"Hey is everything alright? We won the battle, but it feels like there's a thundercloud about to burst..."
Priyya tries several times to diplomatically explain the issue. Each time she stops in the middle of her first word and then attempts to rephrase it, only to stop again. Diplomacy is not my strong suit. She settles on an oblique approach.
"Alis, aside from you and Yvonne... where were the rest of us positioned in this battle and what were we doing?"
Lureene saunters over, seeing some sort of activity between Priyya, Alis, Yvonne, and Mal. She gives a smile to the others, and says with a gleam in her eyes, "That was a fierce battle! I am glad no one here was seriously hurt, well, except for those two poor slaves. The others seemed to appreciate Alis's rescue efforts!"
She glances at Mal, "Is there something wrong?"
"Alis, aside from you and Yvonne... where were the rest of us positioned in this battle and what were we doing?"
Crap, is this like one of those battlefield analysis quizzes in our warfare history class?
"Looking about at the bloodstains on the ground and pavement... well... it looks like this was your position and... that you held it!"
Then the tall warrior returns his eyes to Priyya, "I hope it goes without saying, but my thought was to stand with you, though I was unable to complete the task."
Priyya regards him warmly, "I never doubted that. I expected your arrival and I also saw the minotaur's blow. Thank you for sending Talvyra in your absence." Priyya looks embarrassed, "I'm sorry I couldn't fall back to the bottleneck you created. I would have liked to but it seems I had a retinue, and injured folk, and the battle on the beach was still in doubt."
She changes subjects, "At some point, we should discuss spells. I had a couple in mind to assist you or Talvyra but events made short work of my ideas. Still, in future encounters, I'd like to augment your abilities. I figure the more dangerous you are the less work I have to do." She gives him a conspiratorial smile.
Is she making light of the situation?
Turning to Priyya, his gaze softens somewhat, "We were all scrambling to make something of the situation, and as Lureene says, we're all still alive. I would be happy to discuss our spell choices, as I believe I have something to offer you as well." he turns to the winged woman. "I'm okay, simply frustrated. Though I'm glad to see you're alright. i lost track of you in the fight."
Lureene smiles back at him, "When I heard Alis call to retreat, I retreated out of site of you, in the porch area. Then I was trying to distract the beast that decided to pursue Alis here. As for your frustration, all I can say chaos and battle go hand in hand, it seems."
"Looking about at the bloodstains on the ground and pavement... well... it looks like this was your position and... that you held it!"
Priyya smiles to try to show this isn't a test, at least not in any conventional sense. Her voice is friendly and warm; she is merely stating facts and her perception not lecturing. "That's true. Though some of that blood is mine, and a good deal more is Felmor's and Khaitan's. And I suspect if their blood were not here in such large quantities you'd likely see nearly all of mine and we wouldn't be having this conversation. I was decidedly in the wrong place if I wanted to stay alive."
"There were a lot of people out here choosing to risk their lives to press the attack and defend me. That's a humbling thought. People who have no reason to save me risking their lives to do so. At my count - there were three valiant Setenbori and their mounts, Felmor, Khaitan, Talvyra in place of Mal when he was critically injured trying to get to me, Lureene providing support, and even pretty Saija. There were even Setenbori bowmen I think, though I could not see them. I owe them all a debt."
"You are a smart woman. Look over this battlefield. If you can puzzle out why I was standing here of all possible locations when you called for all of us to retreat, you will be halfway to knowing why there are a few people here who are a bit confused or upset right now. I'm not trying to be cryptic - some lessons are just better learned when we figure them out for ourselves."
Lureene smiles back at him, "When I heard Alis call to retreat, I retreated out of site of you, in the porch area. Then I was trying to distract the beast that decided to pursue Alis here. As for your frustration, all I can say chaos and battle go hand in hand, it seems."
A chuckle cracks Mal's frustrated facade, "I wasn't asking for an accounting, Lureene. I'm just glad you're okay." He then goes back to awaiting Alis's response to Priyya's question.
Alis chews on her bottom lip a bit and goes to stand in the same approximate position. She looks around considering lines of sight, the footing, avenues of approach and retreat.
