---

The dilemma was not looking to resolve soon. Despite being that much closer to rescuing the prince, the conflicting direction from the hunter and the seer was troubling. Whether it was a trick to throw off the seer, or even if the lords were working together and the prince was moved after Reinhold had left, there were plenty of unknowns. Still, there were two choices, and each had valid reasons to be true. Given Kaito’s previous comment, Veronica’s plan to commit to one village was sound. Even if the enemy had knowledge of their approach, it would be difficult to stop them with their combined expertise. On the other hand, Matilda’s worry that should they choose wrong, the prince would be in that much more danger. The possibility of the abductors simply killing the prince in desperation was that much higher. Pondering on it more, even if they did choose right, that desperation could act sooner.

A slight breeze blew across the field over the meeting, the calm cool air doing little to settle the rising tension. Solomon turned his body so that he better faced Matilda, “My shadows can travel as far and as long as I need them. The only hurdle that would exist is the time it would take them to travel. We are close so they can travel there and back within the quarter hour.” Shadows were fast, and though they could not speak, could easily communicate with Solomon. A viable ally to have and has served Solomon well when it came to looking for the lost. At the least they could keep eyes on one village and could provide any information that might change the view point of the current plan. As it stood currently, Solomon agreed with much of what Jazdia said. Though caution should be taken if going that route, there was not much reason if at all for the lord to refuse Matilda and her entourage. He kept his opinion quiet, yet also prepared to call forth his shadows.

Much to Kaito’s surprise, Veronica seemed to share his opinion about the potential of this whole situation being a trap and that it was safer to move in full force. However the point about what if the prince isn’t there is still valid. If they moved to one location and their target happened to be in the other that would be a drag. Their captors might relocate him and finding a lead again would take a considerable amount of time and time was the thing they were rather short on due to all the happenings in the capital.

The fox smiled. The presented dilemma was certainly entertaining. For him it was like a puzzle that was begging to be solved. ”Maybe we should take a few minutes to think this through. Have any of you ever wondered what the enemies' end game is? Like what they truly are trying to achieve? They tried to kill the king, right? But they only kidnapped his son? If you want to seize the throne, why let the prince live? As long as he’s around, he will always have a stronger claim than whomever wants to sit on Fredrik’s chair. It makes little sense to me to try to kill the king but keep his boy alive.”

Kaito paused a bit before he continued to speak. ” Anyway, what I am trying to say is that if they have kept the prince alive till this point, he represents more value alive to our enemies then dead. It does not seem logical to kill him if we moved to the wrong place. I think they will either stay put where they are or relocate if that were to happen. Someone could keep an eye on Fangorn while the rest move to Pesti or the other way around. If they move out, we spot them and can trail them to their next hideout.”

For a moment the kitsune thought deeply about the situation. Killing the father while kidnapping the son was a strange sequence of doing things. He could totally imagine that someone would kidnap the prince to gain leverage over the king but well, that required the king to be alive so in such a scenario the assasination attempt on the king made little sense. If they would try to take the throne, keeping a competitor alive seemed like a bad choice. Unless that competitor was actually running out of patience waiting for his father to kick the bucket. Could it be that the prince was involved in a different role than just a helpless victim? In Kaito’s mind that was certainly plausible but he decided not to share this string of thoughts with the rest of the group. Some of them seemed to be fiercely loyal to the king and would probably not like such insinuations.

Noticing how Jazdia had activated her eyes, Kaito quickly looked around just to see if the elf was looking at something specific. However that did not seem to be the case. The fox just guessed that it was a sign that he should shut up. ”I’ll shut up now and let you ladies decide our course of action.”

[NPC Post]

"I care not about your rescue, mister bear." Reinhold pointed out the reminder, that his purpose here wasn't the same as the rest of them even if the two goals were reasonably aligned. "There are men I want dead in that place, whether your group decide to attack it or not. I'll go myself if I have to."

Probability of success? Zero, basically. Maybe he can take down a couple with a well-prepared ambush and traps, but there's no way a lone hunter like Reinhold can fulfil his revenge without aid. But he will make the attempt anyway - results be damned. A man got to have principles, aye?

