Chapter 3 -- Village by the Sea

[Shan Gutarus]

“Get me a pint of your finest ale and a raw piece of meat for my wolf…”

Kameran looked down wide-eyed at the tamed (or so she hoped) wolf and then back at it's similarily wild-looking master. "I suppose I can get you some meat but my uncle doesn't serve the ale until after midday," she began, twiddling at the hem of her apron and looking around the early morning tavern, a nervous blush under her freckle dusted cheeks, "I can get you some cider though....it's mighty strong."

Meanwhile, Shan darted off to the side and slipped among the brush after Minsyth, curious himself of the new presence that he could smell on the path. He wasn't surprised to see that he had guessed the scent of a horse correctly and, making the obvious deduction, had also predicted the presence of an owner. The ebony shingar, almost without thinking, stepped from his hiding place and came around from behind Minsyth, being sure to take what he hoped was a non-threatening stance in the company of the horse. Sitting back on his haunches at the elf lord's side, Shanvorin watched the stranger with interest from behind his bright blue eyes.

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

Nodding politely at the human's greeting as silver eyes studied him carefully, he was immensely curious as to how the man knew styrash. Not every human you run across knows the language, in fact, you can most likely count on one hand the number. When the shingar came up behind him, he glanced down and smiled slightly beneath his hood, patting the cat lightly on the head.

"First of all, I am curious as to how you know styrash. Not every human one runs across knows the language. Second, there is a group of us travelling to Nepris. Another elf, a brownie and his cat, the shingar behind me, and a little girl. We are making our way to return the girl home to her family, perhaps you could aid us in our search?"

When the man addressed himself, Minsyth bowed his head slightly in a reserved politeness before standing up straight and allowing himself to reach his full height. "I am Minsyth Merenwen. I am a guardian."

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[KDor Saduk]

After a long travel the proud warrior only wanted to calm his nerves with a drink of ale. He had been through a lot in the last couple weeks and wasn’t liking the service he was getting thus far. It angered him how this young women was trying to ruin his day, telling him what to do and what he could and could not drink. This didn’t sit well with the warrior, he wanted his ale… and he wanted it now!

The stranger glared at Kameran and narrowed his eyes at her “Cider instead of ale? Cider is for women… Not men. I‘m going to be very patient with you, if I don’t get my ale at the count of three… Well you don‘t want to know what will happen…” he said calmly, but firmly as he reached back and ran his fingers on the pommel of Put’Mari. “One…” the stranger gripped the pommel of Put’Mari tightly and slowly unsheathed his sword so that you could see a glimmer of the polished steel. “... Two…” He pulls his blade out further just far enough to reveal the sacred runes of his native tongue inscribed on the metal. He stared directly into the eyes of the young tavern maid, with muscles flexed and eyes filled with fire he speaks “... Three…”

"My swords and wolf are my only companions... I can't rely on anything else..."

K`Dor Saduk

Edited by: KDor Saduk at: 10/6/04 0:42

[Aitostalon]

"I am Minsyth Merenwen. I am a guardian."

Talon nodded his head slightly. "That is simple how a human knows Styrash, I am not human, I am of elven blood, just raised by the order of white knights, but out of respect for my heritage they taught me my native tongue,  and I have found it far more elegant that Tharian.  I would gladly accompany you, and your companions to return a young girl to her family."
Talon was being very cordial, and polite even though he felt that this Minsyth was not of equal terms, he obviously did deserve some respect to be traveling ahead of a small group.
"Should we return to your group or should we wait here for them to approach us?"
Talon asked a few moments of silence.

[Shan Gutarus]

"One..."

Kameran froze. She didn't know what to do. Was he serious? Would he actually do...that if she didn't find him some ale?

"Two..."

The girl was terrified. Her aunt was the only other sober person in the tavern and she was just over sixty years old. Finally, with little other choice, Kameran made a little squeak of a sound and ran off through the two way swinging doors, clambering around the kitchen. Finally, she found where her uncle kept the ale and the teenager and her aunt managed to tap it.

She came out, flaming red curls in her eyes, with a plate with a prime peice of sheep meat on it, a frothy mug of good ale and a small sweetcake. Kameran timidly set the ale and cake on the table and then shoved the plate of meat on the floor near the wolf, afraid to get nearby.

"That will be four san, sir. Sweet cake is on the house for the trouble," she said, clenching her teeth trying not to shake convulsively.

[KDor Saduk]

The stranger smirked as the young waitress rushed out from the back with an ale and a plate of raw meat in hand. “Smart girl...” the warrior said calmly placing Put’Mari back into it’s sheath, sitting back down in his chair afterwards. He glanced over at Ash and rubbed her head as he spoke to his wolf “There you are... A nice piece of meat Ash. Enjoy...” Ash edged her way to the plate and began to lick the blood around the meat first before she started eating it. The stranger grabbed his forty mug of ale and took a long drink from it nearly finishing half before resting it back down on the table.

        Slowly he reached to his side where a pouch sat, he dug around in it for what he owed the young waitress and withdrew it in a matter of seconds. “Here...” He threw four san on the table and went back to his ale, ignoring everything around him besides his most loyal compaion, Ash...

