A5G

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

"Whoa, no need to get snappy there messer Fuzzy-wuzzy, just a plain ol' messenger here." Yvonne opened her mouth to continue, paused, frowned, and looked back in deep thought before shrugging something off her mind. "Eh, ain't remember what's on the label. But nabbed it off Krub's cellar back then."

Leave it to her to loot some booze before their return.

"You'd bet I'll board the first ship to somewhere tropical once Freddy cash out my reward, Bae!" Or perhaps she'd hang around longer to join in the upcoming war instead. Seems like something Capn' would gladly participate in... or avoid like plague. If the latter, she's definitely taking that ship. Say what you will, but the mercenary leader had a near-supernatural keen instinct on avoiding danger. Yvonne thought that she should pay the man a visit after this, first thing first. "And doctor Solomon, my favorite man! Always with the good idea, eh? Get me outta these bandages, it itch like hell. Ah, before that-"

The mercenary turned around, placed two fingers at the side of her mouth, and whistled loud and clear. Noisy enough that a particularly disgruntled visage popped at the side of the carriage, the very gaze pointedly asking "What?"

"Join us for a moment, would'ya? Little one must be hungry."

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

The door swung open, not quite slamming to the wall but still with more force than strictly necessary. There stood Yvonne, some scab still lining her face like a deranged tattoo, especially coupled with that manic grin she's sporting.

And oh, she seemed not-quite sober too. Because why not.

"Yoohoo, how's the party goin'?" That's followed by a cackle, as if there's something especially funny in the sentence. "Our VIP's wondering if we're leaving anything soon. A bit mean leaving them hanging out there, no?"

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

[GM Post]

"Please do not insult Admiral Silas. But... Well, I suppose it's prudent." Alec reluctantly agreed, after mulling over it for almost a full minute. It's pretty obvious that he didn't find the idea appealing at all. He eyed the people hard at work at the distance, their details obscured by the darkness, the grunt and clangs of their effort audible even this far out. "How are we clearing that blockade? Those people seems to have been working on it for quite some time."

Some distance away, Yvonne's very much resisting the urge to get even more sloshed even as she's trying her best not to pick her scab. She's shaving the corner off the table instead, it didn't really help the itch but it kept her good hand busy. Just as well, the foreigner came back with... a rather weird question.

"What?" She paused, repeating the question in her mind before continuing shaving the wood off. "Someone of your skill can just walk up to any free company and join in without much difficulty. Unless you ask for too much pay, I suppose. What's with the question?"

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

[GM Post]

Elves. So goddamn mercurial. Matilda was half of mind to slap the unknown artifact off, but she reined her temper and took a listen. Her scowl deepened at the transcription, eyes flickering to the last glint of Silas' coat as he left the room. As promised. She could breath slightly easier now, and refocused.

"...I still dont like your behavior, Crystalspark." Stated the Knight-Captain by the end, returning the earpiece once there's no more dialogue to be had. "But fine, I admit that you have your reason. Not a great one, still. I apologize for my earlier outburst." Now, coupled with the Delving's confession... there's a picture to be seen here. How much could the man be trusted, though? He had an angle to this himself. Minimizing the damage to the Delving name, so that he would inherit the legacy mostly intact? Duke Delving will not get out of this unscratched. Hell, she doubt he'd get out of this alive at all. But how much of the family burnt down in the process, that's up to Silas' performance.

"I would not trust the admiral near the prince. None of us will be able to do anything if he grab the prince and flee with his ability." A glance was spared to Veronica's cloaked figure, presence barely felt in the night. The vampiress likely could, if night have fallen. But she's nowhere near enough to best Silas in combat. "He can be our outrider, if he so wish. Not one step closer. But what is your take on this matter?"

How bad of an ambush can the duke arrange for anyway? The entire kingdom is in high alert, armed men travelling in large group will be spotted and questioned by Kindeance patrol. Unless Delving had wormed far enough into the army...

Elsewhere, the prince took a sharp breath at the title. Kindeance only had one admiral in active duty at the moment. And that was Silas Delving. A bonafide hero! Wouldn't that be good news, then? He's among the best fighter the kingdom had. A bit strange that he arrived late, but surely an admiral was busy?

"Admiral Silas?! I've met him before, he's a great man. Did my father sent him? It's quite far from the sea, but the matter of my kidnapping is no small thing." No one had told him about the circumstances, so he's understandably not getting the urgency. The thought that the Delving could be involved didn't quite crossed his mind. "We should return. With the admiral around, no amount of assassin or kidnapper can succeed-"

Alec suppressed a yelp as the path darkened- no, it was one of doctor Solomon's shadowy servant. It was... miming something? Continuing to point backward at the way they came from...

