Having punched a sentinel in the privates a few nights back, Ama was still feeling a little on edge around every town guard she saw. She couldn't remember what he looked like and had no idea if the word had spread to the whole garrison of what had happened, or if they were even keeping an eye out for the blue-haired Haisheth.
Ama chose to act natural. No point drawing attention to herself . Perhaps she would juuust step away from the Warven sentinel and place herself behind old Zarg.
::Dani tried to not let her worry show on her face, but hints of her unease creep through. Her eyes narrow and she shifts a bit, nervously.
She was not quite sure how she felt about this reasoning. When the Warven mentioned his name, she recognized it as belonging to the Commander of the Sentinels...The highest ranking Officer...
Was he being honest about his reasoning for going? She had no way to know for sure, and was not about to ask. She also felt like she had no way to peacably refuse his offer to join, as she liked not being under investigation.
So she gave a nod.::
"Aye, Sir. We would be glad to have you along. We will take all the help we can get."
::She let her eyes travel past the Warven to Dionne behind him. She gave the briefest of nods to show she could approach.::
"But if you will excuse me, I must see to mounts for the rest of the party. Do you need one as well, or have you one already?"
::As she waited for his response she truned to the stableboy and asked for the mounts she needed, including Zaedus, if he said he needed one.::
"I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I aim with my eye.
I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I shoot with my mind.
I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.
I kill with my heart."
He bowed his head once more upon her response of allowance. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, he needed to get out of Wistvale for a while to stretch muscles that haven't been stretched in a while. Plus it would be a nice change of pace. Not having to deal with the shuffling of manpower and keeping track of everything.
A nice change of pace.
"I have one already"
He replied when questioned about a mount. He gestured to the stables towards a work horse that had been there. It was nothing special if a bit aged. It had been the one Grayell had given him prior to leaving Wistvale to venture north with Kiko and Grayell. As Zae thought about it, that was the last time he actually left Wistvale since his return.
::She asked for the Commander's horse to be prepared. Before long all the mounts were ready, including two large draft horses. Slow, but big and powerful beasts.::
"I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I aim with my eye.
I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I shoot with my mind.
I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.
I kill with my heart."
Zarr has trouble mounting his horse as it kept taking small steps further away while he tried to raise his leg over its back. He continues to grumble to himself, not happy at how his day was beginning. Zarr grunted as he tries again and again to mount his steed.
Ama approached her horse with an ounce of trepidation. Could they sense fear? Or was that just big cats and dogs? She placed a hand upon the creature's neck to let it know she was there. The young demoness didn't want any surprise movements as she lifted her boot up into the stirrup.
One, two, three...and she was up in the saddle.
See, she reassured herself, that wasn't too difficult. Now, how do you make it move again? Ama decided to wait until everyone else was up on their horse and ready to go before secretly taking direction from their own actions.
"Hey Dani," She said, engaging the Sonari in conversation while they waited for everyone to mount up. "What exactly are these Thorn Elves like? Is there anything specific we need to know about the way they fight, for example?"
::She climbed into the saddle herself and made a point of emphasizing her actions, as she had picked up on a few of the party being nervous around the beasts. Should she need to, she would kindly offer words of advice and encouragement to those that needed it...
((cough))Zarr((Cough))::
"I admit Dionne and I had a limited encounter with them. And we didn't hang around too long once that turned sour.
They show prowess in the things you would expect from those that live in the wilds. Hiding. Archery.
We saw one type of animal with them. Some twisted form of a dog. Larger than any I have seen before, with boney plates along is chest, brow and spine.
The elves themselves seemed to show similar traits, those more...thorn...then bone.
Hence the name I guess...
That is the only facts I can give. Until we saw them, I had thought them only a fairy tale, meant to scare those that want to wander off."
"I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I aim with my eye.
I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I shoot with my mind.
I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.
I kill with my heart."
As Miroslaw met the eyes of his horse, the ritual begins. He stared at the horse until both he and it were uncomfortable. A couple of minutes of just starring. After that, he moves to mount the horse. It was a fluid mount, but even after the mount, the ritual continues. He lays his body forward onto the horse and begins running his fingers through the animals hair. All the time, he is talking in a very faint whisper to the horse.
Finally, the 15 minute ritual is over. He leans back up and looks almost normal atop the very large horse. He just hoped the journey wouldn't be too long. A man's feet were never meant to leave the earth for an extended period of time. He could only take so much of the unnatural act.
