Dragon's Egg - Act III

[Nihal]

I just shake my head, disagreeing, and go back to the cellar to help the others. The sooner we get out of this place, the better!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

…uh, crap!

"Umm… wait. Mauve. Err… want some land? On my mountain? I own it, so I can give an acre away. There are as many magic users as there are warriors and… just say yes. I need to make a sacrifice before every battle and I'm short on ideas at the moment."

 

[Nihal]

I turn my head slowly to look over my shoulder. My feet walk the now so familiar steps with ease, taking me back to the door and to Baldhart. I grab her by her armor and start back down, pulling her with not a single word, no expression on my face.

"Do not... ever... talk about magic near these people," I whisper to her after putting enough distance. "Do not make connections between me and magic, do not call me mage, wizard, witch or whatever it may be. Are you crazy, Baldhart, do you want to see me killed? It takes only one of these children saying something to their parents and 'goodbye Mauve, you're dead'. It's serious, Baldhart, a menace that should not be taken lightly, something that will get even worse with Aslaug on the move! They shall not even get the smell of my magic or they will kill me!"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Sorry."

What else is there to say?

And, dammit, what am I supposed to sacrifice now? I can't just keep giving away land until someone takes it. My desperation is making me sloppy. Keep it simple. stupid!

I go back up and approach the younger children. "Anyone hungry?" I give away the last of my bread.

Much easier, right?

Safer, too.

Accepted. Go fight.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

At the mention of battle, I draw a deep breath through my nose, then clamp my gauntlet's fingers around the hilt of my sword. I haven't had enough practice yet to feel comfortable using my bow with the gauntlet.

I thought I heard someone mention horses; is Llucheden safe? Is she here? Perhaps I can ride her into battle, or lend her to Baldhart. I try not to smile at that thought. I do owe her a riding lesson, but I didn't think it would be a crash course!

Matthew

I move forth, spear in hand, to make myself known to the children. I hope I will be enough to protect them on my own while the others fight. No doubt Cadell's lover will be joining him, whether as a warrior or a healer.

Líadan

I stay close to Cadell, stringing my bow and steeling my nerves. At least goblins are a more familiar foe than Calexa and the lizards in the tunnels. Perhaps Oercus will look more kindly on me this time.

 

[Nihal]

Baldhart answers with a simple "sorry" and returns to the temple, leaving me dumbfounded. Did I upset her? I had to make her understand the danger I'm facing, I did nothing wrong. But the little voice is here, whispering in my ears, making me uneasy.

I return to the tunnels, picking up Branwen and humming to her. I pass her arms around my neck, closing her hands, hoping she gets the message. Then, I climb back to the cellar and make sure the cloak is covering her feet while my mind deviates, anticipating the possible scenarios, considering the best courses of action in case what I fear truly happens.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Eager for battle, I look to see if horses are around. Oh, how I'd love to ride into battle!

And the sooner the better. I really need to talk to Mauve. My big mouth—she's really scared of the villagers, and I was so careful until the M-word slipped. Nissa, if…

Yes.

 

[Ireth]

Líadan

An idea comes to me, and I pull the scarf from my neck. Turning to Cadell, I wrap the cloth around his chest at an angle, like a sash.

"Queen Brígh may have rejected you, but you are still a knight in my eyes. Take your lady's favor, and show the goblins you cannot be broken." I kiss his cheek and smile at him. "Stand firm like an anvil, Einion."

Cadell

I look down as Líadan bestows me with a token, and smile at her words. Einion... no one has called me by that name in a long time. When she kisses my cheek, I nuzzle her and kiss her in return. "For you, and for these good people, I will stand like a mountain."

((If only the power of love granted a to-hit bonus... XD))

 

[Steerpike]

Egil and Kolla gather the younger children together. Egil says to Ankari "If you can spare someone to help us, it would be appreciated. Me and Kolla have our hands full and...well, I can fight if I have to, but I'm no warrior. I think that warrior woman of yours means to take us back to Srilkind with you, but I'm not sure what use we'll be. We were going to get the little ones up into the rooms on the second floor and keep a watch from there until someone from Srilkind came to tell us it was safe. If they ever come, that is."

As Baldhart walks back into the main temple room, Egil continues. "No disrespect to any of you, but I don't see how you're going to get past those goblins and whatever those other things are that came with them. I counted upwards of thirty of them yesterday, before I lost track of which ones I'd counted and which one I hadn't."

Skari smirks. "You stay here, Egil. I'm not afraid to fight for our town while you can Kolla play nursemaid to the kids."

Egil looks like he's about to say something in return, but he bites it back and instead turns to Ankari again. "I was charged with keeping these kids safe, and that's what I mean to do."

Meanwhile, in the cellar, Branwen nuzzles into Mauve's neck as the group organizes itself and prepares to head out.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

As I prepare to feed the younger ones, I see Egil speaking to Ankari. I tell him, "Your way is best, Ankari. If Matthew will stay with them, I think the younger ones need to rest here."

I'll let Ankari do the talking from there. It's better that I sit with the children until we're ready to move. "What are your names?" I ask. "This bread comes from the Iron Mountain. It's best eaten warm," I say as I turn it over the fire pit. I don't tell them the crust is no good. I'll break it and serve them to make sure they get the best part.

I glance—don't see any horses—and don't ask of 'em. I hope the palfreys are unharmed. A mount will make an outdoor battle much easier, I think. So will arrows. I need to remember we have archers. No point charging in sooner than we need…

 

[Nihal]

"Hey, sweet child, are you tired aren't you?" I call her in a soft voice. "Are you cold?" I rest our weight against a wall, checking on her. If she's warm enough I fish from my pouch the ring Baldhart gave and wear it myself, aware that my current clothes won't help with this cold for too long.