"Doctor Solomon? Wait, they cant speak. What do you think he meant?" He spared a glance at the back, not seeing anything at all. Images of bogeymen jumping out of the corner rose instead, and he shook his head to banish the mirage. "Warning? No, doesn't look urgent. Go back, perhaps. I think they've resolved the situation. Let's go." One last look at the end of the tunnel, where he could somewhat see shapes urgently trying to break through. "Once we're sure the path is secure, we should come back to tell them to leave from the castle. I doubt anyone will mind, at this point."

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

[GM Post]

Yvonne sighed inwardly, recognizing the diplomatic rejection for what it was. Kirsten knew nothing but the gilded cage she lived in for all her life, that she wouldn't even try to escape. Or perhaps she did and it failed, whatever. The mercenary couldn't do much more than give an encouraging advice. The two of them were on good terms, yes, but not good enough for Yvonne to risk everything for the Delving girl. Her own escape from the Rosenving's clutch were already a work of miracle.

"Would you look at that, I think he likes you! I haven't seen him talk that much before!" She gave Kirsten a firm pat in the back before distancing herself, though her attention was on the elder Delving instead. She's paying attention to the exchange alright. She trusted Sparky's leadership, but at the moment it looked increasingly likely that the elf was trying to antagonize Silas. For some reason. "I should make some room for the two of you, yeah? Have fun."

Yvonne made some distance alright, but from her position... well, a darker, more pragmatic part of her mind told her that should it turn hostile the best move was to flank and neutralize Kirsten immediately. Friendship or not. No hard feelings, but survival comes first.

Under the mercenary's eyes were Matilda, who shut her eyes and inwardly counted to ten in an effort to control her temper. Then the orc glared at the petulant little contractor, flat out displeased at the entire charade.

"So it seems that Cedar have more tact than you. I would call it surprising, but that would be a lie." Jazdia was evidently not used following after others. "What are you playing at? Out with it. Fucking subterfuge..."

Elsewhere, the prince mulled over the explanation - after taking some time deciphering through the accent - before nodding in acquiescence. Okay, he could understand that much. His pace resumed, but so did the questions that came to mind.

"Very well. Did you caught a name? There should be precious few in the kingdom that can give dame Matilda a pause. Or perhaps there's an overwhelming number?"

Up ahead, near the end, there's constant thudding noise and hushed whispers. Upon getting close the two would've spotted some of the fort's civilian staffs and some villagers that took refuge under the storehouse. It seemed that the building above had collapsed, for they're using whatever tools at hand to try break open the trapdoor. To little success so far, but didn't deter them from trying.

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

[GM Post]

"Mister Cedar?" The prince whispered, very carefully stepping through the dark tunnel. He couldn't see much, but there's some sort of light at the far end. "I presume something happened, but an explanation please?"

Part of him worried if the talking bear would try to kidnap him. He had came along because the sudden urgency change, but nothing seemed to have happened. A more reasonable part countered that surely his father wouldn't let a double agent into the rescue team? And a less savory part doubted if the bear was even capable of treachery, being a strangely intelligent beast and all. But still, it's perfectly valid to worry. He had no idea what could've transpired at the court, and another kidnapping could prove politically fatal.

His steps slowed. Could he fight Cedar off? The latter looked rather injured...

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

Kirsten had even less subtlety than Yvonne herself, and that's saying something with how brutish the mercenary could be at times. She felt like it's a shame. The Delving daughter could've been a well-respected warrior, but instead she's reduced to playing maid for someone who gave no regard to her talents.

"Just a mercenary, ma'am. I let the thinkers do the thinking, yeah?" Replied Yvonne coyly, suppressing a wince as the klutz grabbed her injured arm. Bloody hell, that hurts!

"Not a literal leash, silly!" Then, leaning closer, the voice took into a low whisper as an eye kept trained on Silas. Admiral's still making some speech, he likely wont pay attention this direction yet. "He had you tied up to him so tight, he'd drag you down to the deep end with his ambition. For your own sake, darling, get away."

Then she's back to normal with the confident bravado, as if the little warning had never been said at all.

