Destany, though apparently not invited along, follows anyway...
As Dmitri walks to the deck, he's met with his own personal quarry, freshly wrapped and presented directly to him, like some sort of present. His grin is wicked, and serenely white. The wound he had placed wasn't fully healed yet, which caused the man to bleed just a little through his clothing.
He walks over, looking at the unconscious(?) man, rather satisfied and disappointed at the same time. The reason he didn't want to interrogate the man wasn't because of his fear of becoming carnal, rather, he was interested in Daen's... methods. He wasn't shy, but he'd yet to speak up for anything other than "Blah blah blah nobility, blah blah blah halfblood" so the idea of learning new things about him appealed to him greatly, if only so he could know what to expect in the near future.
He didn't like or hate Daen. Daen wasn't aware of his religion, and he had yet to really even have plenty of words with him or toward him. As far as Dmitri cared, Daen was merely... there. A potential inconvenience.
While looking at the man for a moment, Dmitri turned toward the group. With a grin, he said,
"I want the half-elf to do this, if no one particularly objects.
As he said it, he walked past the group.
"If anyone requires my services, I'll be in the cabin."
As soon as he said cabin, he felt a bit tired. In all the excitement and adrenaline rush of combat, he couldn't help but be a wee bit woozy.
"I would have thought Destany would do the talking -- she's the one who actually kept him alive, after all. But if Daen wants to question him, that's fine with me. Just don't," she emphasized, "make me question him. I get nervous."
Dmitri stops walking for a moment, hearing her nervousness.
Hmm. I'm sure they can handle it. Why not join me in the cabin? I'd enjoy the company.
Frankly, Dmitri wasn't exactly going to try anything. He simply preferred female company to male company any day of the week. Fyrek was also devout, which made her all the more appealing to share pleasantries with.
I have the feeling that the interrogation will go well, regardless, as they know we saved his life... after... defending... myself. He realized that it wasn't so much as defending himself that it was merely fun. He was still irritated that he hadn't been wounded.
Still, if you wish to watch He looked at the rest of the group You know where I'll be"
Dmitri walked back to the cabin, noticing the door was swung open by someone who probably rushed out eagerly, earlier. He entered, politely closing the door. As he entered the room, he removed his coat, laying it on a post. His bare arms were covered in previous scars, none relatively new, and none bulbous. It seemed as though they had all magically been made to stay the same level of the skin itself.
His breastplate had been integral, and he rarely ever removed it, save only to bathe. Mavis had became accustomed to sleeping with his armor still on for protection reasons.
He found a nice spot in the room. (Bed/Chair) and took out his book, thankfully untouched, and began to read again.
Daen looked at Dmitri as he openly challenged him. If they were friends, he might handle this a little differently. Now it just looked as if he wanted him to jump through hoops to satisfy him. He briefly toyed with the idea of backhanding him, but then Fyrek spoke up and he noticed that she had drawn near. The distraction was enough for him to forget his rising anger and be more rational about the situation. This is probably why he was sent with us. He would definitely be a handful. The question was how to turn his ways into a benefit for their mission so they could all stay alive.
But then there was this situation to deal with as well. Fyrek was fierce and confident in court, while Destany was the opposite. Perhaps she was more in her element in this type of situation, while Fyrek was not.
He turned to the pretty young woman next to him and thought of one of his mother's favorite sayings. "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
"Would you be alright with that Destany? This situation could use a gentler touch than I may be able to provide, although I would be perfectly ready to assist if you would like."
Blake initially was surprised by Dmitri's request to have Daen question the prisoner, but after a few seconds it made sense to him. 'Of course' he thought to himself, 'Dmitri wants the same thing that I do - to find out what everyone is made of, and what limits they'll go to.'
When Daen glared daggers at Dmtiri, it told Blake something about him. When Dmitri didn't even stay to watch what happened, that said something about him as well.
