Eshil, 23rd day of Zoi in the Season of Growing 1012 ADW.
8 Days after the fall of Thalia.
Eshil, 10 miles North-East of Abelsol
@Falcon @Azurian Dream @Takumi @Jessica2477 @Conway @Nomad-22 @TheSly
(Collab between myself and Falcon.)
Korwin had been dozing, dreamless as ever, when Jebei had nudged him. It wasn't his watch, so there was little need to be awake, but he had sat out with the watchers by the fire. Brooding upon the world's events and picking over in his mind the steps that had led him here before sleep has finally claimed him. It was off in a manner that he could well put his finger upon. He had little taste for fairy-tales or grand epics of adventure. They were seldom true and his best recourse was to avoid them. This rag-tag team of misfits from, as far as he could tell and he could tell a great deal from his continental travels, all over the land was just as likely to get torn to shreds and flop before it even left the country. His current goal was to ensure that it reached the coast, many miles and a nation away, before that.
And already that seemed in jeopardy for, as Jebei woke him and sleepiness fled as shadows before a candle, Korwin's eyes pierced into the gloom. A life-long pension for night-vision perceived for the briefest of instants, a pair of softly glowing eyes before they whipped away in the wind-swept night. Not that he had need of knowing the eyes were there as he could guess that the company was safe from fools who lied about shadows, except for perhaps Sadia. Though, they did confirm the others' concerns. Internally, Korwin cursed the fact that his armor was off, though both it and naginata were by his side.
"Or," he quietly growled, "before we stand back to back we could actually wake everyone up." Then he bellowed to a roar, scooping up his weapon saying, "awake! Awake you sluggards! Eyes wander the night and battle may be at hand!"
A flickering light played in his own eyes and a twitch toyed with his mouth. Not of a snarl nor of the pleasure of tormenting innocents in slight mind games, but the promise of feral joy.
For Reina sleep came easily, though it was not restful, so exhausted vwas she from the events of the day. She woke before Korwin's shout thought not by much. And for her awakening was not due to sound, but because a large, slightly fuzzy hand hand been placed over her mouth.
The taguel moved quickly, used to bounding on all fours or two feet alike depending on the need. A second pair of hands found Denzin, covering his mouth so he couldn't cry out and then pulling the still sluggish body out of the way where a comrade could help bind the wolf to keep him out of the fight. Others met a similar fate.
It was clear they were aiming to incapacitate rather than harm, at least it was clear to the bare few who could see in the night the way Korwin could. flanking, grabbing from behind, binding. None of them had yet drawn a weapon or changed form, although Taguel traditionally had more strength than a human.
Some slunk in the shadows flanking the group and others charged right out with Korwin's cry.
One, a dark haired male with tan skin dropped low for a moment before kicking off with powerful legs to lunge at Korwin, changing his target from Jebei to him as almost as soon as his awakening cry was issued. He was armored, the color difficult to make out in the night appearing green. His partner, like him in face bust dressed in red, continued toward the plane's bowman intent on disarming him.
***
Sadia had been dreaming and sound asleep. A girl in a neat new brown dress clasped at the hem of a man surcoat. The man wore a black shirt. Unfamiliar to the girl in design. Somewhere, it lay, between ornate and practical. Her image of nobles wore rich, bright clothes with sweeping capes or cloaks. Dark halls of stone, dimly lit with glowing lanterns that lacked flame, seemed to lead in endless twists. She had no idea where she was, but for now that was ok enough. Not much mattered to her at the moment. With eyes of empty glass, she saw nothing of the halls. Cared little where could be, and felt less in her heart. A door appeared suddenly in front of them. The man gave looked down at her, a soft smile upon his dark-skin and bearded face.
"We're here," he said.
Here for what? She wondered for she did not remember what the man had told her when he had made her get out of bed. The man opened the door, and the girl couldn't stop her eyes from widening in wonder.
A hand closing around her mouth brought Sadia to full wakefulness. Curled in a ball outside of a tent as she had none of her own, the Taguel had caught her off guard. However, her face took only a mere instant to put on. The maid, panicked by the sudden assault, wailed mutely into the closing hand.
***
Korwin shifted, bringing his spear to point out, between the darting foe and Jebei. Daring his opponent to spear himself upon the weapon. However, as his senses continued to come to full attention, he realized something was wrong. It wasn't so much what was happening, but what wasn't. There was minimal stirring among his traveling strangers. A snarl found its way to his face as Korwin rapidly drew the conclusions that: they were outnumbered, the enemy had hostages, and he couldn't simply let casualties happen. Pride demanded that he somehow figure a way of equal standing.
The dark haired taguel's reflexes were good. He saw the spear and time and managed to leap backwards an astonishing distance.. well if he had been human.
Reina meanwhile found herself tightly held though she almost managed to bite her captor as they shoved a ball of cotton into her mouth. it was too dark to see who it was though. Suddenly a strong hand pinched her jaw, turning her face in the low moon light as if getting a closer look.
"You fools," an elderly female voice breathed, "you've gotten the wrong humans! she is too highborn to be among those we seek." and then the voice rang out into the night. "Hold your claws! we've made a mistake! Not These Humans!"
Korwin watched the taguel leap with satisfaction. All that would be needed would be for Jebei to take a shot while the foe was landing and they'd be up one. Yet, upon hearing the woman's voice, Korwin reigned in his battle-lust with a scowl.
"Hold!" he bellowed to the party, but did not retract his spear and, grasping upon sudden inspiration, "to whom, then, do we owe the rude pleasure that disrupts the Lady's camp?"
The red armored Taguel leapt back from Jebei to land beside the other "You should know of the Taguel of Bandowi--" he began with a snarl but his green armored companions hand fell on his shoulder and he fell silent "Let us have some light!" the old woman's voice rang out again, "there is no need to treat in shadows. We are not the bandits we mistook them to be. Turken, untie those we've caught. We have no need of bindings."
Somewhere further back a torch was lit and the taguel holding it brought it forwards to others could be lit from it. I was then easy enough to see an elderly woman, also adorned in leather armor, helping Reina to her feet.