[NPC Post]

"As you've said before, I have no direct command over you." Matilda glared at the elf without hiding her annoyance, momentarily considering how satisfying it would be to throttle that reedy neck. But calm down, calm down. The enemies were close. No need to take it out on an ally, no matter how belligerent. The orc took the communication device, steely gaze never leaving Jazdia's figure. "Fine. Splitting the force it is. Solomon, start sending your shadows now. I want eyes on both villages. Veronica, I need report on both place's potential hostile, now."

Independent contractors, bah. If given the choice, Matilda would've just took a regiment of the army and be done with it.

Twenty years in the organization and Jazdia perfectly knew how exactly she sounded like. Not every people find her leadership style... convenient, and she knew it often stems from her ability to see what most people could not. She had tried to tone it down many times, obviously, but now due to her being pulled out of retirement, she forgot some of her settings. But hey, Matilda always had the option to decline her plan and devise her own. If it was sensible enough, of course.

As if anything she ever planned was sensible enough...

"Why do we need Solomon's shadow in both villages again? You are going to Pesti, will you not? And I will proceed to Fanghorn. I don't think you will need summoned entities. One because once discovered, it shows hostility from your side, and two, what purpose does it serve? Communication? You already have one."

Jazdia shrugged. "But, hey, don't let me stop you. You are the boss, right?"

A plus-one if fighting broke out? Could work, but she doubted it would be anything Matidal couldn't handle. Besides, the head was always a precious commodity, and whoever dares to lay finger on Fred's myrmidon was either a madman or someone who could live without a head, or four other limbs.

But a madman though...

"Well, you picked the commpass..." said Jazdia, smiling rather gleefully. Who cares if the orc Paladin looked very irritated by her brazenness? She decided to roll with her plan anyway. "Try to give each other sitreps whenever possible, okay? If you think the place is an obvious trap you lots couldn't handle, please inform me immediately. I will need Mister Solomon to go with me. Of course, if he doesn't mind. If anyone else wants to tag along with me, you should consult Matilda first."

---

With a plan reaching finalization, Solomon went ahead with summoning his shadows. Cedar might recognize some of the motion and energy, as it was very similar to when he animated Birk back at the watery tower ruins. Despite the silver in the energy, there was no light. Solomon held out a hand and began to mutter under his breath. His sleeves shifted off his arms revealing the bareness and age of his skin. His fingers were partially held out, his palm swirling energy and particles of blackness. The energy he cast emanated from the large tome strapped to his back, and circled around his torso down his outstretched arm. Then suddenly the power went straight into the ground.

“I call upon thee, shadows. Heed my command and come forth.” said Solomon softly, barely over a whisper. From the ground a pool of black nothingness began to form, absorbing the little light that was cast upon it. Slowly at first, then faster as they began to emerge, vague shapes of humanoid entities rose out of the pool. Like silhouettes, no details could be made from them save for their profile. Some appeared to be male, female, short, tall, but things such as age or species remained impossible to tell. About ten of them stood on the ground, soundlessly, and perfectly still. The energy faded, and what remained were the shadows and Solomon.

“You need not worry about their discovery. I guarantee they will not. Much like their name, shadows cannot produce sound, nor can they interfere with man. They can hide in any crevice that houses darkness and any space shaded from the light.” said Solomon. He turned his head slightly so that he appeared to be facing Jazdia though the shadows of his hood concealed his face. He let down his arm, the sleeves of his overcoat sliding back down to conceal his arms. Solomon whispered silent words. Those close enough could hear his breath exhale, but would not understand what he said. The shadows immediately reacted, collapsing into the ground. They resembled actual shadows of people standing in the light, though no figure existed to cast them. With speed superior to that of their horses, the shadows moved towards either village, gliding across the ground. In mere seconds, they were out of sight.

“They will monitor the villages where we cannot. Should something of trouble arise, they will approach you as subtlety as they can. Of course, they will not reveal themselves to anyone not present here. They will keep a close eye on either manor for the prince should they attempt to smuggle him. They know as much as I, so I trust their discretion. Though they cannot speak, I understand them. For anyone else, treat their appearance as a warning.”

“As for the plan at hand, if Guard Captain Matilda has no objections, I will gladly join Jazdia. The prince is close at hand, and we should be careful not to squander the opportunity. Lady Veronica and Cedar have great skill when it comes to location, so I trust them to successfully locate him. Guard captain Matilda, it is not just the King who has trust in you. We should stand together on this.”

