Chapter 9: Rogue in Arms

The next day saw the group of travellers walking down the road mostly in silence. None knew quite what to say after what had occurred last night, though all were thankful they had managed to pull through with little more than minor wounds.

Alistair was constantly aware that several of the group were giving him cautious looks when they thought he wasn't looking. Whether that was because they disagreed with what he did or the fact that he did not hesitate to kill the creature, frankly he did not care. The fact that Indira was still giving him the silent treatment, that concerned him a great deal more.

Looking up, he watched as Indira walked ahead of him next to Rogon, still hugging her bruised arm to herself. She was at least talking to Rogon, which was an improvement on the silence she kept for the majority of the early morning march. Feeling eyes on him once more, he turned to scowl at the source.

"Make a painting, it lasts longer." he grunted. The offender, Garrick, simply raised an eyebrow to him. "Apologies, I am simply trying to figure you out, Alistair" he said, returning his gaze to the front of the party. Alistair huffed, "Figure what out, whether I am a murderer or not?" Garrick was silent for a time, which indicated to Alistair that he had been right. He got an answer after a few minutes, however. "It is not the act of killing our enemy that has me annoyed. Survival of the fittest after all. I am merely disappointed that you felt the need to desecrate a corpse. It is always something I have felt uncomfortable with."

Alistair slowed his pace so that he was walking alongside Garrick. "What, they didn't need these items anymore, they were dead. Besides, I'm not even sure that thing was fully sentient. What's the difference between what I did and taking the furs from a wolf?". Garrick hummed in thought, "I concede your point, though that creature certainly had at least some sentience. Felt more like madness than instinct. Regardless, we were in danger and I don't disagree with your decision to kill it." At Alistair's slightly shocked look, Garrick gave a humourless chuckle.

"What, think you're the only one who's had to take morally difficult decisions? I assure you, you are not the only one in this party who has had to take a life. What matters is what you choose to do afterwards." Alistair slowed in thought, allowing Garrick to overtake him. What did he want to do? He wanted to kill Rog...it had been his driving force. But if the opportunity arose, would he be able to...want to? What would Indira think?

He turned his thoughtful gaze back towards Indira, who he realised with a jolt had been looking back at him with an unreadable expression. She swiftly returned her attention to the front upon discovery. Garrick also briefly turned, having seen the look she had cast.

"In regards to Indira...give her time. She is unfamiliar with the nastier side of the world, as far as I have gathered. Something she will have to get used to if she decides to travel, I fear" he said, before facing forwards once more. Alistair sighed, realising he had a point. He then frowned, "...You realise we are just friends, right?" Garrick simply gave an annoying chuckle, one with far more humour than the last.

As the sun rose to its peak in the sky, the party was starting to feel the effects of an early start. As they reached a crossroads, it was decided that this was as good a place as any to rest before continuing. Members split and went to the side of the road to sit on the soft grass.

Varus went over towards the shade of a tree, hoping to escape the infernal light of the midday sun. As he was doing so, he failed to notice Rogon's foot sticking out from where the half-orc had slumped to the ground. Hitting it as he passed, he tumbled over, managing to catch himself before he face planted the earth. He quickly got up and brushed himself down with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Er...you alright there bud?" Rogon asked concernedly. Varus just huffed. "Yeah, just didn't see you there. Be careful where you sit down in future." Rogon gained a confused look. "Didn't see me? I ain't exactly easy to miss mate, and it's broad daylight." Varus looked to Rogon, squirting at the harsh light. "Yes, that's the bloody problem!"

Rogon had a look of realisation, before he started digging into his pack. "Say no more, I got just the job!" He then retrieved a small case that, upon opening, revealed a series of small scale tools and various bits of material. After a few moments of tinkering, which Varus couldn't help but watch with intrigue, Rogon held up a wire frame with tinted glass contained in a couple of ovals.

