Kayden's hand rested upon his sword hilt, and he viewed the assembled team set before him. "[i]So[/i]," Nuva asked, "[i]might I ask what our strategy for this infiltration will involve, captain? Who'll lead the group, who'll protect the rear, and such forth?[/i]"

"Luckily, we can afford to travel in a loose formation as it stands, though you'll be following me since I know the way. The Fort is called Fort Hillcrest. It was abandoned a century or two ago, and was thought to be lost to the sands of time and perhaps ripped apart by giants. Seems cutthroats found it instead. It was built to guard the northern pass and to overlook the Deth'ulun, yet able to blend into the mountainous terrain." 

Kayden looked to Virgil. "Horses aren't a good idea where we're going. Once we got the place, you'll be able to use the stables there." 

"No matter." Virgil said and dismounted. He gave a smirk. "Rather rein my mount here than back at camp. Less likely to be stolen." 
"That goes for all of you." Kayden said.

He gestured with a nod of his head for them to follow, then gave a curt wave to Jex as the team gathered around him. The group going after the Fort began to move, heading north of the guard tower ruins and proceeding through a rocky, lightly forested terrain that seemed to curve northeast. "We'll meet Morek up ahead." he told them, the Captain moving with the energy only a fit young man had. "Once we get there, I'll show you the way in. It should only be lightly guarded from within. We'll need to keep our heads down though for patrols on the wall." 

He lead them east suddenly, and experienced woodsman could see a very small path under their feet from where Jex and Kayden had been traveling earlier. The forest was thicker here as they moved, and they had various sightings of wildlife. A Wolf stopped in the path before them, alert and watching, before disappearing within the brush as if it had never been. It was fortunate that they had not run into something more aggressive as of yet. Perhaps it was because of their next stop 3 hours in. 

A small dell surrounded by gnarled Oaks held Morek the Dwarf smoking a pipe silently. The bark on the Oak trees were stained with blood, and 3 Orc corpses lay sprawled upon the ground. The Dwarf used one of their bodies as a makeshift stump to rest upon. He only had a small scratch on his left pauldron to show he had been in any kind of scuffle. 

"Ready tae go?" The Dwarf asked. "We'll rest here a bit and get something to eat." The Prince replied. Haukford approached Morek and examined the muscled, moss green corpses. The Orc heads were primitive and monstrous, with tusks and yellow pig eyes. "Not bad." the armored man said, his voice emanating out of his helm. 

"I aint seen an Orc up close in many years. Brings back old memories." Virgil said, and lit a pipe of his own to smoke for awhile. It was less than half an hour of a rest, and they set off once again with Morek at the Prince's side. 

Soon they made it to the foothills and crags before the northern mountains, which lead into a more precarious path that wound deeper into the rocky terrain. Up they went. The Dwarves would have an easier time making their way across the sides of the mountains, their short but powerful legs used to such hikes. It was grueling work, but at long last their trail ended when Kayden held up a hand to halt the team, and then gestured them to stay low and quiet. Within minutes, their path winded into more ubiquitous curves before they ended up near what seemed to be a tall trench that was roughly human height. Kayden lifted his head to peek over quicky, then slipped down and rested his back quietly against the back wall in the middle of his group. 
[img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/b20bd54833d86366095fe85a798338dc/tumblr_oalt55Cooe1sx8o26o1_1280.jpg[/img] 
Fort Hillcrest. It looked like the gates were opening just in time. 

[hr][hr] 

[i]Meanwhile...[/i] 
"Well well, it certainly appears zat our litt'el Gnome frrrand is not accompanying us on zis fine day, eh?" Regeland said. Jex the Drabarian looked at them in a way that was difficult to tell whether or not he was sizing them up to eat or to see if they would slow him down. 

"Come." was all the Bounty Hunter said, and his tail flicked as he spun and waded into the trees. The rest of them followed, moving with the experienced precision of those accustomed to the woods, or at least those with a knack for being light footed. Instantly the forest was much thicker than most would have previously guessed merely by looking from the mountains or a city wall. 

Strange noises and animal baying would slip in and out of earshot as they moved. Green and brown filled their vision, as did the small rays of sunlight that poked onto the forest floor. Jex would switch between running on both legs, to moving on all fours, and even leaping up to swing off branches every now and then, using the dexterity one would expect from a creature or practiced ranger. 

Two hours into traveling, Jex suddenly halted, and glanced back at those behind him. His intimidating gaze flashed with warning, and suddenly he leaped up into the tree that was at his side, grabbing hold of the lowest and strongest branch and scuttling up further until he was safely hidden within the trees leaves. There were many moderately sized trees around them to either climb up or hide behind. A few thick bushes were to their left. To the right were mainly weeds and various foliage.

The Elves would hear it first, but soon even the men would. It sounded like an inhuman laughter mixed with a mad dog's bark, and there were multiple of them drawing closer. Gnolls... 
[@Austronaut][@Fuzzybootz][@Jbcool][@rush99999][@boomlover][@BCTheEntity][@frapet][@The Fated Fallen][@Free Faller][@dragonmancer][@Fubsy]