The Winds of Ysgard - Part One

[Ireth]

Rikhard was a few feet behind the others, still hesitant. When the screaming ahead turned into mocking laughter, he knew he'd made the right choice. But a roar overwhelmed him, making him stumble and nearly somersault forward. Recovering himself, he darted to the side at the sound of lightning, no doubt from Addy's shocker. He looked to the sky for a sign of Thoros, as he had thought the roar as from, but nothing came. Regardless, he charged toward the nearest attacker, spear at the ready.

 

[Nimue]

The practiced ambush of the bandits at the treeline was cut in half by a flash of lightning--one of the men staggered backwards, arms and knees twitching. Another clutched his shoulder, pierced by the huntress's arrow, cursing viciously. But, like a pack of dogs, they circled and closed in again. Four men with drawn axes marched towards Addison, signalling each other and watching her for an opening with hard-eyed smiles.

Then the roar and whoosh of beating wings rushed through the clearing, split by an echoing shout. All of the bandit's eyes darted towards the skies, a few of them ducking instinctively. The moment of shocked silence was short-lived, though.

"There's no blasted dragon!" yelled the woman. "Who was it said that?! None of us, that's what! One of 'em's a little wizard." Her voice dripped with scorn. "The red-head chit. Keep your gods-damned eye on her! Wizards is all shams and tricks. If it don't hurt, ignore it and put your blade through 'em!" she bellowed.

The men focused in on Addison again, their wariness mixed with growling anger at being made fools of. As Rikhard rushed in, the man who'd been shot sent a savage kick at his kneecap, while another chopped down at his spear haft with a great iron axe--both of them aiming to break something.

Behind the fight, the woman unsheathed a curved blade and crowed. "Now, we don't need your heads. We just need that gold, and them fine horses. I reckon we don't need all of you to barter for it. Two will do if three won't come. You can go down easy or you can go down hard..."

 

[Ireth]

Rikhard easily dodged the kick aimed at his knee, but the axe-blow to his spearhaft splintered the wood. Undeterred, he shifted his grip, now holding two weapons -- a half-length spear and a wooden spike that could still do plenty of damage if he aimed it right. He feinted a downward thrust with the spear in his left hand, then thrust the wooden spike upward with his right, aiming to hit the bandit's eye.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison dashed back, careful not to let them close in while surrounding her. She let the men think she was too slow, and just a stupid wizard girl. As she back pedaled toward the men flanking her, she dashed to one side. She was probably quick enough to get the kill-- the man was surprised by her speed-- but she swung too early, intentionally.

When the man blocked, as Addison knew he would, Lightning from her axe brought him down. She turned to the next closest man, blocked him and shocked him. The third kept his weapon behind him as he rushed Addison. She didn't hesitate. The long narrow tips of Addison's double axe pierced the man's abdomen. He howled in pain, prompting the fourth man to step back.

"Hesitation..."

Addison stepped back to the downed men who were still quivering from the jolts. With a subtle motion she slit a throat.

"...is death."

She did the same to the other. Her eyes shifted to make sure no one else was circling her, then decided it was safe to talk. "I ain't no wizard. I'm a Wyvern-slayer, and there ain't one o' ye or ten o' ye strong as the Wyvern whose skins I wear!"

She watched the man who hesitated, and the lady too. Were they intimidated by her words, or emboldened? A part of Addison hoped they wouldn't run. A part of her figured she'd hunt them down even if they did...

 

[AkamaruGames]

The ruse seemed to be enough to spook the mooks, but the leader was obviously too bright for it. It seemed that Chrisania had to step up her game a little. With the bandits focused on the others across the clearing, Chrisania reached into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be, if someone could actually see it, a small paper ball. She made another roar near the edge of the glade, followed by a crash of something heavy landing and trees shattering and being knocked aside as she then threw the package as far as she could towards the edge of the clearing, near the sound. When it struck against the ground, the package erupted with a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring the trees behind and wafting into the midst of the bandits.

