~ Dire Struggle for Dillend: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Storm stands over the driver of the wagon and licks the wound on his cheek from the man's dagger. As he tastes the blood and envisions the scar that will form, his brow crinkles in frustration. He pulls the man close, staring straight into his eyes, and then, without breaking the eye-to-eye stare, he drives his Bastard Sword through the man's heart, putting him out of his misery. He then throws the dying man off the wagon with his free hand almost effortlessly.

He looks around briefly and sees Edryd standing over his conquered foe, and then hears the sounds of Kel fighting his man toward the back of the wagon. Taking only a brief second to sheath his bastard sword behind his back and draw one of the lighter long swords, he begins to crawl quickly over/through the back of the wagon as quietly as he can in an attempt to sneak up behind the soldier fighting Kel and attack him there.

Storm manages to climb through the covered wagon, filled with boxes of potatoes, barrells of grain, and bottles of ale, and as he reaches the open rear end he sees the enemy soldier striking Kel with his sword. Kel stumbles backwards but regains his balance. Blood seeps through his cream-colored shirt but the scout doesn't seem fazed. As the soldier chuckles with delight at the hit, Storm leaps from the back of the wagon, driving his sword through the man's back. The attack is successful and Storm tackles the soldier to the ground, upon which the soldier promptly dies, but not without exhaling a mouthful of blood in Kel's direction.

As the battle approaches its conclusion Crayne makes his way over to the three men now being held captive. He gestures for Edyrd to come closer and watch the men as they regain consciousness. Taking his dagger from his belt he kneels down and unties the gag of the man who spoke first.

As the man begins to flutter his eyelids, he adjusts his sight and focuses his pupils on the hard edged face of Crayne the magic user. Crayne dosen't smile this time. His eyes are sharp and intent and the dagger clutched in his hand is soon revealed into the man's sight.

"Now! I suggest you cooperate for you wouldn't want me to accidentally drop this dagger over one of your friends now would you?"

Crayne pauses a moment and then continues.

"Now tell us what you know of the fort? Does it hold a mage? And where will we find the main prison area?"

The man grinds his teeth and struggles in his bonds. Canter strikes him hard across the back of the head. Finally he looks back to Crayne and to the mage's dagger. Seeing no choice, he answers:

"The fort's not far. Got a couple hundred men. We just deliverin' these foods." He spits out some blood and a tooth. "I dunno if there's a mage. Maybe. I think I seen me one. As fer them prisoners, I couldn't tell ya. I ain't spent 'nuff time there."

His questions are answered, Crayne reties the gag and begins to cosh each one of the three over the head with the hilt of his dagger. "They should be out cold for at least a couple of hours," Crayne reassures himself, although never certain.

"Lets move the bodies out of the sight!" he shouts to the rest of the group. Once the task is completed Crayne searches the body of the driver and the soldier

he spoke to, looking for any documentation or insignia that would help the party gain entrance into the fort.

In the pocket of the leader he finds a piece of paper, a listing of the cargo on the wagon, with the insignia of the flag of Caerloon stamped on the bottom in wax. "This should help," Crayne says, handing the paper to Kel. "Can you use this?"

"Yeah!" Kel responds, raising his eyebrows, "This should make our story a little more believable!"

Storm, meanwhile, scours the area for his daggers, which he finds, replacing them on his belt. He doesn't, however, find any in the wagon...just potatoes, which don't make great projectile weapons!

Satisfied that the men are out of sight, Crayne believes it is time to part with his staff for it would be a strange staff for a soldier to carry. Quickly he hides it under the wagon attaching it to one of the axles.

"Good idea, Crayne," Edryd says, patting the mage on the back on his way up to the driver's seat.

Crayne then picks up a short sword and sheath and attaches it to his belt. He then looks over to Kel, "Kel my friend! Would you do us the honours of driving the wagon with Edryd? Let us make haste for we are late! Emma will we be waiting!"

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Meanwhile…

"Go!" Emma urges the rest of them, "We can do no more good here. Follow that man...he will lead us to the prisoners." As she begins to herd the rest of the party away from the spilled carrots and the poor serving-boy, she looks back and frowns. The boy was likely a prisoner, one of the children taken in the attack on the fort in the first place. And, judging by the look on the cook's face, he would be beaten for accidentally crossing paths with Rinder's Six. It doesn't seem fair to her.

"Anhur lend him strength and courage," she prays, "And let our actions tonight regain his freedom." Her spear feels heavy in her hand. She wants nothing more than to hurl the weapon into the fat man in order to spare the boy, but she knows that such an action will place their greater purpose at risk.

"Hurry," she whispers to the rest of Rinder's Six, not just because the officer is leaving, but because she doesn't want to be around to hear the boy's painful cries. "If there's ever been a commitment to justice in your noble spirit," Emma prays again, "Grant me another chance to right this wrong, Anhur."

