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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 12, 2011 0:48:48 GMT -5
Leon had cracked his nose back in place place on the way back, which had hurt like hell again. He wasn't really sure what he looked like, but after a getting attacked by a fleeing bear from the forest and his other injuries he was pretty sure he looked like hell. The good that came out of it was he had bear to eat one day, already cooked.
Once he arrived at the castle gates it seemed like there was way more guards than necessary. 'They are paranoid, with good reason.' The moat below the bridge seemed like a good place to get drowned or boiled, but that would have to wait. "Excuse me sir." He said to one of the guards with the bow and crest in his hand. "I'm afraid I have some good and bad news."
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 12, 2011 1:48:58 GMT -5
The dark-skinned guard that Leon spoke to looked up when he was addressed. After a glance to make sure the other guards were well attentive, he nodded to the stranger and spoke quietly, "One moment."
Banez had wished when he had woke up that he didn't have to do anything. But there were so many preparations to take care of, and Cruz was gone while Simon was healing. The captain managed to get a replacement breastplate that fit with the rest of his armor, and he had read every report of dispatched scouts, new patrols, patrol shifts, and who was being called back from the southern fortresses, and he read them enough times that he'd feel completely ill if he had to read another one. The wound on his back was healing nicely, and his arm didn't pain him so much to move extensively.
So now... now he was taking a break. He was compiling information on the map for Angel Haven, shrinking down his notes so that they would fit where he pointed to their respective locations on the map. Once finished, he folded the map into a small square and ended up just staring at it for a good five minutes with a solemn expression.
"Captain, there's someone who says they have news. They have some torn cloth with the royal insignia, but he's not one of ours."
Banez looked back at the door to see the dark-skinned guard. He wished for a moment that the guard could have used his own judgement in the matter, but he stood up and made his way out of the castle with the guard. The guard captain ran his hands through his hair to neaten it up as much as possible, while he hoped that he didn't look as stressed as he felt.
And then there was Lysand...
Banez shook his head. That all wouldn't matter if the vampires managed to overrun them. He stepped out of the castle, wearing his arming his sword but not his shield, and he followed the dark-skinned guard to the gates where this mysterious man was. Hopefully Travis...
But it wasn't. Banez eyed the robed man and glanced down at the crest and bow. Upon seeing the green paint on the edges on the recurve bow, the captain's expression melted into concern. That was..... His gaze returned to the man. "I'm Captain Gladpath. Who are you? What news do you have?"
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 12, 2011 20:32:56 GMT -5
Leon waited while the guard went into the gates to presumable fetch someone of highly authority. Wasn't it up to their discretion on who was let in? Hopefully it wouldn't take to long, but this city seemed huge, so he might be stuck at the gate for a while. He took another look at the bow in admiration, to bad he didn't get some arrows. It was likely that he would be able to keep it either, but he had expected that.
After standing for a little bit longer the guard returned with another man who looked slightly stressed. The man surveyed the bow and the crest in his hand and introduced himself. 'A captian, I wonder if he has to come out for every person that comes to the gate.' "I'm Leon and I have some good and bad news. Your fire attack on the vampires was successful, however at the cost of your men's lives."
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 12, 2011 20:49:37 GMT -5
Banez looked down at the bow again. Cruz.... The captain's brows furrowed with grief, and he only looked again to Leon when he worked out a more neutral expression and his head felt more clear. "...No one named Leon was sent to scout. Who are you?" he asked again. "What happened??"
(Short. Whatever.)
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 12, 2011 21:49:44 GMT -5
Leon caught the captain look at the bow with a brief moment of grief, and he remembered the broken man left alive. 'That'll be a fun surprise if he ever finds out.' "I am a fire mage. I heard rumor that there was a vampire attack in the mountains and I went to Riyer to get information on the rumor. Instead I found the city nearly deserted with an occasional black-clad soldier. So, I decided to investigate the surrounding area and I saw a group of soldiers stealthily moving through the forest. Their armor was different from the ones in the town and I thought I might be able to find out what was happening if I followed them. After following them through the forest they managed to reach the very edges of a large encampment and it was then I noticed the oil packs on their belts. I looked more carefully at their armor and realized they were soldiers form here, which meant the rumors of the mountain attack were true and they had managed to reach the vampire encampment. Being a fire mage, I thought I might be able to help and talked to Cruz," Leon was really glad Cruz had told him his name and that he managed to actually remember it. "who told me what their plan was and what I could do to help. So, Bart created a distraction by lighting a fire and we began to sneak into the camp to burn their weapons. However things began to get out of control after we set fire to the first weapon. The burning weapon caught the vampires attention and one of them blew a horn which got the whole camp to start moving. Frantically one of the soldiers lite his oil pack and I threw the fireball toward another one of the weapons getting it to catch fire. We barely had time to take out the other four weapons in this way before a sentry group who was already on patrol reached us. This, as I am sad to say, is where some of the men began to fall, vampire bastards fight hard." He took a breathe and continued again, "We gradually began to fight our way back to the forest and when we were there only four others and myself were left. The vampires expected had expected us to go there because there was already another group who sneaked up on us and got Cruz. There was little hope left at that point, three of us left and still a lot of vampires. One of the soldiers gave me this crest and said, 'Take this and Cruz's bow and run to Cados. Don't look back. They need to know the weapons are gone.' So, I did as he instructed and began to run away form the battle. I'm not sure what happened to the rest of them, but as I was running a vampire caught up to me and stabbed me in the arm. We got into a fight and he managed to punch me in the face, but I used the knife he used to stab me to get him in the neck. A bit of irony that I didn't notice till I had managed to get away from the forest." Leon took a breathe proud of the extremely twisted truth he managed to tell, but didn't let it show. 'It was true in the beginning at least.' "I'm sorry to bring you such grim news captain."
