[GM Post]

"We found the place exactly as described. Took down some sentries, and grabbed one for questioning." Matilda's voice brought more than one pair of eyes her direction, most not expecting the orc to have regained consciousness so quickly. She's staring off into the distance, her face contorted in what seemed like a mix of anger and pain, but sounded lucid enough for conversation. "Figured that the lot likely was a throwaway bunch hired to stand guard and ask no question. If so they are loyal subject of the king still, caught amidst a seditious plot. I decided to minimize the casualties."

Her voice was flat, but sharper ears may noticed the hint of a volcanic eruption hiding underneath.

"It went well. Too well, in fact. The merc leader, Gilbert, was fully cooperative. Together we forced open the large box I thought was the prince's camouflaged holding cell. It was not. Instead, a magical edifice greeted us. Scattered around it was urns of black powder, and the opening of the box triggered sparks of flame. I... do not remember what comes after."

"As I've said earlier, the damned place blew up and caught fire somehow. Merc inside didn't make it, and the rest of them woke up with their sentries and boss missing while the place they're supposed to guard is on fire. Grabbed Mattie, fought them off, and made our getaway, that's about it. Nothing particularly noteworthy."

Jazdia was a bit upset with the closing. According to their account, she deduced that the mercenaries were also oblivious to what they had gotten themselves into. That also means the group was hired at a rock-bottom price, and very incompetent they basically let their employer double-cross them like this. She wondered what Yvonne had to say about it. Though rarely expressed, honor amongst freelancers was still a norm.

Done pondering and returning her attention to Matilda, Jazdia's expression was steeled. To think it could have been her makes the elf shudder.

"Now we only have Fanghorn to look into." she said, fully acknowledging that this time it shouldn't be stated in certitude but she did anyway. "But obviously, we-- I can't overlook the fact that you are not in a condition to fight. We can proceed without you but we can't spare anyone to usher you safely back to Rascade or Hdur if the swift action to rescue the prince is still on the table."

The elf shrugged. She had a plan, obviously, but that will wait for Matilda first. To adapt and be adjusted accordingly. It was never an effective way of deciding things, but due to the duality of the leadership, it was given.

"There, I have said my part. Ultimately, you have to decide it yourself.

may i join this rp

[NPC Post]

"Then go." Matilda stated flatly, not the slightest ripple in her tone. "Leave me somewhere hidden, I'll see you again on your way back. Make haste, you hear me?"

It's as if she's talking about a third party instead of herself, but that's just Matilda's sense of duty. Anyone still combat capable press on, the injured stay behind. If she die, she die. That's all there's to it.

"Bring him back safely, I'm counting on you." The orc tilted her head with great difficulty, meeting Jazdia eye to eye. "And if the opportunity present itself, do pay the dead back in kind would you?"

Go to Fangorn, go to Pesti, go back to Fangorn again. Well, these ladies in command sure like to push people around all night. Did they forget that exhausted troops aren’t particularly effective? Not to mention that Mathilda’s orders of leaving her behind were rather suicidal for the orc, not that it was his problem but still. They couldn’t leave her here to die, right?

Kaito had been silent for most of the meeting up but decided to speak up. ”How about a slightly altered course of action? I can arrange a villager with a cart to bring Mathilda back to the castle. That should take like 30 minutes most. In the meantime doctor Solomon can administer first aid while Chounan, Yvonne and Veronica can catch a small breather. That way they will be more rested when we go to Fangorn again”

---

“I, for one, am for leaving her behind. If she perishes, then let that be nutrient for the forest.” said August, now fully above ground, but still distant from the party. While he was quiet, he made no effort to conceal his comment. He let his hand glide down the neck of the horse Solomon was once riding, soothing the beast. “Then I can destroy the fools who hide in their city made from stolen land.”

Solomon ignored August for the most part, disagreeing with both him and Matilda. He knelt down close to Matilda who rested on the makeshift stretcher sled. Parts of her body expose had serious burns. If it were not for her armor, and the toughness of the orc species, Matilda would have surely suffered the same fate as the mercenary leader. While she probably had several bone fractures, Solomon was able to determine that none of them had broken, thankfully. A burst vessel in her eye, and bruising. Her recovery was possible, but Solomon doubted her ability to remain on mission for the time being.

“The mission will be done, Guard captain Matilda. However, do not mistake that your life is expendable.” said Solomon. He reached into the folds of his garment and presented a soft leather case. He rested it on the ground, unlatching the belt and pulling out several vials. One of the pain relieving salve, and another had a rough drawing of a flame. He applied the medication, and started to clean the injuries as best he could.

“I’m in agreement with Kaito. I will not leave Guard Captain Matilda in this state, especially since I can treat her. Some rest can be afforded. If Kaito can secure that transport, her recovery will be better monitored back at the palace.” said Solomon. Matilda’s shadow began to shift as though it were a separate entity not cast from her form. One of Solomon’s shadows, one of those sent to Pesti initially, revealed itself. Only presenting itself as a small silhouette of a woman on the ground, Solomon paused what he was doing, looking at it. IN the few second of silence, Solomon started his work again.

