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[center][b]Kalar Splint, Chief Ranger of Galuntrung Keep.[/b][/center]

[center][b]Ten miles north east of Merandin, along the Geshmere Road.[/b][/center]

Kalar watched Liara sleek away from the road, her nimble and feminine form vanishing into the shrubbery. Some of his men cast him odd glances, but they knew better than to question him. He was a soldier's commander, beloved by those who fought and died on his behalf, but he dealt with dissent swiftly. He was not above expelling a ranger for so much as questioning his judgement over dinner preparations if they caught him at the wrong time.

Still, he knew he couldn't go on giving the girl such a long leash. The others didn't see what he saw, they couldn't understand why it was always his [i]precious[/i] Liara that was sent up as the vanguard. The fact she had survived this long with them alone they probably put down to a mixture of luck and chaos; eventually one of those would run out, and she'd be bones for the carrion. 

That would never be the case though, and Kalar knew this. By sending her out ahead, he was shielding his men from the dangers that they - perhaps even he - couldn't handle. They were vigilantes, irregulars. They weren't monster slaying knights, just a bunch of men in rags, clutching bows and killing petty criminals. Whatever had smote Okly's caravan would make short work of all of them, if Kalar did not play his hand deftly. 

"Ready, m'lord," one of his men, Gormagh, yelled through the faltering rain. 

"Don't call me Lord," Kalar spat back, feigning injury. "You know better than that. Lords don't go squelching through the mud to chase down pox-arsed bandits."

His men laughed, maybe out of respect, or maybe because they genuinely thought his remark deserve such a response. It didn't matter, an agreement of social protocol was in place, and as always, Kalar was the top dog in a pyramid of wolves. 

"Company, move out!" Kalar yelled, and together the rangers started into a march. It was dangerous to travel the road in such a way, but the wily Chief Ranger needed speed more than he did caution. Okly, and the faces of its inhabitants, were all that concerned him now.