As Miroslaw met the eyes of his horse, the ritual begins. He stared at the horse until both he and it were uncomfortable. A couple of minutes of just starring. After that, he moves to mount the horse. It was a fluid mount, but even after the mount, the ritual continues. He lays his body forward onto the horse and begins running his fingers through the animals hair. All the time, he is talking in a very faint whisper to the horse.
Finally, the 15 minute ritual is over. He leans back up and looks almost normal atop the very large horse. He just hoped the journey wouldn't be too long. A man's feet were never meant to leave the earth for an extended period of time. He could only take so much of the unnatural act.
He thought about speaking his knowledge on the elves, but decided to refrain unless asked. It seemed Dani knew much of them from her limited experience, but there was still much more she did not know. He began recalling his encounter. Despite himself leaving those woods unscathed, his allies were not so lucky. They were fierce opponents and not to be taken lightly.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
With some good advise from Dani, it would not take long before Zarr was on top of his horse. The horse still did not feel comfortable with the old Soren, stepping back and forth at times as they waited on the others.
Seems like they don't wear much armor. Sounds easy to me. Where to then?
He was ready to reach their destination to fight off these Thorn Elves. The sooner the better to get off his horse.
"No, Ama. Not directly anyway. I did not come from there, tho they are Sonari like myself. So in that way I guess you could say they were all family."
::Seeing as everyone was mounted and ready, she turned her horse about to face the world beyond Wistavle and urged it into a steady, but not strenuous pace.::
"We'll have to camp along the way. At least one night, if we keep a good pace, as we're heading to the far edge of the Mirkwood.
I hope everyone thought to bring something to sleep on..."
::As she started to head out, she adjusted her course to fall in beside Miroslaw.::
"You say you fought these things before. I assume if you had any new information to add about these elves, you would mention it, for the sake of the safety of the party. I take it then that your encounter was similar?"
As the party got ready, and Dani began to move out, Dionne herself was feeling a little bit unsure about their allies. A sentinel on a "off the books" task, some sort of weird giant...
Only ones she could trust at this point were Dani and Ama, and she was not going to stick around those, who she'd held in regard not below sticking a knife in her back.
She urged the horse into a fast stride to catch up to Dani.
"I'll see you there." Dionne said as she forced the horse into a gallop with a short "Hya!".
Zaedus just watched and listened as the group bantered, he had no real input to the situation since he had never heard of these "Thorn Elves" before. At least not to his own recollection. He strapped his gear to the rear of the saddle, draping a pack over one side. The horse snorted in what Zaedus could only think as excitement.
Like he it had been a long while since he had departed Wistvale, and now seemed like a perfect opportunity. Mounting the horse with awkward grace he grabbed the reins and directed the animal towards Dani.
"So...What is our plan mistress? Once we get there that is"
As Dani spoke to him, it felt as if it were nearly accusative in nature, though it probably was not intended that way. Of course, he didn't refrain to jeopardize his party, but it now felt that it would seem that way when he spoke regardless. He decided to just say what he knew.
"Well, I think I've got a bit more information on the beasts. My meeting with them was a fairly extended one. All of what you know is indeed what I encountered as well, but there is more. These elves corrupt the life around them to be to their liking. The forest in which I encountered them was their home, and it was... ill. Seemed it was corrupted by a strange form of magic I've never seen before or after. On top of this, they all seem to carry around a magical potion, or poison depending on your perspective. It turns anyone who is subjected to the effects into a enormous, mindless brute. What is worse is that they coat their arrows in it. One of our own succumbed to the effects. He turned on friend and foe alike with a unnatural rage."
He seemed to be in a trance as he spoke, thinking back to his encounter. He remembered it very clearly. "They are not to be taken lightly."
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Zaedus spouted, the tone of excitement for battle evident in his words. It was true the Warven enjoyed his bouts of contest and the entrancing dance that was sword play. So far everything he has gone up against has nearly killed him in one way or another, but some how he managed to win out in the end.
His memory jolted him back to that rather large brutish fellow from which his gauntlets came from. Nearly had his head smashed in, along with other things. Had Kiga not been there he surely would have died. Then again what are assassins other than treacherous.
"Let's hope I doesn't end up as one of those crazed and frenzied allies that becomes a turncoat through the throes of magic."
He thought silently. He reared his steed around facing the open road riding near to Mirrowslaw
"Well, if the situation is indeed as dire as you say, haste and expediency are my votes."