"Considering that all you've been willing to tell us about this job is where we're going, and that we are being paid, I have to agree with Kadis on this. I am no murderer, but everyone has limits, and you've nearly pushed me past mine." Curudir added, drawing one of his swords. He never trusted that dwarf, and had waited far too long to find out the truth. Though he could handle himself in a fight, he still would not kill unless absolutely necessary. "I think you should with what our cargo was and who it was for."

"You were hauling raw mythril and weapons, were you not Master Dwarf" Skarra noted as he stepped forth towards the group. He had had his hands busy when the cart had driven past his little fight. He had no chance to stop it. He was lucky to keep defending himself from the five simultaneous attacks coming at him. Nonetheless, by a lucky strike he had managed to break off from the circle of bandits circling him and then launch a proper attack on them before rushing back to the group.

"Aye..." the dwarf responded with quite a gloomy tone in his voice.
"That be why I hired all of yous to come with me. Apparently my plan wasn't as good and fool-proof as I thought after all" the Dwarven merchant said before turning to Skarra.
"You must get that cart back. All my wealth is tied to that cargo and so is your payment. Now, I'm no fighter. I'd rather have gold in my hand than a weapon. I'll go on to Stonehaven and wait for you there. You have no time to lose if you want to catch those damned bandits!" the dwarf said, only to be pushed by Skarra to sit down.
"First we treat the wounded, then we go after them. Those of you who feel hungry or tired can rest for a few hours while the wounded are treated" Skarra noted and walked to the middle of the group to see the damage.

Eldir walked from the shadows, sheathing his sword and shaking his head. He was bruised and had a cut in his other arm. Luckily it wasn't a deep wound and could be just as well be patched up with a piece of cloth.
"Damn these bandits" he grunted as he picked up and threw a few of the torches together to form a basic campfire. As he sat down next to it, he removed his armor and stripped the shirt under it. Not a pretty sight. Skarra dropped down on the knees of his front legs and took a small canister of ointment from a health-oriented pouch on his belt. No magic words were required as he spread the ointment on the bard's wounds. The Centaurs had grown out of that phase long ago. As far as the cut went, Eldir already was placing a small piece of cloth around it to aid in the stopping of bleeding. Skarra rose back up and smiled as Eldir nodded a thanks, even if the ointment burned like hellfire. Eldir had gone through Skarra's healing before, so fortunately he knew what it felt like. Too bad that he had forgotten just how much it burned.

"Is everyone here?" Skarra questioned as he looked around at the group.
"Everyone who left with us from town, that is. I'll get back to you eventually" Skarra noted, glancing at the newcomer ranger elf.

Remaining calm at Kadis' outburst Ari looked him in the eyes. "Yelling at me will get you no where. I have been following you, well I'm not really sure as to why... But I knew the dwarf was carting mythril. I wanted to watch you guys, you don't realize how dangerous these parts are do you?" She raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to help out, so there would be no unessecary bloodshed... However, it looks like that couldn't be avoided." With that she turned on her heel, noticing the older elf was beginning a fire, she headed off into the woods, and was back in a few minutes with an armload of kindling and logs.

She piled them up next to the beginnings of the fire, and threw a few sticks on. Soon she had finished with the help of the older elf, and they had a roaring fire going.

Noting that the elven archer was still lying still, she hauled him over nearer to the fire, so she could keep her eyes on him. Sitting herself on a rock she looked around at the group she was now traveling with. "I'm Arivan Telemnar. Pleased to meet you all." She cracked a small smile. "Now come and have a seat, we can make some food and share some stories around this fire." She gestured to the area around the fire. "

Let's make merriment tonight... tomorrow will bring some hardships, I can already see. Let's enjoy our revelries while we still can."

"No, but it DOES make me feel better. And it just so happens that I'm keenly aware of the dangers of this area, given that I've raided bandit camps in and out of this region quite a few times in the past six years. But this wasn't a typical bandit attack. They were laying for us, and only us. Most bandits wouldn't attack a caravan this well protected unless there was a big haul."

He sat down and began to remove his ringmail and leathers, then raised the rest of his clothing so he could examine his wound. It didn't look too bad, only about an inch deep, but it was filthy. He groaned, then reached into his pack again and withdrew a small pot and a wineskin. He set the pot along the fire and poured a healthy amount of wine into it.

"Great..."

The rib was better news. It was a clean break, so he wouldn't have any need to fiddle with it. Conventional wisdom said to tape the ribs, but that usually caused other problems. Best to leave it alone.

"I think this is all the revelries I'll need for one night."

He wrapped his hand in his leathers, then pulled the pan of the fire, now filled with boiling wine. This is a really, really bad idea.

Pouring boiling wine into a wound was an effective way of cleansing the wound of infection from what he had learned. The problem being twofold - it hurt like hell, and it had a tendency to get where you didn't want it, unless the wound went straight through you.

Also, you usually had someone giving you a hand, but this group was lucky it could tie their collective bootlaces.

He gritted his teeth and poured the wine, the pain catching him off-guard. He bit back a scream, but kept up the pour, the cleansing wine flowing into the wound. He dropped the pan and grabbed a roll of linen bandages, using one end to mop up the still-hot wine, then began to bandage himself.

He settled himself for a moment, catching his breath and trying to ignore the stings of fresh burns.

"Alright, Dwarf. Tell me, have you been sniffing the filings off that Mythril? It addles your brain, you know. You still haven't told us how much we're getting paid for helping you haul your Mythril across this god-forsaken landscape. You really expect us to walk into a bandit lair to rescue your precious valuables without some kind of a bonus?"

Icarian had faired so-so in the bandit assault, he received a small amount of cuts, and gouges, and other 'bleeding' wounds, and an even greater amount of bruises and bumps, but nothing of particular concern.

In the battle Icarian had been ganged up on, and separated from the man and the half-elf woman. As Icarian was better at scouting, and not combat, he took only a bit longer against his opponents than most would. But that's not to say Icarian can't fight, in most one-on-one fights Icarian can dominate with his claymore sized blade, and in combat against multiple foes, he does only a little worse, but against bandits of lesser prowess and skill, he can do quite a sufficient job. His only real problem in the fight, was the fact that when one bandit went down, another materialized out of the brush to take his place, which kept Icarian busy for quite some time preventing him from stopping the cart from being taken. In fact, Icarian had been kept so busy, that he hadn't even had the opportunity to throw the torch near the cart like the dwarf wanted, which was indicated by the fact that Icarian was holding his unlit torch, and if you were to inspect some of the bandits who attacked Icarian bodies', you'd see many were burned to death, and when his fire went out, many were bludgeoned to death.

'Seth' faired a little better than Icarian, seeing as he was a creature that fighting is natural to, he had defended the himself at the beginning of the raid, but ended up defending the dwarf after some time, and then ended up getting dog-piled, which was what prevented him from getting to the cart, luckily the bandits on top of him decided it was time to leave after the cart had been taken, which is how he got out of that situation so easily.

Icarian and his reptilian friend stood next to each other as the group argued amongst themselves, and medical aid was offered from the centaur, the same person asking who all was still there.

"We are," Icarian piped up in response, 'Seth' simply putting his arms behind his waist in a waiting and patient manor, observing the odd, and somewhat dissident group.

The newcomer elf and the gruff fellow continued their bickering for a short time, and then stopped.

"You're asking us, who've just been through a rather big fight, to be a bit too optimistic. Just like you yourself are being a bit too optimistic. After combat it is best to rest, eat, and drink (water that is), not partake in "revelries", as you call them. Most want peace and quiet after fights, some time to calm their mind and nerves, they don't need to talk, tell stories, dance, or sing, though I will not disclaim laughter, it is the best medicine after all, but right now, quiet is what we need, because there is no rest in reveling," 'Seth' chastised the elven woman in a calm and somewhat respectful manor.

"Although it's hard for me to pass up an opportunity to hear some good stories, and sing a few nice songs, I have to agree with my ol' pal 'Seth'. I need some quiet after all that metal clanging together, and bashes to the noggin, my head's still ringing," Icarian said, massaging his neck as he spoke. He walked over towards the fire and sat himself next to the elven woman, who sat perched on a rock.