Blake contemplated his role in this situation. He had seen people interrogated before, and couldn't think up a reason why he couldn't do it himself. Perhaps that by doing something the others were hesitant to do, but needed to be done, he could better solidify his place among them.
He quickly went back to his room, gathering up a few supplies, and returning to the deck as Daen was asking Destany whether she'd be okay with talking to their captive. "If Destany doesn't want to do it, I am prepared to talk to the man."
"I will talk with him if you'd prefer it were me, Daen, but of course your assistance would be most welcome. Questioning prisoners isn't exactly something I have experience with, so this will be new for me." Destany looks at the unconscious man and sighs.
"First, however, he needs to be conscious before we can speak with him. Though I guess it would be best if he were bound before I heal him again." She searches him for hidden weapons or other items before binding him with her rope.
[ooc]Assist with binding
Daen helps wrapping up the limbs of the assailant, using a slightly different knot that seems to do a good job on the wrists. "I believe we might be doing a lot of things we don't have experience with in the next few months. People have the tendency of overlooking me but that cannot happen with you. Just offer him the alternatives of life if he answers our questions to our satisfaction, or hanging from the yardarm if he wants to remain quiet. If he seems hesitant, feel free to try and persuade him however you think might work."
Daen gave her a thin smile and a nod of encouragement and turned to Blake as well. He really didn't know what the alchemist would do, but participation seemed like a step forward. "Feel free to step in if you think there is something you can add. Persuasion can be done in many ways." Maybe they would become a team yet. At least the four of them would.
Destany nods in thanks to Daen for his assistance with the knots. "That's an unusual knot, I don't think I've seen its like before...thank you for the aid."
Once the man is well-bound, she casts another Cure Light Wounds on him to wake him up.
Fyrek was a bit surprised at Dmitri's withdrawal from the interrogation. I really thought he was intent on watching, and that I'd have to concentrate on reeling him in. It's obvious that I don't understand the man at all. If our mission is to have any success, I should probably rectify that.
So when she sees that Destany, Blake, and Daen have the interrogation well in hand, she purses her lips and says, "As interested as I am in this -- and I am quite interested -- I think I'll sit and talk with Dmitri while you question our would-be-assassin. I suspect he's more shaken by the attack than he's been willing to let on."
After taking her leave, she follows Dmitri into the cabin, where he had already begun reading his tome.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she says, "But I thought I'd take you up on your invitation. How are you finding Brevoy thus far? I'll admit to not knowing much of your homeland."
Destany isn't surprised really by Fyrek's withdrawal to be with Dmitri. The man was charming in his own way. A little scary and creepy but charming. She turns her attention back to the man in the ropes. When he's awake, she carefully doesn't touch him, though at one point, she reaches out as if she's going to stroke his cheek, then pulls her hand back.
"Well, you're awake. That's convenient. We have some questions for you. Before we ask them, however, you should know you are on a boat and the captain wants to hang you for attempted assassination on his sovereign vessel. We've made arrangements with him, that if you answer our question to our satisfaction, he will allow us to grant you your life. Therefore, your responses here are your ticket out of hell. Do you understand me fully, assassin?"
Blake waits to see how the would-be assassin reacts to Destany before he makes any kind of move. But he stands, waiting, with one hand on his alchemy pouch. The talks of religion and politics, they were such complex ideas that felt so abstracted to Blake. This felt like something that he could wrap his head around. It was one task, with concrete goals. He looked at the assassin and smiled, still not entirely sure which way he wanted this to go.
"Dear, I assure you, you've interrupted nothing." He said, happy she'd followed.
He closed his book, as it was rude to not give a woman his full attention. That wasn't exactly in his code, or anything, it was merely good manners he'd come to... adapt, that into his rather intrinsic code and personality.
"Hmm... Brevoy... has treated me well. Sincerely well. Attacks like today happened frequently, but I have more scars from my... acquaintances, than my enemies. There's a fine line between those, as well, is the beautiful part."