"Well..." she scratches the back of her head, "You would be much freer to maneuver on the street than on the sand... the big carriage was down the street when I returned so there's the chance you had to dodge that. Had you fallen back to the alley, your line of sight and fire would be limited and you wouldn't have been able to advance, although it would have constrained the number of enemies able to reach you..."
Her brow furrows as she continues to analyze the position. "It looks like the Golden Drakes built a formation in the alleyway. Did you remain as a lure to draw the enemy within their line of fire and to setup a charge by their spearmen until I could return with reinforcements?"
Mal's jaw flexes, teeth strained nearly to cracking in an effort to keep his mouth clamped shut. Priyya's got this under control…
Priyya imagines she hears the cracking of Mal's teeth...
Still smiling and unperturbed, she replies. "Reinforcements? So far as any of us knew there was only you, running full tilt towards an isolated position with Yvonne in hot pursuit, and a very large group of minotaurs closing in. While I wasn't in Mal's head, can you imagine how your bodyguard might have felt in that moment?"
"Reinforcements? So far as any of us knew there was only you, running full tilt towards an isolated position with Yvonne in hot pursuit, and a very large group of minotaurs closing in. While I wasn't in Mal's head, can you imagine how your bodyguard might have felt in that moment?"
Alis gets a perplexed look on her face. "But I told Fel that 'freed slaves would be a big help' and shouted for you guys to fall back! Then I cast expeditious retreat and set out. You saw how much trouble the minotaurs were having on the sand, I knew that once I was past them there was no way they'd be able to catch up! Not only that, but if they tried to chase me, I figured that would buy all of you some more time."
She purses her lips for a moment before continuing, "As for Mal, I've seen how fast he can move. He could have kept pace if he was here, but I had no idea how far away he was. If I had waited, we'd have gotten boxed in and it would have been a lot harder to make it past. Maybe none of you have ever been lashed before, but I can tell you that the one thing that always kept me from breaking was one thought: turning the tables! If those men were strong enough to row here, I figured they were strong enough to want revenge!"
She sighs heavily, trying to keep her voice even. "So is that why all of you stayed out here getting hacked to bits then... because you didn't think I could get the job done?"
She looks up at Priyya in earnest. "Well, was that it then?"
"And IF those slaves were too tired to fight? And IF you weren't able to remove their chains? And IF you didn't manage to handle those guards? And what IF a group of those Minotaurs decided to swing around and go after the threat to their ship, meaning you? That bottleneck we were building works both ways. It would have kept THEM out and US in. If you got into real trouble... say a lucky shot from just one of those minotaurs and we were all trapped behind the bottleneck, what then?"
"We didn't get beaten up in an indefensible position because we thought you couldn't do the job. We held the line in case you needed rescue, in case one of those IFs happened."
"GOD'S DAMN YOUR PRIDE, WOMAN! THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOUR CAPABILITY!" Mal roars, his frustration getting the better of him. He takes a deep breath, trying to reign in his emotions. "Darkmane's right. Any one thing you counted on being wrong. Any one mis-step. Any one lucky shot by one of those brutes or their guards. Any one of those starved and possibly ravenous prisoners doing WHAT YOU DIDN'T EXPECT, and we'da been hard-pressed to save your clever little hide. Either we're a team or we're not here. We acted as a team. Bled as a team, keeping a channel open to save you if anything went wrong. This," and one clawed finger draws a line from shoulder to waist where clothes and flesh were sundered by a great blade, "because I put the team before myself. Put YOU before myself." He swings the claw to encompass the others present. "All of us, willing to bleed on the CHANCE something went wrong…." Mal's mouth works angrily, searching for more words. When none come, he storms off, feral growls pouring from his throat. If he had a tail, it would be lashing.
Lureene stares dumbfounded at the outburst from Mal. She walks over in between Mal and Alis, and looks into his eyes, he can see she is not upset yet, as she knows he cares for Alis in his own way, but still cannot let this stand.
