Paths of Darkness (Excal)

[~X~Cali~*]

Dewar & Other, Soldiers

…Soft scraping sounds echoed of the stone walls of the tunnels from Dewar’s boots, the Stocky dwarf Almost discarded his boots right then & there, but he knew the tunnel floors gets more ragged the further he goes in, So all Dewar could do is sigh & mutter a soft curse under his breath &continue on running down the passage. As he reached a small opening in the tunnel he quickly pulled on a rock lever that was hidden behind other rocks & entered one of the tunnels that could have been taken from the throne room, the Dwarf quickly stopped listening in silence for any noise, after a moment he could make out soft footfalls in the tunnel to his right towards the direction of the throne room, The Dwarf smiled & knew the soldiers took the longer tunnel aside from the more sneaky shortcut that veered off from the other tunnel around a dark corner. Quickly using the time he had gained over the soldiers Dewar made his way down the passage to his left

After a couple of minutes the dwarf stopped dead in his tracks, as faint voices echoed through the tunnel, he quickly started towards the voices almost forgetting to tread silently with his overly loud boots. As he cornered in the tunnel he could make out the tell tale Dwarven lights that glowed from the nearby Cavern, he slowed down & heard a faint conversation close by, but as he wanted to get a little closer his boot caught hold of a rock & made a loud scraping sound. Almost immediately the voices silenced & a shuffle of boots took of in a direction, Dewar quickly made his into the cavern, but at first glance couldn’t see anything out of place but as he trotted stealth fully over the large cavern floor he saw a lantern that was discarded close to an entrance of a tunnel.
Dewar quickly made his way towards the tunnel, but as he wanted to enter he heard loud noises behind him, spinning around he was relieved to see the soldiers had not yet reached the cavern, he quickly moved the discarded lantern towards a tunnel that he knew to be twice as long as the one the trio had entered, smirking he said “that ought to keep ‘em busy for a couple of extra minutes” but his smile was short lived as the shouts & footfalls became louder, he had to hurry. Dewar quickly ran down the tunnel & as he knew they had entered the cavern he stopped to listen.

The one guard said to another “Men spread out, the cavern only have a couple of exits, they cannot be far” Dewar steadied his breathing & stood there waiting, after a few moments another guard called the others & said “hey look here there is a lantern that is out of place here, they could have discarded it as they had run down the tunnel,” a second voice cut in “good call, men two of you stay here & the rest follow me down this tunnel,” Dewar sighed of relief, & was just starting away when a more scruff of a voice started to speak, Dewar knew him to be one of the soldiers that came with the Nobleman, Dewar’s heart sank as the man spoke, “Now listen here, you are a bunch of fools ya are, going to follow some obvious distraction, There are only one set of footfalls disturbing the dust over there, “ Before the man continued Dewar knew the true path will be discovered in a matter of moments, he had to hurry, as he snuck off he heard the voice continue “ …ah but look over here , there are many disturbances over near this tun..nel….” & the voices grew indistinct as Dewar hurried through the passage.

***

Shale, Rae ,Dewar &Other

Shale was the last to enter the tunnel after the cavern softly echoed the sound of something scraping over a rock, As he continued further on he stopped quickly to listen but as the soft footfalls came to his ear he knew it was not that of a group of men, standing in the darkness he saw the Dwarf that had been by the King’s side through the assassination attempts, but as Shale wanted to continue after his comrades he saw the dwarf take the lantern they had discarded & moved it away towards another tunnel, the half elf could softly make out the Dwarf saying “…t ought to keep ‘em busy for a couple of extra minutes..” Shale could not understand what the Dwarf was doing but before he could think about it he felt a hard tug on his arm &saw Taraak’s stern expression as he whispered ‘we need to go now, follow me” as he withdrew Shale saw his expression soften & The three of them hurried down the passage after what seemed like ten minutes they felt the breeze growing stronger by the second, but as Shale’s hopes got up they all stopped suddenly & froze.

Rae was the first to mouth their problem “The tunnel Forks!” She Exclaimed “what now?” but without missing a beat their companion answered “We follow the tunnel with the Breeze” Quickly they hurried down the tunnel they had deemed the draftiest, the trio made their way through the passage & their hearts almost leapt with joy at the sight of light but sank again as they saw the strong iron grid that covered the gap, Shale slammed into the grid but to no avail, “ Nooo! We have to go back!” Rae almost ran off down back towards the split in the passage shouting “We have to hurry! the guards is not far behind” As the fork in the tunnel came back in sight they were relieved to find they have not been found yet.

Shale ran down the small tunnel, the only thing that he heard as he ran through the Darkness was his own breathing, he almost was sure he could hear his own heart beat, Shale shook his head & pressed on hoping that it was not a dead end that awaits them, after many tight corners in the tunnel Shale saw a opening in a wall filling with a faint light, he stopped before it & as he peered through the hole he sighed with relief as he saw what seemed to be the sewers, he quickly climbed up through the hole& turned to help Rae & Taraak up into the pathway next to the sewers. the half Elf Smiled as he saw Rae pull up her nose at the smell, "It reeks!!" she gasped, Shale quickly replied, "What did you expect, its the Sewers" The half elf saw her shrug in agreement & he turned serious & said "But this is no time for Idle talk we have to find somewhere safe & away from any guards" They all silently agreed & started down the Man-made tunnel, As they ran Shale heard a voice " wait "...or rather a noise he thought, but wasn't sure& only kept running after the two in front of him, he hoped they would get a safe place soon , his legs was growing more heavy....

***
~Dewar~
The Dwarf shouted "wait" through the grid, but they didnt hear him, Dewar cursed at his luck, he knew was going to get a lot harder to find the three of them from there on. But with determination he squared his shoulders& set off back through the tunnel after them....

ooc: There we go, looking forward to your post. *

[Angmor]

I’ve spent a good portion of my life running.

[/color] Taraak reflected somewhat gloomily to himself. Well, at least now he wasn’t so much running as he was limping rapidly, a fact that his companions gratefully didn’t comment on. His ankle felt like it was being compressed with excruciating icy needles whenever he put weight on it, leading him to hiss slightly through his teeth on every step. At least after his mistake of leading them to the grate, he was no longer in the lead. Despite his pain, he did not even consider slowing. He could imagine pounding footfalls of the pursuing soldiers getting closer and closer behind him, and the thought drove him on.
Finally, the tunnel around him seemed to be illuminated by something beside the lantern he was carrying, a true, golden radiance that bespoke the air and the sky and everything he had come to miss since their descent into these interminable caves. Sure enough, he saw a jagged outline of pale light up ahead.
He was also hit by the fetid stench that impacted like a solid wall against him, bringing up unpleasant memories of his training. On a yearly basis, Sergeant Baric would have his trainees crawl through a deep trench lined with the rotting entrails of only the gods knew what, in order to toughen their constitution. He had fondly called it The Sickener. It was well named. He was glad the man was going first.
Wait…
It wasn’t much of a cry, more of a whisper that brushed over his senses like the touch of a bird’s wing, but it was enough to cause him to whirl around, playing the light of his lantern about the tunnel. There was nothing there, which somehow troubled him more than if there had been a horde of pursuers. The man was saying something from the other side of the gap, but Taraak didn’t hear. Had he imagined it? Or was it some, inner instinct that demanded that he stop and consider what he was doing?
He dismissed the thought immediately. In the times when his instinct spoke, it always spoke in the voice of Ferial Baric. By that time the elf -Rae, he corrected himself- had squeezed through the opening, and the two were awaiting him. Brushing off his reservations, he turned and wrestled his way through the gap in the stone, blinking in the light.