"Here ya go, these should 'elp." He said, passing them to Varus, who tentatively took them, and placed them on the bridge of his nose. The tinted glass cut out the majority of the sun's light, relieving his eyes from the harsh glare. His shoulders slumped as a tension he hadn't realised was there was released. He looked to Rogon, who was smiling at him happily. "...Thanks" he said, before returning on his journey to sit by the tree. Rogon waved as he went, before packing up his tools.

Alistair tentatively approached where Indira had chosen to sit. She looked his way briefly, then looked back along the road. She did not tell him to leave, however, so he took that as a sign to sit down. For several minutes he sat in silence, fiddling with the grass at his feet.

When the silence got too much for him to bear, he spoke. "..I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Indira." Indira gave a slight sigh, and he realised with guilt in his stomach that she had begun to cry slightly. "I am scared…" she sobbed. Alistair, sad that he had caused his friend pain, went to get up and leave. He did not want to scare her with his presence. As he went to do so, however, he was stopped by Indira's hand on his sleeve. He looked down to her as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I am scared...but not of you, Alistair. I am scared of what may happen if I continue to travel. I am scared of whatever that thing was last night. I am also scared...of what I may be forced to do in future. I don't want to kill, Alistair." Alistair sat back down, slinging an arm around her in comfort, an action she gratefully accepted.

"Don't you worry Indira...If it comes to that, we'll be there for you." The pair lapsed into a far more comfortable silence as they rested. Off to the side, Garrick saw the two reconcile and gained a contented smile. He then lost it as his ears perked, hearing a distant sound coming from down the road to the left of the junction.

Slowly getting up, he turned towards the source, the same time that Varus had started to walk into the road, looking the same way he was. "Hear that?" Garrick said, getting the attention of all the resting members. Varus nodded, still looking down the road. There, they could just make out a cloud of dust being kicked up by something moving far faster than a human could run. "Something is coming, it sounds like...hooves."

Indeed, as the cloud of dust got closer, it was clear that the figure within was equine in nature. And there was more than one. At five total, there was one running in the lead with four trailing not far behind. Each had a rider upon them, but from this distance it was impossible to make out any details. As they got nearer, it was clear the riders in the back were shouting at the front individual, though what they were saying was drowned out by the sound of the hooves.

"It looks like they're chasing that front one, don't it?" Rogon muttered, getting up to stand alongside them. Indeed, as they were watching, they saw one of the individuals giving chase fire off an arrow, striking the lead horse and making it tumble in a pile of limbs. It's rider, which was clearly covered in a dark robe now that they were nearer, was thrown clear off their mount and went tumbling along the road.

The rest of the riders quickly pulled up beside the figure, and started to lazily circle them. They were still aiming their weapons at the figure and screaming instructions. Rogon frowned and pulled out his axe. "They're surrounding them...and they're outnumbered too. I ain't gonna let that slide!" he grunted, before taking off down the road at a sprint towards the group.

"Wait! We don't know what's going on! It might not be a good idea to get involved!" Garrick shouted, just as Na'ish and Alistair also sprinted past him. Garrick looked to the heavens in exasperation, before drawing his bow and pursuing.

Within the circle of horses, the robed figure was able to sit up and look around at the men that had surrounded them. One of the men, who was wielding a heavy crossbow, pointed it at them and chuckled. "End of the line, lass. You gave us a good run around, but you can't get away. Now be sensible and return the…" He was interrupted by a guttural roar from a short way down the road. He turned to see the unnerving sight of a large half-orc charging towards them with an axe drawn.

"What in the... fire! Stop it from getting closer!" the leader shouted, before firing his crossbow at Rogon. Rogon deflected the bolt with his axe as he continued to charge, but had to stop his approach in order to dodge a follow up arrow from one of the other riders. Due to his swift side step, he was unable to dodge the next bolt from the leader.

However, before it could hit, Na'ish stepped in front of him, his large kite shield clanging as the bolt ricocheted off. The leader gave a signal with a jerk of the head, and two of the riders broke off in order to circle the pair. The riders had melee weapons such as swords and maces, so they slowly tightened their ring in order to get a hit on them. Na'ish and Rogon went back to back, each swinging their weapon in order to keep the men at bay. Due to the riders height advantage, they were hard pressed to keep them away.