She says to Mal in a soothing voice, "Mal, don't you think you are being to hard on Alis, just a little? I mean what I saw, and I must admit, I am not as battle tested as you are, but we were in danger of being overwhelmed because only Priyya, Felmor and Alis, along with myself, were able to meet the initial charge. I thought what she did was risky, true, but she wanted to buy us time for us to get into position, it really was just to buy us some time. I don't think Alis's talents lend themselves to being stuck behind a bodyguard, am I right, Alis?"
Before Alis can respond to Priyya, Mal's fuse burns to its end and his outburst leaves her standing dumbfounded.
"Pride? Pride?!" She marches after Mal as he walks away. "Do you mean to tell me you think I set off on my own out of pride? I thought the people who I thought were placing their trust in me were about to get overwhelmed and killed! I saw an opportunity to try and turn what looked like an inevitable tide — an opportunity that I'm not entirely sure anyone else here except maybe Yvonne could have accomplished. Isn't it the job of a leader to do what they think is best for their team?"
"If you were out here yet, you would have seen that I didn't just jump into the longship sight unseen. I assayed the situation, came up with a plan and put it to action. Yes it could have all gone terribly wrong. I could have tripped on a rock, or a strut or something. Maybe the guards could have resisted my spell, maybe a hundred things."
"If I had stayed behind, boxed in, I can tell you that there's not a whole lot that I would have been able to do to help out though. Hells... they could have knocked the barn over on our heads and picked us apart at their leisure, they might have even been able to lower their horns and break thru the formation if they got lucky enough. Minægis is on the same sea as my home, I'm no stranger to what minotaurs are capable of even if this is the first time I've seen them up close."
She takes a deep breath and her tone softens a bit. "Mal, I thought after we sparred the other night that you of all people would have understood how I'm trained to fight! I can't stand in one place and trade blows like you... My archery isn't as good as Priyya's... My spells aren't as strong as Alexis'..."
"You know, Larathiel didn't send me on a mission to a possible warzone to just sit around and stun everyone with my smile, right?" Alis gives a short laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "She picked you to help me because she thought you could keep up! Yes, I suppose I could have waited around for you, but with every second counting, I had to make a snap decision."
"I'm sorry that I put all of you thru so much pain because you were worried about me, I really am. If you have some ideas on how we can work better together then by all means, that would be a lot more useful than just hearing all the things I did wrong without being provided any ideas on alternate strategies for in the future."
"Yv– Lady d'Calla," she turns to the gypsy woman, "with the exception of the injury you suffer while helping me, not one of the Golden Drakes actually suffered an injury, did they? The way the wagons are right now, your people knew exactly how to respond and what everyone should do in the event of an emergency. How in the world do we get to that point?"
Priyya watches the civil conversation erupt into an exchange of heated, impulsive words. She looks at Yvonne, wondering what she makes of this scene.
Priyya nods politely to Yvonne and then leads Saija and Talvyra out onto the dune to enjoy the smells and sounds of the ocean (and a few tasty treats she hid in her clothing).
Felmor sees the meeting over on the beach but did not feel the need to involve himself in the discussion, at least until now. He cannot help but overhear the eruption from Corporal Mal, and the corresponding retort from Princess Alis. He personally felt the actions of Alis were kind of foolish, but he could not deny the arrival of the freed slaves did help turn the tide. Still, he thought her abilities were better served assisting the front line defense. He thinks, Aye, mebbe Corporal Mal kin talk some sense inta 'er, ehh but I not be placin' any wagers on it, friendly or otha' wise.
He sees his Desert Rose head off by herself and,seeing most of the cleanup was already taken care of, decides to see if she needed some company. He approaches her, and waves at her, still not comfortable around Talvyra, and awaits for her to acknowledge him, in case she wanted some privacy.
Saija's tail swishes and she crops at some low grasses on the dune. Her ears prop forward as she watches the Knight-Captain approach. Talvyra lolls on the sand a short distance away. Priyya waves back at Felmor and gives him a smile, before returning her stare out to the sea. When he sits down, Priyya smiles but makes no effort to speak.