"Nidale, however... depending on what part you, yourself, went to... you'd either be tortured, or revered."
"Yourself?"
"Brevoy is my home. And, they say, the height of world civilization." Fyrek shrugged. "Perhaps that is why I gravitated towards the wilds. That and I don't like being cooped up -- I hate being where I can't see the sky."
Fyrek took note of the scars on Dmitri's arms. Bites would be punctures and scratches would be ragged. Those look to regular for either. Some sort of ritual, then?
"Tortured or revered? I'll stay away then -- I don't think I'd survive either very long. Of course, they'd have to catch me first." Fyrek smiled, perhaps projecting confidence, but actually at her own bravado. She'd yet to master any of the Barefoot Hero's tricks at eluding pursuit.
"As for the difference between enemies and acquaintances...you're right, they are often one and the same. Certainly in my family. Enmity is to redirected -- with luck destroying two foes at once. Loyalty is to be rewarded -- and scorned as weakness. It is all about elevating oneself, and all very tiresome."
"I prefer the straightforward relationship of predator and prey. While you are strong enough, you eat. One day you will be eaten. And until then, you provide for yourself and your circle as best you can."
Fyrek locks her gaze with Dmitri's, focusing in on his red eyes...or at least the one that she can see.
"Which are you, Dmitri? I had you figured for predator, but now I'm not so sure. And why did you accept the King's offer (long may he reign) to explore the Greenbelt?"
Dmitri enjoyed this woman's company. Her wordiness revealed a thoughtful mind, and he enjoyed that in a lady.
"Oh, predator. Certainly predator."
At the question of why he accepted the king's offer, he was... enthralled with the idea of the carnage. He wanted to be devout, and truly lower himself into the debauchery of battle, as well as flirt with women, and please those who he would call allies and masters in many ways.
Hmm... my Deity. First and foremost, my deity comes first in my ways. I guess you could say I accepted his offer to finally pay back everything Lilith has done for me.
He paced around the room moving his hands with certain words.
"The nectar of life is crimson and overflowing in every one of us, and may only be offered in combat, or ritualistic injury."
"Harm no woman that has not harmed you."
"The fairer of the races is to be revered as you would a temple."
"To harm a woman is blasphemy, and may only be forgiven through self-injury."
He stopped pacing and looked directly into Fyrek's eyes.
"I was raised in a church where I saw no man for 20 years. I was raised by a Succubus Godmother, Avalni Esterad, and her 4 sisters. I am simply here to thank my deity through copious amounts of worship. I'm not here to spread it's word, or force it on anyone, as she teaches against that."
He walked a bit closer making his gaze all the more piercing.
"And are you okay with that?" The question came softly, as if trying to not displease a master.
Alarm bells were ringing in Fyrek's skull.
Demon worshipper, they said. Succubus spawn. Blood-drunk brute. Ravager.
She silenced them. Then she looked Dmitri over from bottom to top, his tall lean body, with his chiseled muscles, and the long white hair draped down to his shoulders, the level gaze of his bright red eyes.
What he is, is a weapon. A highly crafted, well-honed weapon, tempered and polished. He was also proof positive that King Noleski was weak. Had he been strong, he would have kept this weapon, wielded it himself. Pointed it towards his enemies. But instead he had thrown it away, into the Greenbelt, hoping it would be destroyed.
Under the wrong influence, he would be dangerous. In the hands of her father, or of the Orlovsky, Dmitri would be a fearsome weapon indeed, a true bringer of blood and death. Fyrek could not allow that to happen.
Not that she wanted to wield him either. He should be his own man. Within limits.
"As for deities," she said at last, "I worship Ketephys, the Silent Hunter. Now, he does not desire worship, or even seem to notice it, but his followers revere him even more for that. He is what we want to be, a wandering hero, relying only on his own abilities, and those of his companions, who he loves like brothers. That is what I hope for all of us to be in this adventure, close companions, striving to explore and bring peace to the Greenbelt."