"My swords and wolf are my only companions... I can't rely on anything else..."

K`Dor Saduk

[Manalkar Melor]

" My thanks. “ She said with a smile, reaching down to pick up the gangly white cat and place him atop the saddlebag where he remained contently before taking hold of Deorheort’s reins. The horse was solidly built with a height that had his back well above her head, but he followed her obediently as she lead him out of the stall and down the hall. A pause and a quick wave was given to the stable boy, then she turned right along the street as he had said. It didn’t take her long to find the market, gathering food supplies and other miscellaneous items for her journey without too much strain to her funds.        

As she retreated from the market through a side street, her slender hand searched for her map in one of the pouches secured to her belt, looping her mount’s reins around an elbow as she unfolded the sheet of paper. The elf kept a vague aim for one of the roads that lead out of the village, though her eyes were occupied by the map as she moved through the streets.      
   

Manalkar Melór fá Miés'efér'óh
To dream is to dare to question the facts of life ~ Me

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

@Mana

The streets were healthily crowded with the occupants of the town running about in trying to finish their morning errands to begin the rest of their day. The market was not difficult to find, being in the center of the city and where most of its occupants could be found in the hours of the morning. People crowd up next to her horse but never touching it, only ignoring it just as they were everyone else around them. Several brawls were breaking out at the stands as the people negotiated lower prices and quality of the items.

Vendors running from place to place showing off their wares, holding them up for the dark elf to see, speaking quickly in multiple languages inconsistantly. In the distance, a loud scream is heard that cause some to stop and listen. Most ignored it, at least until yelling, cursing and the sound of running footsteps followed after. A tall man, clothed largely in black stood beside Mana's horse, watching and listening intently to the uproar that had suddenly errupted not too far away. A man came running too him, chatting rapidly in fear in a language not of the area. The man in black grabbed the man's arms and tossed him to the side, where he collided with the animal.

Anger quickly flushed over his features and he glanced up at the dark elf but said nothing, only facing the man that had tossed him once again, speaking clearly in common. "Areytuk! You wish to fight? Come! Yet they are coming for you now, to take you where you belong. You no longer have control of me or this town!"

The man that the speaker called Areytuk stared blankly at the man, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. "Your threats do not scare me Grongar. You know well of what I am capable of and who my men are."
Areytuk walked over to the dark elf and took her wrist, pulling her off her horse and holding her firmly in his grip. "Until you vanish from my presence, I shall have this woman and your family, who are already in my custody." Pursing his lips, a shrill whistle came through and a rope was lowered down and they were soon lifted off the ground out of sight.

When they were high above the ground on one of the taller buildings, he released her but drew his sword and held it close against her flesh. "Sorry about all of this, you were just the closest I could grab. What is your name?"

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[Paladia Entonei]

Paladia looked over those that had remained behind. "We ought to keep going, they couldn't be too far off." The elven woman started off, leading the rest of her small party down the trail. It wasnt long when she caught sight of Minsyth over the brush and called out, figuring that they would have known if there was trouble.

"Minsyth!" she called, "What have you seen?"

Much further down the trail and within the village, Kameran grabbed up the cash and nodded in thanks to the large man, grateful to Baveras for saving herself trouble that morning. At that instant, a teenager with flaming red hair and freckles just like the serving girl dashed in.

"Kameran!" he cried, out of breath and leaning against the jam, "Quick! Wheres Cousin Jacque? Areytuk hit the market and took a stranger. I figure Jacque could chase him down an' at least--"

But he was cut off as the young serving girl shook her head sympathetically, her face stricken with worry. "Jacques gone out on the rig with dad. But a traveller....Areytuk is too much." Suddenly, a thought crossed Kamerans mind and she looked pleadingly towards K'Dor.

"Sir...please. Could you find it in you to help us?" she asked, the young girl staring at the huge man.

"Please," piped in the boy, "We can't let him get away with it much longer."

[Manalkar Melor]

It had happened rather quickly for the dark elf, she hadn’t been one to ignore the scream and was first staring curiously in the direction. Her attention had only been drawn to the two men when Deorheort snorted and snapped viciously at the one whom had bumped into him. “Watch it you… Hey, what? “ She gave what could be assumed a shriek of protest as she was dragged form her mount, unable to reach the knives that had been tucked out of sight.  

Her orbs flared with anger, but she didn’t struggle against her captor.    

This wasn’t good, how was she going to get out of this situation. She tensed her muscles to be ready if an escape presented itself, unfortunately she nearly impaled herself on the man’s blade when he released her and reflexively flinched away from the edge on her skin. Mana clenched her teeth and let out a deep breath instead of answering his question, rubbing her sore wrist with thin digits. Eventually she placed her hands on her hips and stared ahead with narrowed eyes.    
 
" Get that thing away from me. “ She warned, not requested.  

Mana really didn’t want to start a fight of any kind at the moment, but neither was she fond of the idea of being a hostage of this, what had be been called, Areytuk? Yes that was his name.      
   

