Fantasy Caravan - Kingdoms Of Thoris ~Chapter 1~

[SilverFlight]

Bron's ears perked as the scream rent the air, he hoped his stone had found its mark. Rowe ordered them into the forest and the massive bull Lok'Sha nodded his affirmation before he spoke it: "Aye captain."
He fell into step beside Flin, the flippant young sound mage was beginning to grow on him.
"That was quite the attack back there," His deep voice betrayed approval.
He heard Caliban's reluctant remark and grinned, ceasing the opportunity for a goodnatured taunt:
"What's the matter summoner? Being live bait doesn't suit?"
The light rustle of more leaves just ahead drew his attention, he shut his mouth and listened.
The noise came from roughly where he had aimed the stone, making a face he sheathed his sword for a moment.
"For the record, I resent this method of getting things done," he said this before he focused his power. Untrained eyes would not see anything at all, however any versed in magic may yet observe a faint shimmer of the air about him as Bron called his power. Suddenly he was moving, his mighty bulk charging forward at an impossible speed, he put his head down and his shoulder forward and slammed into the trunk of the tree with all his might. He hoped it was the right one.

Jensoman Fenris Tex.Y

 

[Berries]

Jumping a little as a scream ripped through the air, Nei's impulse was to think that somebody from the caravan had gotten hurt. After a quick head count, however, she assured herself it wasn't so. Before she could ask what had happened, Rowe was already giving them orders. Nodding as she was assigned to go into the forest, the woman secured her sling of arrows to her belt before looking around for Flin and Bron so that they could begin moving out. The fact that the only people covering the caravan were Rowe, Caliban and Kaladin worried Nei a little bit seeing that the major fighting power seemed to have come from Flin and Bron during the last fight. She wasn't quite sure about the capabilities of the others, but since time was important at the moment she decided to just go with it.

Moving in close enough to Flin to hear what the not-bard had to say, Nei shrugged a little bit. Pincer formation wasn't exactly the most revolutionary of techniques, but it got the job done most of the time. Walking behind Flin as the man sauntered into the forest, Nei wasn't pleased with his seemingly lazy and disjointed attitude. They were potentially moving into dangerous territory, and such a low guard disturbed her. Hands clenching on her bow ever the more tightly, Nei gazed apprehensively into the forest. Seeing that she wasn't all that well versed in magic, she had no idea that Bron was channeling a spell, so was greatly surprised when he suddenly charged forward and slammed into a tree.

Entirely by instinct, Nei's bow came up with an arrow knocked; aiming at the tree trunk that Bron had charged towards. "What's this?" She asked sharply, ready for enemies to spring out from any direction.

 

[Tex.Y]

Rowe walked alongside Caliban silently, while Kaladin followed close behind on his horse, overlooking the surroundings carefully. "I understand your qualms, Caliban, but this little fiasco is far too unusual to consider as nothing more than a group of greedy ruffians. Setting up something so elaborate, albeit a little unorthodox, either requires prior knowledge about Centaurus' route, which is classified, a psychic relay within the City, which is treason, or both. I'm not going to risk any part of our mission, or Arcadia's security," Rowe explained, as the three made their way up the dirt road. "There," She whispered, "They aren't responding to us." It was as she said. The lump of Kel Cobra, now close enough to make out with ease, shifted around slowly, unawares to their approach. The sound of rocking treetops upset the relative silence, Prompting Rowe's attention towards the woods.

Bron's strike force both of the onlookers to dart towards another tree, bounding from branch to branch in an attempt to escape their precarious footing. But, unfortunately for one of the two girls, neither had predicted, or warned of Bron's charge. The slimmer Myti landed awkwardly on one of the branches, slipping past it and tumbling through a gauntlet of branches on her way towards the ground. One after another, the branches yelled out with snaps and cracks, providing no opportunity for their victim to regains her footing. With a satisfying thump, one of the two spies had landed between Bron, Nei, and Flin, with the contents of her pouch now scattered across the forest floor. She immediately tried to push herself up with a deft motion, but crumbled back into the dirt like a weathered vehicle. Unable to make any sudden movements, her head lifted towards Bron while she struggled to pick herself up, hissing profanities under her breath. Of course, just like their nature would imply, her partner took off without a second thought, disappearing into the distant treetops as quickly as she could.