"Name's Icarian Uliea, fey by nature, a Dryad by sorts, scouting is my profession, as far as I can tell, it is your profession too. Nice to meet you," Icarian said with a smile, which faded, replaced by a weary and tired look, as he diverted his attention to the fire.

'Seth' on the other hand simply stayed where he was.

Tale woke up again, with a head-ache. He sat up and tried to drink some water, but couldn't find any. His waterbag seemed to have broked, he slowly looked around and saw a new person. An elf, a female one. "Shiny, re-inforcements..." Tale coughed. "Anyone got water?"

"Aye. Merriments is something we don't need right now. No offense, Eldir" Skarra said as he finished looking through the group. It seemed everyone was present, even if some still decided to stick to the shades instead of coming to the fire. The Centaur stepped to the fire and lay down as far as his horse body let him.
"I am Skarra of Lor'Wal. Ranger from the planes around Coldwind Forest" the Centaur said before gesturing to Eldir.
"And he is Eldir the Eastwind Crow. Bard and swordsage from Anar Doth, despite half his life being spent in the Coldwind Forest" Skarra told the group, in return receiving a non too happy glance from the Wild Elven man.

"For your information, I'd rather honor my true lineage instead of lying to be a wood elf. I have at least that amount of pride in me" Eldir noted as he sat up straight and removed the sword and scabbard from hanging on his backside. He lay down and grunted, feeling the pain of the wounds once again. It would relieve in twenty minutes time, but it would still take at least a day for the visible part of the wounds to disappear. He removed a water flask made of a sheep's gut from his side and threw it towards Tale.
"There you go. Don't drink it all"

Arivan's happy smile darkened a bit, but she brightened up again and shrugged. "I say we cook up some food and get some rest then." She nodded, then glanced at the source of the voice who had sat next to her. She smiled at his introduction, and heard the elven archer stir near her, "Hey, how are you feeling friend?" She asked him gently after he had taken a long drink from the water skin that had been tossed to him. Patiently she waited for him, and observed the centaur, whose name seemed to be Skarra. She would have to learn all their names. In her short time here in the world of the living, she had only heard tales of centaurs. They were a hardy, brave folk so she had been told. And this centaur, seemed to live up to the legends she had been told as a young elf around the hearth. He was very interesting to look at and she tilted her head, forgetting that it was impolite to stare.

Roasted Rat. Not the most appetising thing I've ever cooked, but it'll do. Curudir thought to himself as he watched the dead rat roast over the campfire. I hope this burns out all the diseases it's probably carrying. He then looked at it and saw that it was just about ready to go. He then figured it was a good idea to clean the blood off his swords from the rat. Disgusting creatures. I really should have used my bow, but then people might get splinters in there mouths, and they'd blame me.

He then stepped over to where Skarra was talking to the newcomer with the cooked rat. "That rat I caught is done cooking, want any?" He asked them, but he doubted they would. Hell, even he wouldn't eat it given a choice, but what was he to do? He then glanced at the Elf Ranger. "Hello. I'm Curudir Therias, and you are?" He said to her.

Arivan glanced at the man roasting the rat. She turned her nose up in disgust, realizing he had just introduced himself she cleared her throat and put on a smile. "Pleased to meet you friend." She smiled, "I am Arivan Telemnar."

She pulled a small pouch out of her travelling sack, that was slung lazilly over her shoulder. She dropped the worn brown leather sack to the dusty ground, then poured a few dried fruits, nuts, and berries out and nibbled on a few. She was happily munching, then sat back and offered the pouch to Curudir.

The scene was frankly nauseating in it's sweetness, like being drowned in an ocean of honey. One of the particularly intellectual men had, for some mystifying reason, hunted down and killed a rat, using his sword when he had a perfectly serviceable bow. Why he looked for a rat when they're in a perfectly good landscape with plenty of animals that are actually edible...That's a question I don't think will ever be answered.

He was up to his elbows in this, and it made him want to vomit. On the other hand, the more irritated he got with their sickly-sweet antics, the less his injuries seemed to throb.

"Elves." He muttered to himself. They always seemed to feel the need to stick their noses where it didn't belong. Not only that, she backed the Dwarf up, and Kadis would bet an apple against an acorn that the Dwarf knew more than he was letting on about these bandits. The fact that the Dwarf had repeatedly dodged his demands for a number on how much they were being paid was infuriating, not to mention suspicious.

But if what the Dwarf said was true and they were really hauling Mithril, there was a king's ransom to be had here, more than enough to rebuild his Company.

How the hell did this Dwarf get his hands on this much Mithril but not have enough coin to pay for some professional guards? And why did he leave at night?

That was an uncomfortable thought. This wasn't contraband - as far as Kadis remembered, it was perfectly legal to haul Mithril. So that left the possibility that these goods weren't entirely legitimate - Stolen Goods.

No sense keeping your mouth closed. The Dwarf didn't have many friends in this party at this point.

"Dwarf, you've been quite...evasive, and it's getting irritating. You're hauling Mithril. Alright. So why didn't you hire some trained guards instead of every thug, sellsword, and hero-wannabe in a tavern? Why did we leave at night? Why were you so uncomfortable to tell us what you were hauling?"

He paused for a moment to let the words hang. "What are you hiding, Dwarf?"

"There you go. Don't drink it all"


"Thanks!"

Tale took a zip of water and threw the water flask back. Tale made his way up standing and took a deep breath. People around him seemed to be angry. He didn't have time nor the desire to join them in their discussions. To much talk, to little work. he thought while walking to one of the Bandit corpses. He started examine the bandit, he didn't really recognize him, or his clothes so he couldn't tell what band he belonged too. He left the corpse and started to look at the footprints, there was nothing unusual with them but he followed them into the forrest.

Tale heard something, it could have been a few miles away, it was hard to say because of the wind. But it sounded like wolves. Tale went back to the cart.

"We better get moving, we got wolves. They probably picked up the scent of the bodies. But we shouldn't risk getting in the way of hungry wolves."

((There's no cart anymore. The Bandits took it))

The dwarf looked at Kadis with a rather nasty look in his eyes.
"My, my. I think someone's after me cargo" he said and crossed his arms.
"Yer gettin' a bit too nosy for yer own good. Ye don't like how I handle business, ye can go back and leave the group, eh?" the dwarf noted as he glanced around at the group.
"Y'see, I hire thugs, sellswords, and hero-wannabes 'cause they don't ask questions. And as far as yer concerned, I'm startin' to think ye ain't the type I want in this group. But it's yer business if ye want to be paid handsomely for getting that cargo back or not" the Dwarf noted before turning to the rest.
"Yer rest is over. Go find me cargo. I'll be in Stonehaven" the dwarf told them before starting to walk the road eastwards.

Eldir stood up, putting his armor back on and grunting.
"Thanks" he said to Kadis before strapping the sheathed word back where it was supposed to be and tying the water flask on his belt. He was a wild elf. Something bigger and more talented than a few bandits would take before he would be immobilized for a long time. But heck, did it still hurt to move around.
"You hear the man, I guess. Let's get going then" Eldir said without too much joy in his voice.

Skarra watched the petty exchange of words between Kadis and the dwarf before chuckling and looking around. He made sure the thief and Radek were still around before making sure his equipment was all there. Before he moved anywhere, he took a piece of elven bread from one of the pouches on his belt and ate it before putting the rest of the bread away. That would keep him going good for another few hours or so, after which another piece would no doubt be required.

When the bandits first attacked, Radek had been trying to convince Cia to help defend the cart. She had been reluctant to do so, for she had been forced into the entire journey. Why should she risk her neck to protect something she didn't care about? Of course, when it became evident that her neck was risked simply by being there, she was much more cooperative, but it made little difference. The cart was taken and all their fighting had been for next to nothing.

"I hate you," Cia growled to Radek. The man smiled faintly.

"I'm glad you're alive to do so, Ciannait," he answered. With Cia grumbling, the pair ate something briefly. Then, Radek saw Skarra's glance and moved to join the Centaur, gesturing for Cia to follow. She did, but reluctantly.

