"Because I will shoot you if you don't."
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Jezzera's slowly lays a hand on the towering half-orc's shoulder. "We need no further compulsion. This is enough trouble for one afternoon. We will leave. " Lowering his voice he turns to Deegan and whispers, "perhaps our friend Nadya can shed light on this hostility. I do not wish to make enemies in this place."
"Sir," with more than enough sternness in his voice to make the gravity of the situation clear. "If you seek to make this a confrontation of blood I do not think the odds favor you. If you shoot at her, we will certainly not leave, as you will have harmed a dear friend of mine."
He stood slowly, raising his hands to make clear he was not armed (at least, not with a weapon). "You should reconsider your hostility before it ends regrettably for all."
Sarlene is utterly confused. Aghast. Stephen cowers behind a barstool.
"Get out and be gone. Get out of this town and there will be no confrontation."
Emil sweeps the weapon forward towards Kalhar as if sweeping him out of the establishment. His wife watches from the back leaning against the mirror.
Everywhere we go this seems to happen to us. A few skeletons and some bandits I can deal with but this is too much. Dad always told me to never trust a barkeep. Now I see why. What is his problem anyway? He thinks that just because he has a crossbow, he can kick us out of town? No! I'll show him. It takes more than a crossbow and threats to cow us.
Axel seems to snap back to reality from a daydream and focuses on Emil. Without a word, he focuses his mind on Emil's and, with a small gesture and a single word, tries to push his waking thoughts into unconsciousness.
He collapses and hits his head on the side of the table. Katrina screams and runs to his side.
"Don't worry ma'am. He will be fine in a couple minutes. There will be no lasting harm. except maybe a bruise. I recommend some ice to keep the swelling down"
As he says this he retrieves the crossbow and hands it to Daegan. "Hold onto this for now. I fear it will do him more harm than good."
He turns and heads for the door. "Maybe Nadya can explain why these people would attack us unprovoked"
Daegan looks a little startled but accepts the crossbow from Axel, careful to hold it in as non-threatening a manner as is possible with the bulky weapon. He eyes Katrina warily, sizing the woman up.
Maybe there is someone else who might first shed some light on the matter. Tell us, m'am, why would your husband offer us drinks and then try to scare us out of town with a loaded crossbow with the same breath? He pauses briefly to gauge her response before continuing. We have done no harm to this village and have no intentions to do so. Indeed, we have already done a great benefit to this town by slaying a beast that attempted to attack one of your merchants.
The look on Daegan's face softens from one of frustration to one of bewilderment. He turns to face Jezzera, casting a glance in Axel's direction as well. ..and what in the Nine Hells did he say to you before he began brandishing this thing around? He hoists the crossbow in one hand, the look of frustration returned.
She looks up, eyes steel.
"You're only going to bring trouble upon us. Foreigners, you best run."
"You look plenty capable of bringing trouble upon yourself, as far as I can tell."
Kalhar stands up, and frowns, looking down her. "I'm not from here, but in my part of the woods when you get visitors it's good because they bring coin into the coffers. I think it's clear we're not leaving; you'd best stop acting like a startled chicken and start explaining what's going on!"
F!#~in' right, yeah? Sarlene has shaken off her disbelief, and begun to gather her things about her. Never known a good man of the North to offer beer and then a s&$*ty little crossbow. No honor. Absolutely f~~+ all. You daft bastards, thinking that a damn crossbow earns you the right to whatever the f&$$ you want. Shove it in my damn face, see what f&&#ing happens... She continues to rant, more to herself than anyone else - a string of obscenities and curses mumbled ad infinitum .
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"If I may field a guess," Jezzera grunts above Sarlene's tirade, "It would seem possible, based on the severity of the response to our visit, that we are not the only foreigners to come to town recently." He fixes a steely gaze on the young woman. "Is this correct? There must be some very compelling reason you threaten newcomers with deadly weapons."
She rocks her husband's body on the floor, he stirs ever so slowly.
She looks dead at Kalhar and whispers.