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 13, 2011 1:49:38 GMT -5
The vampires had Riyer as well? The whole story at once just seemed to be a sensory overload to the captain. Only when it was all over did he start to process what Leon was saying. The vampires were marching past Riyer, the scouts managed to take out the siege weapons, and Cruz... In the back of his mind, Banez had been hoping that Cruz had gotten separated and had escaped. "...How did you get his bow?" Banez asked in a daze.
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 13, 2011 20:27:14 GMT -5
Leon felt like that was probably one of the most elaborate lies he had ever told, but it seemed like it confused the captain. 'Maybe if I had it in pictures it would be easier for him to take in.' "After the vampires ambushed us, they had killed Cruz. I killed the vampire that killed him and after the soldier told me to take the crest and the bow, I got the bow off the ground. Had to get it quickly though so I would be attacked in those moments." He was sure the captain would have other questions and he was ready to have to recount what was necessary again.
(Uhhhhhh......)
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 13, 2011 20:37:27 GMT -5
He had to have pried it from Cruz' dead hands. Banez knew how difficult it was for the soldier to part with it. Extending his gauntleted hands gingerly in an expecting fashion, he finally said, "Thank you for reporting this to me... May I please have his bow?"
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 18, 2011 0:43:45 GMT -5
Leon kept his face solemn, but on the inside was glad it was seeming to work so well. Too bad he had to give up the bow, but he figured he would anyway. He handed the bow to Banez, "I'm sorry to bring you such grim news." Now it seemed all he had to do was wait.
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 18, 2011 0:59:35 GMT -5
Banez took the bow off of Leon's hands, still looking dazed as though the mage had hit him with a brick. "It's.. fine. I'll be fine." No he wouldn't. But the captain still managed to have the wit to dig into his coin satchel, handing Leon several gold coins. "If that's all you needed to tell me..." he faded out his sentence, unsure whether or not he could finish it without an embarrassing noise of some sort.
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 18, 2011 1:09:06 GMT -5
The look on the captains face made Leon slightly confused, yet happy. That look had made this trip even more worth it than it was before and the addition of gold coins was a bonus. He wasn't really sure what he would do with the coins, but he could think of something. "That is all I have to report. Though I would like to ask if there is anything else you would require of me." He would have anything else to do until the vampire got here, so might as well do something.
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 18, 2011 1:17:22 GMT -5
Banez looked up, appearing even more confused than before. Would he need the fire mage? It was true that they would need everything that they could get, but then again, who knew if this man had a family or larger goal he was striving for. The captain reclaimed his voice again, his tone a hair more serious, "Stay in the city. If the vampires manage to storm the city wall, help as many civilians escape as you can."
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 18, 2011 1:29:41 GMT -5
The array of face expressions the captain went through made Leon wonder if the man had some sort of emotional imbalance. Well, he wasn't the most sane apple floating in the moat either. "I can do that for you." More waiting in the city, he was going to have to find something to do until the vampires got there, but he couldn't create havoc yet. 'How do citizens handle themselves?'
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Post by Banez Gladpath on Jan 18, 2011 1:38:53 GMT -5
"Thank you," Banez said genuinely. The castle was one thing, but the people were going to need all the help they could get. He clutched the bow, promising to himself that this death wouldn't go in vain, or at the very least, unavenged. "And good day to you, sir."
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Post by Leon Von Feuerzauber on Jan 18, 2011 1:46:25 GMT -5
"Anything to help out in this trialling time." Leon returned the captain's genuineness as best as he could. It was easier since he didn't specify who exactly he was helping. "A good day to you too captain. I hope things fair well in the future."
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