"So the mystery deepens," Radek said quietly to Skarra. "It is clear to me that this was an ambush. Those bandits knew we were coming, knew what was on that cart." He frowned. Then, as if he had just remembered her presence, he turned, and gestured Cia forward beside him.

"Skarra, this is an old friend..." he began.

"Old enemy," Cia cut in. She smiled tightly. "Ciannait."

"I once swore to keep my eyes on her," Radek went on. "I intend to do so."

Cia's smile broadened. "Tell me, Master Centaur," she said, "how is he to prevent me from leaving if he sleeps? He knows he needs more sleep than I..."

"Which is why I have informed Skarra of this situation," Radek answered, "for you need more sleep than he."

Cia's smile faded. "Not that it will change the present situation," she said softly, "but I am not as I was when we first met, Radek. I was impulsive, more likely to do foolish things."

"I'll be watching for this... improvement you claim, Ciannait," Radek growled. Cia sighed in frustration.

"As you will, Radek," she shot back. And with that, she went to the fire.

"I agree. It was an ambush, but not because they knew what exactly was in those crates. If that was the case, the would've made a clean slate with arrows instead of a rush to get the cart" Skarra noted to Radek before glancing over at Ciannait. He nodded without a word as a greeting before smiling at the squabble. As Cia left, Skarra gave a brief laugh mixed with a sigh.

"You do know I'm getting old, right? I'd appreciate my sleep undisturbed by babysitting" he noted quietly to Radek before glancing at him. He rummaged through his pouch and broke a piece of elven bread from the larger loaf inside. The Centaur's hand held the piece of elven bread in front of the man, offering it to him.
"Elven bread? You know you want to" the Centaur said with a slight smile dancing on his lips.

"Arrogant son of a..." He bit his tongue. The sheer gall of it. He'd be in STONEHAVEN? Who the hell did the Dwarf think he was?

"Well, that just about confirms it to me - the Dwarf stole that Mithril, and I don't think he intends to pay us, either. I think he's hoping we'll wear ourselves out getting it back so he can slit our throats as soon as we get to Jasper.

He weighed the odds. Mithril was one of the most precious metals in existence. If he could get his hands on even a small part of it it would be more than enough to set him up for a long time.

He grinned.

"What's in it for us, getting the Dwarf's mithril back for him? I say we don't take it back. I say we take it for ourselves, an even split."

Reluctantly Ari stood up from her perch on the rock. She stretched, yawned and picked up her sack. She sung it over her shoulder and gracefully manuvered around some stray sticks and rocks on the ground. She shyly headed up to the centaur, what was his name... Skarra? She seeemed to have caught that name. "Excuse me," She said to him quietly. She wanted to talk with this centaur, his race was somewhat of a childhood dream to her. Never before had she met one, she had only heard of them in bedtime stories when she was but a small elfling.

Radek laughed softly and accepted the Elven bread Skarra offered him. "A good deal more wholesome than anything I carry with me," he said, nodding his thanks. "With nourishment like this, you're complaining about getting old? Pah! Maybe you are getting old, Skarra." He chuckled softly. "But you needn't worry about loss of sleep. Just the thought that you might be watching will be enough to intimidate Cia. And did I ever tell you? You sleep with your eyes open, too." He shook his head. "She'll stay... and not merely because I told her she had to..."

At that moment, the newcomer, the young Elf approached them, timid in her manner. Radek could see that she was rather in awe of Skarra, and at her soft spoken, 'Excuse me,' the man knew she wanted to speak with the Centaur. He smiled faintly, waiting for the Centaur to acknowledge the Elf.

Eldir laughed at Kadis quite openly.
"You speak like we already had the mythril. If you so desperately want it, shouldn't you still find it first?" the elf noted before walking up to Kadis.
"And when we find the haul, you can try to stop us from getting it back to the rightful owner" the elf continued with a smirk.

"I know I sleep with my eyes open. It's unnerving, isn't it" Skarra noted with a laugh before calming down as the elf walked up towards them. The timid nature of this creature was rare amongst her kind. This both fascinated him and threw him away slightly.
"Yes, young elf?" he asked, despite the elf being nearly a century older than he in age according to his estimate.

"I'm Arivan... I've been watching you... I'm sorry I know it's impolite to stare..." She stopped, thinking about her words for a moment, not wanting to offend the creature. "You.... you are so interesting to me. I used to hear stories about your people when I was young... and I... I just wished to talk to you... as I have never met a centaur before." She gave a shy smile.

She was usully very bold when it came to meeting new people, however the centaur made her a bit nervous. He was something famous to her, and she didn't want to get off on the wrong foot, hopefully she would become better aquainted with him. "Perhaps someday when we have a moment to sit without the threat of bandits or mythril hanging over our heads we can talk much longer. I am sure you have many interesting stories to tell." She smiled again, her love of stories was a bit of an obsession.

She had already decided someday when she was an old and grey elf she would sit and write everything she had collected over her travels. She would put away her swords and arrows and become a historian. She shook her head from her daydreaming, that day was long off and she didn't want to be rude to Skarra.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get it all myself. But aside from the fact that I don't have infinite space in my pack or the muscle to haul it all, I really doubt I can take on a couple dozen bandits on my own, especially with this rib."

He took a draw from his wineskin. "The Dwarf hasn't done anything for us. Look at this. We're getting these nebulous promises of wealth at the end of the road, but he's dodging giving us a number. What makes you so certain the Dwarf's 'Great Reward' won't be a copper coin or a dagger in the throat?"

Stereotypes protected the Dwarf in this case, unfortunately.

"Take a look at the facts, anyway. The Dwarf left at night. Why at night? During the day you can see better, makes it harder to get ambushed by bandits and you're wide awake when you do, and at night you can set up a ring of torches and other defenses to compensate while you rest. He refused to tell us what he was hauling, consistently refused to tell us exactly what we're being paid. I thought he was hauling contraband at first. But if it really is Mithril, and I'm not entirely convinced it isn't Black Lotus that's in those crates, then it's fairly obvious that there's something untoward about it. Like, say, stolen goods."

He doubted they would agree, or even listen to him. They were soft, accustomed to trusting.

"And now look at this. This wasn't a random attack. I've been guarding shipments up and down the roads for the past ten years, and consistently, bandits try to frighten their prey into giving up without a fight rather than start off with bloodshed at the very beginning. Which makes me think we aren't facing Bandits at all. I think we're facing a group of sellswords, Mercenaries here to kill the Dwarf and reclaim the Mithril."

He let his theory hang in the air for a moment.

"What do we owe the Dwarf? He's sending us into a den of lions without so much as a copper coin promised to us, and he doesn't even have the guts to stand with us. What do we owe him? Why should we fight and spill our blood to get this Mithril back when we're being promised nothing and been paid nothing? Especially given that this isn't even the Dwarf's Mithril anyway, given that he stole it."

Eldir looked silently at Kadis before snickering.
"You're so full of yourself and something else I won't mention in the company of ladies" the elf said.
"I have been walking these paths before you were born and seen far worse bandit attacks. I agree with the dwarf with leaving at night. Bandits know just as well as you or me that the valuables come during the day just because it's day. Bandits also need rest and unless these hadn't had a scout around here, we could've easily have gotten a swallow's flight east before they found our tracks tomorrow. It also makes sense not to tell us what the dwarf's carrying when we have people like you around plotting to backstab the dwarf and take the mythril for yourself" the Wild Elf told him before shaking his head.
"And as far as you whining for the dwarf not promising to pay us, I recall he promised a hefty amount when he spread the word of looking for a group. He also has several times now stated all his assets are tied to the mythril and that we will get a hefty rewards for getting it back and accompanying it the rest of way" he continued before laughing.
"And have you ever seen a dwarf rogue? Dwarves couldn't keep quiet if their life depended on it and his stature hardly gives him an advantage on carrying that much mythril out of any storehouse or whatever place you would claim he stole it from. Besides, I saw him come into town with my own two eyes. If I know anything about estimating the tiredness of oxen and the time it takes for a dwarf to become tired, I'd estimate he had come from the dwarven mines, not from the elven forest, which is the only other place even remotely near to Kolirum-Masaar to have such large quantities of mythril stored. Your theory is full of holes and you know it. Now, if you'll excuse me" Eldir said as he left the defeated man behind, knowing too well Kadis would still continue to rave on about the dwarf in any case.