Despite Lureene's attempt at intervention and Alis's attempt at making the situation lighter, Mals frustration, true to the man himself, remains doggedly in place. Though his voice does quiet, if still hard as steel, "The pride issue i spoke of had to do with you thinking this had anything to do with your skillset - as opposed to your actions. Take another look at the blood on the sand, Alis. These men on the boat were no warriors. It was a kindness to think of saving them, but theirs is the only non-Minotaur lifeblood spilled today. You unleashed men untrained for combat against these monsters, and they paid the price. You say you trust our ability, yet you trusted the outcome of this fight to a band of half-starved civilians instead of your teammates and the Drakes."
"I don't knwo what arrangement you have with these others, but IF I decide to trust you as my leader, it will be when you've shown yourself competent as one. My assignment to you was to keep you alive and is why i'm truly angry. I am here because you are important enough to see alive to the end of your mission. You make my role here futilely impossible when you constantly put yourself directly in harm's way with us having no way to reach you if things go poorly for you… yes, i speak of today and when you decided to spar me on the rooftops. I have no doubt in your training, but in combat, the unexpected happens. One of my closest friends in the unit died not on a demon's claw, but on a careless teammate's back-swing. Sh!t happens, but if it carelessly happens to you because of rash actions, people other than yourself pay the price."
"I'm not asking you to stand quietly behind me to let me do the fighting. I know that's not how you were trained, but to constantly run off alone? That's an impossible task for me."
"No, the Drakes didn't receive any injuries.. but this only reinforces that our BEST option was to stick with the larger group instead of running off by yourself. They remained safe while we didn't because they stuck together while we held a line of connection to you.
"You want to change our arrangement? Talk to Lathariel. I will begin taking your orders when those orders take more into account than you've shown so far." His eyes cut to Lureene, standing defensively between them, "My words are harsh, but this is a harsh reality. You want soft words and comforting thoughts, the battlefield is the last place to look."
"It wasn't a matter of not trusting you." she says quietly. "If I didn't trust you I would have been looking over my shoulder the entire time instead of staying focused on what was in front of me. Knowing what I did about your strengths and mine, I thought we were going to need more help, that's all."
She turns to go, frustrated but, for once, at a loss for words.
Felmor, correctly judging her mood, knows when words are unneeded. He sits down next to her, and turns his gaze to the sea, while saying nothing, just enjoying a moment of solitude with her.
Mal, not knowing when to let well enough alone (a trait that serves him well on the trail but not so much in interpersonal affairs), ignores the looks he gets from the others and follows the stubborn princess, brushing past the winged girl before him.
"I appreciate that you trust in my skills. I hope you believe me that I respect your combat capabilities, but that's not what I'm mad about. You might even be right in your assessment that we needed more muscle than we had. I strongly believe those slaves were more a combat liability than an asset, but even that's beside the point. Unless I vastly mistake this mission and what's going on, everybody here is meant to protect you and your goals. If something happened, and it easily could have, and you were killed. We all fail. I fail in my assignment. The Drakes fail in their commission. I can't speak for those already in your crew, but I'm sure they would share in the failure. You have aspirations of being a good leader… great. Leaders do what it takes to get the job done, true, but they rarely do it themselves. There's a reason good leaders are surrounded with good assets.. to use them. You could have sent Priyya or Felmore to go release those prisoners if it was important enough. Both are capable and have the skills necessary - even if they aren't the same skills you would employ to accomplish the goal. But if they fell, they would fall doing their duty."
He sighs and wipes a hand down the phantom pain in his chest and side, "I'm not stupid enough to think I'd be a good leader, but I bring a lot to a group. Use it. Even I could have freed those prisoners, and it would have been a better gamble than sending you. At least I'd fail serving the assignment I was given."
Lureene returns his gaze directly, and moves to keep up with the hulking ranger, not intimidated in the slightest ”Yes, Mal, but we are not on a battlefield at this moment are we. Now, unless you are one of those souls who cannot function without the adrenalin flowing in their veins at all times, you do need to learn how to interact with your teammates in both situations. Now, Alis surely did something quite risky, but her motives were sound. She was honestly concerned about us getting overwhelmed and decided to take actions to forestall that eventuality. Could it have failed? Of course, who can predict how the battle would have turned? But it didn’t, so I think we need to practice together more as a team, and also we need to trust each other. We will be spending a lot of time together, and we can either work together, or all endure separately.”
