-==# Sergeant Kylon #==-
Lunging into his next stroke, Kylon set the thug he was engaging off balance enough for him to stumble backwards and free up space for another combatant. On and on went the vicious cyclic dance, every sharpened blade and every blunt hammer head merely an inch away from scoring a hit before being systematically parried and shunted off to the side. For the sergeant, he took it all in with precision and practiced efficiency that mirrored the excellent conditioning drilled into him from his turn in the army. No thought crossed his mind except for the knowledge of the placement of his opponents and his allies on the floor of the tavern.
He only wished his boys were as competent on that particular level. Stumbling around, shields getting tangled around their feet, swinging their swords wildly and presenting as much danger to themselves as the Oars. If Kylon told them once, he'd told them a thousand times, pay attention!He knew he should have expected this kind of behavior, but in a tense battle situation, one would think that these bastard whelps would have taken their combat training a bit more seriously!
Ah well, at least he had more able bodies on his side, as he looked at the newcomers taking their turns against the remainder of the Oars. The forester girl with the bow and dagger and that odd fox tattoo on her face, and two elven men, one seemingly a Dalish, the other a more hardened variety of the ones who might live in the Alienage, as well as more worldly. No matter their backgrounds, they were skilled, and Kylon was glad to have them on his side.
It seemed as though archers were laying on the far side of the room when Kylon entered and had taken positions and everything. Luckily, their drunkeness hampered their aim, or otherwise the whole operation would have been in serious trouble. One sodder was trussed up by the woman in ranger's garb, a few of the archers in back were taken out by the elves, and some of the frontline fighters had been whittled down to exhaustion by engaging such a coordinated group, Kylon's guards notwithstanding. Three to four were dead, and the rest were practically so wounded that they would have difficulty taking up arms again, most likely.
"Right, let's get this lot rounded up and thrown onto the street," he said in a tired voice, his exhaustion flowing back with the vacancy of adrenaline.
With the aid of the others in the group, the remainder of the Crimson Oars were thrown unceremoniously out into the market district. Kylon walked calmly over to the leader, still slightly dazed from the kick he recieved from the Dalish elf earlier, and kneeled down until they were at eye level. Once he knew that he had their attention, the sergeant spoke, "Now, I've been lenient with you ruffians so far, only a few bruises before running you out, but now I see that actually killing off your men is the only way to get your attention.
"You and the rest of your crew will get back on your ships and leave Denerim tonight. And if I find you causing trouble here or anywhere in this city again, I'll be sure to have your scrawny necks dangling at the end of a rope. Understood?"
His voice was calm, but it carried that authoritative edge that brooked no argument, else he would hold to his promise plus tenfold. His face flabby with drink and fear, the mercenary captain nodded his head viciously.
"Now," the sergeant continued, raising back to his feet, "your weapons will be confiscated, as will the equipment of your dead. You want them back, then you'll come to the guard compound and pay the fine. Also, your ship will be held in the harbor until you pay for damages to the inn."
The captain's face turned from fear to outrage. He spluttered out, "B-b-but that's-"
"Rules for disturbing the peace," Kylon cut off, "and if you don't pay, then you and your boys'll be taking a trip to the dungeons for a couple days. I hear the overnight accomadations are verywelcoming."
Sneering up at the sergeant, the mercenaries grumbled and agreed, throwing their weapons to the mud at his feet and rising unsteadily back up. "Get out of my sight," spoke Kylon in a cold voice, and they needed no other prompting.
He turned and addressed Edwina next, who stood with a smoldering look to the louts behind the heavily armed guards. "Well, Ed, your compensation for damages should be arriving before the night's out, once we squeeze it out of their tight purses, that is."
The stout old woman nodded her head and replied, "Thankee, sarge. Though yer performance was a little below par today, I 'ppreciate you comin' over and runnin' those hoodlums out."
Kylon merely held up his hands and spoke, "You're welcome, but the credit doesn't belong to me alone. You also ought to thank these three. Probably would have been overrun were it not for them." He gestured to the other warriors who had helped in the battle. Edwina turned her gaze on them and spoke, "Ah, well in that case... thank you, all of you. Ye'll be welcome with open arms in my place from now on."
After a nod to the sergeant, the proprieter gathered herself and went back in to see to damages. Kylon looked back to his two guardsmen and ordered. "Right, Sayveen? Head to the harbor on the double, take three men with you and pass on orders to hold the Oar's ship until I say they can leave. Reynolds, gather up another crew and confiscate the weapons and equipment the Oars left behind, send it straight back to the compound as quick as you can." There was some grumbling from the two, but after a stern glance from their superior, they shuffled off to their respective duties. Finally, Kylon turned and addressed the three who had aided him.
"Now, if you three would be so kind as to follow me? I won't take up more of your time than is necessary, I promise you..." He began to circuit back to his regular post near Wade's Imporium, expecting the others to follow him, and it was obvious he wasn't taking no for an answer.
-==# Raiziv Carvi #==-
Raiziv shot the girl a grateful look as she took out the two archers. They'd been lucky if even one of the archers had been sober they would have been in big trouble.