"It would be hard to argue the primacy of blood. My life, Daen's life, perhaps those of our other companions have been completely shaped by its flow. But it is not to be spilled lightly. In battle, surely. But not the blood of innocents, or those whose lives are in our hands. If you can agree to that, I can certainly agree to respect your beliefs, as alien as they may seem to me."
"Besides," Fyrek smiled, "You are a bit narrow in your definition of blood, by calling it a 'red nectar'. I am a Sylph, my blood wreathes my body constantly, protecting me, revealing me." She holds out her hand, palm just in front of his face, not quite touching him.
"If you are brave enough, breathe in. You will feel my blood flowing down your windpipe, filling your lungs. Breathe out and it is a part of me again. See, there is much about blood you still have to learn."
She watches him, to see his reaction. Then she winks at him, and leaves the room.
Dmitri smiles, knowing what she means, carefully breathing in.
He lowers her hand, still looking at her with a confident smile.
I assure you, though I truly do enjoy worship through sadomasochism, those that are innocent need not fear my blood lust. I carry myself as a respectful, charming man of renown and I aim to please women.
Should you wish to know more about my religion, I shall inform you, though, I do request that you keep the information to yourself, unless you truly wish to inform our allies.
I may come off as harsh to the man, Daen, but, I merely wish to gauge his abilities, though, I would prefer he believe that I am berating him. Please don't tell him otherwise.
He bowed, as she winked, not seeing it.
Should the interrogation require my services, please tell me. As of yet, I will just resume my reading. Good night to you, dear Fyrek.
As she left the room, he resumed a smile, eyes half open, reading his scripture again.
The would-be assassin woke at Destany's touch, his eyes unfocused and weary. He began to tug at his bonds for a moment, but stopped and listened carefully as she spoke. "Yes. I understand. Please don't kill me... I was just trying to get away." The man looks quite sincere with his feverish-looking dark eyes looking out of his bearded face.
"What were you trying to get away from? Who sent you and what was your exact mission? Answer me truthfully... Your life depends on it." She smiles at him, but her eyes don't carry the warmth of her smile just yet.
"What? This!" The man gestures with his chin vaguely. "My brother died because he bought a deer that was poached. My mother died because she couldn't afford a healer and the lord we worked for wouldn't even consider sending for one. But he could send for a teacher to teach his damn daughter how to behave in a proper court." He trailed off. "If you're not a lord you know how this place treats you. So I had to go, but how. I can't even afford enough food to get out of the country, much less transport. So I needed money. And when I visited the capitol someone offered it to me." He looks up, his eyes angry and challenging. "Would you have done any different?"
"Who offered you money? And what was your exact task? Come, man, answer the questions."
"I don't know! Do you think he gave me his name?" The man looks sullenly at the floor. "I was approached by a man in a black cloak. He told me he knew of an opportunity to make a lot of gold. I was a little worried about it, but eventually I decided on it. I went to the inn he told me about, met him in a room. He gave me five images. One of each of you. He waited until I saw them all and then burned them with some kind of magic spell. Then he told me that for each of you I killed or kept from reaching your destination He would give me 75 gold. He gave me 75 in advance, and some black bead he said would make things quiet while I did the deed." His face fell and he looked around the hold. "I didn't even want to do it but... I heard that guy on the docks talk about worshipping a demon lord. He can't be good news if that's the sort of thing he'd do, so I decided I only had to do the one, and I'd be home free. 150 gold is more than enough to get me and my father to somewhere we won't have to do this sort of thing."
Destany nods her head slowly, purses her lips. "So, you agreed to come after all of us, with assassination as your intent and only managed instead to beleaguer one of us, and not much luck against him. You aren't much of an assassin are you? And yet finally you've been forthcoming at least. I will speak with my companions privately about your fate. Perhaps you have earned your life. We shall see. Have you anything else to say for yourself before we make a decision?"
