A5G

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[NPC Post]

"Squirrels?" The hunter's gaze shifted to the tree in question, narrowing to carefully look inbetween beams of moonlight through the leaves. Squirrels... he saw them. Sort of. "I can see the frontmost one. And I know there's more beyond. But that's it."

He could probably shoot one, if it came to that, but it wouldn't be an accurate shot. So bears had night vision? He didn't know that. Just another thing to keep in mind when camping out in the wild, he suppose. Even though bears normally slept at night.

"How clear is your sight? As good as daylight?"

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[NPC Post]

"I'm surprised your mother didn't maul your dad." Reinhold shook his head in disbelief, mind wandering at the implication of this. How did it work anyway? He's pretty sure every village had their own sheep-fucker or an equivalent, but he'd never heard of an actual half-sheep born out of it. Was it only for bears? Why was it only for bears?

He decided that he wouldn't want to know the answer to that.

"I cant promise a perfect watch, if they know what they're doing it'll be easier moving through the dark than spotting them trying that. But my eyes are better than most."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[NPC Post]

"Fair points, all of you. It is true that crushing potential resistance one at a time is the best way to remove all threats. But our main objective is to rescue the prince. If he is moved or harmed in case we strike at the wrong location, that's a failure in the entire operation. Solomon, how far can your summoned scouts operate away from you? I will need them to keep an eye on Fanghorn. I may need you two to do the same, Cedar and Reinhold. Make sure nothing leave the village undetected." That said, getting the prince out if the captors would rather execute him rather than risk his return would be... difficult, to say the least. If that was the intention then a full-frontal assault would be out of the picture, but then how else were they going to go through fortifications? Perhaps Veronica and maybe Kaito can see about infiltration before they fully commit. She'd not trust the vampire as a person, but she did trust her skillset and motivation. In a way, that's more reliable than an unconditional trust.

"If the prince is not at Pesti, we'll find and break whatever magic interference that bounced the scrying there. It'll announce our arrival, but the prospect of any stealth seems to be more and more distant the closer we get."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[NPC Post]

Of course it wouldn't be a smooth sailing. Which path would be the right one? It'll take at least half an hour to get to either villages, so checking both was still within the time table but that relied on one important thing. Which, considering how competent their enemies had been so far, was probably some wishful thinking.

"Veronica, what are the chances of our enemies noticing the scrying?" Matilda wasn't well-versed in matter of magic, but she had better general knowledge than most. Skilled far-seers were great boon, but nowhere near impossible to predict and counteract. "And as the elf said, try check the amount of potential hostile on both sites. Surprise may no longer be on the table now, if we are to divide our force we need to split it accordingly."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[GM Post]

"None. That will be all, miss Jazdia. I will see you tonight."

There's nothing but the elf's own word to it, but Matilda had to be satisfied with that much for now. Returning downstairs, the orc sat alone and glowered at the rest of the room as she had her meal and waited for Anderson's delivery. She'll make sure no mistake will happen before the departure.

After that? Maybe she can catch some sleep.

*****

Time passed. People were roused an hour before midnight, to fully prepare for the rescue mission. Reinhold was already up and awaited, still rather haggard but with a hint of sharpness that was absent from his earlier form. As promised Anderson had horses and a wagon delivered earlier, though not in person considering the other tasks he had to do. Cedar shared the wagon with Veronica, the horses seemingly too distressed by the latter's presence to allow riding, everyone else having their own horse to ride. At the forefront rode Reinhold, the hunters' words rang true as he traced the terrain without much difficulty despite the limited lighting.

The half moon offered sufficient illumination to reveal dark silhouettes. Still, it made for a slow travel. The horses couldn't move quickly, for even an errant pebble or branch could prove hazardous should they trip on it. Besides, Reinhold regularly had to stop and wander sideways to ensure that they're on the right track. Progress, however, was steady.

It was about four hours in when the first issue arose. Reinhold's guidance had slowly led the party toward the village of Fanghorn, where one particularly lowkey baron Otto von Kruber resided and ruled from. Around five miles out, Matilda ordered for a scrying for confirmation. This particular scry seemed to have punched through a veil as she abruptly gained direct vision of the prince sleeping in a well-furnished room. He looked unharmed at a glance, but that's not the issue - it was the location, which pinged not from Fanghorn but from Pesti instead, about seven miles to a different direction. That village was governed by one Sir Caspar, who received the land for contribution on quelling a potential rebellion a few years ago.

