur.

Seeing as Robert cannot be awakened (though he is still breathing, El is sure), and that he is under direct attack, El decides there is little more he can do with the Caerloon nobleman. His body hurt from the soldier's strike, and the elf craved revenge in the darkest manner. Flexing his muscles, he leaps to the offensive, pushing the soldier back and away from Robert--at least they wouldn't get to the Six's most valuable prisoner! With a strong parry and thrust, El hits the soldier, slashing him across the chest and causing the soldier's chain links deep into his skin, ripping it all the way.

Canter, strengthened by his successful block, presses the attack. His effort is a success, and he strikes his foe hard. Though not close to being defeated, Canter is energized by the hit but breathes deeply so as to keep his focus.

Alara, too, attacks the soldier who moved on her. But this soldier is skilled, and he matches her thrusts and slashes with his blade, effectively negating her efforts.

Crayne focuses his mind on the ring and readies himself for the same slab of ice that had appeared last time. This time however, Crayne makes a huge effort into stopping the ice from splitting. He then tries to shape the ice into a thorn-like structure and aims it directly for the squad of Caerloon soldiers and at the same time attempts to block the main gates into the temple compound.

As soon as he replaces the ring on his finger, Crayne can feel the rush of power course through his body. Then, the power seems to concentrate in his hand, and as he raises it high above his head, he narrows his eyes in concentration. His arm begins to feel the familiar weight of the heavy ice as it begins to form above the fray. He notices that it is a flat sheet, not the thorn he had hoped, but proceeds nonetheless.

He can see and feel the sheet growing, from a ten foot square to a larger sheet. Realizing that too large a sheet will not work, Crayne is quick to begin to relax his arm, allowing the sheet to begin its descent. It picks up speed as it falls, the sheer force of it audible to all present.

Though many of the fighters had moved out of the area just in front of the gate, a group still remained, which now included a new soldier, who from the looks of it is probably an officer of some sort, perhaps the one who had demanded their revenge? On the fringe of this group is Skandor, fighting with his hefty claymore in a fanatic rage. These soldiers turn their heads toward the sky as the sheet of ice, still whole, comes crashing down upon them. Six soldiers, the two living archers, the officer, and Skandor are caught beneath it as it impacts upon the ground, sending all of them to the cold desert floor and shattering into thousands of pieces. (18 hp damage to Skandor) Heads and arms are sliced open and crushed, entire torsos are shattered and pulverized. Leg bones, formerly standing upright with their bodies, are driven deep into the hard-packed tundra of the Endless Desert. There isn't even time to scream. Nearly all of the soldiers are completely destroyed.

Skandor, seeing the sheet of ice coming down upon him, throws himself to the ground, curling up and holding his blade, point toward the sky, above him. The blade manages to break up some of the ice falling upon him, and while the maneuver saves his life, it doesn't stop the heavy frozen element from pounding the paladin's body, cutting his face and opening wounds on both arms and legs, to say nothing of the imprint left in his stomach from the handle of his sword, smacked into his flesh by the force of the ice.

The soldier fighting El, so intent upon destroying his elven enemy, totally ignores the gigantic crash behind him. He continues to attack, and his sword manages to catch El's arm, scratching down the length of it. El is stung by the pain but knows the wound is not too serious. (2 hp damage)

Alara, too, is attacked by the soldier opposite her. His blade finds her side as she attempts to turn and evade. She flinches with the hit, the tip of the blade puncturing her flesh. (5 hp damage)

Canter, however, once again blocks his adversary's attack, swiftly knocking aside the soldier's sword with his own. Hannibal is also lucky, as his own quick footwork saves him from his foe's attack.

Soon, one of the other foot soldiers who had escaped the ice sheet closes in on Alara. But she is not overwhelmed, and positions herself such that neither her first foe nor this new one are beside or behind her. With a slapping motion, she knocks away this new soldier's first attack.

The two other soldiers who had broken formation before Crayne's sheet of ice descended then arrive at Robert's side. One grab's the nobleman's arms, the other his legs, and they lift him in order to carry his (presumed dead) body away from the battlefield.

