Brigands, Bandits, and Outlaws, oh my!

Discussion in 'Completed RPs' started by Knight_of_G, Jul 2, 2013.

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  1. Kei

    Kei New Member new

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    ((OOC: It's been almost an entire day with no other reply, and my reply is a bit inconsequential anyways save some interaction between Alaine and Ethelia, so I hope no one minds my jumping the queue a little bit.))

    A little amused by how she was pulled aside by virtue of her gender, Ethelia nevertheless followed to Alaine's seat, preparing to administer some medical aid. It wasn't entirely unexpected - as a Pegasus Knight, Ethelia had tended to the wounds of her subordinates and fellow officers before, away from the curious eyes of the male-dominated regular army - but having to do so for a mercenary wasn't an everyday occurrence.

    Still, seated before the fire, Ethelia allowed Alaine to say her part before gently reassuring her, with a tone of obvious amusement in her voice, "Rest easy, my dame. I do know how to deal with arrow wounds. It is a necessity due to...occupational hazards." She grinned a bit; she was a Pegasus Knight after all.

    Using a knife as a scalpel, Ethelia's movements were surprisingly elegant and graceful even as she applied some ointments acting as both an anesthetic and a painkiller. The way she maneuvered the knife guaranteed the smallest and least amount of cuts, all to ensure that the arrow could slip as painlessly out as possible without causing too much damage. Gently, Ethelia allowed the arrow to pass through the opening of Alaine's skin, the motion so smooth it felt as if the arrow was sliding out of a quiver rather than tugged out of a wound. Just as quickly, she applied a bandage to temporarily stem the bleeding, or at least to prevent more of it from flowing down to Alaine's trousers.

    That being said, it wasn't as if Ethelia's gaze had been focused entirely on the wound. With her free hand, she ran a finger down Alaine's chest slowly, gently, almost intimately. "You have very smooth, very lovely skin," she remarked very casually. The Pegasus Knight couldn't see much, given Alaine hadn't removed nearly enough, and it all seemed platonic enough, especially since they were both ladies, but it still had the potential to feel a little awkward. But Ethelia was honest about it; Alaine had, in her opinion, rather lovely cream-like skin. "Perhaps I could suture up the wound instead, my dame? Cauterizing it is only a stopgap measure that will require proper healing afterwards anyways, and I'd rather not leave a scar too obvious."
  2. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    "I'm not even going to ask what I just heard."Baron whispered. Blake and Baron were standing side-by side on one side of the campfire, looking away from the other side where the two girls were playing healer. The sun was very low in the sky, almost to where the moon and stars would be replacing it in the sky.

    "I think it would be wise to stay here for the night." Baron addressed the group. "It would not be wise to travel at night, not to mention Alaine would slow us down." Just because he didn't care about them too much didn't mean that he would let themselves walk to their own death. Especially since he would need to come along. Baron started to set up his tent on the side of the tower furthest from the door. He might be returning the tent a little later than he anticipated.
  3. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    ((OOC:There was supposed to be a queue?

    And character interaction is not inconsequential. It's the backbone of these RPs.))

    Alaine smiled, sat up, and softly kissed the woman on the cheek. "Thanks. You're pretty easy on the eyes, yourself," she said. "And I don't mind a scar. I've got plenty more skin. What's a blemish or two? Besides, there's a lecherous priest I know that would heal me up for free." Alaine paused, smirking, before continuing, "He's a part of my company. Since I give him free lodging, he gives me free healings. Everyone else has to make friends with him.

    "And don't think I didn't hear that, Baron," she raised her voice to the assassin.

    Alaine considered the matter again, and then relented. "If you wish to suture it, sure. I don't have anything, though. Thanks, again, for the numbing cream, by the way. Really helpful, that."