She stands and makes for the exit. "You can remain here while we make our decision." She leaves the bound man in the hold and motions for the others to join her as she walks up the stairs out of the hold.
"We can inform Fyrek and DMitri of what we've learned and discuss our next move."
Daen ponders the information given. Things started adding up, and then a bit too much added up. Something was wrong. Deer poaching, mother not receiving a healer from a lord, daughter in court, class envy, desperate for money? He looked around at his companions. Add demon worship and he had four out of five of them pegged for sure, possibly all of them. This wasn't an assassination attempt, this was a message. The question was whether or not their messenger was aware of more.
The Surtovan moved like a snake past Destany and gripped their captive by the shirt. He pulled him up off the floor and leaned forward, whispering into his ear.
Destany pauses in surprise, thinking they were done here, and watches Daen with the prisoner, listening curiously. The man obviously had more experience with such things than she did.. and knew or suspected something she didn't.
"It's the truth. Please, you have to believe me I've told you what I know. I was to take a room at the inn in Choral's Rest and he said the rest of the payment would come within a week." The man is clearly terrified and certainly seems to be telling the truth. If there's a deeper meaning here it's unlikely he's aware of it.
Daen releases the man with a look of disgust at him, mostly to hold him him in terror until they decided what to do with him. He stood up and takes Destany's example towards the rest of the group. As they distance themselves from the prisoner, he leans over to her. "I don't like it, but we may have an opportunity to learn more, or possibly to earn more. Once we get everyone together, I'll let you know my plan."
Destany nods to Daen, and continues up the stairs, hoping the others follow along.
Fyrek wanted to join in the interrogation after leaving Dmitri, but didn't want to disrupt the chemistry. So instead she went up on deck, to look at the stars and the rushing water and wait for there to be something to report.
Daen motions to Fyrek and Blake to come over and shouts out to the white haired man, "Dmitri! You are part of this, we need your opinions." When the five of them are assembled near the back of the boat, he moves in close so their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
When he was sure they weren't being spied upon, he began by reciting almost verbatim the conversation between Destany and the prisoner. It was a skill he learned among the Swordlords, as battlefield communication was key, and even the youngest squires were required to be able to memorize the spoken work quickly. It would be out of his mind by morning, but at least the ones who were not there could get a good sense of what happened. He did leave out what he whispered to the would be assassin, because it wasn't important, at least in his mind.
After his recitation, he started to speak with what would seem to be excitement if one could permeate his usual stiffness. "It would seem that we have two options. One is that we let him go with his life, because he did tell us everything that he knows. No one with his lack of skill could hold up under any sort of questioning. At this point we would continue with our expedition with haste. But I think our other option carries a bit more excitement."
"Our other option is to try to use this opportunity to try to flush out another agent. Upon the success of his mission, he was to get that room and wait for payment. The one who comes with payment will have more information on their employer. The only way to make that happen is for us to allow him to be successful in his mission, at least in part. One of us will have to not make it to town." And with that his gaze turned directly to Dmitri.
"You are the one who is best suited for this. If we can convince the crew and the prisoner that he wanted to kill you because of what you worship, it would make the most logical sense for us to 'discover' your loyalties and 'kill' you instead. I have a spell that can allow you to recover from a sword thrust within a minute and I can cast it at the same time as I can strike you with my sword. We will turn on you, I will execute you and put you into the river. Hold your breath until we are gone, get to shore and follow the river to the town. We will arrive in town, get provisions and head out then double back and meet up with you. Then we will sneak back into town in disguise or through stealth and wait for the payment or a messenger to come."
"If we could pull this off, we could gain more information about who is trying to kill us and we would be sending a message back to the one who wants us dead as well. The downside is that it is risky, and we would be delaying starting the exploration, which is a stated goal of our enemy. We also cannot do it unless we are all interested in making this happen, because it will take all of us working together to make it work to the desired end. There would be no hard feelings if any of you do not wish to participate as it is a bit of a long shot, but it is something we can do if you are all up for it."