While the men were distracted by the new arrivals, the robed figure crawled away from underneath them. As they were approaching the side of the road and the thick undergrowth, they were surprised to hear a whispered "Psst...over here." Looking to the source, they saw Alistair waving from behind the cover of a tree trunk.

As he ducked back behind the thick trunk, the robed figure joined him and crouched down beside him. "You alright?" Alistair muttered, and the robed figure nodded. Alistair then quickly looked out from the trunk, seeing Rogon and Na'ish getting surrounded. Looking up, an idea formed in his mind.

He looked to the robed figure, "Stay out of sight okay? I've got to help my friends." Getting another nod in return, he then proceeded to climb the tree he was hidden behind. As he got to a decent height, he managed to shimmy around to the other side and start crawling along a large bough, directly over the still stationary trio of riders.

"So..who do you think these idiots are?" asked the left rider. The leader snorted "Doesn't matter, they get in the way of our pay, they get gutted the same as our target. "So..definitely enemies then…" Alistair thought. It was just as the men circling Rogon and Na'ish had come close enough to start swinging their weapons at them, that two arrows came flying from down the road and struck the riders.

One rider was thrown off his mount from the force of the arrow that hit his shoulder. As he fell, he was promptly knocked out by a swift shield bash delivered by Na'ish. The other rider was able to hang on, as he had been hit in the arm. It did force him to drop his sword however, and then struggle to control his panicking horse with a single arm. The other horse that was now riderless had run off down the road, past Garrick and Varus who were notching more arrows.

The leader gained an angry frown. "Idiots, they won't be getting a cut, that's for sure. Go, get the job done." The two other riders gave a whoop before charging towards the battle. The leader moved to follow, but before he was able to, a weight landed on top of him and settled behind him. "What the!..." he exclaimed, as Alistair reached around him and attempted to get him into a headlock.

"Hi there! Hope you don't mind me dropping in!" he exclaimed. The leader kicked the horse, surging forwards and causing Alistair's grip to shift down in an attempt to hang on, now only pinning the man's arms down so that he could not reach for his weapon. "Get off me you cretin!" the man growled. "Only if you make this ride stop!" Alistair yelled as he held on for dear life.

Meanwhile, Rogon had managed to grab the leg of the rider who had been struck in the arm, pulling him physically off his mount and slamming him to the ground. Before he could follow up with an axe swing, however, he was hit by an arrow courtesy of the new incoming pair. The pain forced him to stagger briefly, allowing the injured rider to scurry back and get up to run in the opposite direction.

The approaching riders notched more arrows and fired again, one hitting Na'ish in the shield once more and another getting intercepted by an arrow shot by Varus before it could hit Rogon. Garrick fired his arrow towards one of the riders, but only succeeded in skimming his cheek and causing blood to seep down his chin.

Before the horses could trample Rogon, he swiftly drew his revolver and shot it straight upwards. The almighty bang created by doing so frightened the horses, making them buck their remaining riders and flee. With Alistair and the leader, the pair fell together, with Alistair getting winded from the weight of the leader landing on him, forcing him to release his hold.

"Haha!" the leader taunted, regaining his feet and turning to Alistair, crossbow loaded and pointed at his face. "I have you now! Hmm, perhaps if you give me all of your money, I might consider letting you...urk!". He was interrupted when a sharp chop to his neck knocked him out. As he fell, he revealed the robed stranger standing behind him, clearly the culprit. Alistair lowered his arms, which he had raised to protect his face. "Whew...thanks."

One of the riders who had fallen had been swiftly knocked out by Na'ish's shield. The other, who had been furthest from the group, turned to flee like his companion had. Garrick, who had been aiming at him, sighed before lowering his bow. Varus, however, had other ideas.