    ((OOC:Okay, I'm guessing I haven't set up the scene enough. Yes, it is a tower. Yes, it is broken. Badly. It's like one of those towers in Skyrim -without- stairs that's broken open diagonally. So, essentially that, with some wooden stairs that aren't rotten enough to fall, a raised dais for a fire in the center, a couple chests under the stairs, et all.))
  4. Kei

    Kei New Member new

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    Ethelia smiled softly as Alaine pecked her on the shoulder; if the girls had been teasing each other a bit, then it was clear that the Pegasus Knight was no shier about taking kisses than she was giving them. "Mm, soft," she remarked, seemingly pleasantly indulging herself before finally reaching into one of her satchels, fishing around for her supplies. "Well, I have a spare suture kit. Need to take care of any girls under my command rather regularly, so I've become used to having spares." She seemed to utterly ignore the fact that the two men had listened in a bit on their conversation...although perhaps that had something to do with the fact that she wasn't the one partially disrobed. With thread and needle, though, she began to make the rounds on Alaine's wounds, gently sewing the gash shut. "I do hope your choice of healer has not put you into any awkward situations, my dame." That was said with a bit of wry amusement.
  5. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    "Oh, he's learned. His bodyguard's got a bit of a crush on him, and doesn't pull punches with him when she catches him being stupid," Alaine smiled, amused at the memories of that man. She shifted her swords so that she could sit more comfortably. She thought back to a specific memory of him. "He was actually thrown out of the Ylissean clergy for seducing the daughter of a noble he worked for. His defense was something along the lines of, 'How can anyone that calls himself a man resist a woman as beautiful as her?'

    "The judge was quick to respond with, 'Self control.' He hit the gavil, and that was it. Into the streets. His bodyguard was going to be reassigned, but she was head over heels for him by that point. She'd built her life around him, and so she made her first real choice then. She quit, took her axe and her beast and went and found the sop in a bar. She helped him out of his rut, and soon after met up with me. Took some time to keep the bastard from me, and some more to befriend the bodyguard, but they're a core part of my company now."

    Alaine was relieved when Ethelia was done. She didn't mind the gentle touch, but they all had a job to do. The mercenary buttoned up her shirt and coat before she grabbed her breast-and-backplate. She slid it on, tightened and fastened the straps and then started reaching for her other pieces of armor. "Thank you again, Ethelia," she said as she finished armoring up her left arm. She armored up her right arm, and then stood again.

    "You don't have to keep watch anymore, Blake. Let's search this place and then get going to that fort. Don't want to give them the advantage of daylight."
  6. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    "Damn, I just finished setting up the tent!" Baron mumbled to himself. Whatever... he wasn't particularly looking forward to sleeping in the tent again. The colors and shape of the tent may be good for surviving a Feroxi winter, but a regular day in Ylisse was a little too hot for him. But Alaine did have a point to traveling at night. If they played their cards right, they could make their way toward the enemy camp without being spotted, allowing for the element of surprise.

    Baron looked around for anything to loot before taking down the tent. The tower was in terrible shape, and the only thing of interest that Baron saw were the chests. "You ladies, go check those chests while I take down my tent. Make sure that I get a fair share of whatever may be in them." Baron began undoing the knots and supports for his tents, but continued to address the rest of the group. "If we want to keep the advantage of night, we need to leave as soon as possible."
  7. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    (OOC: Since Double's out of town and is having trouble with internet time, let's just assume he's following along)

    Alaine frowned at the assassin taking down his tent. Who was giving the orders here? But, she had to remember, this was not her company, and that man in particular was not at all used to receiving orders from someone that wasn't a client but that was with him throughout his journey. "Worry not, Lonesome. I don't cut people out of loot," she replied.

    She opened the first chest and began rummaging around. Pulling out a couple of bags of gold, she took one and tossed it to the preoccupied assassin. It landed beside him. She then reached in, grabbed two more bags, and tossed one to Blake and one to Ethelia, in hopes that both could catch them. She continued rummaging, and pulled out four gemstones. She tucked the red one away in her bag. Ruby, most likely, though garnet wasn't out of the question.