Several yards away, the brown tortoiseshell Myti had finished dealing with her foolish comrade's injuries. He lay passed out beneath her watch, while she redirected every shred of her attention back towards containing the Kel Cobra that blocked Centaurus' path. The sound of conflict didn't bother her. She knew it was bound to happen. But with this many Cobra at her command, there was no way they could win a head-on fight... Was there? The girl breathed in confidently, waiting for her moment to shine. This was a chance she wouldn't give up. It's not often that one could gather so many soldiers together for a slaughter, after all.

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin smirked proudly at Bron as he complimented him. "Heh...thanks. I am a great Eldi sound mage, after all. A human, or someone like you, would never be able to do what I could." He gloated, his eyebrows curling up into a frown as a faint shimmer in the air appeared around Bron. As he charged forwards at incredible speeds and charged forward, Flin's mouth hung open in surprise for a moment. As the Lok'Sha crashed into the tree, Flin sighed about what seemed like a pointless attempt to reveal their pursuers. He was about to face-palm, but stopped himself as one of the Myti dropped out of the tree. He blinked for a moment, and then took aim at the Myti with his guitar.

"Don't ya even think about moving. My sound bolts and this archer's arrows here are very accurate and fast, as I'm sure you've seen." He stated, walking closer towards her with his hand rested on the chords of his guitar, ready for anything. He seemed more focused than before, and his casual, lazy stance seemed to make place for a fighting stance. "Now, you're going to answer some questions. How many more of you are here? Who do you work for? Tell us, now!" He demanded in a threatening tone, glaring at her. "Good work, Bron." He suddenly stated, not taking his eyes off the Myti. It had been the first time that Flin actually spoke Bron's name. Did he respect him more now?

 

[Tex.Y]

The Myti waited silently with her ears pressed smoothly against the top of her auburn hair. She wore a strange outfit, purple, with ropes tied around her waist and arms to hold it tightly against her fur. But without her pouch, which lay with its contents scattered behind her, she seemed unarmed. But even so, she didn't lack the spirit to fight back. As soon as Flin began to talk, she spat directly into his face from below and made a quick dash for her inventory, regardless of his threats.

Several small knives, a purple orb, and what looked like some kind of explosive stood out atop scattered coin and a few scrolls. But, instead of going for her weapons, the Myti reached for the orb with a hint of desperation in her already impaired manner of movement. Despite the pain the shot up her leg, she managed to place on palm on the unfamiliar artefact, albeit while trembling terribly...

SilverFlight Jensoman Berries Fenris

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron approached behind Flin, snorting and doing his best to look intimidating. He did not expect their new captive to run, it was stupid, but she was so fast! Bron was moving almost the instant she did, but with no time to summon his magic he didn't have a chance at catching her before she reached the strange-looking orb. Bron leapt for her with the intent of tackling her to the ground, the orb, however, was already under her palm.
He swore in his native tongue, "You'd better start giving answers little one, unless you want I should wring your neck like a fat hen."

((I left it open so you can say whether or not Bron actually caught her or not Tex.Y ))

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin cringed in annoyance as the Myti spat in his face. "Bah!..Why you..!" He spat in an irritated tone, staggering back slightly from the surprise. He grit his teeth in anger for a moment, but calmed himself. He took note of what the Myti was doing, and took aim. He frowned for a moment as Bron sprinted after her and got in his line of fire.

Two of the sound shards that were hidden emerged from within the caravan, and flew through the woods while flying low to the ground, hidden from sight from the Myti as it moved behind trees and bushes. As the Myti grabbed hold of the orb, the two shards remained hidden within a bush near the Myti, on the opposite side of where Bron was. He took note of the purple orb the Myti touched, curious to see what it did. If she chose it over her weapons, it had to be some kind of magical artifact which she could use to fight with. That, or it would be able to heal her wounds or something of the like, and allow her to escape the scene. At least, that's what Flin believed.

 

[Fenris]

While Rowe's words were filled with dedication and might have inspired unwavering duty in another, one who had not spent a lifetime avoiding trouble rather than walking straight into it. Still Caliban decided to play along, plastering a mock smile across his features and replying, “As you wish. Into the lions den, for kin and country!”

