Fantasy On Thunders Wings

[Purize]

Bea remounted Willow thoughtfully as Sylas spoke. "I don't really feel different, no. It's like it's always been there, but I'm just not used to it somehow." She fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Your magic, you kinda just found it one day too, right? I mean, you can heal and basically summon lightning like a god. Did you feel different when you found that part of you?"

She tried focusing on the road and the mission ahead as she spoke. There was no point in worrying about what she couldn't control right now. If she went into a fight in the wrong headspace it could cost her life... or both of their lives.

 

[BugDozer73]

"My powers a little different. I am.. well, as explained to me, I'm a paladin. I am a person bound by an oath, my bond and unshakable word I guess. I swore this oath to my mentor over a year ago and my powers manifested beyond that, a little slowly, but yeah." Sylas tried his best to really explain it well, but in truth, he wasn't entirely sure what he was or how he did what he did. Alfonzo had explained it some but had passed not long after the oath, and so his training had never really reached a critical apex. He had also not passed on his legacy to his daughters either, not that Brianna would have accepted it. And so, as for as Sylas knew, he was one of a kind: a paladin with an oath and no mentor. A word to live by and no scripture. Maybe.... maybe Sylas could find something about it, something of value: someone else like him who could fill him in?

"Well, either way, I think that you have a lot of talent and skill. It might feel weird, but you're taking it in stride and using it well. My guess is the more you discover, some of it might shed light on who you were, and maybe even jog your memory." He tried to sound optimistic, hoping to really keep her smiling. It was tough, and this job wasn't taking any burdens off her shoulders. The least Sylas could do was be some sort of beacon, a pillar she could rely on when she was unsteady. If thats all he could be for anyone, he would wish for no more.

They rode south on familiar trails for hours, until the sun had risen and fallen, and blue sky awash in grey clouds turned bright pink and neon orange, and the brisk early breeze had turned into a chilly evening wind. Sylas's stomach groaned as they rode, and he turned to Bea, stopping Arthurs trot. "Whats say you and I find a place to stop for the night and make something for dinner?"

 

[Purize]

The idea of gaining magic and power through unshakable will sounded insurmountably awesome to Bea. Sylas was truly special and one of a kind and she admired him. She recalled what little she knew about his mentor, Alfonzo, who was also like family to him. Bea found herself wishing that she got to meet the old man.

"Thank you, Sylas. I'm okay, really. It's just... been a lot of surprises lately, but I'm grateful for what I have," she smiled genuinely at him.

When they began to slow to a halt several hours later, Bea stretched, sore from riding all day. She heard Sylas's stomach growl and she laughed. "Yeah, sounds good to me!" Bea was always ready for a good meal no matter the time of day. They were still on the long road that spanned the length of the coast, a view she'd never get enough of, especially when the sun was setting as it was currently, throwing the sky into a wide spectrum of color. On the other side of the road in the far distance across the flat fields were hills that rose. The sky opposite the setting sun was already growing dark with the approach of dusk. There were trees sparsely about the area around them, but not a lot of cover for camping out on the road.

"Want me to start collecting for the fire?" Bea asked, still surveying the area.

 

[BugDozer73]

"Sounds good." Sylas said, and led them off the path into the hills a good 5 minutes. They found a small flat area, with flattened grass and some worn foot trails wearing all the plants out of a narrow dirt path. It was clear this was a used campground, and not particularly hidden, but the sun was setting fast and Sylas shrugged, retiring himself to the idea that anything that might try and make its way towards them at night, they could handle it. (Survival 11)

Sylas removed the tent strapped to his equipment on Arthur, and quickly assembled the black two person tent while Bea went off for firewood. Sylas pulled up a loose piece of fallen tree trunk, partially rotted and lost in the tall grasses, and sat upon its mostly dried bark and drew his blade, leaning it gingerly on his thigh. He pulled out his cloth and oils and began to rub the blades he had, part of his nighttime ritual. After he finished his blades, he would move onto his tools, then rations and potions, making sure to check for marks and the integrity of the bottles and boxes. Traveling was a challenge, but Sylas felt strongly about the effectiveness of solid disciplined maintenance.