He shot his arrow, striking the runner in the back of the head with a sickening thud, the body flopping to the road lifeless. Garrick turned to Varus with fury in his eyes "What the hell was that! They were no longer a threat!" he raged to Varus. Varus just shrugged, and started to approach the downed enemy without even bothering to answer. He started to search the body for any coin they had upon him, which was sadly very little.

Garrick fumed at him, appalled that he would so callously kill a retreating enemy. He holstered his bow and stomped over to where Alistair and the stranger were, Alistair being helped up by the figure. He barely spared them a glance however, choosing instead to approach the knocked out leader.

He knelt down and removed any weapons on the man, ensuring that they were well out of reach. After attempting to gently slap the man awake unsuccessfully, he decided to wait until he awoke naturally, and turned his attention to the group.

Alistair, having been helped up, dusted himself off. "Thanks, nasty business. What were a bunch of mercenaries doing after you anyways?" he said. Rogon huffed "Mercenaries were they? They weren't that skilled if they were." He then grunted as he pulled out the arrow that had hit him earlier and tossed it over his shoulder.

"I...accidentally drew their attention while I was staying in the nearby town." Spoke a feminine voice from within the robe, before they reached up and lowered their hood. Once lowered, she revealed long, dark hair framing a heart shaped face. She had small, curving horns nestled in her hair, similar to a rams. Most noticeable, was the red shade of her skin, signifying the woman as a Tiefling. She gave a coy smile to Alistair, who blushed slightly before looking away. "Thank you, for saving me. I dread to think what would have happened had they caught me."

Rogon chortled "Quite alright luv, can't have them hurting the innocent. Dangerous enough, the roads at the moment. Name's Rogon." He said, offering a hand to shake. The Tiefling forewent the offered hand, instead choosing to curtsey. "Avery, a pleasure" she replied. Na'ish approached them then "That still doesn't explain why the mercenaries were paid to capture you...you must have done a thorough job of upsetting someone in that town." he commented. Avery just waved a hand in front of her face "Oh, I'm sure it was just someone else who happened to look like me or something…"

They were interrupted by a groan from the downed leader, as he regained consciousness. "Well, let's find out shall we?" Garrick muttered, approaching the man. As he did, Avery started to walk backwards from the group, along the road. "Well, I do hope you find out what they wanted. I am low on time however, and really must be…" She then bumped into something, looking around to come face to face with a scowling Varus with his arms crossed. He pointed the other way, indicating that she should stay where she was, something Avery wasn't about to argue about with someone of his size.

The leader slowly sat up, holding his head. "Ow...what happened?..." he moaned, then looked around him and stilled. Most of the group were looking at him with various scowls and disdain, and he was acutely aware that he was without any weapons.

"So…" Garrick started, crouching beside the man "Why, may I ask, was it necessary for five armed mercenaries to chase a single woman?" The man regained some of his bluster "Why else? We were paid". Garrick nodded, unsurprised. "I gathered that...but why? And by who?" The man huffed, looking like he wasn't going to answer. He changed his mind when he saw the tall half-orc thumbing his metal weapon that had caused the almighty bang that had frightened his steed.

"I don't know who, didn't ask. It's bad for business to ask too many questions after all. As for why, she stole something important from our client. They want it back, they don't much care for the girl herself" the mercenary admitted. Avery felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead as each of the group that had saved her turned to look at her. Some held disdain, like Garrick, while others mere curiosity, such as Alistair. Still, it was a lot of attention that she wasn't necessarily comfortable with.

"I can explain…" She began. Garrick sighed, and stood up. "Perhaps, rather than explain, you can simply return what you stole. Perhaps then these gentlemen will stop chasing you" he said. Avery gained a frown "But...this item will keep me fed for ages, you wouldn't let me starve for the sake of a trinket would you?" She asked, attempting to flutter her eyes at Garrick. Unfortunately, he appeared singularly unimpressed, and simply held out his hand.

After some grumbling, she reached into her cloak, and withdrew a jewel encrusted necklace. She lifted it by the chain, then dropped it into Garrick's hand. He nodded to her, and turned back towards the downed mercenary. Avery stuck her tongue out at him in annoyance when his back was turned, and kicked a small stone away.