She then walks over to Alis, and gives the young Princess a hug, whispering in her ear.
Mal shrugs off Lureene dismissively, his attention on Alis, "Who the hell questioned her motives?"
Priyya glances over. She watches the odd three-way chase which roams back and forth across the sand - first Alis pursuing Mal then Mal turning around to dog her steps. And always with Lureene swirling around both. It is an odd dance - the choreography of discontent. She can't hear their words, for which she is grateful, but the emotions comes through loud and clear.
Priyya sighs and returns her gaze to the sea saying, to no one particular, "I wonder if they will run out of fight soon."
Mal's words give Alis pause and she considers them while Lureene says her peace. Her indigo gaze travels between Priyya and Felmor sitting on the beach, Lureene standing nearby talking, Yvonne, and the gypsies and horses bustling around, and finally at Mal.
When Lureene give the princess a hug and whispers in her ear, Alis holds her tight for a moment taking comfort in the gesture and whispers a single word in reply.
"Heh, I guess even our shopping trips are dangerous, aren't they, huh L?"
She shakes her head and looks up at Mal's serious face. "I–" She frowns and tries again, "Would you believe that it never even occurred to me that you guys were any more or less valuable to this mission than I am?"
She tips her head in a direction for them to walk in and begins speaking with him in a tongue that she hopes only the two of them understand well.
"And yes, I'm more used to ditching bodyguards or messing with them than actually relying upon them. I'll admit I followed you the other night as much to mess with you and see how you'd react as I did to see your fighting style. You had a good time dancing with Alexis, you were gentlemanly and treated her with a velvet glove, but with me it was just glowering and brooding. So yes, that kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I was too wound up to just go to bed — same as you."
"You are right though... about this mission I've been given I mean. I've been looking at it like a chore or punishment. It's the rest of you who have been treating it seriously... treating me seriously. I guess it's time that I start taking things a bit more seriously too even if only because you're sticking your necks out there for on my account."
She looks out at the longship being hauled up onto the shore by teams of men and horses.
"In any event, looking at it from the standpoint that all of you would be in trouble if something happened to me, I guess I can understand where you are coming from. Next time I guess I'll let you have more of the fun. Although..." she gives Mal a sly look, "I don't think you'd have been able to handle the guards as well as I did."
With that Alis winks and reveals no more. ;)
Mal's tone softens drastically as Alis speaks.
"I–" She frowns and tries again, "Would you believe that it never even occurred to me that you guys were any more or less valuable to this mission than I am?"
"It is commendable to place great value in those around you. Our situation here just seems to be somewhat unique."
… the first spoiler…
Mal nods in recognition of their shared and broken family experiences.
… the second spoiler…
"And it's not really about limiting our fun, Alis… more like making sure someone is on hand in the more dangerous 'fun' situations to get your noble hide out of it."
Her final joke brings a chuckle, "I'm fairly certain our approaches to most problems is quite different."
Pleased with his conversation with Alis, Mal remembers his outburst that began it and looks around to find Priyya still on the beach with the Knight-Captain. He shakes his head, remembering how he erupted when she was handling the situation, and approaches the dark-skinned woman.
"I apologize for cutting you off. I can be impatient. I hope I am not diminished in your eyes."
"I apologize for cutting you off. I can be impatient. I hope I am not diminished in your eyes."
Priyya leans back, burying her elbows in the dune, and regards him with her wide, smiling, almond eyes. "Now that you've taken a bite out of an Elven Princess' ass - tell me - does it taste like chicken?" Priyya guffaws at her own joke for a time before subsiding. "Mal, lighten up. I don't need an apology. I try to accept teammates as they are. Everyone in this group is fiery, myself included, and only Felmor here excepted. I've gone off plenty - so don't worry about it. If I ever have a problem with your behavior, I'll be in your face telling you about it in between a string of colorful epithets. As for being 'diminished'," she snorts as if the concept is ridiculous, "if I see you turn tail in a battle - maybe. But for a little interpersonal dust-up? No."