    "Here," Alaine presented Ethelia with the green gemstone. "Sell this or get it polished and put into jewelry to decorate yourself. Green goes with you smashingly." She left the black pearl with Baron, and closed Blake's fingers around the blue gem.

    When Alaine started rummaging again, all she was running into were papers. Pulling them out, she walked over to a table and set them flat. The largest was a map of the area, including the surrounding villages. Most of the others were correspondences.

    She began skimming, but as she kept going, the more it looked like that magistrate back there, the man who'd paid them and hired them, was a crooked man, and apparently a man with high-ish influence in some sort of organized group of criminals. She came to a letter labelled 'intercepted correspondence.'

    Mr. Matlock,

    I am tired of hearing about these vigilante raids on our shipments. The supplies at the warehouses are getting low, and I'm just about ready to have you replaced. Our customers need their treatments, after all. With all these raids on our supply lines, the 'Holy Powder' and all the products we make from it are stretched unacceptably thin. Unease is spreading, and already some riots have occurred. Now our pockets are leaner.

    I will not have this continue. Get rid of these upstarts, or get started digging your grave.

    All due regards,
    J.


    "Curious," she said, pocketing the letter. She began studying the map, and managed to piece together where the four of them were, now. "Alright. We're... this dot right here," she pointed at a red dot on the map. "Their stronghold is over here, to the northwest," Alaine moved her finger up and to the left, to a larger red mark. "If I'm reading this right, it should take us... maybe an hour or two to get there if we start now."
  8. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    Baron slung the tent around his shoulders, and examined the loot handed to him. A bag of gold... a gem... good loot. He tucked them in his tent, and went over to the table. He stood next to Alaine and studied that map. "Hmm... Any normal map would have fortresses marked by their walls, not a red dot. Unless that's what their fortress happens to be." Baron laughed at his own joke, and patted Alaine on the back. Something didn't seem right about the whole thing, but it didn't matter. Baron has taken back good and bad people, and it was all the same as long as he got the money.

    "Anyway, those corpses outside probably used to be part of the group at the fortress. And we must be heading right toward their base." Baron walked over to the door, anxious to head out and get the job done. The warmth of Ylisse didn't really suit him. "You guys ready to shove off?"
  9. Kei

    Kei New Member new

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    "Your gift has been graciously accepted," Ethelia remarked as she caught the green gemstone, looking at how it reflected in the light for a bit before tucking it into her bag and listening to Alaine read the intercepted correspondence aloud. Something about the whole thing was off, somehow...something she couldn't quite put a finger on. "Anyone remember what the name of the magistrate was?" she asked, not exactly expecting anyone to actually have an answer. "I didn't exactly ask. We could move on if that seems to be the proper course of action, though."

    ((OOC: Sorry, hitting a bit of a muse roadblock here.))
  10. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    Alaine couldn't say she liked Baron's patting her on the back. It seemed condescending, coming from him. The mercenary couldn't say why, though. Resolving to forget it, she stood, hearing and answering Ethelia's question, "No, I don't remember any of us asking, and he wasn't all that forthcoming." Alaine gripped her icy sword again, wondering what to do. If this letter was genuine, would it be better to go after magistrate, if this 'Mr. Matlock' was indeed the magistrate.

    Nevermind. Focus. What needs to be done to make an informed decision? Alaine spent a few moments thinking. "Alright, let's move. If we want this to be done before midnight, we have to leave now. Come on," she ordered, gruffly, walking out of the ruined once-tower and down the path toward the fortress.
  11. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    Before Baron joined the party outside, he ran back into the tower and grabbed the map. It'd be a mighty shame if we were to get lost, wouldn't it? he thought to himself.

    As Baron followed the crew, holding the map in his left hand and checking every-so-often to make sure that they were heading the right way, he decided to check up on his new loot. First, the gold. He pulled out each gold bag and removed a single gold coin from them. He carefully checked their weight, their decoration, and how hard they were. He couldn't be too careful; too many times he was given a job where the buyer tried to get by with fake pay. Baron couldn't help but smirk reminiscing at all of their deaths. Anyway, it was rather difficult to make out their decoration in the limited light, but his sharp eyes were enough to tell him that both were genuine.