Kaito sighed. As usual Jazdia was drawing her own plans again without any regard for what others thought or said. That elf could be such a pain in the ass at times. And yet it was one of the traits the kitsune liked about her. She was never boring and complacent. It was truly a miracle that Madame Mathilda hasn’t exploded yet because of Jazdia’s way of communicating. It would surely be a sight to behold. However the orc showed a degree of remarkable patience that he hadn’t expected of her.

“I don’t believe in coincidences. I still think the fact that we suddenly broke through with scrying is entirely intentional from their side and that us splitting up is exactly what they want us to do. But hey, why listen to someone who specializes in trickery and misdirection…..” Spoke the fox mildly annoyed as he was convinced that this whole situation was an obvious trap.

For a moment he contemplated what to do next. The decision was already made to split up so there was little that could be done about that. The only thing that wasn’t clear yet was who would go to what place. “So about this splitting up thing. Who’s going to tag along with Mathilda to Pesti and who’s going with Jazdia to Fanghorn? Can I assume that you ladies have thought about what abilities you want on what front?”

“I don’t believe in coincidences. I still think the fact that we suddenly broke through with scrying is entirely intentional from their side and that us splitting up is exactly what they want us to do. But hey, why listen to someone who specializes in trickery and misdirection…..” Spoke the fox mildly annoyed as he was convinced that this whole situation was an obvious trap.

Jazdia's glowing eyes stared at Kaito in a way it was intended to bore his skull open. Sure she didn't mind an alternative plan, but so far nobody offered none, save what Matilda has planned, and if putting all eggs in one basket could be considered a plan that is.

"Then what is it that the enemy does not want?" she said, though on low voice, the belligerence of her tone was apparent. If it was someone else, she would have forgiven it, but Kaito was one of her agents, and he doubted her like he was yesterday's recruit, no... not even yesterday's recruit would dare to say that. Unless he is smart enough to devise his own plan.

"Ten minutes have passed! We can't stay here long. If any of you folks have another plan, say it now." declared Jazdia, there was a hint of challenge in it. "How we should handle this interference? My plan essentially is to check all avenues and cut their escape route, and improvise with the upcoming situation. We have the means to communicate now so coordination can be done easily. It is not a perfect plan, no plan is, but at least a flawed plan is better than idling about with no clear direction."

Location: Kindeance, 5 miles outside Fanghorn

---

Veronica sighed quietly. This seemed to be going nowhere quickly. As was her want, she offered her opinion and little more to the proceedings. Again, it seemed Jazdia continued to divide and usurp the authority of the group, in spite of Matilda's definitive statements. The elf just... didn't give a fuck, and that was clearly an issue, regardless of any level of sense she was making. Veronica considered herself a patient person, but she already knew the elf had been responsible for grievous fuckups where Matilda's leadership hadn't. Therefore, was it really reasonable to keep allowing her to do as she pleased? How long would she remain patient, Veronica wondered, and moreover, what would happen when enough was enough?

In the end, however, it seemed that they would be dividing their forces once more. Veronica could only inwardly lament, but she wasn't about to be the one to make a fuss. Shit happened. Dealing with it without complaint was just one of many skills she'd acquired in life. Loathe as the vampire was to admit it, the upstart elf was making too much sense, especially with the odd magic device in play. This "commpass" was fascinating to behold, and Veronica did take a moment to handle it and get a feel for its weight and function, nodding at Jazdia's words. The elf's briefly glowing eyes got a raised eyebrow from her, but she didn't inquire after the reason. It was obviously some manner of visual magic, and with the darkness being what it was, she could hardly begrudge her companions the usage thereof, irregardless of how conspicuous it was.

The bear -Cedar, she reminded herself- was apparently entertaining himself with the hunter with a chip on his shoulder. Well, as long as they weren't getting into trouble, she let it be. Solomon's magic... She was both unnerved and intrigued by what seemed to be some form of necromancy. Or, at least, it had some appearance as such. She certainly couldn't say she was completely unfamiliar with spectral undead. They weren't her favorite experiences, but they had been valuable. If it wasn't necromancy, then it certainly was a fairly hilariously useful summoning spell the swaddled man had at his disposal. The ability to be so many places at once... unseen... unheard? Priceless. Putting aside any misgivings she might have about the man's association with her Sire, right here and now, she was more than glad to have him as an ally. Besides, the doctor had been one of the original members of the team scouted by the King himself, just as she was; if she couldn't trust her Lord King's judgement, then whose could she?