(139.3)

Feeling confident that the Caerloon force is starting to fall apart, Emma digs her spurs into the horse's side and heads directly for the gate, intending to ride over and through their remaining ranks. As she does so, she leans forward and prays simply to Anhur. 'Bless your warrior with holy insight, Great General...and protect her from those that seek to do her harm.' (7 hp added via Aid spell, active until 140.0)

Riding like the wind, Emma closes rapidly closes the distance between her and the gate. She can see the devastation that can only be caused by the Ring of Water Command. Her eyes briefly note Skandor, blood dripping from large cuts under his eyes, and for a moment her heart is saddened. She is relieved as the paladin rises from the rubble, steadying himself with his large blade. She also notices two other figures apparently emerging from the icy rubble: one a foot soldier and the other apparently an officer. The officer sees her coming and, readying his sword, he prepares to strike her down as she rides past.

But the area of small icy slabs extends into her horse's path a few yards before the officer's position. As her steed gallops over them, it begins to lose its balance and traction. Then with a terrifying wail, the horse's legs give way, slipping, and sending Emma flying off her saddle toward the officer! She lands on the ground with a loud thud, narrowly missing a large and pointed slab of ice.

Skandor rises from the ground, leaning for a moment on his sword. Then, clearing his head, he tells himself that he must continue the battle. 'By Anhur's will, if I breathe, I fight!' he tells himself, launching himself at the nearest living enemy: the one foot soldier who survived the ice attack. The blade, gleaming in what little light there is, whistles through the air with a great 'woosh' towards his intended target. It strikes the soldier in the stomach, lifting him off the ground and throwing him backwards against the door of the gate. The soldier hits the door with a loud "crack!" and falls to the ground, dead.

As this attack is done, he shouts into the dawn around him, "Bloody war for Anhur! Battle and death!"

Meanwhile, Storm creeps all the way around the scene in front of the gates, hiding in the shadows of the dawn. He stays along the outside wall of El-Balans, moving toward the icy rubble, the downed horse, Skandor, Emma, and the remaining officer. Peeking around the open gate door, he spots another group of soldiers and an officer, no doubt preparing the second large wave of attack. He doesn't have time to count, but there appear to be at least eight of them, probably more.

With a smile only Storm can display, he reaches into his sack of caltrops at his side and throws two handfuls full of the pointy studs onto the ground just inside the gate.

Alara, now facing two foes, bites her lower lip as she concentrates on her next move. She leans forward, lowering herself toward the ground a little. Then she springs into action, leaping forward and between her two foes, spinning around all the while. First her blade catches the enemy on the right, then on the left, as she falls backwards as planned and rolls away, ending up on her feet opposite her original position. While neither foe is killed, she can tell her hits did have an impact.

Canter smiles as he trades thrusts and parries with his adversary. Patiently, he waits until the right moment, then breaks the pattern. The move is a success, and he lands his blade across the soldier's neck, tearing the skin open and causing the soldier to fall to the ground, unable to speak or breathe, dying a quick but painful death. Moving on quickly, Canter rushes to attack one of the soldier's carrying Robert's body away, as he is aware of Robert's value, should the situation worsen. Unfortunately, the soldier he moves on sees him coming, and drops Robert's feet in time to raise his sword in his own defense, blocking Canter's attack.

El continues to battle with the foot soldier attacking him. He tries his hardest to land a good blow, but the soldier is just too quick, brushing aside the elf's attacks like annoying flies. Frustrated, El grinds his teeth but maintains his concentration. Hannibal, too, fails to successfully hit his opponent, though like El, he stays with it despite the pain.

Crayne does his best to shake off the strain of the Ring's power and catch his breath. He is aided by Illena at his side, who takes the mage's hand into her own, smaller hands. "May the dance of Lati enrich your strength," she says quietly, and Crayne can feel the warmth once again from her hands into his. (1 hp restored to Crayne)

Reinvigorated, Crayne's eyes scan the battlefield, noting Storm, Skandor, and Emma near the gate and Alara, Canter, Elloharin, and Hannibal battling on the tundra. Then his eyes swing back to Alara--she had it the worst, fighting against two soldiers at once. Gripping his staff tightly, Crayne bolts in her direction. His arrival takes the soldiers by surprise, and the soldier who happens to be in his path meets his fate as the end of Crayne's powerful Staff of Striking pounds into his skull, crushing it instantly in a bloody implosion.