"You will cause trouble for us all. "
Axel stops at the door. "Neither of them will tell us anything. I'm going back to Nadya's to find some answers. Maybe she can shed some light on all of this." Without another word, he walks out the door.
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"Indeed," the shaman gruffly spurts, pushing his tea away as he stands. "We have little time to trifle with such dalliances. Something is afoot that is clearly beyond the ken of our present company." He leaves a silver on the bar in front of him, striding after Axel with a mixture of purpose and curiosity. "The Black Rider's words ring more truly in my ears than they did when he spoke them. I would be remiss to deny myself the chance to see this mystery to its end."
Sarlene gathers her things, coaxes Stephen from his hiding place, and sets for the door. She continues to mumble a string of profanities, slowly cooling her demeanor.
As her feet cross the threshold, she ceases to speak, and stretches her neck, eschewing a sick crackle as her vertebrae pop in sequence.
Though she feigns serenity, her stress is immediately apparent to anyone that cares to notice.
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Jezzera lays a hand on his companion's arm - "You feign well but you are no harder than the rest of us," he says, almost at a whisper. "You and I both have a lesson to learn about tact, and now is as good a time as any to take it." His hand drops as he strides ahead of his companion. "We need not waste time here. Onwards and upwards, as the saying goes. This will be behind us in time."
Daegan pauses as the man begins to stir. He looks down at the crossbow in his hands, unsure for a moment whether to leave it behind... visions of a groggy man stumbling into the street and firing wildly filled his mind. Making up his mind, he removes the bolt and clunks the crossbow down upon the bar with a grunt. He looks at Katrina one last time and crushes the bolt in his fist, leaving the splinters on the counter and following the others outside without a word.
He shook his head and sighed softly, putting his arms through the loop of his shield and rotating his shoulder to re-limber it up. "A Taldan would not shake in his boots like this. Your country should be ashamed of you."
Looking down for another moment more, Kalhar turned to leave, tossing a silver piece onto the floor to pay for his drink. Jogging slightly, he caught up with Daegan and matched his pace.
"Do you figure the witches have such a chokehold on this town that visitors even coming here are a 'threat'?"
"Almost certainly" Axel states. "Even if, by some small chance, they are not aware of our intentions, we have to assume the element of surprise is completely lost"
As the group approaches Nadya's house, he stops and turns to face the group. "We might also have to assume that Nadya might be under their manipulation as well. She said they have her sister. Who knows what that could do to a person.
Sarlene bursts in to a rage. F$@+ that! Nadya is our friend! What kind of man are you? Listen to yourselves, eh? It's f~&&ing NADYA. OUR FRIEND Nadya. She turns to each of her firends, her gaze questioning the possibility of Axel's accusation apparent in everyone's disposition.
As she looks to Kalhar and Daegan, her initial certainty fades as she resigns herself to the objective fact that Nadya could, in fact, not be a true friend to she and her companions.
Sarlene's eyes mist, but she is quick to hide that fact. She shuffles away from the group, shivering, disgruntled, and visibly upset. She mumbles and curses (as per usual), drifting between an outright damnation of Nadya to her annoyance at the fickle notion of friendship. F!#&... dammit... can't trust a damn person... stupid Nadya... all a trap...
The lean trapper walks in silence for a time, brooding. His eyes sweep the meager houses of the village, dark thoughts swimming behind his mismatched eyes. It would seem as if the whole town, save Nadya, mistrusts us. It is certain that the witches have some sway over her as well, but if she truly believes that we might rescue her daughter... he shrugs listlessly. Well, she's been a slight more helpful than the rest of this damned town.
Daegan checks over his shoulder, warily, but the tavern grows farther away with no sign of a raving barkeep, as he had feared.
The short walk to Nadya's house is marked by silence between Sarlene and her companions. The soft crunch of snow and slush underfoot becomes increasing apparent as the din of the town fades. Each traveler seems lost in thought - spellbound.
Sarlene inhales deeply, the frigid air piercing her lungs like daggers, stirring her essence, chilling her soul. Her spirits are lifted as winter takes her in its embrace.
She breathes out, letting the air go, feeling a part of her leave with it.