After he finished his monologue, he glanced about at the faces of his companions to see what they thought of his reckless plan.
Blake strokes what remains of his burned chin, considering Daen's plan, and finding himself quite pleased with it. Everyone in this group was far more devious than he had hoped. Provided they never had reason to turn on him, Blake anticipated a long and fruitful relationship.
"This is an excellent plan. We are heading into a scenario that we know little about. The chances of our failure are not enough for those who want us stopped."
"75 gold pieces for each of us... No, they will not stop if they find that this assassin failed. And it would be foolish for us to try to accomplish our mission with someone conspiring against us. Fighting more than one battle at a time often leaves backs exposed."
Destany shrugs, purses her lips a moment as she considers the options. "Either path is fine with me, whichever the rest want to do I am eager for. As for the would-be assassin, I agree that he told us what he knows, and should earn his life for that regardless."
Fyrek listened intently as Daen recited the results of the questioning, as exactly as though reciting a play. As she listened, the outlines of a plan began to form in her mind.
To her astonishment, Daen then provided a fully-fleshed out version of the plan she had only begun to contemplate. Oh my. He's quick and ruthless. This is going to be quite the expedition.
"I quite like it -- if Dmitri is game of course. Of course, it's worth saying that our informant's 'payment' for his mission is unlikely to be in gold. So we'll want to keep a close watch on him. Worse luck for him that he was approached -- I doubt there was a ever a good way out for him."
As Dmitri hears his name, he closes his book and grins, curious about the events that had unfolded.
When he gets to the deck, Daen informs him thoroughly of the conversation and Dmitri's eyes are half-open and moderately unamused. He looks over to the man, bound, and tied. Considering the plan that Daen had, he had acted in such a way before, though he usually didn't accompany it with healing.
He crossed his arms, still looking at the man.
His red eyes glinted in the moonlight, and were eerie to say the least. Dmitri's glare was as sharp as a rapier going right through him.
"You know, you could have at least wounded me in that fight..."
He looked back to Daen.
"As imaginative and hilarious as that plan is, and, even though I do rather enjoy getting emaciated, we should merely press on and begin our expedition. Besides... If they keep sending weaklings we won't have much of a problem...
He spread his arms wide.
However, I would gladly receive that stab... on one condition.
He leans in close to Daen and whispers something that sets hair on end.
Perception 20
Daen listens to the counsel of the others, noting Blake's enthusiasm. Destany's reticence did seem like a problem. The druid's encouragement was good, but he understood her concerns, adding a "No, I suppose not." after Fyrek's comment concerning the payment.
Dmitri was the wildcard still, as he seemed pleased enough to be hurt for the plan, but his condition was a bit unreasonable, especially since Daen was going to stab him where there could be no doubt of his death, like through the heart or possibly across the neck. As it was, he was hoping the exercise would bring the group closer together, but it was hard to say just where the white haired man stood. Perhaps they would have to talk at length sometime in the near future if he could get his attention. Although the plan did cause the man to look him in the eye, which might be a step forward. Toward what, it was hard to say.
His point about the expedience of their quest was also valid, and since it was also a concern for the half elf it seemed his plan would be nipped in the bud. "Regardless of your request, there is sufficient concern about the likelihood of success and furthering our enemies goals in the meantime. Blake, it's quite possible that they who did this weren't really serious about killing us. They would have just done this to slow us down, or better yet, make us constantly look over our shoulders to keep us from pursuing our goal. It might be best to simply succeed and wait for a more opportune time to finish this particular plot. I do understand your concerns though, as I have similar ones, but we must not let them succeed in even their lesser goals."
Then off we go! Dmitri said, spinning around and walking back to the cabin.
As he walked off he said, "Worrying about some random assailants never took me anywhere in my prior arrangements. If no one cares, I'm personally excited to see this new place we're on our way to.
We've taken the man and learned all we could, and provided his story is true, we'll no doubt see more of his ilk. I say we let the poor sod go, but...