Then again... with Henri and Jazdia as a counterbalance... along with at least one murderer of innocents?

Veronica shuttered her crimson gaze in thought, drawing in and exhaling a slow, calming breath. Matilda was speaking again, addressing- ordering her specifically. She wanted scrying? She wanted approximated enemy numbers? Yeah, Veronica could do that. Stowing her map away again, Veronica stepped off the beaten path to find a good, firm stick, before returning to trace out a pentagram in the dirt road wide enough to sit in, which she promptly did.

The pentagram wasn't strictly necessary, but it did help to a degree when she had time to use it, especially when she was channeling catalysts for a specific target. This time, however, she did not lay out the catalysts she had been using in the past days to scry the Prince. They were both unnecessary and potentially misleading to her scry's purpose. This time, she would not even be explicitly targeting either village, but manually casting her gaze out from her present position and sending it soaring towards each location individually in turn. With any luck, if the anti-scrying measures were still in place, this more roundabout scry would avoid setting it off and allow her to take the comparative longer but effective route to peer into her foes' positions.

Rolling her shoulders more for show than any need to work kinks out of them, Veronica crossed her legs, folded her hands atop her knees and got to work.

[GM Post]

Regardless how many what ifs, no one suggested a better plan. The last bout of scrying before the partings revealed several things, in both villages. Neither seemed to have any activity going on at the dead of the night. On Pesti side, the prince was scried to be inside the barn of a farmstead in the outskirt of the village. Several completely out of place tents were erected around it, where armed men in non-uniform equipment were standing guard outside while a larger number sleep in the tent. About ten awake including the sentries, and roughly twenty more in place. Meanwhile, on Fanghorn the lord's fort looked almost completely deserted save for several sentries nodding off on the top of the battlement. The inner side, however, was a mystery - wards were built into the stone, a standard construction from a harsher times to protect fortifications from magical attacks.

"Veronica, Chounan, Yvonne, with me. Double time. The rest of you, follow the elf."

The wagon was parked as discreetly as possible on the roadside. Then, finally, the group separated.

*****

At the outskirt of Pesti, the wide farmstead came into view in the form of various torches kept lit by the armed defenders. There's fence surrounding the entire place, but it's more to keep animals in or out than to deter people seeking entry. However, spread evenly in the darkness were sentries keeping watchful eyes outward. They didn't seems to be doing that good of a job, constantly nodding off under Veronica's darksight, but there's no way they'll miss a direct approach.

In the distance, the lord's squat little fort loomed on the top of a natural hill.

*****

Nearing Fanghorn, the party slowed down as they beheld the village. Not far off from the riverside was an artificially elevated mound where a stone keep was raised. A ring of stone wall surrounded it near the top, a northern gate giving fast access toward the bridge if necessary while the southern gate opened directly to the village. The inner village was attached directly to the southern side of the fort, where the more important buildings were kept. Surrounding it was palisade walls, a section looked to be recently rebuilt while the rest seemed like it's been neglected for decades. The outer village was largely residential, with farmsteads jutting out with little thought or planning like some particularly blocky half-halo.

"So, we'll just walk in and hope they dont shank us or something? Dont get me wrong now, should be a walk in the park unless they've got someone like Admiral Delving in there. But it's not like people like that grew on trees yeah?"

Thin line between bravado and confidence, but Yvonne had enough reasons to be convinced that it's the latter. She herself was no pushover, despite the particularly embarrassing performance back in the entire underground hideout fiasco. Mattie should be at least her match, and then there's Chowder who dish out death like nobody's business. Never heard of this Veronica before, but the woman just legit ran alongside their horses and didn't even look out of breath. Definitely not a pushover either.

All in all, between the four of them there's really not much a "small" group of thirty can do to slow their advance. Juuuust gotta watch out for arrows in the dark, she suppose. Yvonne can shrug off most blows, but a longbow shot to the eye wasn't something she's confident in surviving.