Another sound of shattering trees and the shadow of a massive creature could be made out through the smoke. Though only shadows could be seen through the smoke, one could vaguely make out the creature knocking aside trees as it advanced, its eyes distinctly glowing a bright crimson. A flash of flame revealed the silhouette of teeth the size of a man. Suddenly there was a scream as the form of a man was picked up and brought to the beast's mighty jaws, his scream cut short as he was bitten in half with a loud squelch. It was impossible to tell whose side the man was on through the smoke, but his grizzly end did not sound pleasant.

Wiping sweat from her brow, Chrisania secretly hoped that she would not have to get more detailed than shadows and sounds. A simple illusion of shadow puppets was easy enough to concentrate on, but once the smoke cleared she would have to either give up the ruse or attempt to make an illusion of an actual dragon. To make something of that size convincing, it would likely both drain her stores of energy as well as force her to cease concentrating on her cloaking spells, which would cause other problems for her if anyone noticed her location...

 

[Nimue]

"Aye," Farrun said, in a low voice. "A town like Ilstenford on a festival day is one thing. But as we go north, the villages will be smaller and the eyes watching us will sharper. I'd rather not leave a trail of stories in tavern common rooms to let any who might be listening know what road we've taken."

He heaved a sigh, letting that long-brewing worry rise to the forefront of his mind. "It would be hard to disguise our company, unusual as we are. But I would say that from now, we shouldn't speak our names too freely to others. Most of all mine, and Loke's, and Bendalitz is none too common a name either."

"I've gone by Forester, before," he remarked. "In the early days of the war, when secrecy kept me alive."

 

[Tom]

"How am I going to keep from raising suspicion?" Einan asked Farrun. He cocked an eyebrow and pointed to his ears. "I'm sure an elf in with a bunch of humans isn't a common sight around here. And I doubt that any elf, no matter their company, is well-received anyways."

 

[Nimue]

Snarling shouts rang out from the bandits as Addison killed their own.

"Little bitch!"

"Gut 'em!"

Before, the bandits had been fighting to disarm and bring them down; now, they slashed with the quick of their blades, drawing blood. The man with the battleaxe lunged in and Rikhard couldn't dodge quickly enough--a deep cut split open his right arm.

But at that moment, their attack was arrested by the blast of noise and smoke as the illusion curled around the clearing, cast large on the black pines. Men howled--some darted backwards, while more than one flat-out ran in the other direction, crashing through the forest. One man, confusing Addison's declaration with the accusations of magic, screamed "It's the wyvern!"

The bandit still trying to tie the hands of a yelling, bucking Troia dropped his captive and jumped towards the safety of his captain--then, with one look at her face, joined the rush into the trees.

"Wizardry!" The woman howled, waving her sword. "Foul wizardry!" But the glowing eyes looming out of the smoke were hard to ignore, even if there was no biting yet. One by one, her cronies deserted her, until it was only her and a big fellow with a broadsword, staring down the shadow dragon. Her flinty eyes darted towards the still-standing trio, and the mental calculation did not work in her favor.

Letting out a filthy curse, she slammed her sword back into its sheath and turned to dash downhill through the trees. The big man jogged after her, leaving a wake of broken branches and floating pine needles.

The dust began to settle in the clearing, and the breeze brushed at the thinning smoke. A furry lump on the ground stirred as Ari lifted his head and shook it, then barked plaintively as he tried to stand on an injured leg.

--

"Well, as we head west more people will look warmly on the Iridheen," Farrun said. "As we go north, though… No Yvalhyn elf would travel with humans, but they might think you a halfblood. Might not be a bad idea to take to wearing a hood," he admitted, then paused. "You're from the West, aren't you? How did folk in your home village look on elves?"

In the moment after speaking, Farrun suddenly straightened, placing a hand on the side of the waggon. "What was that?" he wondered. "Sounded like a tree falling."

They all held silent for a moment, and in the distance, over the treetops, came another faint boom. Farrun put a hand on his sword, frowning. "Einan, what do you hear?"