He stopped a moment, mid sentence as well. "Overheard the man saying he worshiped a demon lord." in Daen's voice echoed through his head. He smiled, then started walking again. He continued, "No, nevermind. His fate's yours. The situation isn't as fun as I'd hoped it would be. I'm returning to the cabin.
Destany lofts a brow at Dmitri's almost reconsideration of their agreement with the would-be assassin, but says nothing until he is out of earshot. "I think for a moment he was thinking it best not to let the man go. But we gave our word, and I am loathe to go back on my sworn word, even to one who wished us harm. I think if we let him go, we'll not see him again. Unless of course you think he might be useful as a henchman. He has nothing to go back to if his story is true, and is in need of employment. Why not encourage him to work for us?"
Fyrek nods at Destany's words. "If he is not hanged, I believe he will be killed by his erstwhile employer. I think it would be only charitable of us to offer him a chance to live."
She turns to the half-elf. "That's assuming his tale is true, of course. If he is lying...well, I think we might be even more interested in keeping him where we can see him."
"But if he will have none of this, I don't see any need to press the issue."
Finishing with his business on the deck, Dmitri returns to the cabin rather perplexed. The thought of the man knowing his allegiance to Lilith wasn't a major issue, as most people are merely sore towards her as she's a lord of demons, exiled or not. This wasn't what irked him, however. It was more of "When" did the man find out?
He eventually came to the conclusion that the man had heard him back at the docks, just before they'd left when he'd informed Destany and Blake of his religious views, prior to Daen showing up.
With that, he sat back in his chair, coat removed. He sprawled out along the couch, and returned to reading his scriptures.
As he read, Fyrek's words entered his mind. "There is much about blood you still have to learn." He doubted that bit. Oh, did he doubt that bit...
"I'm not exceptionally interested in taking him with us. He's positively terrified of Dmitri, and quite possibly me as well. Whereas it is good to have a healthy amount of fear concerning dangerous things, it's unlikely we should pressure him beyond his capacity. Besides that we have a mission to accomplish..." At this point in the conversation, Daen didn't really know what his opinion was on the matter, but one thing was certain. It wasn't worth the effort to try to talk them out of it.
"But do what you like. As long as he doesn't mind doing his share and actually has something to contribute I don't mind if he comes along. I'll let the captain know we decided not to kill him. The rest of you can figure out what to do with him next."
He got up and strolled to where the captain was at to let him know their decision. He shook his head and smiled ever so slightly with his back turned. Figuring out the use in getting information out of a assailant was one thing, making him a hireling had so many problems with it he didn't even want to enumerate them.
Fyrek couldn't really disagree with anything Daen said...or left unsaid. I just hate sending someone to his death without giving him a chance to save himself. It's why mother says I'm soft.
"Destany, unless Blake objects, tell him..." Fyrek parsed the words in her mind. "Thank him for the information, and tell him he will not be hanged. Tell him that he's welcome to travel with us, and that we are likely the only ones who can protect him from the black-cloaked man. But the choice is his."
Fyrek yawned.
"As for me, I'm going upstairs to get some air...and some sleep."
Unless Blake has any objections, Destany goes down to talk to the prisoner.
"You have been forthcoming with information and for that we thank you. You were promised your life if you gave us the information and true to our word, you will not be hanged, as the captain wished to do with you originally. I do have an offer to make to you."" She pauses a moment before continuing.
"If you wish, you might consider traveling with us, joining us on our quest as a sort of, well, hireling. We cannot pay you much, but I suspect we will find wealth along the way and you can earn a part of that as your pay. Of course you will be paid commensurate with your worth in our emply. Your other option would be to return from whence you came and face the wrath of the black-cloaked man. The choice is entirely yours. Please think about it." She smiles and places a hand gently on his arm as she speaks.
When she's done, she stands and heads back out of the hold. Halfway up the stairs, she pauses and says, "I'll be back tomorrow for your answer."