After getting upstairs I stay out of the way of the others, humming a song again and attempting to listen any piece of useful information.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

After breaking bread with the children, I approach Mauve. I take her hand, mentally prepared for her to yank it away.

"I had no right," I say in a near whisper. "I won't give land to you as a sacrifice. I'll give it to you as a friend." I manage a smile. "I don't sound like a highborn snob, do I?"

 

[SeverinR]

When we begin to move, I will stay out front away from the group scouting ahead. When Ankari is out front I will stay towards the rear with Mauve and Branwen. still don't like crowds
I walk with Heartseeker in hand arrow at the ready.

"Thirty goblins? I might actually break a sweat." Lifting my bow, I smile at Baldhart. "I'll try to let you get a few kills too."
"You sure there isn't a charm on the arrows...right? Lovesick goblins, yuck."

[might need more arrows, when we get to town.]

 

[Nihal]

I face her, whispering back. "It is not about being highborn or not. Such concept is quite foreign to me, I do not care about it. We just... we are not even in Srilkind and you have already slipped. We—no, I can not afford this kind of mistake."

'But you know it will happen,' whisper the tiny voice of my intuition. I sigh.

"Did I upset you? It was not my intention. Uhm, lands?" I frown. "I do not have use for lands, it would be a big yet meaningless sacrifice. Do you know that after what passed in our last fight, the act of keeping fight despite your condition is already a sacrifice?" I look at the children, letting her mull over it a bit.

"Are we ready to move? No horses? Did you learn anything of the invading forces positioning, of what races it is composed, if they have casters? We ought to think in a strategy while we move."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I tell Alin, "If it's that kind of bow, maybe Nissa should carry it." I'd describe her fluttering around shooting heart-shaped arrows, but that would be another slip.

Thank you for NOT.



"I'm not upset. Not at you," I say to Mauve. "We learn from mistakes." I'm addressing my slip-up, but go on as if battle-planning. "Our mistake last battle was getting too close too soon. Maybe we had no choice, but we do this time. Thirty enemies. Let the arrows force them to come to us. We charge, we take early wounds. Perhaps Ankari can give Keit his old bow so we have four archers, and I'll carry Darin's shield so we can have a wall if it'll help.

"If the knight's horses aren't hamburg, Cadell and I each mount one."

Races, she asks…

"Hey, Egil… thirty what? Goblins and… can you describe the 'others?' Any chance they're large wolf-like mounts? Fire demons? Lizard men?" More likely a monster we've yet to face.

 

[Nihal]

"Ask about their positioning. They're thirty, Baldhart, it is almost four for each one of us and I am counting the wolf here. If we can sneak past them we should. "

 

[Steerpike]

As Egil and Kolla get the kids situated on the second level, Skari says he's going to gather wood - what's left in the courtyard, and from the area around the temple, if he can find anything.

"You think it's OK to build a fire again?" Kolla asks.

Egil shrugs. "We're going to have to, at some point. We'll wait until after dark, like last night. That will cut down on the chances of someone seeing the smoke, though the smell of it will still carry."

Kolla nods. "I'll go see if there is anything we can use in the cellar."

When Baldhart asks about the other creatures, Egil considers the question. "They were weird. Kind of like dogs, with yellow and brown blotched fur. Ugly. I'd say they stood a good six feet tall. The goblins seemed to listen to them. Some of the goblins were on wolves, by the way. And when I say thirty, I mean that's how many I counted before I lost track. There are a bunch right around The Hooded Crow, and a bunch more in sort of a half circle around the outskirts of the town."

Kolla dashes back into the temple room. "Egil! Speaking of wolves, there's one in the cellar. With some woman standing next to it like its a pet."

Egil turns to the group, his hand sliding toward his knife again. "One of yours, I hope..."

((Will move ahead to the scouting etc. once we're all done in the temple)).

 

[Keitsumah]

I came out just as i heard the boy speak, Batos hot on my heels. "Wargs." Despite the crowd, i hide my anxiety of the others, then spy one of them gripping a knife, his eyes on Batos.

The white half-warg stands up to his full height, appearing almost regal as he holds his head high, ice-blue eyes fixated on the man's. The rune shimmers on his forehead, but he's smart enough not to growl as i place my hand on his head to calm him. The warg half of his blood is becoming more obvious now after these battles. His mane stands up and his tail is a mass of bristly fur, swishing in the air. His fangs just out a little beneath his upper lip, and there is an uncanny intelligence to his gaze. He knows Baldart and the others, recognizes them as his pack, and watches the strangers move about, keeping one paw in front of me protectively.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Mauve doesn't want to talk to the children. So much mistrust… I don't envy her, whatever happened that made her this way. I can guess.

"Okay, I'll ask."



I approach Egil with some chalk. I draw a rectangle, shaping it like the Crow as best I can, marking doors and windows.

"Go with your rough count of thirty, Egil. Green for goblins, white for wargs—the wolf-mounts, I mean—and yellow for the big dogs. Mark the map of how it looked as you left it.

"Oh, and Kolla… that's Batos. Keitsumah tamed him, so he's harmless… to us, that is. He's proven to be quite the bodyguard."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

"If the knight's horses aren't hamburg, Cadell and I each mount one."

My stomach lurches at the thought, and I turn to glare at Baldhart. "Thank you for that lovely image, Baldhart." All the more motivation to get to the Crow as quickly as possible, and spare the animals from such a fate.