Priyya looks around at the stage of the preparations and starts getting up, Felmor following suit. "Well, looks like maybe we'll be able to move on soon. If we're lucky, we'll get to fight Frost Giants before dinner... Saija, Talvyra, let's go." For no good reason, Priyya grabs Felmor's and Mal's elbows and starts walking, her arms intertwined with theirs, back towards the Inn - as if she were a proper lady being escorted by two gentlemen.
As they walk, Priyya glances at Mal periodically. He sees but ignores her looks, waiting for Darkmane to commit herself. Eventually, she does, "So Mal, after I left... was there anything said I need to know? Anything of tactical significance?" It's clear she isn't prying for gossip, just looking for factors that, as a teammate, she ought to know.
"Yah, Alis is becoming aware of the fact that this whole mission revolves around her - well, unless something fundamental changes about our task. She says she'll take her own survival more seriously. Though i believe we both know she will not give up her own particular flavor of fun. A question, though... does she lead your crew because of your choice or because of her courtly position?"
Priyya stops short, her mind seemingly locked-up for a moment. Both men look at her. She recovers as quickly as she is able and replies, "I've done you a disservice, Mal. I'm sorry. I assumed Alis or Alexis would have explained this to you. Fel can speak for himself regarding his relationship with the Princesses... "
"For myself... This is a nuanced subject and if you are uncomfortable with mysticism and the strange ways of Deities then you are probably better off un-asking the question. In simplest terms, I walk with Alis because my deity, Alita, has hinted I should do so. But I am not a member of Alis' crew nor is she my 'leader' in any typical sense of that word. She is something more like a compass for me - I follow where she is pointing until we reach our destination or Alita tells me otherwise. So I suppose you may say that I follow her lead out of choice for it is certainly not her title which compels me. No earthly title trumps my mandate as Surya-ka-Vahaak, in my opinion. Naturally, rulers and local magistrates can dispute that by force of arms, imprisonment, and the like."
Felmor allows Priyya to finish and then responds, in a quiet voice, ”Aye, I be followin’ th’ princess fer th’ knighthood she bestowed on me.” He chuckles at the memory of the knighting ceremony, and continues, ”I also follow ‘er cause she has a good ‘eart and she gave me back a part o’ meself I thought I had lost forever.” He then lapses into silence again.
Priyya looks at Felmor with amusement, "Well! I think I should probably feel jealous after that impassioned declaration. First toying with Alexis' feelings and now THIS. Trying to work your way through the entire royal family, my good Captain? This is really the absolute limit." It's clear she is joking. She casts a sidelong appraising look at Mal. "So... Tall-Dark-&-Feral, it looks like I'll be needing a new lover. Interested? OR are you smitten with Princesses as well?"
The tall warrior chuckles at the joke between Darkmane and her mate. Or maybe they're just lovers... he muses before looking up. "I must admit to being wary of trying to fill the good knight's shoes. Not that I think I could find any more intriguing woman in more than a few leagues... Royal or no."
"And that is good to know about your role, Darkmane." He pauses for a second, stoops to the ground, and stands up, a tiny black ant crawling across one clawed finger. "Ya know, I've often wondered if an ant looks up at my seemingly boundless form and supernatural powers and wonders if he should pray to me." his grin widens as he looks up at the faces of the two lovers, "Who knows, maybe there is a tiny ant Temple of Mal somewhere, no?" He blows the creature from his fingertips with a shrug, "Food for thought, though, right?
Felmor looks at his Beloved with an askance look on his face. "I cannae help it, it be me natural charms, all the royal princesses that be eligible jes flock ta me!". He inwardly shudders to think of the prospect of actually being married to either one of the lovely ladies. "Aye, I t'ink it be less painful in th' long run fer me ta beat meself senseless wit' me pin 'ere, then hafta worry 'bout th' antics o' either one o' them." He takes out his pin, and holds it out for Priyya to look at. "if'n I eveah git th' urge ta be any more forward wit' either one o' them, the ye know what ta do wit' this, he he." He laughs out loud before he stows the pin away, on his baldric.