    Next, the gem. Or he hoped that it was. Baron had no idea what it was made out of, and it was all but visible in the moonlight. Better check it out when I get more light.
  12. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    ((OOC:Gonna go ahead and skip forward. Any problems, contact me, we'll work something out.))

    Navigating in the dark was difficult, but thanks to Baron and Blake, the four made their way down the path in the dark. The woods were thick, but the waxing moon's light kept it from being too treacherous. Alaine still had trouble, though. With only one eye and therefore less-than-optimal depth perception, she kept getting hit with branches. She kept to the back, holding on to Ethelia's shoulder. They traveled in silence, each alone with their thoughts.

    Soon enough, a ruined fortress came into view, along with moving sentries circling the place twenty yards out, standing sentries at the two main gates, and a set of watchmen in each tower on the wall. Ten yards from each wall, there were two standing sentries with about twenty yards between each other. Torches gave the roving sentries away, and there were braziers lit by the gates. The towers all had a somewhat large conflagration burning in open air, the parapets and their watchmen silhouetted against the glow of the flame.

    The structure, though not as ornate or flawless as in its original splendor, looked strong, at least from this angle; a place that would be easy to defend. "Fuck!" Alaine cursed, realizing just how much harder this made her plan. Then again, looking at the number of defenders, the blunt way would be difficult, too. Likely impossible.

    "Okay, here's the deal. Me, Ethelia, and Blake are going to stay in this area and keep an eye out for anyone that could get on to us. Blake, we need your eyes at their sharpest, in case they have anyone like you out here," Alaine ordered, her voice a harsh whisper. The moving group of sentries slowed their pass, like they had heard something.

    As if some deity decided to protect the four, a ghost owl* decided to hiss at that moment. It flew down and struck some small prey, and then leaped into the air and flew away silent as its name. It's white feathers caught the torchlight and the sentries kept moving. Quieting her voice further, she whispered, "Baron, I need you to scout out the walls of the fortress. Find an opening. Any opening that all of us could get through so that we're inside. No blood, either. Just look, physically check, and come back."

    Alaine looked at the three companions she had. "Stay on your toes. Let's do this."

    *Ghost owl is another name for a (common) barn owl. They don't make a hooting noise at night, instead sporting a rasping hiss that in the dark is creepy as all hell.
  13. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    Stealth operation, just what Baron had been waiting for. He lifted himself into a crouch-walk and put some distance between himself and the fortress walls. After he thought he was far enough out, he planted himself to observe his targets- Hostiles the assassin corrected himself. The torches kept the area immediately outside of the fortress lit, so he would need to stay away from that at all costs. The roaming sentries would be an even more dangerous threat, as they wandered a good distance from the fort with their own torches. Although there were just the right number to allow a large gap between the patrol men, so with enough stealth he could sneak in between them. With the guards at the gate and other walls, the only way to approach with a slight chance of success would be the corners, assuming the men in the watchtower didn't see him. These guys really had it together, he had to admit. One person alone making their way in here undetected would be nearly impossible, and even two would be sketchy. Focus, he told himself. As much as he scowled at the idea, he couldn't do this job alone, and needed his team to assist him. First, patrolling, and then making a plan.

    Baron crept his way through the trees around the fortress, well out of the guards' line of sight. He made sure to move low and slowly—sound not being much of a problem, because he doubted that the hostiles could hear any movement noises from his distance and over the crackling fire—since people had an easier time seeing movement in the dark. It took him 20 minutes to reach the side of the fortress opposite where he started. As the fourth wall came into view,—left from the perspective of where he started,—a small shimmer caught his eye. The light from a nearby guard's torch illuminated a large crack in the wall. It wasn't anything normal, since to Baron's eyes it seemed that the guard would not have a very hard time walking through the hole. Perfect. A plan was in its beginning stages as he started to complete his full circle of the encampment. And it was one that Baron couldn't say no to, despite that it involved working together with his team.
  14. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    OOC:
    K, since it's been five days, I'm going to skip them. 'Till they post again, I will skip them and we can continue.