Trouble? Thoros's thought tickled the back of his mind.

Might be. I'd appreciate your eyes overhead, right about now. Rikhard, Addison, and Troia have been gone awhile.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison wanted to hunt every one of them down and kill them, but as she started forward, she realized she had been too focused on herself.

"Princess? Rik?"

In the confusion, she wasn't sure where to turn. And Ari... he could barely move.

Addison rushed over to Ari and said, "Relax, boy. I don't know if that was Thoros or his friend or a trick like the lady in red said. I'll see to ye first..." Addison glared at the man who tried to bag her. "...and then I figure out what to do with him."

Addison reached for her vial of healing potion. She called out to Troia. "I mean to heal Ari, but I think he needs to drink this stuff. Mind if I get in his head a bit? I don't imagine a dog'll drink this without me intervention, no matter how smart or obedient he is. Ain't natural for a beast to drink from a vial or what's inside."

 

[AkamaruGames]

As the smoke began to clear, and the bandits with it, Chrisania decided to avoid wasting any more of her current stores of magic. The fierce shadowy dragon vanished with the smoke, as did it's fierce roars. The threat was gone for now and some of the faces remaining looked familiar. Still cloaked in case one of the bandits had decided to check back on the clearing, Chrisania checked the bodies to see who they were as well as the extent of their injuries. A few of the bandits , though out, appeared to still be breathing. Their wounds consisted of electrical burns that were serious but not necessarily fatal if allowed to recover.

I really shouldn't have left my rope on that last man I swindled, she thought to herself, But he was asking for it, and the thought of leaving him for the staff to find him tied up in such a compromising position was just too hard to resist.

Addison seemed as though she was still ready for combat when Chrisania touched her arm. The cloaking spell immediately dissipated on contact and she said, "It is good to see you, sestra. Fight is over, yes? Maybe you try not rush into trap next time. Also, maybe trapper girl has rope for trap that she can use for binding these men. They will be waking soon and maybe we do not want them waving more weapons when they do. You all seem unhurt so I will tend puppy there."

Chrisania then approached Ari stroked his head gently, "There there big boy. Let me see this leg." She slowly lifted the dog's leg to check the extent of the injury, causing it to give a loud whimper. "Ah yes, poor puppy. It hurts much, yes? We fix it good."

Unfortunately, she had nothing in her bag of tricks that could tend a dog's wounds as her potions were all designed for human consumption and she was unsure how they would affect a dog. Tearing some strips of cloth, she made some bandages and wrapped them firmly around the injured leg with some wooden splints for support. Giving the beast a little kiss on the snout, she said, "There. It is not magic, but it should help your leg heal properly with time. You try not to walk so much on it, yes?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison was a bit startled to see Chrissy so close.

"I figured illusions'd make ye unseen, but unheard too?" It was a stupid thing to say. Was this how a killer talked? "I am happy to see ye. Unhurt? I believe so. Ain't me blood on me."

Ropes? Chrissy mentioned ropes. Yes. Ropes would be good. "The men with bags'd have ropes on 'em. Maybe ye can tie down the one that ain't movin'. I'll start with the one who jumped me."

Addison approached her first victim. The one she spared. A part of her wanted to finish him off, but the battle was over. Better to make him talk. She ties the man's ankles together first. If he woke up before she tied his hands, it would be his last mistake. Addison put the bag over the man's head before binding his arms.

She picked up her shocker and put it back in her purse, then shouldered her bow. She would make the man talk after all the live ones were tied.

"Who else lives?" she asked Chrissy, Rik, Princess...

 

[Ireth]

Rikhard hissed in pain as he climbed to his feet, clutching his slashed arm with the other hand. He didn't answer Addy's call, unsure of she was referring to allies or enemies. He came to her side, though, and looked around to see who else was moving. Or at least breathing.