"Thank you," Alara says quickly to Crayne, as she moves to intercept the other soldier before he can turn on the more vulnerable mage.

El suddenly feels the searing pain again as his opponent's blade tears into his flesh. He tightens his jaw and does not scream, but inside he knows he cannot stand much more of this. (5 hp damage)

Seeing his companion's face bashed in with the mage's staff, the soldier battling Alara grows enraged. "That was Thronton!" he scream, wildly swinging his blade at Alara. The half-elf keeps her cool, however, knowing that as long as her enemy was crazed he would not be able to effectively attack her. Thus, she steps aside, drawing him away from Crayne while defending herself relatively easily.

Hannibal swallows hard as he studies his foe's every move. This duel recalled the days when he was a warrior. That seemed so long ago. With a deftness once lost to the thief, he easily blocks his enemy's attack.

Having interrupted the two soldier's retrieval of Robert Wade IV, Canter soon finds himself the object of their aggression. The first attacks quickly, his sword grazing Canter's cheek. (2 hp damage) The second them shifts around Canter's side and, managing to outflank the seasoned fighter, drives his long sword into Canter's side, ripping open a large wound. Canter screams with pain, whipping his head to the side to see the soldier withdrawing the offending blade, covered in his blood. (8 hp damage)

Looking down at Emma, the officer standing in the gate smiles. With her having been thrown offer her mount, his attack is all the more easily done. He stabs at her amidst the ice shards, first missing as she rolls aside, but then catching her. The tip of his blade pierces her left shoulder, and for the first time in this battle, Emma is hit. (6 hp damage) She does not feel pain, however, and she knows exactly who to thank for that.

With a smile, she knocks the officer's sword aside and rolls away, rising to her feet with one fluid motion, broad sword at the ready. She looks past the officer, spotting Storm directly behind him as he finishes tossing caltrops on the ground. And she also sees the next wave of Caerloon soldiers gathering inside the gates. Not only that, but now among them is a robed man. Tensing her muscles, she suspects the worse.

---

1. HP Status: Alara: 20/32, Canter: 31/44, Crayne: 12/15, El: 12/25, Emma: 43/42, Hannibal: 16/26, Skandor: 13/31, Storm: 44/44, Illena: 12/12.

2. The situation: The following people are outside of El-Balans and away from the gate: ALARA, ELLOHARIN, and HANNIBAL, are each battling one Caerloon foot soldier from the original fifteen, one each. CANTER is battling against the two foot soldiers (from the original 15) who were trying to retrieve Robert's body. CRAYNE is near Alara, staff in hand, not immiately threatened. ILLENA is by his side.

EMMA is standing exactly in the gate area, standing off against the officer before her. Her horse is on the ground nearby, moaning. If she looks directly past/through the officer, she can see STORM, on the other side of the gate area. SKANDOR is also nearby, just in front of the gate area but close enough to get to Emma's side and still attack and enemy within one round.

Who can see what from their positions: EMMA can see through the gate (as can SKANDOR if he chooses to) and see about ten more Caerloon soldiers donning armor and preparing for battle. She can also see one officer with with them and one robed man. From his position, STORM can only see about two thirds of this group, which does not include the robed man. Everyone else cannot see this group of Caerloon men.

3. CRAYNE: still has 1 Magic Missile and 1 Mirror Image memorized and available. Likewise, EMMA has the following: spell level 1 - Anti-Vermin Barrier, Command, Cure Light Wounds (x2), Protection from Evil; spell level 2 - (Aid--used), Find Traps, Cure Moderate Wounds, Hold Person; spell level 3 - Dispel Magic, Locate Object, and Summon Animal Spirit.

---

~ The Quest for the Ring of Fire Command: [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Turn 139.6: The Battle at El-Balans

Posted: 2/2/01

(139.4)

Storm snickers to himself as he lays his caltrop trap, imagining loping off the heads of the Caerloon scum as they crawl and hobble past him with bloody feet. He draw one of his long swords with his left hand and is about to draw the right when he sees Emma through the officer before her. More so, he sees a nice, perfectly exposed backside to an important enemy. Instead of drawing a sword with his last hand he instead, draws a dagger and, waving it once above his head, tries to get Emma's brief attention. He holds the dagger up quizzically, silently asking Emma if she wants him to hurl the weapon into the man's backside.