    @Kei and Double, if you read this, there are two ways in. One is the one that Baron's just discovered. The other is to get yourself captured. Either works, and neither breaks my plot.

    IC:
    Alaine looked around, keeping her hand on her longsword. The red blade, she could feel, thirsted for more blood to keep its edge sharp. She'd had it for so many years now. Sorry, sword. This mission's too dangerous to botch just because you want a snack. You'll get blood, honest. Just be patient. Her heartbeat increased as another group of sentries moved passed them. "For a group of bandits, these guys are pretty well organized," she muttered. The mercenary tentatively stood, peering at the shadows, wondering where Baron was and what was taking him so long.

    Alaine pressed herself closer to the tree when the next band of sentries came by.
  15. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    Baron's team was still in the spot they were at when he left, and equally terrified of capture—if not more. Baron slowly and quietly approached them, being extra careful of the nearby sentries. He announced his presence concisely: "Back." Baron performed a cursory glance over his assets for the plan he had in mind, and relayed it to the group, keeping the beginning short but enough to get an idea.

    "I finished my reconnaissance of the area. Walls have guards and I'll be damned if there aren't archers in those towers. Any blindspot would quickly be blown by the wandering sentries. They obviously know what they're doing, and seem like they would raise a small alarm if any of them went missing." Baron did the math in his head to account for the number of guards he saw. "We should be handling over fifteen or sixteen guards just outside, and there should be more inside for day shifts assuming that they keep their current position. We shouldn't wait to find out, because getting anywhere near the place in broad daylight would be screaming suicide. But, I have good news and bad news. The good news: there's a crack in the wall on our left large enough for one person to fit through. Bad news: these guys know about it, and have a guard right in front of it.

    Here's where my plan comes in."
    Baron continued. "Blake, Alaine... you guys will be bait. You need to walk toward the fort on the side with the crack, preferably acting like you're both lost. You should also carry one weak weapon each, so you don't look threatening. They'll catch you and bring you in the fortress, leaving either a gap in the sentries' circle or removing the guards from that wall completely. Don't worry about your weapons and stuff—we can hold on to that for you. That'll be enough for me to take out anyone still hanging around the wall and head in. Maybe while I'm in there I can put on a disguise, to get at least a little surprise. I'll make my way into wherever they're holding your guys and give you your weapons back, and from there we unleash hell." Baron paused his speech, being deep in thought. What was her name... How could I forget? Oh yeah, Elaine. Baron admittedly felt a little stupid for forgetting her name. "Elaine, you can get on your pegasus and fly around the sky. Our first priority on the inside will be to kill the archers in the watchtowers, and that'll be when you can swoop in and join us. Then we just go from there."

    Baron did feel pretty proud for coming up with this plan. But at the same time, there was a lingering cold feeling that he couldn't shake in the back of his mind...
  16. Knight_of_G

    Knight_of_G Member reg

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    "Heh. You're combining my name with hers," Alaine smirked. She gestured with her thumb, "That's Ethelia."

    Rather detailed plan, though. Still, he's thinking that we're going in there swords drawn and hearts afire as we spill an ocean of blood. Not what I want to do. "See, about your plan, that's the thing. I don't know if they're the good kind of bandits, or the bad kind. If they are the former, I'd like to go back to that village and confront the magistrate," she whispered while the sentries passed. "If they both end up being the latter, then we'll kill them both."

    The mercenary paused before continuing, "For the moment, let's assume the bandits are the good, vigilante, hero-of-the-people kind. If they're not, then we can slaughter them all from within. This means, again, no blood. Is it possible that two people could sneak to that hole you found and go in one by one?"
  17. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    As many times as Baron smacked himself around on the inside for his small mess-up, on the surface all he did was roll his eyes and say "Whatever."