“At the very least, it seems the militia at Pesti is not on your immediate tail. Many if not all are swamped with the villagers trying to figure out what happened. The lack of a leader is also playing a role in that. Four shadows remain in reconnaissance around Pesti should something else worth noting occur. To have the means to halt scrying, or even that of the undead, I would not put it past them to be paranoid enough that Pesti might be holding other countermeasures.” said Solomon.

“Dawn breaks. The mandrake’s and their city will soon be overrun with the thorns from your bear. At least, those not uprooted from the north.” August commented again. Hopefully if there weren’t any other hidden tricks among the inhabitants of Fanghorn, then those thorns should hopefully delay whatever plans they had. The thorns along with the destruction of the northern bridge.

"Then go!"

The lack of tonality in her statement should reflect the direness of the situation, but somehow Jazdia didn't view it as such, but rather, Matilda sounded more like a pouting child who felt being left out alone while the other siblings partaking in some wonderous activity.

The elf walked closer. The value of Matilda's life was not her immediate priority, nor something she intended to address, but if it can go both ways, why not?

"Bring him back safely, I'm counting on you." The orc tilted her head with great difficulty, meeting Jazdia eye to eye. "And if the opportunity present itself, do pay the dead back in kind would you?"

"You are giving your trust to a snake," Jazdia said, it was a solemn whisper, yet sounded like a threatening hiss. "And you will witness the meaning of my words sooner than you could have imagined. And You will not be able to resist."

She let the others speak about the matter first. Kaito suggested securing a cart to bring Matilda back to the castle while the others take a breather. Solomon agreed with his plan and expressed his concern for Matilda's well-being.

For a moment, the doctor paused. The shadow he planted on Matilda revealed itself, apparently bearing information about opposition in Pesti that had organized some unfruitful search on their tails. Just like what Jazdia had predicted.

“Dawn breaks--"

The ancient spirit spoke again. Good news, really, though Jazdia had a hard time imagining what had become the gates and walls of Fanghorn right now. She now feared that their biggest obstacle would not be about how to deal with the enemies inside, but rather how to get in instead. If those in Fanghorn fortified themself and the place became impenetrable, that would render this operation into a deadlock.

"You will see the payback yourself." she said to Matilda, then to everyone else, she announced resolutely. "We will bring Matilda to Fanghorn, and see if they are despicable enough to violate the sacred hospitality."

Jazdia glanced at Matilda again and smiled. "See? I told you."

Dawn was breaking on the horizon when Cedar came huffing and snorting down the road, and back to the forest edge near Fanghorn castle. To his surprise, there was nobody there at all, except the old hunter Reinhold.

"Hey--" (short, huff) "Where e'ry buddy a'?" he huffed at the man, who seemed more than a bit put out at simply waiting around all damn night. "They tells muh ta blocks da damn roads, an' they decided ta go an' run off? I swears-- Em kids is dumb as rocks..."

Put out, he shambled over near where the man was secreting himself in the underbrush and laid down to cool off. He really didn't understand the thought processes of other people some times.

[NPC Post]

The hunter nearly jumped out of his skin as his hand went halfway to the knife on his belt, but fortunately his memory caught up a split second later. Really, it'll take a while getting used to a sentient bear in company. Reinhold chuckled to himself, inwardly thinking that it'll make for some nice story to share in a tavern if he somehow survived the entire operation.

"Hail, ser bear." He returned to his position, mostly hidden behind some bushes as he overlooked the walled village. "They used some magic to contact the other side, I'm not sure what exactly happened myself but it seems like the dame got injured. There goes our surprise, eh?"

[NPC Post]

Asevor was not having a good morning.

At first it seemed that everything went as smoothly as it could. The adept identified the magical working and had the muscles simply dig them out, the makeshift arrangement relying on being unnoticed to work. The undead druid that set it up must've gotten words about the trap at Pesti and was forced to trigger the growth early, thus leading to the premature notice. It didn't take long to completely remove the druidic influence, and not a second too soon - sunlight beamed from eastern horizon, marking the dawn of a new day, and their enemies seemed to be completely gone.

It was about fifteen minutes later that Asevor received the report of a still-growing wall of bramble the size of warehouse, poised to take over the village's southern gate.

And five minutes after that before another growth was found on the road a bit further south.

"No. Vast as my repertoire could be, there is nothing I have to remove the blasted brambles. Unless you dont mind to risk burning half the village, or blighting the land around it for years to come?"

"Well, if you put it like that..."

"I have sent an adept to break the magical influence so that it stops growing. Beyond that, I'm afraid it'll need honest labor to slowly chip away at the hedge. If you have to pay the peasants to do so, then so be it. Am I understood?"

"...yes, archmage. I'll have it arranged."

That's one issue done. Now, what would the enemies do next? Attacking the small squad sent to clear the druidic formation was a likely one, they'll be too far out for him to rescue. But that's only a small portion of their fighting power, even if the loss of a mage would hurt a bit. Really, worst come to worst he'll just lock down the fort. Just a few more days and everything will solve itself, then his part was done and he get to wash his hands and return home.

"What's your next step, young Antigone? After all this time... I'm looking forward for our dance."