As soon as his eyes adjusted, he found himself in another tunnel, this was lower but more regular than the one he had left. The ceiling and walls were constructed of brown brick, crumbling in some places, downright falling apart in others. It was trhough one of these crumbling patches that the small rift had opened, behind which was the maze of passages they had come from. The stench was even more pronounced here, rising from the stream of rancid water running through the bottom of the pipe in a shroud that was almost tangible. “It reeks!” Rae summed up just ahead of him, inching her way along the narrow walkway that bordered the drain, made for the purpose of servicing the pipe. The light grew stronger as they walked, until Taraak finally put the lantern away in his shoulderbag. Finally, they rounded a bend to be greeted by honest, unfiltered daylight, making them all squint until their eyes could at last deal with the onslaught. It seemed to take Taraak longer than his companions, but in the mean time he could make out an oval of light ahead, beyond which lay a something that was not the stone and dust sand to which he had become accustomed. He wished his companions would walk faster… even more so when they stopped.
“What’s wrong?” He called, chafing at the delay. He felt himself growing nauseous, claustrophobia beginning to overwhelm him. “This opening is barred…” Came the man’s voice, tight with tension. There was a noise like a sword breaking. “Hold on a minute…” And again. Finally, the obstruction seemed gone and they were moving again. At last, Taraak burst from the tunnel and into the open air, never more happy to see the sky in his whole life.

Finally gathering himself enough to take in his surroundings, he found that they were at the base of the bluff on which the castle was built, opposite the site of the main gate. The whole they had just come from was a culvert cut into the stone, which Taraak now saw was the outlet for much of the castle’s drainage. It had been barred, which explained the delay. Now however, the bars were lying on the ground beside him, broken from their housings somehow. Taraak wondered how the man had broken them from their housings seemingly with nothing but his bare hands, but he decided he didn’t need to know. The edge of the city itself was only yards away, and they still needed to exchange stories. That meant a safe place to hole up for a while, and judging by the now what expressions on his companion’s faces, he figured it was up to him to provide it. It struck him then that he really didn’t have anyplace in the city, or on reflection, anywhere, that he could call his own. That was alright though, for in their current situation, he wouldn’t trust enough to go there. It would have to be somewhere that was secure, but where the castle guard would never think to look for them. It would be fairly easy; he doubted the guards would ask for help from the Varden’s somewhat informal Intelligence section, and if they did, they would get no help. He almost smiled at the thought. He could just picture one of the several overworked men that slaved over the reports down there, fingers steepled over his paper-strewn desk, saying the great tagline of all men of his trade: “Never heard of him.”
With this comforting thought, the solution struck him. It was risky, but not if they kept moving immediately afterward. “Come.” He said, turning. “I know a place where we can hide.” With that, he set off at a brisk lope, heading north.

. . .

As a city, Aberon was generally pleasant enough. Due to light taxes, it possessed barely a fraction of the poverty that many cities of the Empire could boast. The streets and whitewashed buildings were mostly clean and bright, and crime was small. Of course, for that reason, any spy knew it wasn't the easiest of cities in which to hide, for both friend and foe. This fact made things difficult for Varden intelligence, as they sometimes needed to send teams of men undercover, in order find and eliminate imperial spies and saboteurs. And so, intel had set up a series of nondescript safehouses dotting the city, where men could discreetly conduct operations that were better left unseen by the public eye.
It was for one of these that Taraak was making.

Only a few buildings over from the northern wall, there was a thin, cheery building that boasted three stories. The first two belonged to Gilthorp's inn, a cheap, moderately comfortable place to spend a night. It was close enough to the gate that it serviced many of the travelers that passed through it, which meant it was the sort of place from which people could come and go without notice. The third floor was a small suite, which Gilthorp rented out to more wealthy clients, and at the moment was booked for another month. This was somewhat unusual, because there were no regular tenants. Still, the innkeeper always got his money, so he asked no questions.

Taraak led the way down the street toward the inn, glad that the journey was almost over. His limp had grown more and more pronounced as time wore on, and if he had allowed himself to think about it, he probably wouldn't be able to walk on it at all. He held against the pain with iron will, saving it for when he could do something about it. "Here we are." He commented over his shoulder as the reached the inn. He did not make for the front door, instead ducking into the alley between it and the shop beside it. After a quick scan to confirm there was no one else around, he pulled a hidden rope that dangled against the wall of the inn. A moment later, a sturdy rope ladder dropped down to meet him, just as it was supposed to. Indicating that they should follow, he began to climb.

It felt longer than he remembered from the first time he had come this way, but he made it to the top without too much difficulty. He stepped onto the flat roof quietly, surveying the space. The roof was mostly featureless, except for a trap door at its center.
Almost there....[/Color] The door was secured with a small lock, but he was not very perturbed. Despite appearances, it wasn't locked. The oiled hinges made no sound as he lifted the door carefully, setting the lock aside and gesturing for his companions to go in first. The man gave a bewildered look and lowered himself in, followed by Rae. Rigging the door to close behind him, Taraak jumped in.

He landed hard on the carpet, unable to suppress a hiss of pain as his injured ankle objected at the abuse. After the bright surdan sun of their trek, the room was very dark. Guided by his perfect memory, Taraak made his way to the front of the room, throwing open the shuttered windows so that his companions could see where they were. The light revealed the moderately sized room, bare of any furnishings but a low table and three chairs of simple wood. On one side was the door that led to the smaller bunkroom, on the other the door to the even smaller storeroom and armory. In one corner was another trapdoor, this one with a ladder to the second floor. Taraak however already knew of these things, so he simply sank wearily into one of the chairs without looking at them, attending to his ankle gingerly. "Well, here we are." He said, not looking up. "The floor has been soundproofed, so we won't disturb anyone downstairs. We'll be safe here, for a while at least."[/size][/blockquote]

[~X~Cali~*]

Shale, Rae &Other

Shale was grateful to be outside again, he never did like being underground to long, though being a thief entailed many hours of waiting in dark uncomfortable places, Shale winced, he quickly shook the memories from his mind & looking up to see if he was still following Taraak he quickly remembered his hands, he winced again, he started rubbing his palms against his trousers. Shale had broken the bars that block their exit from the sewers but he didn’t count on years of rust &grime coming off as well, after a few futile attempts to get the worst off he felt Rae’s hand on his arm, Shale looked up as she said “Shale, stop fidgeting, you’re looking like you stole something,” he started to Protest “But…” But the elf held up her hand & said “We need to be more subtle, now look in front of you before you hit those ….” Before she finished Shale glanced up just in time to see two kids with great big smiles storming at him, clearly chasing each other, Shale quickly Dodged as best he could & hit into the side of a Wall, a quick sharp pain shot into his arm & said “Ow! That hurt” Shale shook his arm as the pain faded & looked at Rae as she asked “You alright? Told you should to stop fidgeting, didn’t I?” Shale could only shrug &continued on. Shale wished he had only took the time to put on his gloves before he had started with the bars earlier on, now he had a scratch on his arm & grime on his hands …why me?... The half elf quickly composed himself & continued on

***

Shale could not help but take in the scenery, he had half consciously expected a full blown poor district to pop up anytime, but was surprised that it never came. Aberon was quite different from either Teirm & Dras-Leona , at the thought of Dras-Leona Shale stopped dead &put his hands to his temples, …Father, why didn’t you tell me… but before the memory could play on Rae tugged on him, “ Shale? Shale you look pale, you okay? Do you need to rest for a bit” Shale glanced up at her, very grateful for the distraction, he quickly replied “No, I’m fine, just a ache, let’s go on” But just as they started they saw Taraak stop before a Inn &said over his shoulder “here we are” before he continued towards the Side alley, Shale smiled thankfully & said “we must be close” As he started after the man he noticed the limp in Taraak’s step?... Has he been Limping all along, I wonder why?... he would ask him when they were safe. Shale quickly went into the alley & after a moment saw a rope ladder drop, he quickly glanced up to see who was up there but saw no one, he only shrugged &took his turn up the ladder as he reached the top he saw Taraak busy with a trap door& turned to help Rae up, he walked over to Taraak & wondered what was down the hole, as he reached the hole Taraak gestured for him to go first, …me? First? You got to be kidding… Shale shrugged as he thought …might as well, I was never the overly cautious one, though jumping down an Unknown hole never brings a cheer to the heart… Shale sucked in a deep breath & stepped into the darkness

~Dewar~ Other

Dewar quickly made his way through the market place, after he had set out after the three from the sewers Dewar had only had a glance at them three times & the last one didn’t help either , the dwarf could only sigh as he pushed past the people that came to buy from the market square. Dewar stopped at one of the shopkeepers & asked if he had seen a party of three accompanied by an Elf, but as he started to ask he remembered the one time he had seen them clearly in the streets he had seen the elf had put her hood up. Grumbling he excused himself from the confused shopkeeper.