    She did bring up an interesting point—Baron refused to accept it altogether. All bandits are bandits; a person's view on bandits are their own. And he was being paid to kill them, so he didn't plan on letting the bandits go anywhere alive. "Let's look at it this way: I'm a bandit to some degree. In exchange for enough money, I'll take someone's life. Regular bandits, for their own personal gain, take money and sometimes lives of random travelers for their own. There's always going to be a winning and losing side, and the bandits tend to come out on top. If you're thinking they steal from the rich and give to the poor, the rich side loses and the poor win."

    Baron paused to draw the party's attention to the fortress. "What do you think's happening in this heavily defended fortress in the middle of the forest? A birthday party? No, there's something in there that they don't want to leave, and since they're bandits, I'll be damned if it's not treasure in there." And someone lost for them to get it. he didn't add. "Now let's go back to me: I work for anyone and I get the job done, without caring why. That's why I am notorious for what I do. So let's assume that these bandits lost to that magistrate guy and hired us to kill him and probably some other people. If you had found that piece of paper then, you'd probably think twice about working for these bandits, since it goes either way."

    Baron, proud of his small speech hopefully enlightening Alaine's perspective, removed his knife and played around with it in his hands a little. "That hole is guarded by someone, and you have to be invisible to get past him. That's why I suggest that someone or a few people get captured so that he can move, and one or two of us sneak in through the hole. If you're really insistent on not killing them right away, what will you accomplish? Being the hero that finds a way to make everyone happy? No, someone's going to lose, and the other will win. At most, you'll learn their side of the story. We can go with whatever plan we agree on to get us into the base. But unless they up the ante," Baron abruptly paused and drove his knife into the ground, "I intend on them losing."
  18. Knight_of_G

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    "Much as I can appreciate your mercenary attitude and all, I do have a brain. I'm trying to use it to focus on what would be good for the region as well as our pockets," Alaine retorted, somewhat offended. "For all your infamy," Alaine began, air-quoting when she got to the word 'infamy,' "I've never heard of you before now, and I'm not about to take orders from an assassin when I've been leading a group more rag-tag than this for years."

    She then tried to appeal to his money-grubbing side. "Besides, if they are both the enemy, we get to loot both of them."

    "Excuse me, who'll be looting what now?" a male voice said from around a tree. Alaine's face paled, but she managed not to peep at all. Slowly, she turned to look deeper into the forest. "Might want to keep it down, those sentries almost heard you."

    A shadow silently emerged from the trees. "I'm an Ylissian spy. Been here three weeks, staking this place out on the orders of the lord of this area." He leaned back against the trunk of a tree. "You stole some of the evidence I was going to use to get the lord's men to attack this place, but I think that magistrate was finally convinced to get rid of them himself.

    "Don't worry about them. I found this in the leader's room," he said, handing a parcel to Alaine. "Give it to one of the Noble Houses and you should get a substantial reward. The bandits here are indeed a threat to the region. Kill them all, and you save us the trouble." And with that, he disappeared, just as silent as he'd come in.

    Alaine was staring after the man, blinking slowly, almost like an owl. "K. Go ahead."
  19. Fcgfyv

    Fcgfyv Knight of Mind reg

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    Baron almost jumped to attack the spy, but instead was not startled by his sudden appearance. As much as Baron wanted to say "I told you so.", now was not the time to deal with a mercenary girl at his throat. "We'll do what you want, as long as we can do it."
  20. Knight_of_G

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    Alaine opened the parcel she'd been given by the spy, and was surprised to find that the letter inside was signed and stamped with the signet ring of Plegia. "Son of a bitch was right," she said, reading the thing as well she could before tucking it down her breastplate. "So, Plegia's been hiring bandits, eh?" the mercenary smiled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

    "Baron, cause chaos on the opposite end of this place as I do. After all... anything can happen in the dark."

    Alaine drew her stained blade, the crimson longsword she always carried, holding it in her left hand. She walked out from behind the underbrush just after a group of sentries passed, and then ran towards their turned backs.

    Showtime!
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