 

[Purize]

Bea went about scrounging for wood and kindling, but the area was particularly flat and devoid of woody vegetation (Survival: 7). She managed to find small twigs from bushes, but things appeared picked over perhaps due to this site being a popular travelers camping spot. Slightly embarrassed she didn't do a better job, Bea sheepishly returned to the camp with a few fist fulls of twigs and leaves. "Sorry... there's really not much out here," she remarked as she put her meager findings into a pile in the middle of the camp. It was maybe enough to cook something quick, but certainly not enough to burn warmly through the night.

"Good thing we both have cloaks now," she continued glumly. Bea sat on the dirt-exposed ground, watching Sylas meticulously go through his belongings, oiling and cleaning his gear and checking through his inventory of stuff. To be honest, she wasn't quite sure what his goal was, but he seemed content to go about his business this way (Insight: 7). Bea wondered if she should be going through her things and double-checking that they still existed. The very idea of a thing existing for one moment and then disappearing the next made her stomach do a backflip.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas spent his time maintaining his gear and taking inventory, and when he was finally satisfied, he moved on to making a small fire and heating up some rations they had brought with them: nothing special tonight, but a small pot of spicy soup with some bits of meat and vegetable and some barley, paired with their cured jerkies and fruits, and assorted nuts and dried bread. After eating, he spent some time with Bea looking at stars before feeling sleep beginning to take him.

"Want to take first watch tonight?" He asked, looking over at her. It was distinctly chilly that evening with no day heat to carry over and disperse into the night. Sylas pulled his cloak around himself more stiffly and pulled his travel blanket closer around him as well, making a make shift tent around himself to keep as much heat in as he could. The fire was nice and gave some reprieve, but it was small and only did a little to keep a small area around warmer and dry, and with how it flickered, it would soon be sputtering its last meager flames and fading into the chilly darkness.

 

[Purize]

Bea devoured her portions of dinner ravenously, enjoying every part of the modest meal. When the sun fully set and the stars sparkled overhead she'd taken to stargazing and humming softly to herself, simply enjoying the night and her company. She looked Sylas up and down, bundled and eyelids falling heavy, and suppressed a chuckle. "No, I'm not really tired yet. Why don't you head to bed and I'll wake you up for second watch," she offered. She was being truthful in not being tired yet. Her head was swimming with thoughts and the more she learned about this world, the more she didn't want to spend a single second away from it dreaming. She was chilly, her new cloak wrapped closely to her.

She also thought that it was best that she did first watch while the fire was still going. She wouldn't be able to see in the darkness around them once it snuffed out. Sylas, on the other hand, was gifted with the talent of seeing in the night like a cat. Another fact that she was in awe of. The cave fight they'd had days before made it increasingly obvious how difficult it could be to operate when you couldn't see anything.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas nodded and rolled into the tent, his mind going still in minutes. His breathing slowed and steadied, and with no effort, he plummeted into a deep sleep.

Sylas found himself in a room behind crosshatched metal bars. The oaken planks were salt worn and soaked, and the sound of the surf outside crashed against the hull of what he assumed was some sort of sailing vessel. His own arms were held aloft, shackled at the wrist in iron manacles which followed up a line of heavy set iron chains to the anchor points. The small hooded lantern with a small orange glow squeaked as it shifted on the post beyond the metal barrier before him, and slammed onto the wood with each shift of the ship. Outside, the sound of pouring rain and rumbling thunder shook the entirety of the scene more than the raging sea around, and Sylas could hear cries from above deck, sailors trying to keep the rigging battened.

Sylas strained against the restraints, but after minutes of resisting their hold, he was only left with bruised wrists and a sensation of the world closing in around him.
"How is it I keep finding you in cages, ey Sylas?" Alfonzos familiar voice ripped Sylas's hung head upright.

The old Triton sat on the stool by the post, casually carving into an apple with a long knife. His familiar green friendly mutton chops gave way to his colorful head frills, and his face was lit a familiar orange from the coals of his oaken pipe from which he smoked foul smelling things.

"Alfonzo... Where are we?" Sylas called to him, but Alfonzo kept his eyes looking down at the fruit he was working on.

"Cage after cage you're in. I thought you took an oath, Sylas. You promised to live free, but you've locked yourself up." Alfonzo finally made eye contact with him, but his once familiar yellow eyes were not yellow at all, but instead, shocking shades of blue and purple that seems to shimmer and shift.