Skarra laughed lightly, half at the girl and half at her words.
"I do not have interesting stories to tell, nor do I know the deepest parts of Centaur mythos" Skarra told her with a smile. She was very timid indeed when it came to being so close to a Centaur.
"For that you would have to talk with the little bard, Eastwind Crow. Eldir is far better at stories and knows a much more of them in amount and in depth. I have only been the Guardian of a forest for over half of my days and once I rid myself of it, a thing people point at in amazement" the Centaur said before placing a hand on her head and patting it lightly.
"Eventually you will also grow out of the pointing phase. And once the initial amazement is gone, I can finally say..." he said while leaning right into her face so she could see the details of his then serious face.
"...welcome to the real world, honey"

Eldir had walked over to Skarra and the small group during this, standing right behind Arivan as Skarra straightened back up.
"Don't scare the girl, Skarra" he told the Centaur while stepping up next to the female elf.
"He likes to scare anything sentient that he knows is already timid towards him, except for the wildlife. With the animal kind he's more capable than a druid" Eldir said and Skarra chuckled, staring at Eldir.
"Arivan here wishes to know about Centaurs" Skarra told the Wild Elf who grinned and turned to Arivan.
"Well, as far as I know about Centaurs, and I have met a few, they don't talk much. Or rather, they talk a lot but little of it is useful or offers insight into their kind. Wanting to find out about Centaurs is like seeking out the true demeanor of Gods. It takes a lifetime and even then you have to guess and imagine most of it. If you want to maintain a worthy image of centaurs as the ancient beings who are here to guide and protect, continue reading the old writings but never choose to make friends with one" Eldir told her with a smile. Skarra shook his head at the confusing explanation.
"What he's saying is that reality rarely follows up on the promises made in several thousand year old legends" the Centaur told her and shrugged.

"...What?"

Well, it was good to know he was dealing with idiots.

"I never said I had figured everything out. But I think you're being as much of a fool as you consider me being. Maybe I am being overly suspicious. It wouldn't be the first time. But ever think you're being a little overly trusting? Why has he not told us exactly what we're being paid? And what makes you so certain he didn't steal it from the Mines instead of the Forest? Besides, logically, if this were a Dwarven shipment, there'd be Dwarven guards accompanying him. Why were the bandits laying for us unless they knew we were coming, given what you said is true?"

He rolled his eyes. There was no point in continuing trying to point out the incredible series of coincidences and suspicious behaviors. They weren't going to swing for it in any case, and what did it matter? He didn't need their help to secure his 'payment'. Mithril was light enough, he could sneak a few ingots. The stuff was more precious than Gold.

Arivan's smile faded a bit, unfourtunately she seemed to have upset the centaur no matter what she had said. What had her brother told her about centaurs a long time ago? He had met one if she now recalled correctly, they could be arrogant and were sometimes an ornery bunch.

She smiled faintly at Eldir, "I suppse you are the one to talk with then sir." She grinned, "I know we are heading out soon... But when we do rest, Skarra says you are the storyteller... I have a bit of an obsession with stories you see... I learned so many when I was an elfling... and, well someday when... When the world is at peace, I will become a recorder and a historian... It is a bit of a dream for me." She bit her tongue, this was something else she did, she always ran her mouth off at improper times- she really had to learn when to not ramble and pour out all her thoughts on a single person.

Kadis dug around in his pack, eying the Elven girl while he did so. Her presence made him highly uncomfortable. Her sudden appearance and nonchalant 'I was following you' not only reminded him of the fabled arrogance of the Elves, but something else about her bothered him.

Oh.

A girl. Of course. Female warriors weren't uncommon among the Elves, but he had spent his entire life among the vastly different Human nations. He shook his head. It didn't especially matter on that front anyway, she was just as much of a difficulty as any other Elf.

He grabbed what he was looking for and pulled it out. Delightful. A cloth-wrapped bundle. Kadis unwrapped it, revealing a small slab of beef, heavily marbled with fat and covered in a thin layer of salt. He began brushing off the salt into a small leather pouch, then dug a small pan out of his pack and proceeded to cut the meat into small chunks.

A handful of dull, tedious steps later, a pan filled with beef stew simmered over the fire. Kadis looked at the rat one of the others had passed around earlier and shuddered. What kind of nightmarish hunter is he when the best he can bring down is a rat? How the hell did he get a rat out in the forest anyway? It'd be impressive if it wasn't such a waste.

He stirred the stew slowly, dropping a small amount of dried vegetables in there as he did so. Kadis wasn't exactly a master chef, but he had learned that well-fed men fight harder than the ones who just choked down what was left of a moldy loaf of bread.

Kadis lay down, listening to the simmer and trying to stop from touching his cracked rib.

I'm really getting too old for this.

If Radek was growing restless, Cia was at least twice as restless. The half-Elf woman was so restless in fact that she actually approached her self-appointed 'minder'. A mild flicker of surprise passed through Radek's eyes as Cia approached him, but it passed quickly.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You are restless," Cia observed, "as am I. The Dwarf had his secrets; we can all agree to that, and we can agree that his secrets came very near to costing us our lives."

"Indeed," Radek agreed. "What is your point?"

"Something seems... off about this entire idea," the Thief replied. "I would have thought that you of all people would have backed out by now. You can find employment easier than this."

"I trust Skarra," Radek said slowly. "And Skarra seems to know and trust Eldir. As near as I can make it, Eldir was the only one singled out by the Dwarf..."

"I ought to have a few words with the Bard," Cia growled softly. Radek frowned.

"I was not intending to suggest Eldir knew the Dwarf's intentions," he countered, almost scolding. "Nor am I suggesting he is in league with the bandits. I was merely saying that if Skarra and Eldir intend to follow this through, then so do I." He sighed wearily. "It has been many years since I last took myself to the road, to the life of a wanderer, Cia. I need people I can trust to guide my steps until I regain my sense of the open road. For that purpose, I choose to travel with Skarra."

"Wherever his path leads?" Cia asked. Radek nodded once.

"Wherever his path leads," he confirmed. "And you shall come with me."

Cia was silent for a moment. Then, she nodded. "And I shall come with you."

"Was that resignation to fate," Radek chuckled, "or did I actually hear a spark of interest there, Ciannait?"

The corners of Cia's mouth twitched and there was a sparkle deep in her eyes. "Shut up, Man," she growled, but within the growl, Radek detected a twinge of a teasing tone. Satisfied that Cia would travel with the group, Radek again went to Skarra, this time with Cia following willingly.

"We cannot rest long if we are to find the bandits," he said. "Their trail will grow cold if we leave them too long."

"I have great skill in tracking," Cia offered. "I will do what I can to prevent our losing their trail."

Radek nodded to show Skarra that he approved of Cia's offer.

Arivan engaged Elidir in a nonchalant conversation for a few more minutes, then she glanced at the mercenary, Kadis was his name she gathered. He was wounded, she could feel his pain, would she offer help? He would probably turn her down, but then again, some men had learned of the elf healing techniques. Perhaps he would be grateful for her offer.

She strode up to him and took a seat a few feet away, she studied him for a few moments. Then pulled out her pouch of dried fruit and nuts and munched on a few more.

After a few minutes, Kadis seemed to be aware of her presence. "May I be so bold sir, to ask how terrible your injuries are? I could help you if you would accept my healing..." She waited for him to explode, he seemed like the fiery sort of person who would explode at anything you said, but like she reasoned. Perhpas Kadis wouldn't mind some help.

He didn't hear her approach over the gentle simmer of the stew. Suddenly, the Elf girl was standing over him, offering some aid. She seemed awfully flighty, though, but that was hardly surprising - they hadn't exactly met on the best of terms.

He smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate the offer." He lifted his tunic, revealing the crude bandaging he had done on the stab wound, traces of minor burns still around it. "Not exactly a brilliant patch job, I know. I'd, uh, appreciate any help you could give me." The words felt strange, like he was suddenly speaking a different language.