"I cannae help it, it be me natural charms, all the royal princesses that be eligible jes flock ta me!"
"Why Captain Felmore, is that a belaying pin in your pocket or were you just happy to hug me?"
"Wait, so that really was just your belaying pin? YOU BASTARD!"
Alexis runs off to another continent sobbing with a hot blonde elf boy and Studly McMonk Muffin.
"Not that I think I could find any more intriguing woman in more than a few leagues... Royal or no."
Priyya elbows Felmor. "Did you hear that? Mal thinks I'm intriguing. And what did you say I was, oh yes, an anchor. Honestly, Fel, you chat up the princesses and call me an anchor. I may have to beat you with that belay pin."
"Who knows, maybe there is a tiny ant Temple of Mal somewhere, no?" He blows the creature from his fingertips with a shrug, "Food for thought, though, right?"
Priyya looks at his now empty claw with amusement. "I'm not a deity but I'm pretty sure that blowing your worshippers off your fingertips and into a precipitous fall... probably not going to increase your church following."
Priyya elbows Felmor. "Did you hear that? Mal thinks I'm intriguing. And what did you say I was, oh yes, an anchor. Honestly, Fel, you chat up the princesses and call me an anchor. I may have to beat you with that belay pin."
Felmor winces as her sharp elbow digs into his side, and thinks, Aye, she be neveah let me live that anchor comment down. He gives her a rakish grin, "Well, me Desert Rose, ye are verra intriguing, 'n I would also say ye is fascinating, 'n ravishing, 'n sensuous as well. Now, if'n ye dinnae like th' term anchor, I not be usin' that term eveah again!" He glances at Mal, and thinks, Aye, I kin see the intrigue buildin' there, he he.
Priyya smiles at Fel and blushes slightly, realising he isn't entirely kidding. "Well, since you nearly got killed today I suppose I can forgive being compared to an anchor."
"I'm not a deity but I'm pretty sure that blowing your worshippers off your fingertips and into a precipitous fall... probably not going to increase your church following."
"Hmm... from many ex-temple-goers, that's exactly their experience, but I'm really not all that knowledgeable about religious matters. The gods... they are... they aren't... in my experience there are more pressing concerns. That's not to bash your belief, really. Just being honest."
Priyya laughs, "No offence taken."
With the added burden of transporting nearly 2 dozen additional people, it takes a full two days of travel to reach the city of Om'roton. You arrive late in the morning to news that additional raiding parties have been spotted throughout the vicinity of the Rime Sea and that things are worse farther north. There's more than a bit of murmuring and conjecture on how they are slipping past Ilmarond's navy yet precious little actual information.
Given the heightened state of emergency, and the proof of your victory against just such a band, your group proves quite popular as locals, soldiers, sailors, and even smiths are eager to talk with you. Information, tactics, and even praise are all hot topics of discussion where ever you go.
With the help of the Golden Drakes, you have little trouble getting full market value for the masterwork armor and longswords recovered from the barbarians on the longship. Furthermore, with new orders rolling in and the flow of incoming good disrupted, weaponsmiths are more than happy to buy the giant weapons you recovered for their steel.
- 157 × 2 mwk heavy wooden shields
- 175 × 2 mwk studded leather armors
- 315 × 2 mwk longswords
- 40 × 2 large greataxes
- 20 × 2 large battle axes
- 30 × 2 large longswords
- 150 × 1 large falchion
- 30 × 1 large trident
- 24 × 1 large warhammer
Gold: 1,678
Since it will be well into the afternoon by the time the Golden Drakes have finished reprovisioning (tripling the number of caravan members did a number on rations), you'll be staying in Om'roton for the night heading out at first light. Om'roton isn't quite as large of a city as Caen Carrinac, but if there's anything you'd like to take care of here, it will be 8 days before you are in another town and nearly 2 weeks before you reach Valehaven.