She looks to Daegan, the looming trapper. He is adjusting his gear. Checking. Confirming. It gives him comfort.
Kalhar loses his step for an instant as his boot contacts some obstacle hidden by snow. His demeanor unfazed, he trudges forward. Having seem him in combat, Sarlene knows his neutrality can give way to a ferocity reserved for violence. The Glacier... that's a good name for him. Slow, cool, eternal, unforgiving.
Jezzera is unconcerned with his position. An outsider might label him aloof, but Sarlene knows better. His eyes are to the horizon, his nose trained to the breeze. He's collecting - sensing. Always on the hunt, that one. Sarlene cracks a small smile.
Sarlene shifts her gaze, and her eyes meet with Axel's for an instant before he returns to his notetaking. How do you walk and write? F%!#, that's off. she thinks to herself. Deep in her, she is jealous. When she sees a sword, she sees a weapon - a tool. He sees endless wonderment, like that of a child but so much more intense - practical.
F$$*in right. she says aloud, to no one in particular. Her words pierce the silence - and draw a short gaze or two from her compatriots. She looks at the house up ahead. Her hands move to her harpoon and she maintains her smile.
We'll kill any f%$%er that comes at us. Me and mine.
The group arrives at Nadya's house on the edge of town. The kids Orm and Mjoll quickly take to playing with Stephen and Rod.
Nadya, looking weary asks "How fare you on the town, the usual lot of drunk and ungrateful?"
The trapper frowns as he approaches. "Aye, more ungrateful than drunken, though." He crosses his arms, a dour look plain on his face.
"Aye, they be that."
She sighs
"I've made my delivery, now I wait to see if they'll actually give Thora back to me." She says the last part low enough that the kids don't overhear.
"The barman was gracious enough to offer a crossbow bolt" The corner of Axel's mouth curves upward in a halfhearted smile. "We were worried for your safety Nadya. Everything in this town seems...wrong." His voice drops lower as he moves toward the interior of the house "Is it possible that the witches have influence over the people here?"
"Through paranoia, soldiers, and generations-old stories of ill deeds. And they have certainly had me on the wrong end of a cattle prod lately. Waldsby isn't close enough to anything meaningful to be of note but if you'd say the people here live on an edge, there seems to be something extra lodged up there since I left."
After a curt nod to Nadya, Sarlene takes to the boys as if they were kin, chasing after Orm and Mjoll as they chase after Stephen and Rod, calling after them in Skald.
A stern knock at the door.
"Open up, we have a few questions"
Nadya looks panicked and freezes contemplating what to do.
Axel looks up to their host at the sound and sees her indecision. He rises to his feet and heads toward the door. Before he opens the door, he scans his companions, "Be ready my friends, they may have more 'hospitality' to show us". With that he opens the door to see who has come knocking.
6 blue cloaked guards stand in view from the doorway. They are carrying light shields and longswords, the butt of a cross bow also peaks out over their shoulders.
"Ah, one of the strangers. Stand aside and we won't have any issue.
Nadya Petska, by order of the Pale Tower, you are to come with us for questioning."
Daegan glowers at the guards, his fingers lightly brushing the hilt of his own longsword. He casts a questing glance at Kalhar, unsure of what to do. He does not seem content to let the guards take Nadya, but neither is he looking for a fight.
Axel stands in the doorway still, unconvinced.
"Why? What did she do? This woman saved our lives. She allowed us to travel in her caravan so we would not freeze to death in the forest. She is a good woman." He turns to look at Nadya, gives a smile then turns back "If you want to take her to the Pale Tower, we are coming with her"
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Jezzera nods in agreement, his eyes piercing the soldiers'. His nostrils flare as he lowers his brow.
"My friend speaks true. Nadya has done much for us and in these harsh lands, friends as kind as her are few and far between. A pack watches over its own." He snorts roughly, his arms crossing over his chest. "You ought to know that even if you forbid us to come we will follow. Tracking in snow is no difficult task. It is your choice. Take us with you and you will have our willing cooperation. But if you force us to surreptitiously pursue our friend, you may not find our coming so agreeable."