Location: Kindeance, 5 miles outside Fanghorn --> Pesti, western farmstead.
@A5G@Remuri

---

The sprint to Pesti was bracing but thankfully nothing quite hard enough tear her legs to shreds, Veronica noted, enjoying the cool breeze whistling in her ears in accompaniment to the gallop of horses under a pale moon. No longer burdened by the cart, the group was able to make significantly greater haste than before. Of course, even then, their pace was slowed by the need to not trip the horses up under unideal lighting, but otherwise, progress was far more to Veronica's preferred "speed", as it were.

As Pesti dawned in the distance, the group swiftly peeled off the path towards the western outskirts and the farmstead where hopefully lied the captive Prince. Their path was lit only by moonlight, as the murk eventually cleared to her darkvision to the farmstead proper, the tents and guards she had foreseen in her vision as present as ever.

First and foremost, carefully maintaining her distance, the vampire made a half-circuit of the patch of land, making a second count of the guards with her own eyes before she was satisfied. Nodding, the pale girl returned to the others and found a patch of tall grass on the fields to crouch low. Fiddling with a stick, she sketched a rough outline of the farmstead, including the barn, the tents, the guard positions, and the position of the team itself.

Pursing her lips tightly in consideration, she added distances as well. Even despite the distance, she kept her voice low out of caution. "Ten guards, as foreseen, spread at even intervals of approximately 20 meters. In this lighting, approaching them unseen might be feasible, but the landscape is not to our advantage. Mostly flatlands with tall grass as the best cover." Her brow pinched in thought. "I might be able to get past unseen alone, given just how exhausted many of those guards look. If successful, I could quietly put an end to the sleeping troops before they have a chance to be an issue. The real problem is just getting past the initial line of sight," she mused aloud.

Leaning back, she slung her arms over her crouched knees. "But that's certainly just one approach with plenty of room for error. If we could take out the outer ring of guards first and without notice, that would be the most ideal... The only question is how to do so silently. Arrows might be a way... but if our shots aren't instantly lethal? Well, death isn't often quiet. Besides which, a body slumping to the ground is liable to make some level of noise itself." To be honest, she was quite worried. This was it, the most critical portion of the mission. The Prince's life was in the balance, and recklessness could not be afforded. "I do have a little magic I could put to use here... if we have enough bows, I could ensure our opening salvo eliminates at least three or four of the guards before they have any chance to respond. I'm confident that I could add another two or three to that number in the timeframe before they can manage to react... Actually..."

Addressing the samurai, Chounan, Veronica gestured to his bow. "How confident are you in your long-distance shots under moonlight? Will the impaired vision inconvenience you overmuch?"

To Yvonne, she said, "I regret that I carry only a single bow of my own. You seem a fair hand with many weapons."

To Matilda, in turn, she inquired, "How effective is your own crossbow shooting in this situation?" Veronica wasn't entirely sure herself, since most of the time, the concept of "stealth" was not one the orc seemed overmuch interested in by comparison.

[NPC Post]

The problem: there's a bunch of armed folks that'll likely try to stop them from reaching the barn. The solution: varying, depending on how good of a fighters they were and just how much preparations they've got set up. Information was lacking, as as much as Matilda preferred just waltzing in and crushing all resistance like Yvonne chimed there may be some other ways this could be done with.

"Is it possible to grab one of those sentries without the others noticing? One that is getting too sleepy for their own good? We can get some answers from him, and the hole in their watch perimeter will allow us to slip in." Matilda squinted to see the rough sketching, with great difficulty managing to get some sense of the drawing. Didn't seems much different from the scrying result reported earlier. "No need to risk taking down all of them. I cannot shoot accurately over long distance even in daytime."

"Same here. I mean, I know how to handle a bow without getting a cramp somewhere unpleasant. Or throw some javelins. But dont count on me hitting the bullseye." Yvonne tapped the brand new mace on her hip, the weight a bit different than the previous one but she'll just need to smash through a battle to get used to it. Ain't the first time she had to change weapon. "I'm better at crushing things up close and personal, yeah? If I get through I can smash the guards before the rest of them even wake up."