Manalkar Melór fá Miés'efér'óh
To dream is to dare to question the facts of life ~ Me

[KDor Saduk]

The stranger glanced at Kameran for a brief second and then at the young boy who had just entered the tavern in a panic. They pleaded to the mighty warrior, but he had no intent to help them… Unless they gave him something in return. “What’s in it for me?” the stranger asked as he took another swig from his forty mug of ale. The huge warrior wouldn’t help a soul unless he was going to receive some sort of payment for his deed. He knew that his skills at swords play were excellent, this of course must be worth something right? Ash was another great addition to his arsenal. He had trained his wolf well, and knew that Ash could hold her own in a fight. Slowly the stranger shifted his body towards to the younglings and stared at them for a few seconds, waiting quietly for their reply...

"My swords and wolf are my only companions... I can't rely on anything else..."

K`Dor Saduk

[Kalína Dalá'isyrás]

"My group is..." He began but was cut off by Pally calling out to him.

Turning to the shingar, he whispered softly in the cat's ear, "If you would be so kind sir, as to gather the remaining members of the group and bring them here." He gave the cat a soft pat on the head and sent him on his way gently. He had taken a liking to the creature and found it to be a wonderful companion, if not an interesting one as well.

"As I was saying, my group is but about a 100 paces behind me. They sent me ahead as a scout because we heard you but did not know if your were hostile or passive."

"...Life is a story that is waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgettable..."

Kalina Merenwen

[Aitostalon]

"I did not think I was that loud, but oh well." Talon said calmly .
He awaited patiently for the group to arrive, noticing the limp Paladia walked with.
"Greetings, I am Aitostalon and this is Phoenix." He said introducing himself and his mighty stead, offering his hand and a slight bow to the ladies, as Phoenix bowed his head slightly also. "M'lady are you well, may I offer you a ride on Phoenix for an easier travel to Nepris." He said, addressing Paladia.

[Paladia Entonei]

Paladia greeted the fellow elf with a polite and curt nod, watching him and Minsyth carefully.

"M'lady are you well, may I offer you a ride on Phoenix for an easier travel to Nepris"

The warrior's face flushed with embarassment and a slight tinge of anger. She was a strong warrior and did not need such a service from a stranger she had yet to meet. Yet, as Paladia's gaze went down to the village not far below, she began to doubt even herself with the capablity to make it without further jostling what she figured was at least a fractured rib.

"I..." she began, looking around before stiffening her jaw and holding up her head, "I accept your offer of your steed, sir, if it is no trouble to yourself. The vantage point would help me survey where we wish to go, of course..."

@ KDor

The two youths glanced at each other, completely lost for words or any offer they could make to the massive stranger. But it had been too long that the growing number of bandits had held their humble village in check and it was long past that somebody put an end to it.

"Passage..." the young boy began slowly, "Free transport to anywhere you please within reason. Horses, wagon. Whatever you need. Even a boat. With the weather coming many a ship is heading out soon...Anywhere you please. We can get you there, sir. All we ask is that you help us."

"And if you choose to stay with us for longer," the young girl piped in, "Free board at the inn here. Please, we ask of you only to help us."

The bartender, a middle aged man of little notice, had moved to the bar and watched the scene intently and nodded in agreement at Kamaren's offer for he too was sick of the cover the organized group had capped on Nepris.

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

@ Mana:

"And what will you do if I don't?" He chuckled softly at her resistance. She was an amusing creature and he might just keep her around for his own uses.

"Escape at this point is futile. My men surround this place. If you run, all I have to do it whistle and they shall go after you and return you to my possession." A smirk crept over his features. Removing the blade from her skin as she requested he bent down onto his knees infront of her. It was at this time she got a good look at him in full light. His skin was slightly tanned from work in the city but fair enough to be of  elven background. Startlingly rich blue eyes contained a sparkle of amusement as he gazed at her. A black scarf wound about his head and was knotted tightly in the back. This covered his entire scalp with one layer of thin cloth as to conceal his hair.

"You are an attractive one now aren't ya?" Running his fingers absently along his jawline thoughtfully. "I think I will keep you, for a little while at least."

Taking her roughly by the wrist, he force her to rise to her feet where he tore off his scarf, revealing long raven locks that shone silkly in the sun. The scarf he drew up to her eyes and covered him, binding it snuggly in the back. "Now I shall take you for a ride." He lifted her effortlessly off the ground and carried her over the rooftops of the city, gradually working his way down until he reached an alley. Glancing over the edge he found his men waiting for him. Without a second thought, he tossed her down toward them. "Catch! She is mine! Treat her well until I return. Keep a close eye on her Putyrte! If she has been harmed in even the slightly way when I return..."

The large man below him nodded knowingly, taking her into his arms before vanishing into the dark. He took her to a room in the center of the city, hidden well within the mass of buildings. "This shall be one of your new homes for a while princess." His loud gruff voice announced as he gently removed the blindfold from her eyes.

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

Edited by: Minsyth at: 10/15/04 20:55

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