The Dwarf started towards the closest alleyway, but thought better of it &turned away, but just as he turned he stared into two round eyed boys, startled he stiffened just a fraction & grumbled again as he noticed the boys were almost his length, he mumbled a curse at his own lack of height but quickly asked “What ye want young masters?” trying to sound as politely as possible, after a moment the older of the two answered “You are the King’s Weapons Master aren’t you Aren’t you??” Dewar noted the excited tone but nodded. The two boys squealed with glee & Enthusiastically started jumping up & down around him squeaking words at each other that Dewar couldn’t even begin to guess at the speed.

Dewar cursed under his breath, but before he could growl at the boys a tall woman asked a question at the boys, glad of the distraction Dewar started towards the alley behind him, as he snuck down it he noted a few drops of blood next to the wall, The Dwarf almost dismissed it , but the boys voices was so excited as they talked to the woman & then they said “ Mum Mum, & we saw an Elf earlier on, a Real Elf! tom almost ran her companion through the ground but I swear there was an Elf….” Dewar strained to listen but could not make the out the woman’s words but then the boy complained” But I saw One!!!, see see the guy tom almost ran over next to her hurt himself over there,…..” Dewar smiled broadly his luck was extraordinary, as he hurried after the very minute blood trail he heard the boys voices fade with a “But But…I did….” He glanced back & saw the boys being towed away by their irritated mother, but quickly dismissed the sight & continued after the trail that had a drop every few feet…

Shale &Rae & Other

Shale landed on the ground but couldn’t orient himself in the sudden dark &quickly hit a wall; he quickly veered away & ran into soft arms. He sighed in relief as he made out Rae’s face after a moment. He started to ask her something & she slapped him in the arm “Ow, get off my feet” the half elf quickly moved away hoping to dodge anymore slaps &waited till his eyes adjusted, he made out an empty room, but as he was just getting used to the dark sharp light filed into the room, squinting he saw that Taraak had opened a shuttered window, the man quickly sank down in a chair & said "Well, here we are. The floor has been soundproofed, so we won't disturb anyone downstairs. We'll be safe here, for a while at least." Shale smiled, he needed a bit time to get his thoughts straight & laid down on the floor as he saw Rae go sit close to Taraak, he closed his eyes & soon faded away…

Rae looked at Taraak & waited a moment before she started to ask “Well…” but stopped as she heard snoring, she glanced at Shale & saw that the half elf was fast asleep, shrugging she shook her head &smiling at her strange companion. After a moment she turned back to Taraak &said “Thank you for leading us to a quiet spot, you’ve been a great help…Well now for the questions that has been hanging in the air since the Throne room, What Happened? Shale saw something I could see it in his eyes, But I’m so confused, I’m not sure what transpired beside the man Shale tackled for the assassination attempt…&who are you why were you in the Throne room in the first place? Sorry if I’m straight forward but nothing is making any sense to me.” Rae looked at the man & could not read his face, &as he wanted to answer Shale Jumped shouting "THERE IT IS!!....." Startled Rae quickly asked "Shale... are you Okay?" the half Elf spun to her looking confused , silence followed , & after a few moments he flushed & said "um nothing really, dont mind me, um were you two discussing something?" Rae looked to Taraak for a moment & saw his total confusion plain on his face, but only shrugged & said after a moment "Yes, come sit here if you want some answers", Shale moved to join them & waited for Taraak to speak....

ooc: there we go

[Angmor]

Taraak couldn't stop himself from staring openly at the man as he hauled a chair over to where he and Rae were sitting. Now, while th man's sudden reaction had saved him from answering the elf's questions immediately, Taraak couldn't help but be struck by the strangeness of it.
Great. I'm on the run from my own side in the company of a hyperspastic elf and a hallucinating man.

[/Color] He thought sardonically to himself.
But then again, who was he to talk? H e of all people knew about frighteningly vivid things to visit a mind while its body slept. Taraak could see the traces of fear in the man's expression that he himself felt just about every night. Perhaps this man had some inner fear that robbed him of rest, just as he did. But then it was gone in an instant, replaced by an earnest, what did I miss manner as the man's eyes settled on him, crossing his formidable arms across his wide chest.

"Well, your friend here was just asking who I was, and what I was doing in the throne room before all this went to hell." Taraak said finally, more to provide a stopgap to think of his reply then to inform the man what had gone on in his brief slumber.
The question was, hom much of himself should he reveal to these people? Considering his usual activity within the Empire, a name and a story in the wrong hands could quite literally mean the difference between life and death. Sergeant Baric had phrased it perfectly, as he seemed to have a talent for doing:
Always know who you can trust, and that means no one.
After all, what did he really know about this pair, other than a few quirky tendancies? No, the circumstances dictated that he had to trust them, but not all that much.

"My name is Taraak, as I said before." He began after a few seconds. He regretted now giving them is right name, but he wouldn't risk changing it after he had already said it. He had learned long ago not to underestimate a witness' memory, even the short-lived, corruptible memory of other people. "I work for the Varden on a somewhat... informal basis.I possess a rather rare and useful skillset, and I have good reason to use it against the Empire." He continued, skirting a direct answer rather neatly, if he did say so himself. "Lately I've been forced to take some downtime, so that's why we bumped into each other in the library this morning." He nodded at the man. "And that's it, really. I was originally in the throne room just to pass through on the way to a spot I like to read." He stopped himself from summoning up the memory and launching into the narrative of what had happened next. After all, he had answered all their original questions, now it was time to ask some of his own. That at least was fair.

"But tell me, what of you?" He cast an analytical eye over the two. "It's fairly obvious that you've been traveling for some time, and in secret, which in a country this size, has to mean you came in from the Empire. You were waiting for the King, which indicates a matter of no small importance, and yet I think you not from the Varden, which rules out a personal scouting mission or the like. So tell me," He said, looking from one to the other. "Who are you, and what brought you here? First though," He smiled wryly at the man. "Start with your name. We've been almost constantly in each other's company since this morning, and I still don't know it."[/size][/blockquote]

[~X~Cali~*]

Shale Rae &Other

Shale studied Taraak as the man looked at him, a question in his eyes, but the half elf shook his confusion off after the dream, He composed his features &sat down close to them as Taraak said that Rae wanted to know some things, he glanced at the elf & she made a small smile, Shale sighed & sat back fingering an old scar on his right bicep as the man started to speak. After a moment Shale looked up as Taraak said “I work for the Varden on a somewhat... informal basis.I possess a rather rare and useful skillset” The half elf grew curious at this & studied the man’s face for answers? But as he glanced over the man’s features he remembered his curiosity at the man’s built, he recognized it now, he had seen it before, only the most skilled thieves & spies he had ever met come close to that, he had some answers, but he respected the man’s secrecy, he once too had lived in that world. Shale listened carefully as the man continued “"Lately I've been forced to take some downtime, so that's why we bumped into each other in the library this morning. And that's it, really. I was originally in the throne room just to pass through on the way to a spot I like to read." Shale smiled , but then remembered why they were here & his smile vanished, he doubt the King would even consider his message after this huge misunderstanding…had his & Rae’s long journey from Teirm been in vain? He winced… if he had never left Teirm Rae would not have followed him & she would have never received the wound at Lake Leona she almost died from… & he would have never dwelled deeper into Dras-leona. Shale’s insides started to swirl, his head spinning, he tried to hold it together by placing a hand on his forehead, but the Image of his father standing in front of him pointing at him with an angry glare burned his memories... But everything stopped as he heard Rae’s voice ” Shale ,Taraak asked you for your full name &our story? do you want me to give it?”