She heads to the cabin to rest, perhaps even to sleep the rest of the night, if nothing else happens.
Blake isn't thrilled about the idea of bringing the man with them. Forging through the wilderness could be dangerous enough without having even more people along and having to worry about an extra mouth to feed. And they could never trust him.
"The man is a liability, but if you insist on bringing him with us, I won't object."
As he walked away, he wondered which among them was the biggest liability. It was either the man who was tied to his god, the half-elf with ties to royalty, or himself, the man with no ties to anything at all.
After explaining the happenings to the captain, Daen sat alone on the deck, unable to let himself rest. He went through the mental list of everyone he knew that could possibly want to kill him, and the few of them that actually could practice magic. Could it be another of the exploration parties who want more of the land to themselves? Could it be an old enemy or a new one?
That was the problem with unanswerable questions, the fact that there wasn't enough information to answer them did in no way reflect the desire to have them answered.
He turned instead to his party, what if anything had he learned about them? Well, he learned that both Destany and Fyrek were kind to the downtrodden, which spoke well of them. Also Destany could heal, which also would come in handy in the future. He may need to have a conversation with her about what capabilities she had. Blake was a wait and see person, which could be good. He seemed quite reasonable and interested in eliminating threats quickly. As long as Daen remained in the "not a threat" category, they should get along fine.
And then he shuddered. The words "No healing" echoed in his head. He couldn't mistake the similarity between the way that Daen had just intimidated the ghost out of that would be assassin and the way that Dmitri had just whispered in his ear. His arm hairs raised reflexively just from the memory of it. He couldn't tell if it were a threat or if he was just fine with being stabbed without any healing. Either one was unnerving and more than a little scary.
But if he were to allow that to keep him from sleep, he would be ill prepared for the future. It was unlikely that Dmitri would kill him in his sleep, as there were no actual evidence that he would do such a thing. Just that if he were against them and their mission, they would likely not succeed anyway, so it made no sense to worry about it now. He calmed himself down, humming the little lullaby his mother would sing to him on the days she was feeling well, and it worked. It wasn't long until he was about ready to doze off.
The man chooses not to join you, citing your life being likely more dangerous than choosing to get on his way. The rest of the trip down the river is quite uneventful. Two days later, you reach the town of Choral's Rest. A small village that's hardly more than an inn and the people required to run one. The inn gladly accepts your royal writ and gives you a small satchel full of trail food. "Oleg's is about 3 days travel down the Trade road. Just take the trail out of town for four hours and then take the right fork to the south."
Destany bids the man good fortune and better choices than to work as an assassin in the future and leaves him to find his own way in the world.
When they receive their satchel, she takes her share of the trail rations and puts them in her pack. "Thank you for honoring the writ and for the directions."
Dmitri doesn't formally thank the inn, as Destany had already done so. He secluded himself in a corner, as usual, reading his scripture. It was something he did to pass the time, and he'd done it frequently.
There were scriptures in the book that Dmitri couldn't rightly read. They were in abyssal, his deity's spoken tongue. He never had the opportunity to learn it, yet, he really wanted to. He could make out some words, here and there, and in spats of rage, speak it, but, as far as understanding it, not so much.
This frustrated him to no end, as well.
He both read the book and scanned the room, being rather careful. The last time he was surrounded by average people he almost got stabbed...
The Chorals Rest Inn is almost depressingly empty, you only spot one other guest, a burly man in furs who nods to you as you enter and attacks his lunch with almost frightening gusto when its delivered.
Blake looks disgusted at the burly man, and whispers to his comrades. "I do believe I would prefer to avoid becoming yet another piece of gristle for him to gnaw on." He cracks a smile, and continues. "And yet, it may be quite a while before we have the opportunity to sleep in real beds again. Perhaps we should make the most of this."
"I wouldn't mind getting in a half day's travel, or staying the night. Either is fine with me."