@Lewascan2

Addressing the samurai, Chounan, Veronica gestured to his bow. "How confident are you in your long-distance shots under moonlight? Will the impaired vision inconvenience you overmuch?"

"Hmm... In daylight I could hit a target around one hundred fifty meters to two hundred meters with a light war arrows. One hundred meters with a heavy ones. With a moonlight and twenty meters range. As long I have a good vantage point. I could hit their vocal boxes with ease..." Chounan answered Veronica.

Supposedly out of any prying eyes, the group made their stop in the treelines two hundred meters away from the gate. The sound of the swift stream from the Green River could be heard behind them, a perfect mask for one of them who walked with heavy steps, though not a soul could be seen anywhere near them at that moment.

If Veronica's intel was to be trusted, the fort was almost deserted, and it seemed so before their gates and battlements. Only eight could be seen patrolling atop the rampart, fulfilling their duties with bored heavy faces, so nominal for a second or two Jazdia wondered if they have arrived in the right place.

But the Hunter was so sure he looked about to jump from their cover anytime now. In his answer, he added how those men must pay for the death of his brother, needless to say, Jazdia didn't find his personal motive beneficial for this mission.

"We are here for scouting purposes." and she will not repeat it again. "If it is revenge you seek, be patient-"
Jazdia shifted her attention to the main mission. The earpiece was still silent, and that was the first thing to worry about because now should be the time for Matilda to inform her of the first update. She wondered how they are doing right now. Chonan was impulsive and Matilda doesn't seem to be a person with patience. Had they sounded the alarm already?

Jazdia patted Cedar's wide shoulder and donned her friendly attitude. If memory serves right, working with a druid is difficult, but this fella seemed more approachable.

"One of my concerns is if the second party started a fight and Pesti called for reinforcement with whatever means they have. We can't let their reinforcement arrive before we do. We must do something to hinder their mobility. Master Cedar, I need you to create obstacles on the main route so their horses and carriages cannot pass. Can that be arranged?"

Sure it can. He was a druid and nothing those tree huggers liked more than turning man-mad creation back to nature's embrace.

"And, Master Solomon, you said you deployed one of your shadows. Care to tell me something about it?"

After saying that, the elf activated her eyes and scanned for whatever waiting behind that city wall.

[GM Post]

Beyond the wooden palisade, the inner village could be seen. At some point in the far off past it was a strictly military establishment, but now only the great hall was distinguishable with the rest of it replaced or otherwise blend into the various buildings that was erected at a later date. More than necessary, in fact - the entire thing was a serious fire hazard with how tightly packed it were. At a glance there's a blacksmith, a stable, various living quarters, granary and other storages, and some miscellanous ones that were difficult to tell what they functioned for. Regardless, it looked like the (slightly) better-off part of the village lived there.

The stone walls, meanwhile, had something like copper veins buried into it. Rustic and rudimentary as it were, the warding scheme was decently robust for its apparent simplicity, strengthening the walls as its primary purpose but in this particular case it's acting akin to stained glass to distort what's beyond it. The courtyard between the fort and the wall was empty, acting as mustering ground for troops deployment though it didn't seems like it had seen much use at all for a long time. At least the grass was trimmed.

The fort itself had similar warding scheme spread throughout in an even denser concentration. Designed as a cheapest method to defend against magic, it strengthened the stone construction while at the same time simply disperse and blur out any attempt to peek inside by simple virtue of an ungodly amount of interference. While the design will also stop any sort of magical transmission from within, a mage on the defender's side could simply climb to the battlement if necessary. Not the most convenient, but beats having the fort falling to an assault due to sheer intel difference.

Location: Kindeance, Pesti, western farmstead.
@A5G@Remuri

---

Veronica nodded her acknowledgement to Chounan. It seemed he was, as expected, very skilled with a bow. Unfortunately, with only him and her as functional archers in these conditions, it seemed the archery plan wasn't going to work. Or, at the least, it was best kept as a backup option. That was fine. Veronica had honestly considered it something of a long shot, in both the physical and metaphorical sense. Her clairvoyance had limits. Even with complete surprise on her side, the vampire was only confident in being able to kill five or six of the guards, maybe seven at a stretch, with arrows before the remainder might raise the alarm. And it really only took one of them to make things a whole lot messier than preferred.