Once within a stones throw of the writhing mass of snakes a loud thump echoed through the forest, followed by the sound of snapping branches and muffled yelps. “For better or worse it's started...” the rogue muttered inching toward the racket. They seemed to have fulfilled their role as decoys, though the mass of scales and fangs showed no inclination of moving yet. “Spot anything from up there?” He asked over his shoulder addressing Kaladin.

 

[Berries]

Seeing that she had already knocked her arrow in alarm, Nei was prepared for when the Nyti woman fell from the tree. Taking close aim at the woman, Nei didn't spare time to wonder how Bron had known she had been in this tree or deliberate over whether it was a random guess or not. The scout's eyes glimpsed the second figure as it scampered away through the treetops and immediately set Henry on her.

Can you try to follow the second one? She requested of the bird, who didn't respond before shooting off into the trees after the escaping Myti.

Refocusing on the situation at hand, Nei didn't say anything as Flin threatened the Myti. Instead her eyes settled upon the bag of items that had been dropped, curiously staring at the purple orb for awhile and itching to move the daggers away from their enemy but not daring to move and instead focused on aiming her arrow right for the Myti's head. After a second she realized that it wouldn't be a good strategy to kill their only source of information in the event she became violent. Readjusting her aim to settle on the Myti's arm closest to her belongings, planning to pin it down in the event she tried to move, Nei was caught by surprise as the Myti suddenly spat at Flin and made a lunge for her things.

Quickly realizing that the Myti's objective was the purple orb, Nei immediately adjusted her aim to hit the orb. She wasn't sure what it was made out of, but if it was a magical object their best bet may be to break it before the Myti could cast any spells. Unfortunately, Bron's leap onto the Myti obstructed her aim, and Nei was unable to fire her arrow before the Myti reached the orb. However, even after she managed to reach it, Nei shot her arrow at the orb anyway before immediately loading another arrow.

 

[Tex.Y]

Kaladin shook his head. "Nay," He croaked, peering into the woods from atop his horse. Rowe grunted and began to lead the three of them into the woods. But before they could make it even three feet into the brush, Strago's voice rung out across the path from the Caravan. Looking back immediately, Rowe wasn't able to make anything out. Without confiding in his captain's judgement, Kaladin spun his horse around and darted towards the Caravan. "I've got this under control," He assured his two allies, gone before they could respond, or Rowe could object.

"Wait! Kaladin!" Rowe shouted, only to be ignored. She cursed under her breath and turned back to Caliban. "Well, sod it. He's best suited to investigate, I suppose. Let's meet with Nei's group before things get even uglier." Rowe pulled Caliban slightly, and the two of them made their way past the bushes at the edge of Thoris' main trail that lead towards Kel.

~Nei's Group~
​

The Myti female hissed and shrieked as Bron tackled her, loosening her already weakened grip on her mysterious purple orb. In the same moment, Nei's arrow struck the sphere, shattering into three chunks of crystal. Any unique properties it might've had were removed from the mystical little trinket, but the Myti didn't voice her discontent. She couldn't voice much of anything, what with her face half-buried in the dirt with Bron's hulking figure pinning her slender body to the ground.

~The Treetops~
​

Henry didn't have much trouble keeping up with the retreating Myti. His ability to fly far outpaced any acrobatics that the skilled cat woman could muster. Though, keeping track of her exact position through the thick underbrush continued to pose a significant challenge. Rustling leaves, and the occasional glimpse of her purple, figure-fitting outfit were his only guide. But before she got too far away, the rustling stopped, and she perched herself high up, inside of a hollowed out tree-trunk with barely any overgrowth covering its dying husk of peeling bark and cracked wood. The Myti pulled a purple orb from her pouch and clasped it gently, allowing it to glow in her palm. It took only a few seconds for her to put it away again, before she looked up at the sky, scanning for Henry carefully. She'd been so stupid to put that bird off as nothing significant. "Damn it," she hissed to herself, "This is my fault..." The girl went on to incoherently belittle her mistake of disregarding Henry with a series of self directed insults. The moment he showed himself above her, she would be dead set on taking him out.