Shale glanced at her & then at Taraak, “Oh, sorry, No, My Name is Shalemayn Carez” he despised his full name, it had gotten him into a situation that had cut deep into him…he quickly straightened his shoulder as if it was a purposeful pause & said ”I lived most of my life in Teirm, I would have still if it wasn’t for me getting into the bad books of an imperial magician… I got hunted through every square of Teirm but he never could quite catch up to me, but I was growing weary of the constant chase, so I decided to become the hunter & I finally caught him Un-aware in a tower. After killing him , I encountered a secret letter in his holding which contained some very important info about the Imperial Dragons, & that convinced me to make a decision to journey to Surda, besides the fact that another Magician was reported to be furious for the death of her counterpart. But that’s a matter I hope I’ve avoided in my disappearance from Teirm” Shale sighed deeply & took a deep breath & continued “& after coming across Roran Strong hammer I gave him the missive because he was on his way to his brother in Surda, but after he left I decided to follow him & it was well placed , the man ventured too close to an imperial scouting party & I had intervened just in time, from there on I traveled with him & after a slight accident he ended up with a head injury & that’s when I met lovinoraem or Rae as she likes to be called, She had spied on me for quite some time, for reasons I still don’t know…” Shale glanced at Rae now remembering he had been meaning to find out, but the Elf took on a stoic expression, confused the half elf decided to drop the subject & continued recounting the events of their Journey “… We Traveled towards lake Leona, but as we camped in a rock outcropping a group of well trained soldiers attacked us, though they looked like bandits, I was sure they were sent by someone… well after the battle Roran & Rae was injured, but Rae had been the most serious, we had to enter Dras Leona…” he choked on the name but continued “..to find a healer to save her, while unconscious I had decided to go look around in the city…but it was …well a big city full of secrets….as you know of course!” Shale glanced at Rae & then Taraak & hoped not one of them would pursue the subject, seeing a hint of something in both their eyes but no direct interest forthcoming the half elf sighed with relief & quickly continued “ After Rae & Roran had healed we headed for Aberon, it was luckily quite uneventful & that’s about it”

Shale looked at Rae & nodded & sat back in his seat, he Listened as the elf asked Taraak “Would you trust us enough to tell us your profession? &where do you come from?” Shale was glad for the change of conversation he didn’t want to dwell on things he wanted to avoid, he wasn’t ready for that, not strong enough to face it. He squeezed his scarred bicep again as he did so his arm brushed against the makeshift bandage he had encircled on his left fore-arm, he examined it, unwound it & sighed with relief ....at least i stopped bleeding... redoing the bandage he brushed his dark hair back over his half pointed ears, missing the Man's expression across him & sighed as he awaited Taraak’s Answer, eyeing the bandage for only a moment longer before picking up his gaze…

ooc: Hope you like it,(tell me if i should add more for you to work with)
.
Umm Angmor, why doesn't Taraak Know Shale's short Name? (In your next post) Rae call him by Name when she asked if he wanted her to answer! (Just a small question)

[Angmor]

There was silence for several seconds as he finished, and Taraak noticed that the man seemed to be having another spell with head pains. What could have caused it? He didn’t think he’d said anything to trigger bad memories for anyone but himself… So what was it then?
He just about jumped at the sound of Rae’s voice.
”Shale, Taraak asked you for your full name &our story? Do you want me to give it?”
The man was at least startled as well, seeming to waken from a shallow trance. At last he began to speak, and Taraak deliberately shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind, settling back to listen.
“Oh, sorry, No, My Name is Shalemayn Carez”
Taraak immediately logged the name down with the face. Shalemayn… It seemed a bit long to be used in a combat situation where a timely shout from a comrade was often the difference between life and death. He probably had a nickname or something. Of course, the elf had called him Shale, so that was probably it...
”I lived most of my life in Teirm, I would have still if it wasn’t for me getting into the bad books of an imperial magician…”
I was born in Teirm.

[/Color] Taraak thought randomly to himself, well, it was fairly apt for him as well. On most occasions, Teirm got him in trouble also.
"I got hunted through every square of Teirm but he never could quite catch up to me, but I was growing weary of the constant chase, so I decided to become the hunter & I finally caught him Un-aware in a tower. After killing him , I encountered a secret letter in his holding which contained some very important info about the Imperial Dragons, & that convinced me to make a decision to journey to Surda, besides the fact that another Magician was reported to be furious for the death of her counterpart. But that’s a matter I hope I’ve avoided in my disappearance from Teirm”
The pause let Taraak consider just how casually this Shalemayn considered death. After killing him, without even taking a breath. He decided that this man was a lot more dangerous then he sounded. A good thing to remember in future.

“& after coming across Roran Strong hammer I gave him the missive because he was on his way to his brother in Surda, but after he left I decided to follow him & it was well placed , the man ventured too close to an imperial scouting party & I had intervened just in time, from there on I traveled with him & after a slight accident he ended up with a head injury & that’s when I met lovinoraem or Rae as she likes to be called, She had spied on me for quite some time, for reasons I still don’t know…”
Taraak caught the glance Shale shot the elf, somewhat taken aback. Still, he could help but roll his eyes slightly in sympathy. How many times had that happened to him? It was startling the number of curious individuals that would attach themselves to you for seemingly no good reason.
It became apparent however that Rae would say nothing, somewhat disrupting the flow of the conversation for Carez. He soon got back on his feet.
“… We Traveled towards lake Leona, but as we camped in a rock outcropping a group of well trained soldiers attacked us, though they looked like bandits, I was sure they were sent by someone… well after the battle Roran & Rae was injured, but Rae had been the most serious, we had to enter Dras Leona…”
Strangely, the very mention of the city seemed to trigger something in his emotions, something that he would rather not revisit.
And so it went.
He rushed through the rest, a long telling in a brief iteration.

At last, the man seemed finished, and settled back in the simple wooden chair. A silence followed, and Taraak was suddenly aware of the sounds of bustling people from the bright day outside. As he shifted in his chair, Taraak pondered the man’s words. There was still most definitely something strange about these two, and mysteries seemed to dog them wherever they went. There was still many questions that were without answers, but it was really just his curiosity talking. They had already told him more than he intended to tell them.
“Would you trust us enough to tell us your profession? & Where do you come from?” The elf asked conversationally.

Ah, a direct question. The bane of secrecy and deniability everywhere.
Taraak felt himself cringe slightly.
Now, normally he wouldn't be too badly inclined answer that question. But in those instances, he was addressing people who had never heard his right name, barely seen his face, and had certainly never seen him in action. The pair before him had knowledge of all three. And worse, if their story was true, and he had little reason to suspect that it was not, then they had nearly traveled the length of Alagaesia, and would probably be doing so again. For Taraak, that combination made them downright dangerous.
And then if they heard that he was a spy and assassin, roaming the Empire on dangerous missions... No, simply too many pieces for an imperial agent to put together.
And so, he had no choice but to use the only tactic available in the face of a direct question; stonewalling and subject change.