"How were you so far in the forest if you didn't have the basic needs to survive, perhaps you should be questioned. Your presence here is curious as well."
He scratches at his bearded chin
"Do all of you submit to arrest for questioning?"
Nadya speaks up
"It's fine, I will go. You really don't have to put yourselves through this."
Sarlene holds back the children, keeping them from running to their mother.
She whispers to them, "It's alright, loves. Cover your ears." Sarlene shows them how to cover their ears (earmuffs) and then turns with a snarl to the guards.
Sarlene looks to Axel and Daegan. In a hushed but audible tone "I'm not f$%@ing going anywhere with these a*@+~&#s."
The guys look uneasily at the hair color of the cursing woman and pass glances between one another.
The first one steps in towards Nadia pulling out manacles to bind her.
Nadya sighs presenting her wrists in front of her to the guard.
Axel's brow is furrowed as he is caught in indecision.
I really should have thought that one out. If we are arrested then we are in no better shape than Nadya. We cannot fight them here either, the children could get hurt.
A low growl escapes Axel as he steps out of the way. He slowly moves over to Daegan and whispers, barely audible even to the half-orc "We can't fight them here. Can you track them? We could follow and ambush them"
The half-orc's eyes never leave the guards as they shackle Nadya, but he leans down all the same, even his keen ears straining to catch Axel's words. He nods ponderously, and whispers, "Aye."
Straightening, he speaks for the group. "No need to arrest us all, Nadya knows well enough why we're here. I trust you will treat her well, she has naught to hide." He then faces Nadya and bows. "We shall not forget all you have done for us," he finishes simply.
As te guards begin to take Nadya away, Sarlene looks at Daegan, tears forming in her eyes. We're just letting her f*+$ing go? Sarlene is incredibly distraught, believing her friends would've put up more of a fight. Not one of you will raise a damn blade in her defense?
that's not f$+@ing right. I'm going after her. Sarlene stomps angrily toward the door, unaware of Axel and Daegan's intentions.
Daegan places a cautionary hand on Sarlene's shoulder as she moves to follow. Patience, my friend. I do not mean to do anything in the presence of children. He gives her a knowing look.
The guards eye the lot wearily as they nudge Nadya along.
"We may be back for you yet."
Nadya smiles at her children. "Don't worry, hopefully this means Thora will be back soon." Steel reserve washes over her face as she is shouldered out the door and towards the lane.
The kids look ready to cry, eyeing the room as if looking for something.
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"Now that they are gone, we must concoct a plan of action," Jezzera growls deeply. "The fresh snow will show their prints and take us to where Nadya will be held no doubt - but what then? Surely a frontal assault on the local police force would be ill-advised."
He looks to the children, teary-eyed and desperate for their mother. "She will be returned. That is the least we owe to your pack."
Axel looks out a front window, marking the direction the guards headed. "If they bring her to the local constabulary, I do not think she will be harmed. If they bring her to the witches themselves, I think that will be less accurate."
Axel lets out a short whistle and Rod comes bounding from the other room.
"You follow them but stay hidden alright? If they get outside the town, come straight back."
Axel scratches the fox's ear then opens the door and watches as Rod disappears into the snow. Stay safe little guy
Axel stands back up and turns to the group. "Right, we have little time to prepare ourselves. Be ready to leave as fast as you can. he kneels down next to the children "You two, find a safe place to hide. Don't trust anybody. We will have your mother back before you know it" The wizard gives them his friendliest smile then gets up and pakcs his things.
Sarlene stops with Daegan's help, though she seems apt to leap out the door at the slightest provocation.
She gathers herself emotionally, mumbling a string of obscenities in a variety of languages the children hopefully do not understand.
With a fitful shake, Sarlene stops her antics and shepherds the children to her. She then turns to Axel, with all the concern of a mother.
"Do we have no other plan than to hide them? Will they be safe in their mothers home?"
She looks to Orm. Is there someone you can stay with? Someone your mother likes very much?
Orm exchanges a quick glace with his brother before answering Sarlene. "We'll be fine right here, this house is safe." He glances around the house as if he is making it so.