To himself, he hopes that she doesn't. His spot is too good to give away, since probably at least one of the eight men he sees would probably see where the dagger would come from. But he feels he should at least offer...even if the stubborn woman had just insulted him--something he would not soon forget.

The battle had gone better than Skandor had hoped, up until this point at least. The paladin smiles as he shoots one quick look to the Caerloon soldier he had just struck, his body crumpled on the ground, a thick rivulet of scarlet dripping from his chest onto the cold earth. Nay, the soldier does not move, so the Sword Bearer turned his attention to his charge, Emma.

His head whips around just in time to see the officer's sword puncture her shoulder. It should not be a mortal wound, but the paladin felt almost as though he, too, could feel the wound she had just suffered.

Skandor feels smaller pieces of ice fall from his form as he paces towards the officer, watching his footing carefully. For the second time, the powerful Ring of Water Command had made its presence known, and in the process, for the second time, almost killed the paladin.

But that didn't matter right now.

Seeing Storm motion questioningly with the dagger, the Shield Maiden impercptibly shakes her head no. She and Skandor could handle this. The dwarf would do better to prepare his ambush for the Red Dragon renegade and the other soldiers.

Seeing Emma give him the shake of her head to not attack, Storm nods back quickly and replaces the dagger on his belt. He then draws his second trusted (though human, not of dwarven make) long sword, and tucks himself even further against the wall of El-Balans. Only inches from the doorway entrance, he waits for the enemies within to hobble past him with pierced feet.

Emma refocuses her attention on the Caerloon officer, swinging her blade to fend off his next attack. As soon as the strike's energy is harmlessly spent against her sword, she summons up a quick prayer to her god. She steps back just a pace to increase the distance between them and stretches forth her hand.

Ignoring the sweat and blood he could feel on his body, Skandor smiles slightly, just warming up to the battle. As he nears the officer, who seems oblivious to his presence and totally focused on Emma, Skandor decides he will give the officer a nice surprise, something to take with him to the Halls of Justice. But before he is able to reach the officer, Emma's commanding voice rings out clearly.

"Faint!" she says to the man, calling upon Anhur's power to weaken a soldier's resolve...to shake his confidence so badly that the blood would drain from his face and his body would temporarily fall to the ground. Instantly, he does.

"Skandor? Finish him!" she says, pointing down at the comatose officer. A quick thrust should do the job. And then they could focus their attention on the next wave...especially the wizard. And Emma was already planning ahead for that.

Skandor nods once, and without hesitation, he looms above the incapacitated form of the officer, and rears back his mighty claymore. Swiftly, he brings the blade down on the neck of his immobile enemy with a deep grunt, defenseless to the paladin's guillotine-like blade.

Was it a warrior's death? Perhaps not. Perhaps paladins of other faiths would scowl in horror at the way in which the Caerloon officer died. But Skandor, and any paladin of Anhur's order, was of different mettle. They knew that, in war, there was no time for 'honor' and 'the right thing.' There was only time for defeat...or victory.

The blood-spray from the officer's decapitation leaps into the air above his now-dead form, splashing on the hands, feet, shins, and knees of the paladin. Skandor gives the corpse only a split-second glance before turning his attention towards his Shield Maiden.

Crayne smiles to himself as he sees the broken body of one of the enemies before him. He looks to his staff and mutters "at last!" under his breath. But what was more pleasing to Crayne was the fact that for the first time he had been able to take some control over the ring. He had felt the ice and he had controlled it. He just wondered how much power this ring had and how much more it would do.

Looking to his new friend Illena, Crayne thanks her for her healing and says, "Now, who shall it be next Illena?"

The young priestess, only half the mage's height, looks up to him with a tentative smile.

Moving back to a safe distance Crayne decides to cast Magic Missile. He sees Canter struggling against two Caerloon soldiers. Quickly he aims his spell at one of Canter's opponents. The three missiles materialize and shoot off with great speed, flying toward their target. They strike the soldier in the side, throwing his body to the ground and opening large gashes in his skin. The soldier places his hands on the cold tundra and begins to push himself back up off the ground, though he is obviously greatly weakened.