"I'd rather not say." He answered, surprising himself by his relative diplomacy on the subject. He mostly preferred a adamant no. "Where I come from is not important, and what I do even less so..." At that moment, Carez brushed a strand of hair over his ears as he was fiddling with a bandage, the movement instinctively drawing his gaze. Taraak blinked. No, there was no mistaking it, the ears had a slight point to them.

He knew he was staring when the man -Shale- looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I'm sorry." He managed to say, shifting his eyes away. [/size][/Blockquote]

[~X~Cali~*]

~Shale, Rae~ &Other

As Taraak diplomatically dodged Rae’s Questions, the half elf looked up & caught the man staring at him, Shale raised an eyebrow & then as Taraak said he was sorry Shale remembered that he had brushed his hair over his slightly pointed ears… he couldn’t blame the man, he didn’t look like an elf at all with his huge upper body, the only things that ever gave away his mother’s heritage was his strength & ears. Shale cast a small smile. He looked at Rae & was startled at the expression the elf carried was confusing; it was as if she was hurt that Taraak didn’t answer her question? At a loss for words he stared opened mouth at the elf until she looked his way, which he now regretted because she was glaring at him as if it was his fault at alienating their new companion. Shale narrowed his eyes a bit & asked mouthing the words what? , but Rae looked away seeming furious at him. He couldn’t even start thinking what to say, but Rae spoke first asking “what happens now?” he heard the polite undertone at Taraak but saw the venom dripping from her stare at the half elf… he could only sigh, Rae was a very odd species of woman...

~Dewar~

The Dwarf silently followed the small blood trail through a couple of alleys, it wasn’t much blood but a small drop every so often was more than enough for the veteran Dwarf to follow. As he followed he quickly looked up & cursed as the clouds in the sky got darker, he knew if he didn’t find them soon there could be rain & the trail would fade away into the stones, he picked up his pace &silently begged the clouds to hold for a while. After a short while he reached a three story tavern & stopped as some of the drops were on the same spot, he knew they had stopped here for a reason but before he could think more about it a small rain drop hit his forehead, Dewar cursed under his breath, the hopelessness of it suddenly started to weigh on his heart. He had missed them once & seemingly he will surely lose them now if he didn’t finally get some luck on his side. Dewar quickly ran after the small blood drop trail as the clouds started with some more drops of its own, he ran around the three story tavern & followed it into the alley & then suddenly the trail stopped… “Barzul” was the dwarf’s first reaction, as he heard the rain starting to fall with more force, but then he realized the rain hadn’t hit the alley that hard yet & as he looked around he saw a ladder…

~Shale & Rae~

As Rae’s question filled the air silence suddenly followed, Shale looked deep in his mind for an answer …but none came at the moment, he looked first at Rae & then at Taraak seeing the same deep in thought look in their faces, before he could start asking different question he saw Taraak about to say something, but then he heard a noise…

He didn’t register Taraak’s words at all as the soft noise travelled again to his sensitive ears. The half elf looked around but couldn’t see anything down the dark corridor, he turned back & saw that Rae had started arguing about certain points of what Taraak had mentioned but the half elf was unconcerned about it at that moment.
Shale quickly stood up & saw that not Rae or Taraak had noticed his movement so deep in their discussions they were, as he turned again towards the corridor his first reaction was to his as a thud sounded on the place they had entered & shadowy figure stood there Shale immediately removed a dagger from its sheave &glared at the newcomer he moved slightly closer & heard his companions react the same way as they saw him with a weapon in the hand.

But suddenly something confused him; the figure was far too short to be a man, a woman? But he got his second later as the black bearded Dwarf from the Throne room stepped into view with both his hands up in the air in a submissive manner. Shale straightened up, but he heard Taraak curse under his breath, but something in the way the Dwarf looked at them shined sincerity. The half elf couldn’t help but ask himself if this Dwarf knew the truth of what happened?
Shale shook his head slightly but before he could make up his mind his two companions charged at the Dwarf. Shale quickly shouted “STOP!!!” & they both halted their charge & looked at him with absolute confusion. He ignored them both & turned towards the Dwarf & asked “Why have you come?” Shale watched the Dwarf carefully but noted no hostility in his movements as the small figure straightened up & said “I came to help ye” …