What to do?

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[NPC Post]

Matilda watched impassively as the baker introduced himself. She kept her silence through the exchange, eyes narrowing with mounting paranoia as it passed. The knight waited for the two elves to finish, but Jazdia went upstairs instead of returning. That suited her just fine. Briskly following after, Matilda spared a glance to ensure no one followed before disappearing from the common's view.

"I will not pry into your past, or your network." The orc caught Jazdia before the latter entered a room. "But I require your words that it will not negatively affect the mission at hand."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"I hope that wasn't a curse you've just said." Yvonne looked curiously at the foreigner, wondering whether it's a simple greetings or the most gratuituous curse words in that language. Certainly wouldn't be the first time someone get convinced that a hilarious insult meant "pleased to meet you" or such benign things. She wont be repeating the words to anyone else, for sure. Well, more like she cant. That went by too quickly for her to catch anyway. "Drinks, eh? It's a promise then!"

Next was another elf, huh. And the owner of the establishment no less. How far did Jazdia's web spread out? It felt like too much of a coincidence if a thread of it happen to touch Hdur out of all places. Yvonne certainly didn't see many elves innkeeper around at all... though to be fair, Lucas in Rascade was not an elf. Probably got a variety of staff around.

Eh, none of her business. What she cared about, however...

"Nina, girl! Get me a second bowl, yeah? That was some good stuff."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"That's how nobles and monarchs stays in power, yeah? It's all in the blood, and that makes the blood precious commodity. I'm just an outlier that'd throw it all away to do what I want, most people ain't gonna toss aside stability for freedom. Even commoners do marry for convenience, more often than for love. That's the world we're living in." Bowl cleaned and bread consumed, Yvonne licked her lips to savor the last bit of aftertaste from the stew. It was actually real pleasant, she'll probably stop by this place frequently if she somehow ended up active in the area.

"After this? I'm a mercenary, bud. I'll spend some of the reward money on a nice little break, then back I go to the next battlefield. Conflict never ends, and with it the coins always flow." She chuckled darkly. "On and on again, until a grave claims me. Or maybe I'll luck out and live long enough to retire, who knows. People dont usually grow old in this profession."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

[NPC Post]

"I presumed that it is not an urgent matter to discuss with, all things considered. But let's go with the introduction." Matilda gestured at the three hunters, seemingly isolated from the rest at their own table. "Reinhold, Ingmar, and Bertolf. Witness to the kidnapping, if they're telling the truth. Reinhold even doggedly tracked them down to their lair, for... personal reasons."

Then, to Veronica.

"This is lady Veronica. She's a covert operator that frequently works with the crown, and myself personally. I value her skills highly, especially in this kind of investigation."

The fox took a perfect timing to rejoin the group, just as they're discussing him. Was he waiting for it? Probably not. But it's a good coincidence nevertheless.

"We were just finishing up, we depart right before midnight. Miss Jazdia here is about to introduce yourself to us, perhaps you'd like to share your own words?"

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Yvonne was back at her stew after saying her part, though she kept one ear open for the discussion. That seemed to be ending too, with the plan finalized as a night assault. Ballsy. She liked that. She'd be blind as bat, yes, but hopefully there'll be enough fire and explosion around for her to look at her surroundings.

As for the chance of this resolving without conflict? Hah. As if.

"Hmm? Me?" The mercenary switched her attention to Chounan, using her bread to wipe the last bit of the stew before chomping on it. "I suppose it's an old story now. Short version, my parents didn't want me to play knight. Gotta be all prettied up nice and tidy, you see? They're bad with their finance. Like, really bad. Who even hold a party every month? Not even the royal family throw around that much money. They're trying to marry me off to some upstart noble that's trying to establish their position in the high society." The story continued through full mouth, a sight that'll give her parents aneurysm should they be there to witness it. Yvonne swallowed before taking another bite, barely pausing in her animated telling. "Ain't having none of that, yeah? What kind of life is that? Basically dead inside. Grabbed great-grandpa's sword and left with a few stuff I can pawn off easily. Never looked back."