Alara crouches lower to the earth, swaying from side to side and holding her sword before her. Her eyes narrow as she plans her next move. With a quick motion she attacks, but the soldier against whom she battles impedes the attack with his own blade, parrying and jumping aside.

Canter is at first surprised when right in front of his eyes there is a sudden explosion, sending one of his two opponents flying away! But he quickly recognizes Crayne's magic, and takes advantage of the other soldier's confusion, striking him hard. The soldier curses aloud, angry for having fallen prey to such an attack. He is hurt but still fighting well.

El continues his duel as well, landing a glancing blow on his opponent. Smiling as if to intimidate the Caerloon foot soldier, the elf stays in motion so as to be a more difficult target to hit.

It was all coming back to Hannibal now! Thrust, parry, block, heave! The moves that Canter had been showing him over the last few months were helping him remember his training from before, and for the first time in a long time he feels comfortable in a stand up fight. No longer relying on backstabs and bow to make his point. Hannibal presses his attack, almost accepting the soldier's attacks as a mere training exercise now. His attack misses, but it matters not; now that he is back in his long-lost battle frame of mind, he is already planning his next move.

The soldier fighting El then attacks the elf, connecting his blade with El's skin. Though not a deep wound, its sting reminds El of his own mortality. (3 hp damage) Alara, too, continues to duel against her opponent. But she fares better, evading his blade with her quick steps. Hannibal feels the sharp pain as his opponent's blade is thrust into his thigh, but he remains focused, not letting the pain get to him. (3 hp damage)

At the same time, the soldier hit by Crayne's Magic Missile spell, who is still alive but shaken, begins to backpedal away from his comrade and Canter, who remain fighting. His comrade parries, fakes, then thrusts at Canter, but the leatherman's son sees the move coming and prepares his defense, which works perfectly.

Meanwhile, some of the Caerloon troops rallying inside the El-Balans gates begin to move out, encountering the caltrop trap left for them by Storm. Five soldiers in total hit the caltrops, yelping in pain and reaching for their feet as the small sharp objects pierce the tender skin between the heel and toe. The last soldier in this small group sees his comrades hit by the caltrops and stops short of the mines. Dropping his sword he, switches to a crossbow, firing a bolt at Skandor. But his aim is off, and the bolt flies past the paladin, landing in the ice beside him.

Then a robed figure steps into Skandor's view through the gate, coming from the same direction as the caltropped soldiers. Upon seeing his robes, Skandor narrows his eyes, focusing his attention--he is saying something! Immediately, the robed figure raises his hand behind his head and then thrusts it forward in front of him, as if throwing something. With a flash, a bolt of fire comes hurling through the air directly at the paladin.

The fiery bolt strikes Skandor in the chest, throwing him to the icy ground. He can feel an intense burning, and looks down to his chest to see his tabard on fire! (12 hp damage) Skandor screams in pain, howling as the flames seem to burn through his very flesh.

(139.5)

"SKANDOR!!" Emma screams to the paladin, just a couple of yards away.

Coming to his senses, Skandor feels extremely weak, but is cogent enough to realize what he must do. From his seated landing spot in the ice, he doesn't get up, he simply rolls over onto his stomach, placing himself on top of a large chunk of ice. Within seconds the flame is out, though the pain lingers.

Then, suddenly, he feels something on his back--it is Emma, as she grabs the back of his armor and drags him out from in front of the gate. They slip out of the view of the approaching Caerloon force, on the opposite side of the gate from Storm's position.

"Mighty Anhur, bless us with an ally from your realm to combat this army arrayed against us," she prays aloud, summoning from the spirit realm another beast like the one that fought for them back in Parton against the drow.

As the animal spirit takes form before Skandor's amazed eyes, Emma leans down to stroke its head. "Through this gate are many enemies," she says, "Concentrate your attacks on the one in robes." She steps back and looks to Skandor. "You and Storm shall handle the soldiers," she directs him, "I'll make for the stables. Hold them as long as you can..." She starts to push away from the wall and reenter the courtyard, but she notes the paladin's wounds and reconsiders.