~Kantario~

The mage sighed as Dewar said he was there to help, he truly hoped that the Dwarf remembered him, if so maybe there can still be hope for the three &justice for the ones who really meant harm for the King, the mage silently awaited the forth coming conversation…

~~~

ooc: I finally got time to get it up, hope you enjoy. Tell me if you need more to work with
&You can use Rae in that conversation between her & Taraak after Rae asked "what happens now" she is still a npc

[Angmor]

This elf seemed to be very good at asking leading questions, as evidenced by the descending silence in the face of her latest one. She seemed to have a knack for finding the questions that Taraak would not, or in this case, could not answer. He had no idea what should be done next. It wasn't as if this was some assignment that had gone wrong, and still had an objective to consider. He was running from an ally to his own side on the charge of trying to murder their king. It wasn't as if he could go to the Varden themselves for help. Nasuada and her council had never heard his name, much less knew of what he did for them. And what was he? A former imperial assassin. Not a whole lot of credibility there, five years of service or not.
Wait, slow down there. Consider the possibilities. What are your options.

[/Color]
The first and best one, his training said; find a deep, out of the way hole in which to lay low for the rest of his days fortifying against the day where one side or the other finally came for him. No, unacceptable. The was a grievous misunderstanding, nothing more. It wasn't worth giving up the only good thing his life had ever produced simply for a misunderstanding. But what alternative was there?
Come now, it was like it was the Empire they were dealing with here, people that would kill them for a little extra coin. It was Surda's Finest, a unit of disciplined fighters. And even if they were an untrained mob, if he wanted his life back, it was the only way.
"I think we should turn ourselves in." He stated finally.

There was another moment of silence, during which the elf stared at him like he had turned into a dragon. Carez looked like he hadn't heard.
"...You what?" Rae managed finally, blinking expressively.
"Think about it." Taraak leaned back in his chair, resting his injured leg gingerly on the floor in front of him. "If we go give ourselves up, they stick us in a cell, ask a few questions, get a mage to scan our memories, he tells them that the whole thing was one big misunderstanding, and we could be home in time for dinner."
"We could also be drawn and quartered."
"The Varden isn't like that. They don't kill just for the fun of it. If you didn't trust their morality, then why were you in that throne room in the first place?" He didn't bother to hide the challenge in his voice, glaring at her with his dead gray eyes. Not many people could stand up to it for long, he knew. The elf was no exception. She looked away, pursing her lips.
Aha, so you have secrets too. Hypocrisy is so easy, isn't it?[/Color]

As he was opening his mouth to speak further, but it was then that he noticed that Carez had left his chair. At the exact moment of that realization, there came the distinctive sound of a blade being drawn. As usual, his own knife was in his hand almost before he could realize it, and he was whirling around to face the threat. At a glance, Carez was just ahead and to his left. It was he who had drawn the knife; A short, well-concealed dagger that had evaded Taraak’s notice on his first inspection. But all this barely registered compared to the short, thickset figure standing at the edge of the passageway. At the sight of it, Taraak’s hair practically stood on end with the adrenaline that coursed through his system. Without thinking, he readied his knife and sprang forward.
“STOP!!!”
He did.
He wasn’t sure why, but something in the man’s voice made him halt his headlong charge, sparing him a bewildered glance. What did he think he was doing?
“Why have you come?”
The target –and he was most certainly now a target- straightened slightly, but made no sudden movements toward anything that looked like a weapon.
“I came to help ye.” It said simply, in a voice so gravelly and accented that it could only be a dwarf. Whoever he was, Taraak decided that there was no more time for discourse. “Hell with this…” He murmured to himself, darting forward suddenly to give the dwarf a good shove. From his first year with the Varden based in Farthen Dur, his many sparring matches with them had left him with the knowledge of exactly how one needed to go about knocking over a dwarf. One had to deliver the strike at exactly the right place on the chest to tip them over their considerably low center of balance, and one had to do it quickly enough that the dwarf in question didn’t have enough time to do anything about it. This was exactly what Taraak did.

The dwarf's head made a distinctly solid thud as it hit the floor, stunning him just long enough for Taraak to place his knee against his chest, using the other leg to pin his sword-arm to his side even as he held his knife to his throat. Or as close as possible, what with the beard.
Using a well-honed drill, Taraak quickly divested the dwarf of his weapons weapons, tossing them at Shalemayn's feet to look after. It ended up being a rather large pile, enough to arouse Taraak's suspicions even further. He shook his head.
Who brings this much to a friendly meeting?[/Color]
You do. His mind answered, but he ignored it.

"Right." He said sharply, hauling the dwarf to his feet. "I just have three questions for you. Who are you, how did you find us, and are we about to be swamped by armored bodies out after our heads?"

[/size][/blockquote]

[~X~Cali~*]

Shale, Rae, Dewar & other

Shale watched as Taraak disarmed the Dwarf, quite impressed in how easily the man had tipped the Dwarf, but while he was storing the technique in his mind he glanced over to Rae, who was practically bursting into flames with fury, he backed up, but to his relief he saw her glowering at Taraak’s back not him. As Taraak had finished asking the now unarmed Dwarf a few short questions Rae walked over to Taraak & gave him a hard slap over the back of his head & yelled at him “WHY DID YOU DO THAT???YOU DIDN’T NEED TO TIP THE DWARF AFTER HE SAID HE WANTED TO HELP!!!” Shale backed up a bit more & saw the total Shock in Taraak’s face as he turned to the angry Elf, Shale felt sorry for the man, he certainly didn’t want her to turn on him like that.

But before Taraak could get a word out, Rae seemed to cool down totally as she turned to the black bearded Dwarf & beckoned him to start talking. The Dwarf also looked confused but he seem to try to get his thoughts in line again, after a few moments he started to speak “I..Uh..want…Uh…I guess I should apologize for just dropping in, but it be important. I followed ye after the incident in the throne room. Not to catch ye ,but to help ye, because I believe ye were innocent. I found some suspicious equipment on the men who were suppose to be them throne room guards &I know ye didn’t do it… there be a bigger conspiracy if ye ask me, but that be besides the Point. I tried talking some sense into the king but he is not hearin’ me, &he’ll not take the time to hear yer stories if ye ask me. So be careful what yer Planning, but I have to tell ye there is a way to prove yer innocence..” At once all three of them asked “How?!” looking at each other again.

but before they could say anything else the Dwarf had raised his thick hands in the air to get their attention “hold it, I was getting there! Now listen carefully, I don’t have much time &ye don’t have either, there is a mage on the hunt as well ! so listen, there is a certain grove on the coast between two of the beor mountains, it’s called Winters grove.” At once Rae piped in “But that’s halfway across surda!! & What could possibly be out there that can prove our innocence master Dwarf?” Shale looked at her & raised an eyebrow …how did she know how Surda looks? She came with me from Teirm! … but the Dwarf continued before Shale could think anything more of it “Yes that is a valid question & as I said before ye can’t be expecting to go back to the King & think he’ll listen to yer story, the other reason is I suspect there is people under him that don’t want the truth to come out, they’ll probably try & kill you as soon as you set foot in the castle! So back to me point to why ye have to travel to the edge of Surda… There is an Old mage that lives in that Grove & as far as I can remember he was assigned to scry on our young king Orrin by the King’s Father many years ago. An old adviser told me about the mage just in case something happens. &well now something has happened &I need the answers as well as that ye do, so my best bet to get yer names cleared is to travel to that grove &ask the mage to help… yes yes I know it’s far, but that’s the only I see ye getting out of this here situation”
Shale saw the Dwarf look them over before he continued & asked “So any questions from ye lot, we really should be making haste to get ye out before they find ye! So ask now!” Shale immediately saw Rae & Taraak arguing about who will go first so he just stepped to the side & waited patiently for the first of the questions…

ooc: Sorry its so short! &Tell me if you need more to work with? & if Dewar should elaborate more?

[Angmor]

It seemed to be the day for superlative announcements followed by stunned silence.
Taraak felt his head swim with the sheer bewilderment of it all. Now, he of all people was not one to dither over unusual circumstances; normally he was the first to accept it and react accordingly. But this was fast getting to be too much to process, even for him. All the unanswered questions crowded into his mind at the same time, each one clamoring to be the one to be deemed most important. He hadn't even found out how the dwarf came to be here in the first place before he started ranting about conspiracies. It would have been so much easier if the elf had allowed him to finish his interrogation of the dwarf. And that was another question. Why had she done that? He knew that a lot of people liked to take offense at the less cleancut parts of his work, but he had assumed that these two rough and tumble wanderers would recognize a man just doing what he had to in order to survive.

Whoa, slow down there. Deal with what you have to first. You've got an unsecured location on your hands, nothing more. See to that first. You should have taken care of the ladder before now, you fool.

[/color] He held up a hand.