"Al.. I didn't put myself in here, I just woke up like this." Sylas pleaded in confusion with the man, and noticed a small ring of keys behind the man, their jingling mixing in with the gale from beyond the ships hull. "Al! Behind you, the keys! Grab them, you can let me out of here. HURRY!" Sylas called to him and strained against the manacles again, ignoring the pain in his hands and wrists.

"How long are you going to make me wait Sylas? You took an oath to me, boy." Alfonzo stood up now, giving him his full attention, but he made no move to grab the keys. "Al, the keys are right behind you, just look!" Sylas pleaded again, but he quickly realized Alfonzo was not responding to anything he was saying. "Al?"

Thunder exploded over head, leaving Sylas's ears ringing. He gasped as the explosion sent waves through him and the ship. Sylas's couldn't be sure that it was even still in once piece after that. The ringing that had replaced the roil of the storm was piercing, but did nothing to blot out the voice that seemed to speak to him in his mind. Where once stood Alfonzo, now loomed a long thin woman, her upper head covered by an ornate diamond shaped metal band, which opened to release her streaming locks, black as the darkest of nights. Her skin was pale, and her thin lips were drawn tight, but her voice still raged in Sylas's head.

HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP ME WAITING, SYLAS?


Sylas opened his eyes quickly, but made no movements with his body. The darkness... the black of the tent. Sylas could feel his legs and his arms, and the cold of the evening air slipping into places he had uncovered as he had slept. What time was it? The sound of the night was still there, and Sylas felt relief wash over him that his ears were still working well. He rose up to a sitting position and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Sweat? He looked at the strange moisture on the back of his green, chilly hand and furrowed his brow. That dream was a doozy. Sylas always seemed to have some dreams of that manner when he fell asleep too fast, but tonight had felt the most.. real.

Sylas rose to his feet and stretched his achey body, and he emerged from the tent into the cool night air. The smell of campfire smoke and wet grass was pungent, and he looked over at Bea, who had faithfully been keeping watch. "Hey." He said with a dull smile. "Ready to switch shifts?"

 

[Purize]

Bea spent her watch stargazing and occasionally looking out at the landscape around her, scanning the area for potential nuisances (Perception: 21). However, as the night went on and fireflies danced in the fields around them, nothing stirred or disturbed the peace. She did hear rustling from the tent as Sylas tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling. She thought about waking him and checking if he was alright, but she decided against him. It was probably better to let him rest, it was likely that he was going to have restless dreams no matter what she did. It was a shame she didn't have magic to help someone sleep more soundly.

As it reach a little past midnight, she heard Sylas move in the tent behind her and eventually emerge. As she suspected, he didn't look like he slept well (Insight: 16). She gave him an empathetic smile. "Hey," she replied to him. "Bad dreams? Do you want to talk about it?" She prodded gently, not wanting to be invasive of his privacy, but letting him know she was here if he needed support.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas nodded. "Bad dreams yeah. It was... loud." He rubbed his temple as sat next to her and adjusted one of his boots as he spoke. The smoke of the fire curled teasingly in front of him, like a haunting memory of warmth. "I was in a ship with my old mentor of mine. He kept asking me the same thing. I don't know it was a strange dream. Either way, I'm up now." He said decisively, trying to drop the subject like a hot potato. Just talking about it, or trying to made him feel like he was drowning, and he hated it.

"Anything interesting happen during watch? Bandits come and try and flirt with you maybe? Talking frogs?" He was joking obviously, but anything to change the subject helped keep his mind off things.

 

[Purize]

Bea took the hint and let it go. He seemed uncomfortable, and despite the chilly night air, sweat clung in beads on his forehead. "Hm," Bea mused, "Well, no flirty bandits or frogs, for that matter, but Arthur told some good jokes. He's got quite the sense of humor." The horse, in truth, was sound asleep next to Willow by the edge of the hill next to the tent and had not stirred more than to flick his ear occasionally.

"Do you want to hear his joke?" Bea said, a wide grin slowly spreading over her face.

 

[BugDozer73]

"joke?" He said, looking back into her impish grin. In a strange moment of confusion, his entire focus was brought to Bea and this strange out of character moment. Where had she had time to hear a joke? Did she just remember one?