Especially those twoRaiziv eyed the two younger city guards as they flailed about.
The older city guardsman, the obvious leader of the three, was a different story. Raiziv watched him fighting his opponent with precision and efficiency never getting flustered when his opponent parried and returned a blow. Now if all the city guards were more like him Raiziv would defiantly have thought twice about stealing; luckily for him, they weren' did however make a mental note to make sure this one didn't catch wind of his illegal activities, being in his good graces could come in handy in the future.
The sound of thumping feet moving away caught Raiziv's attention. The leader of the mercenaries was making a break for it. Raiziv cursed silently as he stood, hefted his swords and swore loudly whilst dropping the blade he held in his left hand. Somehow he'd forgotten about the crossbow bolt sticking out of his shoulder. He sheathed the sword he was still able to hold and went about the process of extracting the piece of wood from his shoulder.
He firmly wrapped his other hand around the bolt's shaft, and snapped the end off as best he could without causing more damage to himself. He growled faintly glaring at the part of the shaft still in his shoulder and threw the broken off piece onto the ground. He really hated archers, mainly the ones who shot at him, the ones who were on his side he liked. Raiziv bent down; picked up the sword he'd dropped, carefully inspected it to make sure there was no damage to it and sheathed it.
"Right, let's get this lot rounded up and thrown onto the street," he heard the leader of the city guards call out tiredly
"Hang on let me get my dagger" Raiziv jogged over to the downed archer whose shoulder held his dagger. "Asshole" he muttered as he ripped the dagger out of the corpse's shoulder, wiped the blood off on the man's pant leg and sheathed it back in his boot.
Turning back he jogged over to the woman, whom he just now noticed had a really nice tattoo of a fox on her face, "Need a hand? he asked before helping her drag the tied up mercenary outside, all the while ignoring the pain in his shoulder.
When the leader of the mercenaries was dragged out as well, Raiziv couldn't resist viciously kicking the man in the ribs. "That's for making the rest of us mercenaries look bad" he growled as the man clutched his ribs.
Raiziv backed off when the leader of the city guards approached and knelt down until he and the mercenary scum were eye to eye. "Now, I've been lenient with you ruffians so far, only a few bruises before running you out, but now I see that actually killing off your men is the only way to get your attention. You and the rest of your crew will get back on your ships and leave Denerim tonight. And if I find you causing trouble here or anywhere in this city again, I'll be sure to have your scrawny necks dangling at the end of a rope. Understood?"
If they come back after a thrashing like this they really are as dumb as they look.
"Now, your weapons will be confiscated, as will the equipment of your dead. You want them back, then you'll come to the guard compound and pay the fine. Also, your ship will be held in the harbor until you pay for damages to the inn."
"B-b-but that's-"
"Rules for disturbing the peace," the city guard cut off, "and if you don't pay, then you and your boys'll be taking a trip to the dungeons for a couple days. I hear the overnight accommodations are verywelcoming." The mercenaries grumbled but complied, throwing their weapons down into the mud. "Get out of my sight," the guard said in a voice so cold Raiziv was surprised ice crystals didn't form.
The city guard turned around to address the owner of the tavern, Edwina, he was pretty sure he'd heard someone call her that, but Raiziv kept an eye on the retreating mercenaries…just in case. When the mercenaries finally disappeared from sight he turned to face Edwina as well.
"Thankee, sarge. Though yer performance was a little below par today, I 'ppreciate you comin' over and runnin' those hoodlums out."
That was him underperforming? Raiziv's eyes widened slightly Oh now I'm definitely avoiding him
"You're welcome, but the credit doesn't belong to me alone. You also ought to thank these three. Probably would have been overrun were it not for them."
"Ah, well in that case... thank you, all of you. Ye'll be welcome with open arms in my place from now on."
Huh maybe now I can get a drink without being stared at. Wonder if that means I can get a discount as well?
He was brought out of his musings about cheaper drinks when the city guard turned towards them after dismissing his subordinates "Now, if you three would be so kind as to follow me? I won't take up more of your time than is necessary, I promise you..."
Raiziv started to protest as he had planned on finding a healer to look at his shoulder but the guard's tone left no room for argument. Raiziv groaned faintly but did no more as he fell in line behind the man.
-==# Kaytaryn Desmarais #==-
"Need a hand?"
Kayt was kneeling beside the incapacitated mercenary, her dagger in hand when the she realized the words were directed at her. Before glancing up, she sliced through the bowstring she'd used to truss him up. Andaer would laugh … my knots were too good this time!she thought recalling a time when she was seven and he'd been teaching her how to tie knots. Giving the elf a nod, Kayt rose to her feet, saying, "Thanks. I think this one weighs more than a full grown mabari."
Outside the tavern, Kayt stepped aside, remaining nearby, but not within arms reach. She was effectively unarmed now, able to rely only on her dagger or her unstrung bow until she could retrieve a new bowstring and put it back to working order. Instead, she pulled the bow in front of her and leaned against it in an overly and deceptively casual manner. She knew she was more or less unarmed now … theydid not.