Her brow furrowed in consideration at Matilda's suggestions, before she sighed. "I had put some thought into those routes, Dame Matilda. However, the whole reason I suggested archery was that there's no telling how good the nightvision of the guards is. For all we know, they could have mages among them with detection magic, regardless of their apparent awareness." She drew a line straight through the formation sketched in the dirt. "If, however, we can pierce their lines, we'll be in the clear. The hard part is getting inside the guard circle to begin with. Past that? We'll be practically home-free. We could approach the remaining guards from behind and quietly eliminate them, and then it would just be a matter of falling upon the remaining sleeping forces."

Cupping her chin with one hand. "Interrogation would be nice, but that runs the risk of the guard making enough noise to be heard by his fellows. Besides which, that might not be time we have, depending on how stubborn he is or otherwise loyal to his employer. Which is to say nothing of the fact that we don't actually know when the next guard shift change is, and we can't afford to wait for it. Because then, we'd be dealing with rested and alert sentries, and our odds become much more harrowing." Closing her eyes, she tried to consider how to make that approach viable. "Perhaps... Hrmm, if we got enough distance? Grabbing a guard quietly, shouldn't be... too much issue. I should be able to avoid any detection magic. One sleeper hold or slit neck later, and I suppose we'd be in... assuming the other guards don't notice anything happening. The chances of doing that quietly get lower if we want to drag the guard away to interrogate, but as long as we get enough distance, I suppose we could find ways to keep them from screaming for help... or out of spite."

Sighing, her palms motioned in the air like a pair of scales. "Capturing a guard... Risk of detection is significantly higher, but we might get information on any secret defenses in the camp. And we could potentially get confirmation that the Prince is actually here without committing. By contrast, we could just kill the guard and work our way around the other ones, before attacking the sleepers. In a conventional sense, it seems the more natural approach, but the unknown will potentially be a factor."

Rocking lightly on her heels, Veronica nodded. "As much as I don't like it, we may need to play this by ear and have faith in our skills." Glancing around the group, Veronica continued. "For my part, unless there are particular objections, I intend to kill all the guards forming the perimeter ring, one at a time, quietly. I can make us an opening and then approach the rest of the sentries from behind in turn and deal with them. If you like, I can leave the first guard alive for you to interrogate, while I eliminate the possibility of the others noticing his absence."

Dropping the stick she had been scrawling in the dirt with, the pale girl retrieved a leather case from the small of her back, drawing forth a shortbow and beginning to check it over. She had already taken the liberty of stringing it shortly after the group's arrival in case they were made right out the gate, but it never hurt to double and triple-check. Satisfied that her bow was strung properly, Veronica placed the case back in its proper place and strapped the bow to the outside of it, ready for swift retrieval. "Either way, I feel eliminating the perimeter forces is important. The last thing we need is to have them attacking us from all sides if or when things go loud in the camp proper."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned they say but the material plane had something much worse. A Jazdia who’s decisions got questioned by one of her own. Her gaze was so fierce that it sended a shiver down Kaito’s spine. For a moment he just searched for the words as he wondered if he should continue to argue. However his string of thoughts got interrupted by Mathilda barking orders to move out. The usually talkative fox was remarkably silent during the trip to the outskirts of Fangorn.

When they arrived the kitsune took a quick look at the situation. There was a stone keep surrounded by a stone wall and a village surrounded by a palisade. Considering the time of day, getting into the village would be a bit more difficult as the gates were usually closed at this hour. One could not simply march upon the gate and ask entrance at night without drawing up a lot of suspicion. It would probably have been better to arrive during the day and pose as travelers to get entry to the town and work from there.

“Getting into the village and Otto von Krubers keep is going to be a challenge at this hour. We’re not exactly figures of authority to which the baron has to provide a certain degree of hospitality. It would have been nice to have Madame Mathilda here. Her presence opens doors. Nobody can refuse her when she demands entrance without insulting the king himself.” Spoke Kaito as his words were sort of a suggestion for a potential course of action as Jazdia was well aware about Kaito’s ability to impersonate people and a bit of a quip about his concerns with splitting up at the same time. However the fox had no intention arguing about that topic once more so he pushed his feelings about it aside and quickly spoke“Anyway, I'll follow your lead. Just tell me what to do.”