"Sure, why not." He replied and leaned back to hear it.

 

[Purize]

"Well," she began, her mischievous smile only growing wider. "A pony went to the local temple complaining about having a sore throat. The cleric there looked him over and said: 'It’s OK, you’re just a little horse.'" Bea giggled. "Oh wait, I've got another one," she said, laughing a little harder now. "When does a horse talk?" She paused, biting her lip. "Whinny wants to!" She fell back into the grass, holding her stomach as she continued giggling.

"Okay... okay, they're not that funny," she said when she'd settled down. "But blame Arthur, not me." She smiled again, this time less mischievous and more soft and concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas couldn't help but groan at her awful cheesy jokes, but seeing her burst into laughter and smile brought him a chuckle as well. His laugh deepened as she fell backwards, and his chest shook with him as he laughed and laughed. After they collected themselves, Sylas made a quick look around to see if anyone had heard them or were alerted to their presence. (Perception 19) Nothing seemed to disturb the stillness of the night, besides the awful jokes. He sighed happily and wiped a small tear away from his eye from his laughter, now finally contained.

"Yeah, all good. For now, its nothing more than a dream." He looked off into the night, remembering what it had been they were talking about before she made her puns. Sylas believed himself mostly when he said that, but his gut felt... something. Something was stirring, something big. And for whatever reason, he felt like he was in the center of it: a sailor staring down a ship crushing storm on the horizon, just looming. Nothing was here, and yet he could just feel himself worry. But looking back at his friend, he was glad not to be going it alone.

"I'll take it from here, you get some rest." He gestured back towards the still partially warmed tent. "And I promise not to wake you up with terrible horse related puns in the morning. I'll just say HAY! Get it? Like hay is for horses?"

 

[Purize]

Bea was delighted that they got a good laugh together. She was happy to distract her friend from his worries, even for a moment. "Alright then," She said, standing, dusting off her pants, and making her way toward the tent. At Sylas's last half-hearted pun, she rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "Very funny, but not as funny as mine. Goodnight, Sylas."

With that, she entered the tent, closed the cloth behind her, and bundled up as much as she could to get away from the chill. Her eyes felt heavy and every part of her longed for sleep. Her mind was the only rebel, still swimming with thoughts, but eventually, tiredness won out and she fell deeply into a dreamless sleep for the night.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas looked around the local area for a little after Bea slipped into the tent. He picked over the grass for any sticks Bea had missed, but she had been thorough and honest with her work earlier, and there was not much kindling at all to be found, and consequently, nothing but his cloak to keep him warm. (Perception 9) It were days like there when he wished he could summon a bonfire or create a magic hut. He shivered slightly and settled back down onto the log and kept his eyes and ears open. He spent time tracing the starts with his eyes and watching his breath come out in clouds.

At one point in the evening, Sylas saw something moving closer. The sounds of the grass shifting in the wind shifted into something more meaningful, something moving closer. Sylas sat up quietly, reaching over and tried to gently draw his blade. (Stealth 11) The sword made a slight ringing it sound as it was unleashed from its scabbard, and Sylas saw the head of two unsuspecting does that had been moving through the grass peep up at the noise, then scatter towards a less inhabited area. Sylas sighed, and sheathed his blade.

Morning soon came, and with no kindling to make a fire, Sylas set out to make some. With some effort and his dagger, Sylas began splintering his make shift bench and turn it into large wood chippings. (Survival 19) It took him a moment to light the damp wood, but a little after the sun peaked its head over the horizon, Sylas was able to bring a small blaze to the wood pile. The small blaze, with some attention, grew into a respectable campfire, and Sylas put a pan with some food over the heated flames and coals. He poured some water in a pot and began boiling water as well: Today, Bea would learn about Coffee.


After things had cooked up nice, and after he had given the horses their morning meal and some attention, Sylas stood outside the tent and cooed at her. "Bea, its time to wake up. I got sausage and eggs."

