Mily shook her head bravely. She was going to be alright.
Garret spoke up so Jonah could hear him, "Can you do anything else for James' wound? That was the best I could do." When he realized what Jonah was doing, Garret added, "We won't be able to go anywhere yet. The back wheel on this side sunk into the mud. We'll have to heave it out before we can get back on the trail." He looked a round for a few moments before quietly adding, "I don't see the archer anymore. He's backed into the woods but he might not have gone far."
Post by John Harding on Aug 29, 2011 4:37:23 GMT -5
Jonah stopped before he'd opened the door and racked his brains; the wheel was stuck again so even if he jumped up in the driver's seat they weren't going to be making a quick escape; the driver was hurt, but Jonah didn't know enough to fix him properly, so he had to trust that Garret had done a good enough job slowing the blood loss; none of them, except the tribesman himself was duly prepared to go up against another attack; and there was still the potential problem of-
The tribesman's eyes widened with worry.
Garret. I didn't kill the leader, he's just unconscious. Is there anything on the coach we can bind his hand's with?
The honorable Akaiyan would not kill an unconscious man, even if the man was a despicable, rotten scoundrel. Maybe if Jonah could bind the bandit leader he could take him into town and turn him over to the local authority for trial.
That's my belt around James' chest. I don't know of anything else unless there's some rope in the storage compartment in the back. I doubt using the reigns would be a wise idea." Garret looked at his daughter and back at Jonah. "If we don't find anything to use, I think we should just try to get this carriage free. I don't want to be out here any longer in case the archer went to gather more men."
Garret got out as well and between the two of them they were able to lift the stuck wheel and free it from its position. The horses felt the slack and started to walk a few steps. It appeared that they would be able to leave since the leader was still unconscious and the archer was still missing.
Post by John Harding on Aug 29, 2011 17:09:33 GMT -5
Good, now get back to your daughter and make sure James doesn't move around too much.
No time to take a breather, Jonah wanted to get everyone out of this area as quick as possible. He hopped up into the driver's seat and took up the reins. He'd driven the Akaiyan carts before back home so he hoped he hadn't lost his touch.
His fast reflexes and muscle memory served him well as they started off. Garret, Mily and James were inside the coach while Jonah controlled the reigns from the driver's seat. Rain droplets were still falling from the trees but it seemed as if it had stopped raining. They continued without any other excitement for a while.
It wasn't long before Jonah spotted the forest exit. Light shone in through the gap and the light only grew brighter as they drew closer to it. Soon, the coach passed under the last of the canopy of trees and into the brilliant sunlight. A massive rainbow stretched clear across the open sky. If one looked for a few moments they would even begin to see a second rainbow underneath the first. Each of the colors displayed itself in such a way that they shone out distinctively--and yet, the soft fade between colors seemed to hold a fantastic and enchanting property of mystery and magic.
He could hear Mily squeal with delight at the beauty and splendor of the majestic rainbow. The smell of the fresh rain only made the scene all the more glorious. The sun beat down with a cheery and warm consistency and a mild warm wind blew in Jonah's face. His clothes were beginning to dry--although, they would not be dry by the time they reached Wistvale.
Sure enough, the stagecoach pulled into the slowly renovating town less than an hour later. However, the day was not yet up and there were still a few things that needed to be done.
Garret spoke as he climbed out of the coach and helped his daughter down. "He's unconscious. I wasn't able to keep him awake. There's still time to get him some help. Help me carry him to that Tavern right there." Garret points HERE then turns his head toward his young daughter. "Follow us closely, Mily. We're almost done."
((Make your next post in the Tavern and we'll wrap it up there. Thanks for letting me run this adventure! I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.))
Last Edit: Aug 31, 2011 21:38:05 GMT -5 by Legault
((Indeed. That appears to be the wisest course of action.))
James smiled slightly--then grimaced due to pain. "I doesn't look like I'll make it though," he grimaced again, "I don't have any family and few possessions--of my own. You saved us, Pureheart. I can die happy knowing there are still people like you in this corrupt world."
Suddenly James broke into another coughing and wheezing fit. This time he coughed up blood. "I--I can't move my arms. I can't-- take my belt. You won't be abah tu use it but you coul... sell ih." His voice started to drift. His eyes were getting weary.
Garret spoke softly, "I'm sure we will be able to find--a nice place."
James spoke up once more. He looked directly at Jonah with his fading eyes. He was barely audible, "I'm--" Pause. "Dying." Pause. "Make shuh--ahm--" He paused, trying to pronounce a word, "cu--curm--chremah--ted. Nah burd." He exhaled on last time and breathed no more.
Garret bowed his head solemnly. "It would seem he's thought of this before. It makes sense, you know. He used fire magic." The use of a past tense word saddened Garret. "I didn't know him long, but he was a good man who deserves to have his last request fulfilled."