Emma leads the party with her spear, following the officer. He walks away from the eating area and the light of the bonfire. As the light fades and he turns the corner of the building, darkness seems to surround him. And for a moment, he is alone.

"Now, Hannibal!" Cy whispers.

Hannibal's body then appears in the dim starlight. He takes a deep breath, relaxing now that the power of the invisibility is no longer upon him. "Never liked that magic stuff..." he mutters, shaking out his wrists and neck. Giving the area a quick look over, Hannibal makes his move.

He quietly approaches the officer and leaps at him from behind. The officer is startled as the thief lands on his back, one arm around his neck and the other covering his mouth. Cy's voice sounds in a low, menacing tone. "You're coming with us." The officer's eyebrows rise on his face and his eyes narrow.

Hannibal drags the body of the officer, struggling all the way, from the open square, lest another soldier see what is going on. The officer's struggles begin to wear on Hannibal, whose strength is not his strongsuit. But Cy steps in to bind the man as soon as they are out of site. Soon Cy, Dire, Hannibal, Emma, and the officer are against the outer wall of the fort, underneath the sentry-walkway above, and between two other buildings. Emma places her spear on the ground a few yards away, allowing her, Dire's, and Cy's bodies to come into view.

Cy steps up to the officer and before saying another word, lands a strong punch in the man's face, as if to get his attention. "You are holding our men prisoner in this stolen fort. Where are they?" Cy demands.

The officer stares at Cy through narrow slits. His defiance is evident in his face. "Do not attempt to resist us, lest have our powerful wizard extract the necessary information from your mind against your will," Emma warns, her arms folded in front of her.

The officer spits to the side and addesses Cy. "I will not tell you." His voice is loud, and Hannibal looks around to make sure it did not attract unneeded attention.

"Very well then," Cy says flatly. "We gave you a chance. Now you will give us those keys." He points to a ring of keys on the officer's belt.

"I will not!" The officer spits out. But his protest is interrupted by another blow from Cy. Quickly, the officer is subdued again and bound. This time, he is gagged, too. He is tied to one of the wooden pieces supporting the walkway above and struck one more time. Then, keys in hand, the party sets off for the barracks, once again under the cover of Emma's invisibility.

They make their way across the open courtyard and toward the barracks on the other side. Cy leads the way, remembering the map of the fort. As they are about ten yards from the door to the barraks, which they can see is both locked and guarded by four soldiers, Hannibal grabs Emma's arm to stop her.

"There they are!" he says, pointing. Of course, the others can't see his invisible hand, but soon enough their eyes see what his do: There at the main entrance to the fort is entering a wagon. Sitting in the driver's seat are a beaming, proud Kel, and a serious, focussed Edryd.

Emma lets out a quiet prayer of thanks. "They made it. Come, let's get them. We may need their help."

As Emma, Hannibal, Dire, and Cy approach, they see Kel hand the cargo list to a soldier inside the gate. The soldier nods and grabs the reins, allowing Kel and Edryd a chance to climb down and Crayne, Canter, and Storm to emerge from the back of the wagon. They stand there, a bit bewildered at the array of the fort before them.

Then Canter smiles widely as he sees Cy's visible image approaching. "You men!" Cy says, trying his best to assume the Caerloon accent, "Come with me!"

The wagon-crew quickly catch on to the charade and follow Cy, soon meeting up with the rest of Rinder's Six near the southwest corner of the fort, not far from the guard tower in the corner of the complex.

"Good to see you, friend!" Hannibal says excitedly to Storm.

"Aye!" the dwarf replies with a characteristic slap on Hannibal's back.

"What have you accomplished?" Edryd asks.

Emma replies, "I have laid my 'blessing' on the food in the kitchen..."

"And we have located the prisoners," Cy adds.

"And got the keys!" Hannibal finishes.

Dire speaks, his voice low and serious. "What have you learned?"

"There is a mage, we think," Crayne explains to his mentor and friends, "somewhere in the fort. So we must be very careful!"

"Now, the question becomes," Emma says, focussing the group on the task at hand, "how do we get past those guards?" She looks toward the barracks, just north along the western wall of the fort. She rubs her chin as she considers the four guards.

"And how to get those men out..." Crayne ponders.

"I can provide an illusion as a distraction," Dire suggests, "or the fireball, though the illusion would be less destructive to the fort."

Hannibal then raises his hand, "or I could start another fire!"

"But first," Emma says once again, "the guards."

1. HP status:

Crayne: 9/9 (Armor: 9), Kel: 13/18, Storm: 30/32, Edryd: 17/21, Canter: 22/22, Cy: 32/32, Dire: 33/33, Hannibal: 17/17, Emma: 24/24.

2. Obviously, the group is reunited, at least for now. How will you get past the guards? With force? Magic? And what about getting the prisoners out? Will you use Dire's magic as a distraction? Or another one of Hannibal's fires?