"Blood ties ain't everything, yeah? Duke Rosenving can probably attest to that." Power really had their way to worm into someone's head, didn't it? Why would these powerful men ruin themselves to show off, to reach for more? Life could've be much simpler. Oh well, at least that means there's job aplenty. "That right there is Chounan, supposedly left the knight order for an undisclosed reason a while back. Why dont you say hi, Chowder?"

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

[GM Post]

"Then with much regret I'll inform you that the duke have made the wrong assumption." Matilda replied flatly, her tone booking not the slightest trace of amusement. "These men and women are investigating the assassination attempt, the very same that your brother had so thoroughly obstructed one day ago. Von Kruber is your father's close associate, you say? This will be investigated, for he harbored a significant seditious force in this very keep."

Being an orc had its advantage in situation like this. Humans tend to have hard time reading her face, only seeing a stone wall that betrayed nothing at all. As for the present company... hopefully they knew how to play along. The only flaw was if Cedar came stomping up that stairs with the prince in tow, so she'll need Silas and company out of the room as soon as possible.

"This situation is so far outside your jurisdiction, admiral, you shouldn't even be here. There is nothing you can do to help unless you fancy digging peasants out of the rubble. Everything is under control, relief force will arrive before the day ends. So be on your way."

"Eh, I've been better. Not everyday a master mage decided to blast half your skin to oblivion, yeah?" On the side Yvonne and Kirsten chatted away like the situation wasn't as tense as a warehouse full of black powder, the former flexing the burnt arm where the scab had started to flake off. It itched like a motherfucker, she hadn't drink nowhere near enough to numb her senses. "How are you doing these days? Daddy dearest still being a prick? You should consider snapping off his leash, ditch him off! Heck, I'd show you the ropes. It'll be fun!"

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

If you're a mercenary, you learn how to smell bullshit quickly enough. Otherwise your client may send you to a situation they never expect you to walk out of. And right now, the presence of the admiral this far inland had rang all the alarm bell within Yvonne's head. Just the fact that a visitor had arrived nearly as soon as the storm's end was suspicious enough, and for the fabled admiral to be on the lead?

There's a dead rat somewhere, and it reeked.

"Admiral Delving! A long way from the sea, ain't ya?" Yvonne leaned lightly against the table, frivolous yet in full alert with her sheathed sword in hand. "And Kirsten, pretty as always. Pardon the sorry welcome, we've had a mage problem recently. It's been dealt with."

Can the party take them? The other three were unknown, but the Delving siblings were the real deal. Yvonne in her peak condition may be able to match Kirsten pound to pound, but she's nowhere near a good state at the moment. Whereas Silas... never personally seen the man fight for real, but words were he's a powerful and well-rounded fighter. Probably would've lopped her head off within minutes even at her best. Here's hoping the special investigator can at least tie him down. Her or the illusionist, as the two largely unharmed people in the group.

"I'll be blunt with you, admiral, the timing of your arrival could not be any more suspicious." The knight-captain growled, not even displaying the slightest bit of courtesy. "Spill. What business do you have here, where seditious influence had taken root?"

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

[GM Post]

"She will collect that favor at a later date, my prince. After you have matured into a proper monarch. And as an elf, she can afford the wait." Matilda reminded the prince, not even waiting for said elf to be out of earshot, as gently as her gruff personality could. Perhaps the warning was not necessary, but the knight-captain couldn't help but worry for her future liege. The event from the past week will force him to mature, probably way sooner than he should.

"And I fully intend on keeping my words, dame Matilda." The prince calmly replied, nodding at the introduction to the adventurers. There's a lot of names, but he's good at remembering names. It's certainly nowhere as complicated as the royal court. "Nice to meet you all. Pleased to make your acquaintance, doctor Sparrow."

"If you say so, my prince."

"She ain't wrong though." Interjected a particular mercenary, sauntering over with a nearly overflowing mug in hand. The burn on her body had started to scab over, and it itched like a motherfucker. She needed a distraction until the alcohol kick in. "A monarch's favor should not be granted lightly. Oh, I'll still collect my share though. Dont worry, it'll not bankrupt you or anything. Probably... damn, you're taller than me already. Drink?"

The mug was shoved before the prince's face, and upon refusal the target changed to Matilda. Meeting another wall there, she shrugged and downed the whole mug before returning to the table for more.

Taking the prince downstairs, Cedar would need to pass the casks of various alcohol - with the dead-drunk man in one corner -, storage of grain and preserved meat and perishables, and finally at the far end the spare clothing for the staffs. It actually was in good shape, if well-worn. Only matter of time to find something of the right size.