[b]"Can't do it, ma'am, sorry. Mayor's orders. In case of bandit attack, these gates stay locked. This 'ere's a small town, we ain't got the soldiers to send to help every poor bastard what gets in trouble out on the dunes. Outside these walls it ain't none of our business."[/b] The Gateman folded his arms, looking down at Fara from his post above the gate. She knew she didn't need it open to get out, her wyvern could get her over the walls no problem, but she didn't like the idea of flying alone into the unknown without backup and even a couple of town guards would have been better than nothing. She rolled her eyes as she climbed up into her wyvern's harnass, strapped herself in, then made ready to take off. 

Just then, there was a noise that sounded like a cannon blast and she looked over in the direction of the battle and could only see a small plume of smoke rising over the wall in it's general direction. [b]"That doesn't sound good.."[/b] She muttered to herself, glad that her voice was slowly returning to her, quickening her preparations to take off. 

[b]"What was that?"[/b] The Gatekeeper called and turned back towards her, but was met only by a large gust of wind as her wyvern used it's powerful legs and wings to launch itself upward with the force of a loaded trebuchet. Once in the air, she had a somewhat better view of the battle that was raging. It looked as she had first guessed, travellers under attack by bandits, but as her wyvern brought her closer it became clear that there was something not altogether usual about these bandits, if that's what they even were. She also noted the medium-sized charred crater in the side of one of the dunes, most likely the impact spot for the cannon she heard earlier, though she wasn't sure what kind of cannon caused a hole like that. She unclasped her axe from it's holder, on the harness down by her right leg, and gave it a few practice swings to get used to it's weight again. The merchants seemed to be holding their own for now, but she wanted to be ready to split some skulls as soon as she was within range.