If he didn't hurt so much, he'd probably feel the need to bring down a tree bare-handed or start splitting logs.

Gently Arivan kneeled in front of him, she ran her fingertips across the wound. "Interesting way of patching it up." She said, trying to lighten the mood. "I can help you with this. It isn't too serious." She gave him a gentle smile, and pulled a few things out of her pack.

She layed the small green bottle next to the white cloth. It shimmered in the firelight and Arivan smiled at its quaint beauty. She poured a small amount of the liquid from the green bottle on to the cloth. "It's a special... elixer." She explained, "Made from certain plants... and other things." She smiled, "This may tingle a small amount." She said, as she placed the cloth on his still fresh wound and gently dabbed the cloth. She whispered a few words in Elvish. In a few seconds she stopped. "That should help a bit. You should start seeing the effects in a few minutes." She smiled, "Is there anything else I can do for you... Kadis?"

It was a weird sensation. Not just the tingling, but everything else about it. The pain lessened sharply, and his breathing became less like getting a knife jabbed through his side repeatedly.

At her words, he bit his tongue, then smiled. "No, I think what you did handled it. Thanks for the help."

The stew was more or less finished. He fetched the pan off the fire. "Stew? I daresay I'm a better cook than I am a healer, although that's not saying much." Kadis grinned.

"I'll take some, thank you." Arivan was grateful for the stew, it was something warm, and better than her Elven bread or dried fruits. "If you ever need my help, just tell me... My mother was a healer... I learned alot from her." She smiled gently. She sat back, as Kadis handed her some stew. She ate some daintily, "This is great... If the group ever splits up I'll make sure to stick with you." She smiled, "So, what is your story Kadis? What brings you out with this group... It's certainly... diverse." She grinned.

His grin widened. "I wouldn't say great, but it's certainly better than roast rat."

His smile died at her question. "That...is a long story. But I suppose we've got time."

"I'm a mercenary. Used to be the commander of an outfit out of Jasper, actually, the Kaliuda Seventy-Seven. About two months ago, we got hired to deal with a rather prolific bandit group that had been hitting trade near Kolirum-Massar. They were pretty big, so I gathered together the entire company, all seventy-six, and we headed out."

He paused, taking a draw from his wineskin and staring into the fire.

"Ranesbeth had tracked them from one of the sites of their deeds, a large caravan that had gotten attacked and burned. We were coming through the trees, we could see the torches in the distance...and then we were surrounded. Arrows started flying. I got lucky, when my second got hit he pulled me down. By the time I was on my feet, they were all around us and the fight was going. The Company was outnumbered two to one."

He sighed, paused for a long moment. Two months ago? It feels like yesterday.

"The fight was brutal, and I only survived because I got lucky again. One of them rushed me with a mace, caught me a clout on the head. Serves me right for not wearing a helmet, I guess."

He idly stroked the ragged scars concealed by his hair.

"I went down, stunned. But if nothing else, my men were well trained. We broke those bandits. Of maybe a hundred fifty, we killed almost all, except their leader and a handful of henchmen. I haven't heard from them or their leader, Magnus Cromgar, since.

When I came to, there were less than fifteen survivors of my Seventy-Seven, and they had no interest in following me anymore. The Company was broken, they said. We didn't have the gold to rebuild it, and we couldn't even collect the bounty on Cromgar's head. They looted the dead and we went our separate ways. I managed to get to Kolirum-Massar, get my head stitched back together. Since then, I've been doing odd jobs, doing what I can to keep a room at the local inn, trying to stay sane."

He laughed, although it didn't sound mirthful. "Enough about me. What about you? You always follow people along the Massar-Jasper trade road?"

"Enough about me. What about you? You always follow people along the Massar-Jasper trade road?" She laughed, a sound like tinkling bells. "Well, I like to find adventure... and sometimes it doesn't come my way. So I have to seek it out myself... Plus following people helps improve my scouting abilities." She paused for a moment, "And as I said before, the group is full of not just men... But elves, dwarves, and a centaur. When I saw Skarra I couldnt' pass up the oppurtunity... Unfourtunately, he wasn't as friendly as I would have hoped he would have been. It would have been interesting to put a chapter about centaurs in my records." She sighed and picked up a twig. She twirled it about in her fingers, studied it, then threw it into the fire.

"I guess I just need to find things... To occupy my time, ever since... Ever since he died... I just..." She shook her head, "Never mind, I don't want to bog you down with my troubles." She glanced at the ground, and ate some more of the stew before it got cold.

Kadis nodded. Curiosity nibbled at him, but it was better not to ask. Discussing the obliteration of his company was depressing enough. "I understand the desire to occupy yourself. Only too well." Generally, Kadis' favored method of 'occupying' himself was getting sloshed, but suggesting that Arivan take up alcoholism was a bad idea.

"I suppose it's true you don't see many groups like this. Then again, I think our little group might be a demonstration of why, it's been less than a day on the road and we've nearly come to blows."

Kadis spooned down a chunk of meat. "The Centaur probably just uncomfortable. Can't blame him, Centaurs are supposed to be a dying race for whatever reason, and either there are only handfuls left or they keep to themselves, because I've never seen one. I can't imagine they have much contact with the other races."

Icarian twitched, and then giggled, a couple minutes, another twitch, another giggle, it seemed odd, but then again, he was sleeping soundly by the fire.

'Seth' squinted at his quirky companion, it'd only been a few minutes since he'd sat by the fire, and yet he was already snoozing like a baby. 'Ridiculous,' the reptilian creature thought, shaking his head. 'Seth' moved behind Icarian, watching him sleep he shook his head once more.

"Wake up," he said with his gravely voice, giving the Fey a light flick to the head with the tip of his tail.

"I'm up, sorry to keep you waiting, sir," Icarian barked out in military fashion as he shot up, going immediately from a sprawled-out sleeping position, to a standing position in a matter of moments, not to mention standing in military fashion, and saluting.

"I'm not your former master, and this is not the army, now be quiet and follow me," 'Seth' told Icarian in a surprisingly neutral tone. Icarian relaxed back into his normal state and followed the reformed Yuan-Ti, yawning as he did so.

Eventually 'Seth' led Icarian up to the small group of people discussing the issue of going after the bandits.

"We cannot rest long if we are to find the bandits," said the only human of the group. "Their trail will grow cold if we leave them too long."

"I apologize for the intrusion, but I too know it is not the wisest thing to stay here much longer, so I must agree with..." 'Seth' paused, looking over at the human, he searched his face as if he could read the man like most people read books. "...Radek, yes, I must agree with Radek," 'Seth' complied with Radek's idea of going after the bandits A.S.A.P.

"I have great skill in tracking," the half-elf offered. "I will do what I can to prevent our losing their trail."

"Icarian is a trained scout, he can help you," 'Seth' offered the half-elf, looking over at the Dryad - who was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes - and glaring at him when he didn't respond after some time.

"What? Oh, yeah, uh, me? sure, I can help you...that's if you want any help?" Icarian asked meekly. 'Seth' only rolled his eyes and shook his head, reverting his attention to the others.

"Again, I'm sorry for intruding, but I too was growing concerned at how long it was taking us to get moving," 'Seth', again, apologized.


((For those who have forgotten, or don't know, Yuan-Ti have natural psionic abilities, on top of that, 'Seth' is an Ardent, meaning he has very potent psionics. I hope that explains some things, I don't want anyone angry at me.)) :whtsmile:

"In case you DIDN'T notice, not everyone came out of that battle with nothing but a scratch. Sorry to, uh..."

His thoughts trailed off. He wasn't sure how he had missed THAT guy before, because that was easily the ugliest thing he had ever seen. That was some new KIND of ugly, made Orcish Belly Dancers sound like an attractive prospect.

"How the hell did you miss mentioning the...man, what the hell IS that guy?"

The Serpent-creature was familiar, somehow, maybe something he had heard about during a pub crawl or during his youth. Either way, it was probably rude to be giving him those revolted looks.