 

[Purize]

The sounds of the birds singing and the soft movement of Sylas walking around outside, calling her to wake up, stirred Bea out of her sleep in the morning. She sat up groggily with a yawn, a little bleary-eyed from how heavily she slept. She didn't remember her dreams if she had any and was a little sore from sleeping like a rock all night. She eventually collected herself, brushing her hair before stumbling out of the tent to the welcoming smells of breakfast. "Mmm... G'morning," She mumbled sleepily. Slowly, the memories of their conversation from the night before came back to her mind and she felt herself wake up a little more. "How are you feeling?" She added, looking Sylas over for any signs of further emotional distress from his nightmare.

 

[BugDozer73]

"Fine" He replied quickly, and shifted her attention to his still sizzling pan. The fire was on its final legs, sputtering pitifully with no more kindling to add. "Nothing but assassin deer sneaking up to eat our grasses" He joked, and made Bea a small plate. He himself took a few sausages and eggs and began to eat them up against the tree by their spot.

"Not to much excitement ahead I believe, hopefully anyways" Sylas sighed and looked towards the path by the coast a ways a way, and how is stretched down over the hill beyond his line of sight. "If we're lucky and don't run into anything nasty, we'll be riding for another day and a half before we set foot on Bandor territory. Best eat up." Sylas said, stuffing the last sausage link in his mouth and standing to water the horses, who had stirred and were grazing quietly nearby.

"Let me know when you're ready to go." He called over to her.

 

[Purize]

Bea giggled and joined Sylas for breakfast. It was hot, tasty, and filling, making her much more energized for the day ahead. She finished up quickly and helped pack up the camp. She rolled up the bedrolls, dismantled the tent, and kicked dirt on the ember remains of the fire. With everything squared away, she found Willow, gave her pats and attention, reminding her she was a very good and pretty horse, and found Sylas where he waited. "Ready," she replied to him finally.

"I think this will be the furthest I've ever been from Samu-Keev, right?" Bea wondered allowed as they found their way back to the road. They began their day of travel, pressing on down the dirt and cobbled path, the warm and calm ocean ever-present beside them in the near distance. She wondered more about what it was like in other places. the people, the terrain, and more importantly... the food. Hm, seemed that she was already hungry again.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas nodded. "Well, I suppose. New adventures huh?" He held his tongue when he tried to imagine where she had come from: reminding her she had no memory served no benefit here, and she was still feeling things about it.

"All of the coast is beautiful I think." Sylas remarked, riding gently down the path on Arthurs back. The weather had warmed slightly, and it was beginning to clear a little more. The over-hang of grey clouds had begun to crackle and split, and little bits of warm light was streaming down over the hills. The road was kind and gentle, and for a few hours, they rode and made small talk, and enjoyed the scenery. It wasn't until late morning that they passed a rise that a familiar scene came into view.

A cart, overturned and damaged, sitting alone by the road. There was a horse laying dead off to the side. Sylas stopped Arthur and looked over the scene. It was a good few minutes down the road, but they were at a good vantage. (Perception 9) Sylas looked around for people, or perhaps an ambush, but could make out now moving bodies or signs of traps. "Something looks wrong here... be on guard" He said to Bea without ever peeling his eyes away from the scene.

 

[Purize]

Bea halted at the sight before them, eyes wide. Bandits? She wondered to herself. She'd never seen their destruction or run into them as far as she could remember, but given that the small rouge bands were prominent problems on the quest board in Samu-Keev, this was more than likely their handiwork. Bea looked things over, unable to see anything living in the wreckage (Perception: 11). Bea's horse, however, stamped her feet and shook her head in nervous agitation. Bea patted Willow's mane to calm her and dismounted to get a closer look (Investigation:7).

Something nagged at Bea about the scene, but she didn't know really what she was looking for. There wasn't much cargo left on or around the cart. It seemed heavily picked over save for a small light blue blanket. The wheels were badly damaged, and one seemed recently repaired. The nagging feeling grew stronger like she was missing something, but what? She looked out around the surrounding area, trying to catch a glimpse of a potential ambush, paranoid about being exposed out in the open (Perception: 14). Nothing seemed amiss other than the cart itself. Bea looked at Sylas, holding up the blanket she'd found. "There's nothing else here," she noted to him quietly.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas walked around the perimeter, moving debris around the damaged cart. There was a scene of struggle for sure, but whomever was here was gone. (Investigation 10) Sylas ran his hand over the cart pensively as he took in his surroundings. And when Bea showed him the blue blanket, it clicked.