[NPC Post]

Well, needs must. The less uncontrolled variable, the better. Matilda didn't fear any pitched battle, but if the enemies failed to notice her then they'll not have time to play hostage or whatever dumb shit with her rescue charge. The orc nodded in assent, finally giving Veronica permission to run wild.

"Do it then. And make it quick."

The timing couldn't be any more perfect. As if on cue, some cloud decided that it's the perfect time to temporarily shroud the moon behind their fluffy mass. In a world of pitch-black darkness the vampiress strode forth, neither sound nor sight able to catch her presence. The first sentry was nodding off when something softly rustled to his right, a pair of bleary eyes slowly turned to that direction as he squinted hard. Ain't the first night he's on this duty, and still no head or tail of the supposed threat. An insect? A critter, perhaps? Complacency truly was a fearsome thing.

A pair of slender arm emerged from the darkness, one latching on his neck and the other to the back of his head. The sentry struggled and struggled, yet his captor didn't even budge. Within seconds his strength waned, and unconsciousness took him. And he was the lucky one. Two other sentries closest to the first was next, neither stood a chance as their mouth was covered and throat slit from the back. Then the first was retrieved for Matilda to question, his fate seemingly bleak.

Two more sentries surrounding the barn, and they soon joined their compatriots. If either had substantially less blood than expected, it's unlikely that anyone will detect it. The corpses were then dragged further away, two at a time thanks to Veronica's strength, and the job was done.

*****

"I dont know anything about kidnapping! I swear! We're paid to protect the cargo, client said some people wants it bad! Enough to kill for it! Just some wooden boxes, that's all. We ain't peeking, stuff's sealed but no way there's anyone alive in there after so many days. L-look, boss' a reasonable man, J-just point some swords at us and we'll give up the contract. No sense dying over money, yeah? Need to be alive to spend it, yeah?"

Veronica would return just in time for their terrified captive to be up and conscious, and... anticlimatically spilled everything. How much truth was contained in the words? The panic looked and sounded real enough, but who knows?

"Oh, you're back." Yvonne was the first to notice the approaching vampire, who had gotten way closer than she'd like. Creepy sort. Thankfully it's an ally at the moment. "Didn't get much out of this guy. I dont mind going in and killing all those guys but if they're really the mercenary sort we probably dont have to."

She glanced at the bloodstain. Then shrugged noncommittally.

"Pity about the deados, but hey. It's a dangerous business."

Cedar was momentarily startled by the unannounced intrusion into the private conversation he was having with Reinhold.

"Oh, ya wants meh tuh plug up da roads? Won't da locals get upset? I mean-- I's can do it, but em farmers' gunna be right cross wit' us nex' year when theys wants ta send in their goods 'n such. Thinkin' it'll keep em from runnin' off with the lil' tyke are ya?"

He returned his attention to Reinhold.

"I knowed at em barstards went an killed yer friend-- Dayum, We's even found da body man-- Stuck 'im in da back an lef' im dere... But lissen tuh me a minute, wouldya? We catch em barstards as did it, we gonna squeeze em till they eyes pop out. I's knows some crows as'd like tuh eat em. But we gots ta be sure 'eys really da ones as did it, unnerstand? Odderwise, ya runs da risk a killin' some odder ol fool's frien, and den HE want OUR eyes popped out, ya? Dun worry-- We'll git em. An when we does, we'll git em good. Bu' righ' naow, we gots ta keep our heads, unnerstan?"

The long eared elf woman nodded, and affirmed that yes, she knew, and yes-- that was one of the reasons they needed to be closed.

Cedar huffed out a sigh, then returned his attention to Reinhold once more.

"I ain't just no ord'nry talkin' bear, ya knows. I's a MAGICAL talkin' bear. Look like I gots work tuh do. Prolly gunna take all nigh'. I wantcha ta tells muh ya gonna keep ya head in all dis, aright? I dunno why, but ya reminds me a muh pappy sommow. Dun wantcha ta git hurt no moar an ya already is, aright? Look like I gotta tear up da groun' scamperin off inna nigh' ta go clog up some roads 'n bridges. I'sl come back soon 's I can- Stay outta trouble till 'en, a'ight?"