~The Clearing, Rowe and Caliban~

​

Rowe and Caliban only needed to walk several yards before the bushes thinned out. The ground dipped down into a small hill, where Rowe had lost her footing for a brief moment, sliding down into a large clearing, where branches and leaves seemed to conceal every possible entrance way. It was unnatural. But, as expected, the two Arcadian soldiers had stumbled upon one of the people responsible for this entire mess. Another Myti stood over a human male's body, and looked at the two fearfully, with her hands held limply at her sides. Her legs quivered and she staggered backwards a few steps as Rowe approached. "Caliban," Rowe whispered sternly, loudly enough for him to hear, "Stay on alert... Excuse me,"

"We surrender!!!" The myti female shrieked, raising her hands up above her head, "We uh, we- W-w-W-w-We-we..." She couldn't piece together anything coherent after her initial declaration of surrender. She just backed away slowly, while putting every last shred of her willpower into not tripping over her own two feet into a shambling failure.

"...Oh..." Rowe chirped.

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron, now having the myti firmly in his grasp stood up, hauling her to her feet and making sure to keep her restrained as he turned her towards his companions. She was scrawny and weighed next to nothing to him, and now Flin and Nei had very clear shots if they needed them.There wouldn't be any escaping this time, he thought. Noticing she was full of dirt he brushed her clothes off gingerly before speaking:
"Let's try this again," Bron began, his tone pleasant and conversational. "Why were you hiding in the trees? What do you have to do with those snakes blocking our path and who in Thoris are you?"
He looked to the other two in case they had any questions of their own.
Bron's attention was focused on the creature he held, he assumed the second myti had fled and was not watching for her.
"What should we do with her? Perhaps the captain will have more questions? Rowe barely tolerates her crew, I can't imagine how she'd treat an enemy."
It was a very thinly-veiled threat, Bron wasn't good at making threats, much to the chagrin of the Lok'Sha in his district, however he hoped the others could elaborate, perhaps between them all they could pull something useful from their captive.

Berries Jensoman Tex.Y

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin walked up to Bron as he held the Myti, remaining on a certain distance from the two of them while having his guitar at the ready. He scanned the trees carefully with his eyes, listening intently for any sudden noises like branches cracking or leaves rustling in a sudden way. They couldn't afford being caught off-guard by any of the Myti's allies that might still be nearby. He did not hear anything suspicious, and relaxed a bit. He looked at Bron and sighed. "You summed up some things of what I wanted to ask. I'd also like to know who she's working for, and how many of her buddies are still around, and what that orb of hers did or was supposed to do." He stated, glaring at the Myti. "At any rate, I will restrain her with one of my spells. We don't want her to run away or allow her to attack us, after all. After we're done with our questions, I think we should take her to Rowe. It's important that we're all on the same page, here." Flin stated.

With that, Flin swiped his hand over the chords of his guitar, and chains made out of focused sound magic emerged from it's end. They wrapped tightly around the Myti's hands and legs, albeit not tight enough to actually injure her. He made sure to avoid the chains from covering any injuries on her leg, if she had any. "Oh yea, by the way she was running, it looks like one of her legs is injured. I don't have any healing abilities, though...can one of you heal her?" He added. "Otherwise, we should just bandage her wound." Flin seemed oddly calm towards the female Myti, despite her attitude towards him earlier. After all, he's had to deal with a lot worse, despite the fits of rage that he would sometimes get.

The two sound shards, in the meantime, remained hidden within the bushes.

 

[Fenris]

Upon hearing Strago's voice, Kaladin rushed back toward the caravan without heeding Rowe's protest, leaving the rogue and captain to forge on by themselves. “Guess we'd better find the trouble before it finds us.” Caliban noted, having little choice aside from being dragged along into the underbrush. Doing his best to avoid creating too much noise Cali shuffled along only stifling a chuckle when Rowe slipped. It wasn't long before they stumbled into a rather curious situation.

Having stayed a few steps behind Caliban was having trouble making out the features of the Myti which was standing in the clearing. She seemed frail and scared, but the unmoving body near her feet certainly indicated some danger. Trusting the magically adept captain to keep an eye on the Myti, he began slowly circling to cut off potential escape routes, dagger finding its way into his hand. “Doesn't seem like he'll be doing much surrendering... what happened?” His eyes flicked to their potential captive and back to the prone body.

With no sign of Bron, Nei or Flinn near this unnatural clearing Cali couldn't help but wonder what they had run into; the surrounding undergrowth seemed to be swallowing most of the sounds making it hard to tell how things were going back at the caravan. “If its a longer tale ya might want to take a seat. More comfortable an less likely to end up with anymore unfortunate accidents.” He offered, still rather suspicious of the odd sight before him.