"...and it would probably be better if we headed out while some of us are still bleeding. It doesn't matter how long of a head start the bandits have unless a rainstorm churns up during the night. The bandits are tired, exhausted, and are probably drinking their own good fortune right now. We're in no better shape, and badly outnumbered. They made off with a cart jammed to the brim with mithril. And Mithril, while lighter than most metals, will still make a cart pretty heavy. See these ruts in the road? That's the cart. A child could follow this path. Lie down and get some sleep or eat something. If we move at first light tomorrow, we can take them while they're still hungover and asleep, with light and rest on our side. We're gonna need every advantage we can get."

He may have botched his last job, but Kadis still thought like a commander.

"There's, what, twelve of us? Against an entire bandit company. Those are long odds. Furthermore, these bandits just made off with a cartload of the most valuable metal I can think of. If their boss didn't set a trap for us, I'd be very much surprised. Of course, then again, his strategy for the attack was hardly anything solid. The way we were fighting, none of us should have survived that battle."

"In case you DIDN'T notice, not everyone came out of that battle with nothing but a scratch. Sorry to, uh..." the new man stopped, his thoughts wondering to things that 'Seth' found rather offensive. On top of that, 'Seth' was curious to know how on earth the man had suddenly gone from sitting by the fire eating stew to talking to the group, which had originally consisted only of the centaur, the bard elf, the man Radek, and the half-elf, along with himself and Icarian joining in. In was rather curious how the man even heard them, they weren't that close.

"Excuse you sir, but at least an apology for interrupting would do, at least finish apologizing. Now tell me, what injuries are you talking about?" 'Seth' asked curiously, reading the man like he had read Radek. "From what I can tell, you're fine now, or close enough to it," 'Seth' stated.

"How the hell did you miss mentioning the...man, what the hell IS that guy?" the rude man said, and though 'Seth' didn't exactly hear it all, he could still tell what the man had said.

"I'm a Yuan-Ti, live with it," 'Seth' told the man, giving him a hard, cold stare.

"...and it would probably be better if we headed out while some of us are still bleeding. It doesn't matter how long of a head start the bandits have unless a rainstorm churns up during the night. The bandits are tired, exhausted, and are probably drinking their own good fortune right now. We're in no better shape, and badly outnumbered. They made off with a cart jammed to the brim with mithril. And Mithril, while lighter than most metals, will still make a cart pretty heavy. See these ruts in the road? That's the cart. A child could follow this path. Lie down and get some sleep or eat something. If we move at first light tomorrow, we can take them while they're still hungover and asleep, with light and rest on our side. We're gonna need every advantage we can get."

"I don't want to start an argument, but there are flaws to your logic. For one the bandits are smart, and so is their leader, they're not going to keep the cart, they're going to use it to throw us off. They're not going to get drunk either, they're going to move their base camp as soon as they get the mithril there. The idea of following at first light is a bad idea, because then we lose the only advantages we have, such as the darkness of night, stealth, their weariness, and the fact that they know the lay of the land, and all the advantages to the terrain is something we should take into account, they could easily spot us and get ready for us if we move during daylight. As for sleeping and eating, I need little of both, and Icarian needs none either. The elves are similar, and are rather robust, and need little more than to eat some small amount of food, and they're ready, and I'd guess the centaur is the same. So it seems the 'soft-skins' are the only thing holding us back...well, except for Radek, he seems to be all too willing to get moving. So if I see this correctly, you're the only person unwilling to move," 'Seth' said, cocking his eyebrow - or whatever could be considered an eyebrow for him - at the objecting man, who seemed to only want to contradict everything everyone had to say.

"There's, what, twelve of us? Against an entire bandit company. Those are long odds. Furthermore, these bandits just made off with a cartload of the most valuable metal I can think of. If their boss didn't set a trap for us, I'd be very much surprised. Of course, then again, his strategy for the attack was hardly anything solid. The way we were fighting, none of us should have survived that battle."

"I've seen less fight more and come out alive. It's not a matter of numbers, it's a matter of tactic and intelligence. Traps are no issue, if they're traps that are man-made, then Icarian can spot them long before we trigger them, and I imagine that newcomer, the elven girl, she's a scout too, she can probably do the same, and I imagine she can to," 'Seth' said, indicating the half-elf girl who had offered her tracking skills earlier. "If you're talking about traps like men lying in wait, that's not much more of an issue, our only problem is killing those men lying in wait fast enough. As for the way the bandit leader had the whole thing boil done, I'd say he accomplished his goal perfectly, so he lost some of his men, I can easily say he had some men to lose, bandit leaders are like that after all. And the issue of none of us living, that may be true for some, but most here have decades, if not a century or two of combat experience, so you can't be certain that we all should be dead," 'Seth' told the mercenary.

"But this isn't the time to argue, nor do I think this situation is up for debate, as I can guess, our decided "leader", or "leaders" would be the bard and the centaur, from what the dwarf seemed to indicate, so it's up to them, not me, and not you. If you're really that unwilling to go, or cooperate, or be a 'team player' then you can stay here, it's your choice," 'Seth' concluded, reverting his gaze back to the others.

"Well, that was fun," Icarian finally piped up, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "So, Master Crow, what should we do?" The Dryad asked, tilting his head like a curious dog.

Tale sat on a stone holding his head. He took some leaf trying to ease the head-ache from the bump into a stone from the fall. The people around him were talking and walking around, some seemed very aggresive towards each other, but not being completely straight in his head it was hard to say.

Tale took a deep breath before standing up. His headache lightened up a bit. He moved his arm a bit, and the shoulder was still a bit stiff after the arrowhit, but he at least didn't bleed from the wound.

He felt a small breeze on his face and looked up on the moon and started to sing a little bit for himself in elvish.

Kadis groaned, pulling himself fully upright. "Yuan-Ti, huh?" That was...disturbing, to say the least. He'd heard of their freakish kind, although he'd never actually seen one of the monsters before. He flexed his fingers, dropping them down to his dagger. He'd be keeping a VERY close eye on that snake.

"Okay, so you want to discuss this? Alright. Let me point out each and every point where you're wrong. One, I have a broken rib, and our friend over there has an arrow wound. Two, they have to keep the cart for now. Did you see how heavily loaded it was? They'd need hundreds of men or a lot more time than they have to fully unload the cart. Three, these aren't organized, trained soldiers we're talking about here, these are bandits who just made off with a king's ransom worth of Mithril. They're going to celebrate. Four, Darkness holds no advantages for us except it's easier for us to be ambushed. Five, the fact that they know the lay of the land is all the more reason for us to move during the day when we can actually see the false floor that sends us into a pit lined with stakes. Six, I don't care what you need. If you want to follow the bandits on your own, fine, I'll try my best to see you get a decent burial."

He grinned, idly wondering what precisely this freak was on that made him think he had any clue.

"Seven..."

His voice trailed off as he considered the rather flippant way he dismissed the idea of ambushes. He could still smell the carnage as the Seventy-Seven slowly were butchered all around him.

"...you can never be certain you'll spot the trap in time. Forgive me if I don't stake my life on your abilities."

He wagged his head, trying to clear the offending thoughts.

"Eight, if the man had his strategy down, it wouldn't have boiled down to a mad scramble for the cart reins. We fought like idiots, our only reason that none of us were killed is because we're all fairly able warriors. If we go charging through the forest without a plan, some of us WILL die. We might die anyway, but charging around like a berserker who just ate a bad mushroom is not going to get us anywhere but an early grave."

"Nine, if any of you have centuries of experience, you sure do a pitiful way of showing it. You know the how and the why of fighting, but you ignore the when and the where. We can let this bandit lead us around like a dog on a leash, or we can play the game by our rules. If you need any help, remember that playing by the first set of rules usually ends with your head on a pike."

He was REALLY getting tired of the superior manner of the members of this party. Ironically, the only one who thus far had made an impression on him that wasn't the desire for an axe rampage was the Elf girl, who seemed to subvert her species' stereotypical arrogance.