At the mention of Storm, Skandor's eyes furrow, glancing this way and that for the elusive dwarf. Having a second to focus, though he does not see the dwarf, he does spot the ailing soldiers clutching their feet in pain. The paladin smiles thinly as Emma describes her plan. Catching his breath, he goes to wipe away some of his own blood and sweat from his face. But, the blood from the Caerloon officer only smears across his features, the whites of his eyes now almost glowing amidst the horrific red streaks on his cheeks and forehead.

He nods, smiling, his white teeth adding more contrast to his bloody countenance. But before he can move...

"Wait," Emma says, pulling him back again, "Let's make sure you're at full strength, Sword Bearer..."

The ghostly purple panther, summoned from some other plane of existence, leaps past Emma and Skandor, clear over the ice and caltrops and through the gate. It bounds toward the robed figure, growling all the while. Jumping at its target, it attacks, but the robed figure manages to evade. Landing softly on its feet, the panther immediately reverses direction, leaping at the robed figure. However, the robed figure manages once again to avoid being struck. On the third attempt, though, the panther makes contact, pouncing. Its claws rip into the man's robes and arms as he raises them in self defense.

Smiling with the success of his trap, Storm then steps out from his hiding place, two swords drawn and ready. He rushes--carefully--toward the nearest two injured soldiers, and with a pair of quick thrusts and slices, both soldiers are mincemeat.

Next Crayne remembers his poison. Quickly he takes cover behind one of the dead horses that had been struck by the numerous arrows that had been fired during the battle, bringing Illena with him. He reaches in his pack and takes out several darts and smears the tips with the poison paste he had made. He also reaches for his dagger and smears the tip of that too.

Looking to Illena he smiles. "Here we go again! Stay here Illena, behind the horse! Should anyone come near you stab them with this!" He gives the girl one of his darts. "I'll be back for you soon!"

Hannibal swallows hard as he studies his foe's every move. This duel recalled the days when he was a warrior. That seemed so long ago. He was feeling better about his moves, almost comfortable. He knew the infantryman still held the advantage but cared not, aggressively he pressed his attack. He could see Canter and El were being pressed hard. He would have to dispatch this one quickly so that he could aid them.

With a deftness once lost to the thief, he parries, then goes on the offensive. His move and his timing are good, and he can feel through his sword as the sharp blade slices through his enemy's armor and into his skin. Pulling as hard as he can, Hannibal finishes the blow, readying himself for any retaliation. His opponent was hurt badly, but not defeated yet!

Canter is slightly satisfied as his sword makes contact with his foe. Still, the foe was not yet finished, and the leatherman's son carries on. El resumes his duel, circling the soldier he fights and trading thrusts and parries. He moves in for the attack, but finds his move blocked.

Alara, too, continues her battle. She jumps left, twirling her blade, bringing it up, and then down. Then, with a suddenness, she thrusts directly forward, lodging the sword in her foe's stomach. As soon as she makes contact she knows he is finished. So placing a foot on his knee, she pushes him back and removes her bloody sword, looking around to see who else needs a hand.

El catches the twitch of his opponent's arm muscle in the morning light, and instinctively reaches out with his sword. His instincts are right, and his blade ably blocks his enemy's attack. Hannibal, also, manages to evade and block his adversary's advance, the sounds of their swords meeting echoing through the morning air.

However, Canter is not so lucky. His opponents hit him, tearing him a new, painful wound. (6 hp damage) Canter looks to Alara, who nods in reply.

Storm is stung, and he reels around as he suddenly feel the sharp pain in his lower back. Indeed, there landed a crossbow bolt, shot from the soldier still within the gates. (3 hp damage) The dwarf growls, more with frustration than with pain, and reaches for the quarrel, removing it from his flesh.

Then Storm finds himself surrounded by the three remaining soldiers who fell victim to his caltrops. Their slowed state helps him to avoid two of their attacks, but he just cannot get away from the third. He feels the sword slice into him, and exhales deeply, trying to forget the pain. (5 hp damage)

At the same time, another officer appears in the gate (this being the one accompanying the caltrop victims). He sees the caltrops and carefully avoids them. He also sees Storm, but surrounded by three of his own soldiers and under crossbow fire, so he continues on, focusing his attention on the body of his commander, Robert Wade IV.