"Back up for a moment there, Dewar, first adviser to the king, if that is indeed who you are. However you followed us, I would like to make sure that no one else can do it any time soon. After that, we can go into what you just said in a little more detail." The elf looked like she was about to say something, so Taraak deliberatly turned his back on her, addressing Shale; "Since your lady friend seems to be the trusting one, you watch him. If he so much as looks at you in a way you don't like, stab him somewhere that bleeds copiously." Without bothering to explain himself further, he jumped and grabbed the edge of the now-open trap door, swinging himself nimbly back onto the roof.

While he hadn't noticed it before, he found that a soaking drizzle had started sometime earlier, making the tarred rooftop slick with damp. It didn't help his ankle in the slightest as he made his way over to the ladder.
That dwarf must be one hell of a tracker if he could find us through this. Unless of course he was following us within line of sight the whole time, which would make him far more stealthy than he looks.[/Color] He thought, scanning the alley below as he hauled up the ladder. Empty, so they didn't have any angry and heavily armed people preparing to invade them from that way. That did not however set his mind at ease. Crouching carefully, he moved slowly to the front edge of the rooftop, surveying the once bustling street before the inn. Due to the rain, most of the people he had seen before had evaporated, cutting their errands short and running for cover...
Except for one notable exception.
At first he wasn't sure why his eyes were drawn to the man buying from the annoyed looking fruit merchant, but it soon became apparent that his long-trained instinct had tagged him as out of place before his conscious mind had figured out why.
He was the only person on the entire street that wasn’t hurrying. In fact, he seemed to be doing whatever he could to slow down his transaction, much to the merchant’s apparent displeasure. And the man wasn’t wearing a cloak, and was therefore getting completely drenched in the rain. He had the most reason to hurry as anyone else, and yet he wasn’t, as if something was keeping him there. Like, say, watching a building.[/Color]
Even as he thought it, the man’s gave darted up, deliberately scanning the face of the inn on top of which Taraak was lying, immediately arousing his suspicions. He shook his head.
Gotcha. My sympathies friend. I wouldn’t have made you if it hadn’t started raining on you. Pure dumb luck.[/Color] Taraak could identify completely with bad luck, but was not at all averse to taking advantage when it visited someone else. Now the question was what to do about it. Thinking quickly, Taraak decided that he would play it cool for now. After all, one man hardly constituted an assault force. He would wait until the man’s handlers made their move, and then he would make his.
Very carefully so as not to draw the man’s eye, he slithered backwards on his belly, finally dropping back through the trap door.

The dwarf hadn’t moved, although it looked like he and Shale had been talking. Taraak thought it rather likely that their lone watcher might be this dwarf’s backup, but then why would he have no way of signaling that he was in trouble? Or had he already? There was truly no way of knowing, and he decided he wouldn’t let on until there was.
“Sorry about that.” He said casually, shaking water droplets from his cloak. “Now that we’re secure, we can talk with my mind at ease.” He turned to the dwarf. “Now, repeat what you said a few minutes ago, just slower. Start at suspicious equipment.” [/size][/blockquote]

[~X~Cali~*]

~Shale, Rae, Dewar& Other~

Shale stood there as Taraak addressed the Dwarf & he was quite surprised that he didn’t ask any questions, but the reason came a few seconds later as the man turned to him & said "Since your lady friend seems to be the trusting one, you watch him. If he so much as looks at you in a way you don't like, stab him somewhere that bleeds copiously." Shale was almost tempted to look over Taraak’s shoulder at what he knew was Rae staring daggers in their direction, but he resisted & nodded at Taraak & watched the man exit the safe house. As if on cue Rae glared at Shale & then turned towards the dwarf & asked “ So let me get this straight, you want us to traverse half of Surda to see an Old mage that will by some means have the truth about all this & clear our names, yes?” the Dwarf nodded & Rae was looking more suspicious & asked “&what do you get in helping us?” the Dwarf paused a moment before answering & replied “I want answers, as I said I believe there be more to this than meets the eye & I don’t want to see innocent people like yerself end up either in the Dungeons or Dead if I can help it. Is that a satisfying answer?” Shale could see Rae wanted to retort something
but he intervened & asked instead “Master Dwarf excuse me for asking but how in the blazes did you find us?” the Dwarf looked at him with searching eyes & said” Dumb luck if ye ask me, a boy in the market was going on about seeing a real elf &then again by chance it seems that in seeing the elf the boy had led one of you to get an injury by chance?” Shale paled & cursed under his breath.

He knew for a fact that his blood trail had led the dwarf to them, in a way he was glad the dwarf did find them & for the information he is giving them, but a larger side of him cursed himself for his stupid mistake of not bandaging the wound earlier… how could he be so careless. He grew up in a city as a thief, where even the smallest mistakes could get you into trouble &getting out wasn’t fun &games, But this? He slapped his palm to his forehead & sighed deeply. After a moment he looked over to Rae & he could see from the way she looked at him that she knew & that she thinks he is stupid & moronic, the half elf let out a gasp of exasperation & said “It was a small wound!! I didn’t know it was dripping!!what… I …” but he just shut his mouth & let out a growl & had his hands up in the air in surrender & he softly muttered under his breath “stupid dwarf…&stupid elf & the stupid wound… ugh”
He turned to the dwarf & scraped up some lost pride to ask the Dwarf the next important question, but the next moment Taraak dropped in &Shale could swear he saw something in the man’s face that he couldn’t quite place… wonder what he saw outside? He doesn’t seem overly troubled, but still I wonder?... Taraak spoke up then “ “Sorry about that.” He said casually, shaking water droplets from his cloak. “Now that we’re secure, we can talk with my mind at ease.' 'Now, repeat what you said a few minutes ago, just slower. Start at suspicious equipment.”
The dwarf eyed him but answered “On me way from the King’s chamber I stopped at the body of the throne guard I take our big friend here actually tackled to stop the killing shot on the King am I right?” Shale saw the dwarf eye him & he said “yes you are right, continue” the half elf saw the dwarf smile slightly before he continued “when I checked the body he was clutching the crossbow bolt that killed him, suicide I presume?” he eyed Shale again but continued “what did make me choke was them same crossbow bolts tied to his belt, all of them poisoned! So that was when I be certain as a dwarf getting a beard, ¬ to mention that merchant noble being so darn enthusiastic about helping, half of the initial men looking for ye is of his entourage! I don’t be knowing why or more importantly who is behind this, but I know there be something going on, so that’s why I came following ye!”

Shale puzzled over this for a bit, but Rae quickly chirped in & asked the dwarf “So let’s say we get out of the city safely, which I’m skeptical about in first, but say we do & we hike halfway across the country to that mage of the King, How do we know he will be able to help us?” the Dwarf sighed heavily but replied “look here, I be telling ye just now me thinks that if ye try the castle there be people who don’t want the truth to come out, So what other option is there to than take up my offer &get yer names clear, if anybody can help its Kantario I tell ye!” Shale saw the logic in his words but he could see that Rae & Taraak still looked skeptical, the half elf sighed &waited while the other two could think of more questions…

ooc: I'm not sure but I hope I went in the right line of thought? if you have a question or suggestion pm me ! &I Hope I gave you enough to work with? hope you enjoy it!

[Angmor]

”…Not to mention that merchant noble being so darn enthusiastic about helping, half of the initial men looking for ye is of his entourage! I don’t be knowing why or more importantly who is behind this, but I know there be something going on, so that’s why I came following ye!”
Now that made Taraak stand up a bit straighter. The dwarf’s entire statement so far had been of things he had not observed personally, and therefore suspect. But this… The merchant? How could that be? That didn’t make sense…
He blinked.
No, actually, it made perfect sense.
“So let’s say we get out of the city safely, which I’m skeptical about in first, but say we do & we hike halfway across the country to that mage of the King, How do we know he will be able to help us?” Rae jumped in before Dewar could get any further, bringing up the questions that were second on his mind. The dwarf blew out a breath through his beard in apparent exasperation. “Look here, I be telling ye just now me thinks that if ye try the castle there be people who don’t want the truth to come out, So what other option is there to than take up my offer & get yer names clear, if anybody can help its Kantario I tell ye!” Taraak decided to step in right then, before Rae could speak again.
“Alright, stop right there Dewar. Relax. You act like we’re going to rush right out of here at this very second to take up this quest of yours. What’s the hurry? Are you expecting visitors?” Taraak now doubted that the dwarf was here to do them harm, but the look of exasperation that flashed across his hooded eyes confirmed it. He held up a hand to hold off the indignant comments. “Nevermind. That was a test, and you just passed. My apologies, but after some of the things I’ve been through, when someone comes to me saying that they have only my best interest in mind, I tend to want to make very sure of that fact.” Dewar relaxed, but not without the what the... look with which Taraak had become so familiar. "Still," He continued. "I find your story rather hard to believe. I admit, the idea of a third party in this situation does make a certain sense, but... A merchant? How many men could such a person even afford to have in his employ?" It rather bothered him that he didn't know anything about the man, but he decided that it didn't really. "I mean, even if he is behind this, what's his objective? I can't be to frame us," He said, gesturing to the other two fugitives. "Because we haven't even met before this morning, nor have we heard of him. And if his objective is to kill the king, there are far simpler ways of going about it. So again, my question is why?"