Kayt observed Kylon in action now. She'd seen him do the same before to others upon occasion, and she knew this ought to be good. As he spoke, she narrowed her gaze over the remaining men. I wonder if this will be enough to chase them off for good? she mused.
"Now, your weapons will be confiscated, as will the equipment of your dead. You want them back, then you'll come to the guard compound and pay the fine. Also, your ship will be held in the harbor until you pay for damages to the inn."
"B-b-but that's-"
Kayt swallowed a chuckle. Now is not the time,she reminded herself.
"Rules for disturbing the peace, and if you don't pay, then you and your boys'll be taking a trip to the dungeons for a couple days. I hear the overnight accommodations are very welcoming."
She watched the mercenaries as they sneered and grumbled, but reluctantly tossed their weapons aside, her guard a bit more alert as they did so since there was always a chance ….
"Get out of my sight." Kayt bit back a grin and managed to keep from shivering at the coldness of the sergeant's voice as the men stumbled away, their mutterings finally fading away with distance. He is most definitely one not to be on the wrong side of!
Kayt followed him with her eyes as he turned then to speak with Edwina. Kayt noted then that the woman did not appear happy, but then Kayt recalled that the older woman hardly ever appeared that way. "Well, Ed, your compensation for damages should be arriving before the night's out, once we squeeze it out of their tight purses, that is."
"Thankee, sarge. Though yer performance was a little below par today, I 'ppreciate you comin' over and runnin' those hoodlums out."
Kayt snickered softly. Ah, Ed, you ought to be mindful …. "You're welcome," the sergeant quickly replied, "but the credit doesn't belong to me alone. You also ought to thank these three. Probably would have been overrun were it not for them."
Kayt's brow lifted in surprise at this, though she met Edwina's gaze and held it a long moment until she was certain the woman recognized her. "Ah, well in that case... thank you, all of you. Ye'll be welcome with open arms in my place from now on." Glancing at her elven friends, Kayt hoped that was true. The same had been guaranteed to her friend Oriphiel, but Kayt had not seen the woman since their entertaining evening here several weeks before.
Kayt mused on the whereabouts of her friends for a few moments as Kylon then gave his men their orders. She was startled out of her reverie when he added, "Now, if you three would be so kind as to follow me? I won't take up more of your time than is necessary, I promise you..."
Kayt's eyes narrowed as he began striding off across the marketplace. Glancing briefly at her companions, she chose to follow, her steps catching up to the sergeant's quickly. When she reached his side, she nodded slightly at the job he had done, and added, "You do realize, don't you, that you owe me a bowstring?" She waited for him to look directly at her before she winked at him so he knew she was teasing.
-==# Lairentes #==-
Lairentes did his part in assisting the others in throwing the Crimson Oars out of the tavern, but at this point his head was swimming and he needed a nice warm bed to collapse into. The adrenaline had been the only thing holding him up straight during the fight, and now that it was gone the Dalish felt the aftershocks of his beatings. He stood off to the side while the sergeant cleaned things up, trying to hold his stomach down.
He took this time to truly observe his compatriots, based on what he had just seen in that dusty old tavern. Kylon was efficient, quick, and seemed damned good at his job. He had been with the city guard for as long as Lairentes had heard of him, and despite what trouble he had to deal with, Kylon seemed dedicated to his post. Was the pay that good? The Dalish wondered if the city guard was prone to hiring out mercenaries to help out with their troubles. If that was true, perhaps there was a future in helping out the guards. A lucrative future.
The woman that had fought with them had seemed very able to defend herself, and that was something the Dalish admired. But the thing that intrigued him about her was her intricate tattoo, a stylized fox that was jumping across her face. It reminded him of his people's vallaslin, or blood writing. It was customary for Dalish elves to imprint an image of their gods upon their faces, but this was a human woman that bore no such mark of worship. It still surfaced in his mind though, and he had to wonder where she got such a tattoo.
And for the burly city elf that had come in late during the fighting, somebody had been drinking.
The only thing that he took the time to respond to was Edwina's thanks. "Ah, well in that case... thank you, all of you. Ye'll be welcome with open arms in my place from now on." Lairentes folded his arms and tried to look angry, but it just came off as sickly.
"If all your customers are like that, I don't want to be welcomed with open arms." Lairentes glared at Edwina, but did nothing else. The woman had only bothered to call the guard when it was her serving girls getting roughed up by the Oars, but if it was his face getting knocked around then she didn't bother. He wasn't going to hold a grudge, but resentment was rising in his system. He shrugged it off and turned to Kylon, trying to shake away his sluggishness.
"Now, if you three would be so kind as to follow me? I won't take up more of your time than is necessary, I promise you..." The others immediately started to follow, but Lairentes hung back for a moment. He definitely didn't need to be following around the leader of the city watch for payment, but it was clear that Kylon wasn't waiting for him. He grudgingly took up the rear of the pack, trying to maintain even footing as they walked into the Market District.