"This is their cart: the halflings. That woman swaddled her baby in that blanket." Sylas said in a low, steady tone. He moved around confidently and searched the ground for prints or tracks of any kind. (Survival 19) Footprints, around the road and up in the hills. In a few minutes, Sylas had found a trail to follow beyond them. He stood up and scowled over in the direction they traveled, and then turned to look at Bea. "Good news is that there is a good chance they might still be alive. I can see their tracks. Possible they're being held for ransom, maybe."

Sylas breathed deeply, working hard to keep an even head. "We should go after them." He finally added softly. "I know its not a mission and we don't have the right contract, but their in danger."

 

[Purize]

As Sylas spoke, she was suddenly hit with why she felt like she was missing something very important. It was the halflings' cart. The wheel that Peter had fixed the day before still had the signs of a recent repair, only now to be rebroken. It all looked familiar now as she looked over the scene again with fresh understanding. Anger began to boil up within her. They had an infant on board and those monsters still robbed and kidnapped them. Even if they didn't have a baby, none of this was okay.

Bea's typically very bubbly and happy-go-lucky demeanor was now hardened and her eyes burned into Sylas's with a furious glow of deep amber. She said nothing but nodded to him. He was right, they were in danger and the two adventurers would help them. Bea folded the blue blanket neatly, stowing it neatly into a side pocket in her backpack, and strode back to the horse. She mounted and looked to Sylas. "You know the way?" She asked him, knowing he'd found traces of their trail. "I'll follow you."

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas nodded at Bea, and returned to Arthur, mounting quickly and trotting over the trail he had picked up. The two of them trotted off the path and onto the grassy hills. They trotted quietly up the swaying green sea, and crested the top of the rise, looking over the lands before them. It stretched for miles, uneven with the expanse of hills that anything and more could be hiding behind. Sylas scanned the horizon looking for signs of life, and after a moment he caught a small feint trail of smoke curling behind one of the hills, maybe 30 mins from them (perception 22). Sylas gestured towards it with his chin. "That's our mark it would seem. Come on." He offered calmly, his mind focused on the the mission. Sylas had gotten sued to the scope of his mind narrowing in these situations, shoving everything else aside beyond the mission. It was handy, but limiting.

They rode for some time, passing over land and patches of trees until the reached the hill and rode around it so as not to crest it to obviously. (Stealth avg 22) They rounded the hill and dismounted, stowing their horses nearby and sneaking off towards the smoke which had now become a little more visible. A ways away was a small encampment surrounded by a relative well built log wall, with the tips hacked away. It was built into a hill so it was a bit off kilter and you could see part of the risen part of the backside of the camp over the front wall. There were a few tents and a fire that was the source of the smoke, as well as several people milling about. In front of the gate stood a large human with short blond hair and lots of blue tribal tattoos on his exposed biceps and neck, keeping eyes over the area.

Sylas looked back at Bea. "Alright, how do you want to do this?"

 

[Purize]

As they approached the encampment, Bea and Sylas stayed low and hidden. Bea surveyed the area closely, trying not to miss a single useful detail. There was one entrance and one exit, but parts of the camp were built into the hill, with the slopes on the side making the walls climbable in some spots. There was also one section of the camp where there was no wall at all, just another hill with a large tent on top, the walls on either side stopping where they met the raised land. That would probably be the easiest to climb up and sneak in through in Bea's opinion. However, they couldn't see all the bandits from their current vantage point and it was possible they were aware of that weakness in their defenses and patrolled it heavily.

More than just getting inside, there was the matter of what they would do when they got in. They could try to slip past them all and get the halfling family out covertly, but that put a lot of faith in not only Bea and Sylas's ability to be sneaky but the family's as well. If they went in, swords swinging though, they ran the risk of using their prisoners as hostages. One wrong move, and they could get the family killed. Bea bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as her thoughts searched for the best strategy.

"Let's sneak in through that slope up there that doesn't have a wall and see if we can get a better view of the layout inside. If we think we can get to Peter and Gladys quickly after we're in, we can just book it and try to protect them until we can get them out of there." Bea paused, looking back towards the camp before adding, "If we can put them behind us and wipe out the bandits, they won't be able to use them as hostages."

"Unless you have a better plan," she amended, raising an eyebrow at her more seasoned adventuring partner.