[/blockquote]

Rather shorter than I thought it would be, but I couldn't think of anything more to say.

[~X~Cali~*]

OOC: sorry I didn’t get it up earlier, but the last few days really didn’t go as I planned, well its up & hope you like it

Shale, Rae &other

Shale stood there listening intently crossing his arms over his chest as Taraak brought up the subject of the merchant “... A merchant? How many men could such a person even afford to have in his employ? I mean, even if he is behind this, what's his objective? It can't be to frame us. Because we haven't even met before this morning, nor have we heard of him. And if his objective is to kill the king, there are far simpler ways of going about it. So again, my question is why?" …as Taraak asked that Shale’s mind flew to possible solutions to that question.

The half elf barely registered the words of the dwarf next as he walked to the side to a small slit of a window; the problem was indeed why them? Shale could think of a reason for him & Rae… but that’s not likely he couldn’t have known what we carry with us could he?... No. but still the Imperials have been adamant about hunting me &Rae down, could it come from that far? … the problem Shale knew is where Taraak fit into that picture, was he just at the wrong place at the wrong time or did the assassins have a reason to frame him? Shale couldn’t be certain. He would have to get something from Taraak to get some answers.

Without thinking Shale slowly wandered to where Rae stood & silently asked in her ear “do you think they knew about th information we carried &sent a message to frame us when we delivered it?” Rae lifted an eyebrow & turned to face him “That doesn’t make sense, where does Taraak come into that picture?” Shale sighed, “Yes I know that doesn’t fit, but for us I mean? If it is that, if it comes to that the Imperials have a hand in this I think this goes deeper than just killing the King," it starts pacing a little letting his mind wander"... it might be the start of overthrowing Surda …” Shale’s eyes grew wide “That’s why!!...” & he could see Rae looking at him confused Shale composed himself & said “I think we all were a means to distract everyone, the king , the royal guards, the guard outside the castle…”

Rae stared at him still not understanding, asking “what do you mean? They tried to kill the King!” Shale waved her off said in a louder voice, distracting Taraak & the Dwarf from their discussion, “Um Taraak can you get over here quickly… we have a big problem” Taraak & the Dwarf stared at Shale a moment & suddenly Shale felt heavily impatient for the wasted seconds “Now, it’s really really important” at that Taraak walked towards the half elf, leaving Dewar still standing in the shadows near the trap door in the roof, & asked in a quiter tone “What’s wrong?” Shale felt anxious & swallowed hard, “We Have to go clear our names Taraak as soon as possible, Its Vital, not only for us but Surda…” Rae stepped up & almost said to hard “Quit beating around the bush Shale I’m warning you, spit it out!” Shale could see Taraak had almost the same line of thought, the half elf quickly took a breath &said “They didn’t mean to kill the king today, or at least not yet, I think they used us as a distraction so they could take the focus off of what’s going to happen, I think they want to take out all key people in Surda at the same time, mass assassinations & if the castle keep searching for us day & night they’ll be blinded for what’s happening all around them, they’ll not see that Surda might fall to its knees in the next week or two if we can’t get the king to see that we are not the threat, & as the Dwarf said they know we want to clear are names so they will be waiting to catch us off our guard. If I am right we need help” Shale could see the news dawning on the other two’s expressions, it was Rae who spoke first “Why not send the Dwarf back to warn the king of the bigger plot then?...” & she was turning to point to the Dwarf but..
He was gone!
All three burst into action looking for the Dwarf, Rae & Taraak went for the trap door & Shale sprung to the small window lifting its cover, as he looked out into the rainy streets & he could make out three men Dragging the unconscious dwarf into a dark alley, Shale stepped back with disbelieve & croaked “they kidnapped him from right under our noses… it must have been.. the mage he mentioned…” He looked towards the others & asked “What now?” …….

[Angmor]

Taraak had never hated magic quite so much as he did that moment. He knew, from his own extensive experience that there was no way anyone could move that stealthily, nor take down and move and unconscious target without attracting the attention of people standing a meter and a half away, one of whom was an elf, another of whom was him. There was no way. It was impossible. And yet, he was watching it over Shale's shoulder as three men dragged the dwarf away. He shook his head. No way, unless you were one of the special people.

As he thought it, one of the men below suddenly looked up, almost seeming to meet his eyes. Taraak felt the strange, migraine-like pressure that heralded an invading presence in his mind, and for once in his life, didn't feel at all distressed. At that moment, he relished a fight.
Summoning his training, he completely flooded his mind with his sight of the mage below, giving the presence a view of itself through another's eyes, focusing all of his icy, murderous intentions on that image.
I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you, I'm going...

[/Color]
The presence retreated like it had been scalded, and the man in the alley below swayed where he stood, going as white as a sheet before turning away and following the others. That would be me, friend.[/Color] Taraak thought to himself with satisfaction.
Special or not. You want to get in someone's head, you'd better be prepared for what's in there.[/Color]
"Well, what now?" Came Shale's words, bringing him back to reality. That's a good question.[/Color] He crossed the distance to the larger front window, just in time to see the man he had noticed earlier disappear through the door of the inn. "Now we move." He said, dropping down onto one of the chairs and removing a strip of dark cloth from his shoulderbag and binding it around his injured ankle. He winced as he drew it tight. It still hurt pretty good, and it would still need to do a few things before he could rest again.

. . .

Socen padded his way up the stairs, his distinctive long fighting knife drawn and ready. All around him where creaking, rustling and strained breathing of the invariably dark-clothed mercenaries of Thark’s personal security force, each with their own choices in weapons clasped tightly. Socen knew all eight of them had raided a building before, and they all knew just how dangerous it could be. And with the three targets they were after, it was time to be doubly careful.

When their tail had signaled in that he knew where the framed assassins were hiding, Storvek spared no time in dispatching his personal lieutenant. The sooner the scapegoats were captured, the better. They had their purpose, now it was time to kill them quietly and allow the ball they had nudged to keep on rolling by itself. From what Thark had said, Socen guessed that he had not been expecting them to escape from the palace. But, as his master had said so often that it was almost a mantra in his head, The best plans have room for the inevitable errors. Socen didn’t know. He hated plans. He far preferred to worry about the bodies after he had killed them. Still, orders were orders, and he had seen the strategic brilliance of Thark Storvek enough times to know that this one would turn in their favor as well.
At last they reached the second floor of the inn. Socen was faced with a long, thin passageway, lined on both sides with doors. Behind any one of which could hide their targets. "Fan out." Socen barked. "Search every room."

. . .

It never ceases to amaze me all of the useful things you can stash on rooftops without it looking out of place.[/Color]
It didn't matter boxes, rods, rope, even boxes of explosives had all been hidden on rooftops during Taraak's career, and no one had ever turned a hair until he had actually used them. This time, Taraak made for a long, thick plank of wood that until then had been lying there unnoticed. With a heave, Taraak swung the heavy plank over the edge of the roof and setting the opposite edge on the next roof over, forming a neat bridge. He gave it a nudge with his good foot. Good, secure.
He turned, opening his mouth to make a request of his companions, only to find that Rae had already locked the trapdoor behind her. The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement.
They were getting to be a proper team.
Turning back, he started across the bridge.
"Let's go! That won't hold them for long..." The thought trailed off, for Rae was suddenly in front of him, standing on the next rooftop waiting for him... And then Shale landed right next to her. They had jumped.
Five meters, three stories up. Now that would be handy.[/Color]
"You're going to need to teach me how to do that." He said jokingly, stepping off the plank and then giving it a stiff kick, sending clattering down into the alley below.
"Right, this way."

. . .

“This is the last room, sir.” One of his men told him in a hoarse whisper. That was it then. Their targets had to be behind this last door. Socen raised five fingers, feeling his heart pick up the familiar rush glorious adrenaline.
Five…
Four…
Three…
Two…
One…
Three different feet slammed into wooden blanking of the door, sending it from its hinges in several pieces, followed immediately Socen and his men, various weapons ready to cut down Any living thing that made a sudden move… Except there was no living thing in the room. Which meant they had used the only other way out of the room. He turned to the squad’s mage. “Contact squad two. Ask them if they have the targets.” The man nodded, then went blank, his face taking on a vacant expression. Socen took the opportunity to scan the room, looking for anything that might have been left behind in a hurry. The table and the area around it was bare, but the arrangement of the chairs did suggest a hasty departure. “Sir,” One of his men called. “There’s a pile of weapons here, but they look like the dwarf’s. Otherwise, the place is empty.”
“Squad two says that no one came down the rope-ladder, sir.” The mage suddenly said, looking up. “They’re not down there. We’ve lost them.”[/size][/blockquote]

Done, but I can keep going if you like. I've found it actually helps my NaNo writing if I intersperse it with posting.