Alistair then approached her, "Tough break, looked like a good score" he whispered. She just nodded forlornly. "Why didn't you stop him then?" she whispered back. He shrugged "We're kinda busy at the moment, and I don't wish to make enemies. Pick your fights, yeah?" to which Avery nodded once more.

Meanwhile, Garrick had returned to the leader, and dropped the item in his lap. "Is this what you are looking for?" The mercenary nodded, and went to stand up. "Then take it and go. As you said, the girl was not your target" Garrick said, before turning back to his group. The mercenary took a moment to gather his weapons and awake his knocked out companions, before heading back the way he came.

"You realise they could still come after us? Would have been safer to just finish them." Varus grunted, watching the men walk away. Garrick just shook his head in exasperation. "Then we would be no better than them. We should make haste. We have wasted enough time already, and we need to get to Astor as soon as possible".

"Perhaps I can help with that" came the voice of Indira from down the road. Turning to look, the group saw that she was leading several horses by the reins. They were the horses that had belonged to the mercenaries! Somehow, she had calmed them down, and was giving the lead one a pat on the muzzle. She then turned to give a smug look to the group.

Garrick returned the smirk. "That will work." He then looked around the group. There were four horses, and six of them. "Looks like we will have to pair up on some" he said. Avery then got in front of him "Wait, I'm coming with you." she said, to which Garrick raised an eyebrow. "Really, are you now? And why should we let a known thief travel with us?" he completely missed Alistair fidget nervously behind him.

"Because I get the impression you could do with all the help you can get...besides, you owe me now that you lost my meal ticket" she stated. Garrick looked at her for a short while, before sighing. "Fine, I won't stop you. But I will be keeping an eye on you". She gave a wide smile, before skipping towards the horses.

"Great! Dibs on sharing a horse with Ali…" she started, before noticing Indira giving her a dead stare. She also had Alistair's arm hugged to her possessively, causing a slight blush on his features. Thus, she swiftly changed her mind. "...this guy!" she swerved and went to stand by Na'ish, who stood stock still. He was apparently unsure how to react to sharing a steed with the young woman.

This left two horses between Rogon, Garrick and Varus. Both Rogon and Varus were large individuals, so they would be unable to share. And Garrick was not about to share a mount with an Orc. So, as Rogon went to mount his horse, Garrick turned to look at Varus. "Nope, not happening." Varus grunted. Garrick crossed his arms "Well, it's either that or one of us walk, what else would you suggest? That would defeat the object of faster travel."

Varus chose not to answer, instead walking around the final horse as if taking in every detail of it. Garrick watched with a curious eye. Finally, he stood back from the horse. "Don't worry, we got this," Varus stated. "...We?" Garrick questioned, before stepping back in slight shock as Gauss burst out from Varus' chest and landed on the ground in front of him.

Before the members of the party that had yet to meet Gauss could process the sudden presence of a glowing purple fox, the fox started to grow in size and change shape. After a few seconds, a glowing purple horse stood where the fox had once been. Varus then proceeded to mount the horse and started to trot down the road towards Astor.

The rest of the group stood in brief shock at the sudden transformation. They then shook themselves and realised that Varus had managed to make a bit of a lead on them. "Wait...what was that?!" Alistair exclaimed, starting to follow on. "Oh, that was Gauss!" Indira exclaimed happily from behind him and then started explaining what had happened last night. Garrick mounted the final horse swiftly, moving to follow the group "Varus! What the heck was that?...Varus?!" he called, as the group started to canter down the road to catch up.

Character Profile

Name: Varus

Race: Drow

Class: Ranger

Subclass: Soulbound Warrior (Homebrew)

Varus is an enigma. Simultaneously intelligent yet naive, he often makes choices using logic that only Varus himself seems to understand. Far larger than most of his kin, he does still share the Drow's apparent disdain for all races not Drow. His companion, Gauss, is clearly not your average fox, seemingly able to live within Varus himself, as well as change forms at will.