Meanwhile, the robed figure--now most definitely a mage!--finds himself the target of the summoned panther's attacks. "Cursed creatures!" he yells. He begins chanting as he dodges these attacks as best he can. Soon his chanting is complete, and he allows the panther to strike him with a claw. But upon doing so, the panther is jolted and thrown backwards. (10 hp damage) Of course, it lands on its feet, and it growls at the mage, as angry as ever.

(139.6)

Reaching once more inside herself, Emma prays to Anhur. "Heal this holy warrior, Great General," she says, "So that he may continue to fight valiantly in your name."

Skandor closes his eyes, as if praying along with Emma as she casts her spell, and in reality, he is. But while her prayer is one of healing and mending, his silent prayer is one of strength and fortitude. "Give me strength and courage, Almighty Anhur, so that if I do see your Halls this day, you might find me worthy." (10 hp restored)

After the curative spell takes effect, Emma nods and says, "Let's finish this..." She grips her sword tightly and together the three dedicated warriors of Anhur rush into the fray once more. Emma does her best to break free of the melee and head for the stables, counting on the confusion of Storm and the animal spirit's appearance to help speed her journey...though she intends to avoid the caltrops at all costs.

At first, Skandor does not like the idea of, once again, being separated from his Shield Maiden. But it was obvious to him that both of them would never be able to make it to the barn where the priests were secured. Instead, he would once again try to distract as many of the enemy as he could, to allow Emma time to get where she needed to be.

He feels the healing power of his deity course through him. He smiles widely, almost as if totally unconcerned with the odds. His faith stronger than ever, he grips his weapon tightly and slowly walks out into view of the enemy...making sure to keep the area of caltrops between himself and his foes. He sees Storm nearby, bolstering his strength.

"Come now, incompetent fools! But two foes stand before you! I challenge you all...face us!!" With that, he leans back into a defensive posture, both of his feet digging-in to the ground for balance and stability. His arms glide effortlessly to his right, gripping his sword tightly, the tip of the blade waving in a small menacing circle above his head.

As the first soldier surrounding Storm turns and charges, Skandor does not swing in a wide arc as is the nature of such a terrible weapon. Instead, we quickly drops the blade parallel to the ground and with two great steps, lunges the blade like a miniature lance into the mid-section of the charging foe. Spinning, removing the blade from the enemy's body, Skandor then brings the great weapon in a wide arc towards the next nearest enemy, all the while, growling and grunting from the effort of wielding such a massive sword.

During the melee, Skandor takes note of the fact that he can see through an opened door into the sleeping quarters. There, as far as he can tell (and he doesn't have time for a close inspection!) are more soldiers preparing to join the battle.

Anhur's panther, meanwhile, returns to taunting and pouncing on the mage inside the El-Balans courtyard. It majestically leaps through the air, scratching the mage as it passes. Rebounding for a second attack, it misses the mage. But on the third attempt, it connects once again, this time landing on the mage's chest and tackling him to the ground, roaring all the while.

Crayne then looks for a nearby opponent who is attacking one of the Six. Seeing El continue to battle against one soldier, Crayne sets his sights on this one. Creeping up to the two dueling fighters, the mage looks for a good opening in which to attack with his poison-tipped dagger. He thinks he's found one, and jumps into the fray. Unfortunately, his attack is illtimed, and the soldier meets Crayne's oncoming figure with a raised foot, keeping the mage at a distance and shoving him backward and away.

Now with only two soldiers to fight, Storm renews his attacks on the wounded enemies. Though wounded, they are not incapacitated and do put up some resistance. But Storm breaks through, striking the two with his two swords, screaming a dwarven battle cry in the process.

Alara rushes to Canter's aid, arriving quickly and with great momentum, which she puts into her attack. Her sword rips into the soldier, killing him instantly and sending a spray of blood back on her chest.

Canter looks to Alara and simply says, "Thank you." Then he is off, sprinting toward Elloharin in order to assist the elf in defeating his foe. The foe sees Canter coming, but Canter's overwhelming energy easily overpowers the weakened soldier, and with one swift sweeping attack, Canter has slain the foot soldier, much to El's relief.

"A good shot!" Crayne adds to Canter, who nods to the mage in reply.

But El doesn't stick around for the pleasantries, especially seeing Hannibal still fighting. He runs to Hannibal's side, giving the thief's opponent another target. He attacks upon arrival, but his blade meets with nothing but air as the deft soldier jumps back in defense.