"And, finally, who cares what the coward Dwarf said? He's not here. I don't recall anyone voting the Centaur and the Bard into the position of group leader. I think I'd remember something like that, although I suppose it's definitely possible one of you drugged me. What exactly are their merits for command? Maybe the Bard will inspire us with a song of courage before we try to take the bandits by surprise? Maybe the Centaur will make a dashing figure with his pounding hooves before we all get our heads severed and turned into a macabre chalice?"

He rolled his eyes. It was the same everywhere. Merit, ignored. He couldn't fathom the choices of the Bard and the Centaur for lead of the party, but then again, in this group, it's not as though they're really any worse than most of the others.

A number of biting comments ran through his mind, but he bit his tongue and sat. He'd made his case. Hopefully, they might actually listen to what he had to say instead of becoming so fixated on their own plans that they dragged him down to hell. Ah, what a magnificent day to be trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Arivan watched the exchange between Kadis and the Yuan-Ti.... That creature was another first for her, in fact, she hadn't even really believed that they exisisted... Just a silly story, invented to frighten young elflings around the fire.

He was an... interesting creature to say the least, but Arivan didn't think she would make an effort to speak with the creature on her own terms anyway. She glanced at Kadis, who was still sitting a few feet away from her. He was a strong looking man, and even though she was capable of taking care of herself, she still felt incredibly safe around him. She stifled a yawn, and edged a bit closer to Kadis, and the warmth of the fire and settled down. She was getting sleepy, it wasn't good to be sleepy. Enemies could sneak up on you, catch you off guard. She yawned again.

"What is that anyway? I never knew Yuan-Ti's even exisited." She said directing her question toward Kadis, but she would have been content, no matter who answered. She sat back aganist a rock, the ground she sat on was cold, but she was warmed by the crackling fire.

The centaur openly laughed at Kadis' comment about merit and stepped towards him.
"And we should follow you and join the other fellows you have gotten killed with your awesome leadership, no? Let us speak of merit in leadership. How many did survive of the glorious and mighty seventy-seven?" he asked of Kadis, approaching him further before snickering at the man's attitude. Just then Eldir rushed in to the middle of the argument, spreading his arms.

"Whoah, whoah. Let's not start bickering over leadership here. It doesn't matter who leads here. What matters is that we get on that bandit trail and find the mythril as soon as we can. The faster we get the cargo, the faster we get paid and can get rid of each others" the Wild elf told them. This also answered quite aptly Icarian's question of what to do next.

"What we need to do is rest." Arivan said standing up, "We're going to be no help being half asleep trying to track and attack the bandits." She flipped some of her red hair over her shoulder. "I say we assign guards to keep watch all night... And have shifts." She paused for a yawn, "It's getting really late.... We really should rest up, it would do us much more good than just standing around and arguing." She folded her arms and glared at anyone who dared look over at her.

Kadis had been on the verge of relaxing.

Then the Centaur opened his mouth.

How the hell did he know that?

Regardless, he jerked his dagger out of his sheath, jerking to his feet fully, adrenaline and anger burning away the pain.

Control yourself. Ice kills just as easily as fire.

It was a pretty little metaphor, much like the ones Elves were so very fond of quoting, but it was more or less true. He slid the dagger back into his sheath, pushing down his anger.

"You're right, Centaur. I shouldn't command this group. You're quite right in that regard. But tell me, what precisely makes you or the Bard good commanders either? The fact that both of you can make a maiden swoon?"

He snorted and settled back down.

"As for the Seventy-Seven, Fifteen survived our battle with Magnus Cromgar. On the other hand, of his entire force, which outnumbered my men nearly two to one, only Cromgar and his lieutenants escaped. Now, if you ever speak of my men, or that battle, in that tone again, I will kill you."

He regarded the Elf.

"Alright, have it your way. The rest of the group seems to embrace you as the leader, and far be it from me to contradict them. I frankly think you're walking into a death trap, but then again, it's not like I'm going to be taking point, now, am I? When do you want to get going, Bard? It looks like half the party is asleep or..." The girl yawned next to him. "...most of the way there."

"Whoah, whoah. Let's not start bickering over leadership here. It doesn't matter who leads here. What matters is that we get on that bandit trail and find the mythril as soon as we can. The faster we get the cargo, the faster we get paid and can get rid of each others," Master Crow stated, Icarian nodding in agreement, and putting a hand on 'Seth's' shoulder.

"Come on 'Seth' calm down, majority wins, we're most likely going to move out soon," Icarian told the Yuan-Ti, trying to calm his friend.

"He thinks I'm a monster and he's decided to watch me like a hawk, and he keeps holding his hand near his dagger, not that it'll do much to me, but that's not the point. On top of all that he's bickered and complained and objected to every suggestion and decision that almost everyone's made...he's trouble, and his mind's like a festering bog, he drinks too much," 'Seth' hissed to Icarian in a low tone, so no one else could hear.

"That may be so, but it's no reason to get angry," Icarian tried to negotiate.

"I'm not angry, if I were, he'd be in my stomach; I'm just agitated is all," 'Seth' told Icarian, looking back to the situation at hand. And to his disdain, the situation grew decidedly worse, as the mercenary decided to pull his dagger on the centaur 'Seth' was clutching one of his throwing spears, though it was still in the quiver, and Icarian, though decidedly neutral throughout the whole situation, had his claymore out already, and was at the centaur's side. Icarian was still on no one's side, but he wasn't one to watch others get assaulted.

Then the man put his dagger away, to both 'Seth' and Icarian's surprise, so they too put their weapons down.

"What we need to do is rest," the new elven girl said standing up, "We're going to be no help being half asleep trying to track and attack the bandits." She flipped some of her red hair over her shoulder. "I say we assign guards to keep watch all night... And have shifts." She paused for a yawn, "It's getting really late.... We really should rest up, it would do us much more good than just standing around and arguing." She folded her arms and glared at anyone who dared look over at her.

'Seth' looked in her direction giving her a cold, hard, long stare, then he spoke to her in a rather neutral tone, "I will not be intimidated by your little staring contest girl, so don't cross me. I have one more thing to tell you though, girl, choose who you side with wisely, because those you support can either lift you up, or drag you down, and I tell you, you're making a poor mistake right now, a very poor mistake."

"You're right, Centaur. I shouldn't command this group. You're quite right in that regard. But tell me, what precisely makes you or the Bard good commanders either? The fact that both of you can make a maiden swoon?" 'Seth' simply squinted his eyes at the man, but said nothing to this.

"As for the Seventy-Seven, Fifteen survived our battle with Magnus Cromgar. On the other hand, of his entire force, which outnumbered my men nearly two to one, only Cromgar and his lieutenants escaped. Now, if you ever speak of my men, or that battle, in that tone again, I will kill you."

"Then I suggest you be a little more complaisant in the future, because, if you pull a weapon on anyone again, I'll kill you. But don't worry friend, I'll be watching you too, so in the future, we can keep an eye on each other," the Yuan-Ti told the mercenary bluntly, but still in a rather neutral tone.

"Alright, have it your way. The rest of the group seems to embrace you as the leader, and far be it from me to contradict them. I frankly think you're walking into a death trap, but then again, it's not like I'm going to be taking point, now, am I? When do you want to get going, Bard? It looks like half the party is asleep or..." The girl yawned next to him. "...most of the way there."

"I see one tired person, though I honestly don't see why she is, she's an elf after all, they need far less sleep than you 'soft-skins'," he turned his gaze to Radek. "No offense intended of course," he said to the other, older man, who seemed the only sensible and capable human in the group. "As for Icarian, he may look tired, with his eye rubbing, and yawning and whatnot, but he's just playing games, he's a Dryad, the only sleep he needs is for beauty," 'Seth' pointed out, slapping Icarian across the back of the head, the Dryad simply grinning mischievously at the bop across the noggin.

" 'Tis true, I don't really sleep at all, usually when I do, it's just for enjoyment and fun, dreams are a beautiful thing after all," Icarian confirmed, his grin widening.

"So if that girl counts as half the party to you, then we're in trouble," 'Seth' finished. "Icarian," 'Seth' said to his old companion.

"Yes?" The Dryad asked, quickly turning around to face his friend.

"I'm going to follow the Bard's suggestion, which was a rather smart one, the faster we get the cargo back, the sooner we part ways with our all too sour companion over there, so, start tracking," 'Seth' told the Fey, who only saluted and smiled.