 

[AkamaruGames]

Chrisania laughed as she finished up with the pooch. "Illusions can fool more senses than sight, sestra. Anything that you sense is just message body tells mind. Change message and you change what mind senses. It gets more difficult as you try fool more senses at once. Usually one or two is all you need though. Fooling touch, for example, rarely useful outside of the bedroom. But I think I lose you if I try explain Mandrou's Sense Hierarchy."

Giving the dog one last pet, Chrisania got up and gathered some rope from one of the bandits. She had little trouble tying him up securely as she had quite a bit of experience tying knots for both recreation and business. She also knew how to avoid exacerbating his injuries as she did it. She refrained from using the burlap sack as she did not wish to accidentally suffocate the man while he was unconscious. Once secured, she searched his body for any hidden weapons, identifying markings or interesting belongings.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison trusted Chrissy knew her way around a rope.

She looked at the men she killed. There would be tears for them. When?

Addison glared at the man with the sack on his head. It was odd to glare at someone without a means to see his eyes. She gave him a kick in the butt to wake him. The first kick was gentle. The second was not, though she was pretty sure she'd sooner break her toe than a man's femur. Maybe yelling would wake him.

"Wake up, or the next blow'll come from me bloody axe."

Addison hoped her own words were a bluff.

 

[AkamaruGames]

Chrisania tilted her head at Addison, who did not seem to be coping well with this attack for some reason. Though far from a trained warrior herself, Chrisania knew her way around a knife fight so it was not her first deadly battle. The death of a few men that would have likely killed the others or worse did not particularly concern Chrisania. In her mind, it was justice. But even then, there was no need to abuse the captives unnecessarily. It no longer is self defense at that point.

"Calm down, sestra. The man goes no place. There is no point to threaten one who cannot hear you. Where are others you were travelling with? Are they near or did you part way back in town? Bandits may not be scared for long. We should move before others return."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison watched her captive as she answered.

"We were huntin'. Found some deer, but the lady called out. I thought it as likely a trap as not, but would hate meself if I did nothin' and wondered what harm came o' failin' to act."

She didn't consider she would have her first taste of human blood, or that killing would make her want to spill more.

"Can't leave 'em here. They were gonna sell us for gold and 'em fine horses, and what'd become o' me and Rik and Princess? If they live, they find other victims. Or do we bag 'em and make 'em walk to camp, and let the heavy hitters get 'em to talk?"

 

[Ireth]

Rikhard looked from one bandit to the next, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Is there somewhere we can take them so they won't be let free to hurt anyone, but they won't necessarily have to die?"

 

[AkamaruGames]

Chrisania glanced about the forest and said, "We can walk back to town. Maybe authorities pay bounty, yes? Will be hard to march them though. We should find what they know, but I think this can wait until we are together and not here in ambush place. We take them and we go, I thinks."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison agreed. "If town ain't far, that might work."

She took out her carving knife, then tugged on the burlap so she could slit it without cutting the face under the bag.

"Ye can see now," she said to the man. His eyes were still shut. "If ye wake up!"

She resisted the urge to slap him and sheathed her knife. She picked up her axe. If she'd need to kill again, Addison would use the blade already tainted with human blood.

 

[Nimue]

Farrun paced back and forth in front of the forest. The silence was somehow unreassuring. Thoros was winging his way east to them, but it would be some minutes before he arrived--and dense forest was not easy for him to scout.

"They've been gone too long," he said at last, decisively. He glanced up at the others, near the campfire. "It's likely nothing, but...those black dogs made me uneasy." That hardly needed to be said; the gytrashes had made all of them careful of the shadows. "I'll be back soon, or send Thoros to you. Whatever that noise was..." Loosening his sword in its scabbard, he nodded to the three men around the fire and headed into the darkening forest.

--

The bound and hooded man gave a sudden twitch. His eyes cracked open, focusing with difficulty on Addison, and with alacrity on the nearby edge of her axe. "What...are you?" he croaked.

From out of the forest, in the direction of the creek, came the echo of a familiar baritone voice. "--ison? Troia? Rikhard?"