But the addition of El on the scene is enough for Hannibal to flank their opponent. With a strong thrust, Hannibal sends his sword deep into the soldier's side. Within seconds he can feel the soldier's weight on his sword, and the soldier's knees give way. He is dead.

The soldier within the gate armed with the crossbow reloads his weapon. Noticing Emma sprinting through the gate and toward the stable, he raises the crossbow and aims. Pulling the trigger, the quarrel shoots out, striking Emma in the lower leg. (3 hp damage) The impact causes the priestess to fall in the dirt. She looks down to the wound, which doesn't seem too serious, and vows to keep going.

The soldier whom Skandor just hit then turns around to face the paladin. He sways a bit, the effects of his recent wound taking hold. But he lunges forward toward Skandor nonetheless, pressing his attack. Skandor is ready, however, and swats the soldier's blade aside like an annoying fly.

The two soldiers surrounding Storm, though their feet are in pain, go on the offensive versus the dwarf. The first one swings his sword, but Storm blocks it with his own parry. The second one attacks at the same time, and his effort is a success. He hits the dwarf hard, opening up a deep wound. (8 hp damage)

The officer, nearing Robert's body, calls out to the only other soldier still alive outside the El-Balans gate, the one who was struck by Crayne's missiles. "Idiot!" he screams, noting how the soldier is fleeing, not fighting. "Grab lord Wade's feet!" The two soon lift Wade's unconscious body off the ground and prepare to bring him away from the battle. They begin moving toward one of the horses still remaining--unaware that Alara hides behind a dead horse just a few yards away!

Meanwhile, the panther continues to roll around the courtyard, gripping onto the mage. But then suddenly the mage shoots a ray of flame from his hands, up through the panther. The panther is instantly consumed by the flames, and the mage throws it off of him, rolling away and rising to his feet. Within moments, the panther is destroyed, its incorporeal body eliminated by the mage's magical attack.

As soon as the pather's body disappears from the plane, destroyed, Emma feels a sudden pain in her chest. Struggling to pick herself up off the ground, she finds herself unable, and just lies there, stunned. She is still, however, able to move a little, and hopes that it won't take too long to regain her strength. For the longer it takes, the less of a chance she'll survive whatever spell the mage, about fifteen yards away, will cast next!

---

1. HP Status: Alara: 20/32, Canter: 25/44, Crayne: 12/15, Elloharin: 9/25, Emma: 40/42, Hannibal: 13/26, Skandor: 11/31, Storm: 28/44, Illena: 12/12.

2. The panther has been destroyed, causing Emma to be stunned for one round. So the next round in which she can take action will be round 139.8. (The next post will begin with 139.7.)

3. ALARA, CANTER, CRAYNE, ELLOHARIN, AND HANNIBAL are all on the field outside and in front of El-Balans. ILLENA is hiding behind a dead horse, as instructed. STORM and SKANDOR are fighting in the gateway. EMMA is stunned, lying on the ground, about halfway to the stables from the gate.

One Caerloon officer and one weakened Caerloon foot soldier are on the field outside and in front of El-Balans, carrying Robert's body toward one of the living horses, near Alara's position. One Caerloon soldier, armed with the crossbow, stands just inside the gate. One Caerloon soldier (weakened) fights Skandor, while two fight Storm. The mage is farther inside El-Balans in the courtyard, where he was fighting the panther before destroying it.

WHO CAN SEE WHAT: EMMA, STORM, and SKANDOR can see all of the inside of the El-Balans compound from their positions, including the soldiers they fight, the crossbowman, and the mage. All three can see the soldiers preparing inside the sleeping quarters if they choose to look, but at the moment, only SKANDOR has.

ALARA, CANTER, CRAYNE, ELLOHARIN, AND HANNIBAL can see Storm and Skandor, the soldiers they fight, and the crossbowman. They cannot see the mage (he is too far inside the compound and blocked by other bodies), though if they saw the flash of the Flame Arrow strike Skandor, they might surmise that someone with spellcasting abilities is inside.

4. CRAYNE has only one spell memorized but unused: Mirror Image. EMMA has the following spells available: Orison (x8), Cure Light Wounds (x2), Detect Magic, Chaos Ward, Hold Person, and Miscast Magic.

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