"Good idea, Master Crow's the nice one, he helped me after all, so it'd only be polite of me to do what he said," Icarian said to no one in particular, and then with a flourish he turned to the others, looking at each of his fellow trackers in turn. "Well, I'll be off to do my job, so if any of you other wannabe trackers think you can keep up, feel free to tag along," Icarian said with a smug look on his face while he rubbed his chin, making him look like some cocky, chauvinistic jerk, when in reality he wasn't. This image quickly disappeared as he stuck his tongue out at the other trackers, and did a backwards hand-spring away from the group, and with a turn on the ball of his foot he was off down the road, and out of sight.

She glared at the creature, "I will not be intimidated by your little staring contest girl, so don't cross me. I have one more thing to tell you though, girl, choose who you side with wisely, because those you support can either lift you up, or drag you down, and I tell you, you're making a poor mistake right now, a very poor mistake." "Are you threatening me? Because I assure you, if you ever lay a hand on me you will be lying in a pool of your own blood before you have even began to think of what has happened." She placed a hand on her sword, and sighed deeply. This was a problem, she remembered, always wanting to pick fights where it wasn't nessecary, she was an elf after all... She was supposed to be taking the high road here.

Even if a fight did break out, she was pretty sure Kadis at least had her back. They seemed to get along well enough, but it was impossible to tell if he was willing to protect her as she would him, at this juncture in their very short time they had known each other. Plus, she didn't want to be betrayed... again. She stood her ground, she didn't want to back down from the creature. Though she didn't seem to have the upper hand if something violent did take place.

((Okay, some pointers Rachel_Ewok, since you are new. One, don't double post, that's first and foremost a big no-no, unless it's in a OCC, but even then it's still not something you should do. Second, you cannot control any aspect of the RP, other than your own character, unless the TM says, or indicates, or otherwise hints at the fact that someone can progress the story along, though usually this is only an indication to progress it a little bit, not in any great length. Third, please, for my sake, and all others, do not control other peoples' characters, even a little, unless they say otherwise, because, first, some might find it offensive, and second, it can just ruin the experience plain and simple. And to add to the pain of this lecture, if you noticed, I said my character, Icarian, was heading off to do some scouting, and that meant that neither he, nor my other character would have fallen asleep. I kindly suggest you either edit your post, or delete it, or if you can't delete it, ask a moderator, or administrator to do so. This little lecture was for your benefit by the way, not to cause you any discomfort, or embarrassment, but please, keep others in mind when RPing - trust me, I had to learn this lesson the hard way. ;) ))

((I'll either edit this post with something RP related, or I'll post a new post, depending on who posts next, if at all.))

((Moving a thread along and skipping several IC-hours when others have just begun to do something(i.e. Icarian leaving the group and hence continuing the RP in that direction) are completely different things. A handy rule is to let the DM/TM(Whichever you wish to call the thread starter. I prefer Dungeon Master for the nostalgic reasons) handle skips that take several hours of IC time.

In this case, the skip was entirely uncalled for. Not only was most of this page dedicated to arguing if the group should leave or not, to which there was no clear decision as of yet, most characters that are still RPed by someone seemed to be on the side of leaving. However, in spite of this you decided to completely dismiss all that and instead said they had all rested until morning, something that only Corinthian's character seemed to support. Also, since Corinthian is banned, screw him and his likes and dislikes.

Ergo, please delete your last post))

Skarra noted Icarian's self-dismissal from the group and smiled. He nudged Eldir who looked first at the Centaur and then at Icarian.
"Go ahead" the bard said Skarra, knowing quite well what the Centaur wanted to do. After an irrelevant approval, since he would've followed anyways, Skarra swiftly made his way after the Dryad. Once he caught the critter, he slowed down and fell in line not too far behind him to make sure he didn't miss any tracks on the soil. The man knew that the Dryad was a scout, but he had the distrust of a ranger.

Eldir meanwhile shook his head at the infighting of the group.
"Those who want to go, let's go. Those who want to stay and make friends, go ahead and stay here. I frankly want this all done with so I don't have to look at any of your faces again for a hopefully long time" he told them before making sure he had his equipment with himself so the elf could follow behind Skarra and Icarian. Eldir placed his trsut and hope on Icarian and Skarra and that they wouldn't lose the still fresh tracks.

((@-Tepe: Don't be so harsh on the guy/gal, she's/he's new after all, probably hasn't even read the rules thread.

@-Rachel_Ewok: Despite BKK's bluntness, he has a point - even though I pretty much said the same thing - I'd suggest you follow this link, and read the rules thread: LINK! (http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=148524)

@-Myself: Post you moron!!!))

"Those who want to go, let's go. Those who want to stay and make friends, go ahead and stay here. I frankly want this all done with so I don't have to look at any of your faces again for a hopefully long time," the bard elf said.

"I have to agree there. I'm coming," 'Seth' said, not taking his harsh eyes off of the young elf scout for one moment. But soon he did break his long stare, for he had to turn away and begin moving down the path after his friend, and the centaur, or else they might lose them.

"I'm going now, Icarian has a tendency to forget there are people following him," 'Seth' told the others, moving down the path, and fading into the darkness of night.
******
Icarian stopped suddenly as he was going down the path, he didn't like the way things were looking, the cart tracks were going a bit too linear, they were, what he would call it, being predictable. The Dryad turned completely around and began walking back in the direction he'd came, passing the centaur he knew had been following him. And then, he stopped, staring down at the ground he motioned the centaur over.

"Tell me, what's this look like to you," Icarian said, pointing at the slight disturbances that only a scout could spot in the grass.

Skarra stopped when Icarian stopped and watched him from afar as he studied the fart tracks. When the Dryad started coming back, he braced himself slightly and placed a hand on the grip of his sword only to notice the Dryad walking past him. The Centaur followed again from afar before being gestured over. When he approached and leaned in to see the tracks, he smirked.

"That explains why the tracks became lighter ahead. They unloaded the Mythril" he noted and chuckled, raising his human torso back up and looked towards the darkness where the tracks led to.
"They turned from the road and headed south along the Chugack mountains. By the looks of the tracks before, the large group that headed across the road before was the rest of the bandit camp" he noted before turning to Icarian.
"I hope you don't have any troubles in Black Forest, since it seems we'll be heading there next"

((Right-o, sorry 'bout that, I'll be more wary as to what I do from now on. ;)

Also, what happened to Corinthian?, I mean, he seems to be important to this RP...??))

Arivan scowled, annoyed at what was happening around her. She shouldn't have come here, too many people, too many lifestyles that she could clash with. Everyone but that... that... thing seemed not to mind her though, so she wouldn't mind sticking around even if it meant having to deal with it for a while.

Unwilling to stay, restless with the rest of the group she trailed silently behind Skarra, Icarian, and Eldir. She wanted desperately to prove herself to them, show them she wasn't some juvinile elf. She really did know what she was talking about, and was good at what she did.

They didn't know it yet, but she was watching their backs, they never needed to know. Not unless something attacked, they were focusing on the tracks, something she could have done but obviously not as well as they did. She had been tracking for years longer than them, but she still seemed so young in her mindset and atitude people usualy forgot she was probably about a hundred years older than they were.

Her thoughts kept her company as she watched the group, making sure that nothing went wrong. She climbed into a tree, she enjoyed moving about in the trees, just as long as there were enough for her to jump from one to the other she was content.

"That explains why the tracks became lighter ahead. They unloaded the Mythril" Arivan looked on, her curiosity burning with hunger. Now what? Would they follow the cart, or the tracks of those who had the mythril? What was more important?

"I hope you don't have any troubles in Black Forest, since it seems we'll be heading there next" This was her chance, she knew her way around that area like the back of her hand. She wanted to show that she could be good, and so useful to the cause. She didn't wanted to feel un-needed anymore, she wanted to belong.

She jumped out of the tree, with a feline-like grace, landing noiselessly behind them. "I can guide you there. I know all these parts... I don't get lost." She tried to disguise the wanting, the need in her voice to be accepted.