Asevor's thoughts was rudely interrupted by the door of the hall slamming open with more force than strictly necessary, the fort itself shook slightly as the heavy hardwood impacted its wall. In strode a topless, heavily muscular, and gargantuan specimen of a man with blood-red tribal warpaint forming (admittedly) rather pleasant pattern all over his visible skin. The archmage had to suppress a sigh, already feeling the headache building in the back of his head.

"Asevor! Where are the enemies? I've gotten all fired up for nothing!"

"Ragnar, please, you are scaring the servants. It's not guaranteed yet, but if they're showing up it should be today or tomorrow so keep yourself sharp."

"Who do you think I am?! Ragnar is never dull!"

Asevor took a deep breath and inwardly counted to three as the northlander flexed and posed. This was looking to be a long morning already...

[NPC Post]

"A snake, you say?" Matilda replied, raising a half-burnt eyebrow. "Perhaps I do need a snake to fight a snake. I hope you'll see better result, for mine had obviously failed utterly." The entire thing had went down the gutter the moment Matilda let herself fall into the trap after all. She knew that she's way too straightforward in her approach. It's time to let the irregulars do it their way, and maybe they'll perform better than herself.

Not like she could object in her state anyway.

"This will do just fine." She announced slightly louder, tapping at the makeshift travois with a free-ish finger. "And if needed we can simply switch to our own cart. It shouldn't be far from here, is it not?" Matilda glared back at Jazdia, unamused. "Whatever. Start moving, would you?"

---

“Absolutely not.” Said Solomon. After making sure that Matilda was stable and as comfortable as he could make her given her injury, he slow rose to his feet, resting his arm against his leg for balance. His bones cracked as he returned upright. Or at least, as up right as his aged frame would allow. Matilda was injured, and Cedar was still nowhere in sight. The likelihood of finding him was also slim given how long it had been since he walked off.

“I understand what you’re trying to do. Guard Captain Matilda is not in any condition to…” Solomon was interrupted by Matilda’s interjection. She seemed fine with going along with Jazdia’s plan of making an audience. Solomon turned his body to face Matilda again, “I again disagree. I do not doubt your tenacity, but you are barely able to move. I insist that you take time to recover.”

[NPC Post]

"I'll not be moving anyway, doctor." As if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders, Matilda seemed to be more relaxed than ever at the moment. Maybe it's due to offloading the decision making to Jazdia. Or maybe her injury hurts when she's tense. Regardless, it's mostly out of her hands now. "I'm pretty sure I'm not going to die from this much. Patch me the best you can under this circumstances, if you would?"

---

“To be so casual about surviving an explosion at its center.” Said Solomon softly to himself, “Very well. I’ve dressed the worse of the wounds, enough so that further travel should not bring any further harm. Unless we can come across another magic caster of restoration, it is in the hands of time now. I’ll keep an eye in case something new develops.”

Solomon returned to Matilda’s level in order to better secure the bandages and he position upon the makeshift stretcher. It would hold until they were able to retrieve their cart. It was along the way back, closer to the road leading towards the southern bridge. It would provide better stability to the stretcher. It would also present the group in better light in Fanghorn.

[GM Post]

The cart was found right where the party left it, and retrieval went without any hitch. Then toward Fanghorn they went, the ride much easier than before thanks to the now illuminated path. It was some distance away from the village when Reinhold and Cedar appeared, having spotted the incoming from their vantage point and decided to come meet halfway.

"Welcome back. They had some people doing something around the stone wall earlier, and the bramble didn't grow. Right now they're working on removing the stuff. On the other hand the growth at south side was unchecked until real recently, there's already a small crowd around it." Mostly the local villagers, but also at least one group of merchant that spent the night in the village and now couldn't get out. "The people sent to disrupt the magic should still be at work, if you'd like to grab them or somethin'."

Cedar's eyes went instantly to the tall, stern woman in the cart, swaddled in bandages.

Matilda. She stunk of a kind of fire and burning he was unfamiliar with, and the stench of blood and sweat, which he was. A second snuff of the air revealed the blood was hers. If his face would have allowed it, he'd have frowned.

"E'scuse me." He gruffed, then padded around the group, then climbed into the back of the wagon, causing it to rock and lurch.

She did not look to be in a very talkative mood. Some stange truce between despair and burning, murderous fury burned on her countenance, and it made his fur bristle with unconscious warning. He locked eyes with her for a few seconds, trying and testing to see if he could continue his approach. The wait felt dreadfully long, despite being only about 2 seconds in reality. The prickle of deadly warning did not abate. Very few 'humans' (using the term loosely) could illicit such a reaction in him, his brother Oak, and their father, being the only others he had felt it from, though wild creatures of sufficient strength or desperation could do it on occasion...

'Yer hurt." He gruffed, keeping the needed respectful distance.

Her countenence twisted into a put-out scowl, wordlessly expressing a sarcastic 'no shit.' If he was reading her body's mocements and her scent right, she was 'fed up' with people making that observation about her, and wanted to be left alone. There were undertones of worry, doubt, fear, .. mingled with blood rage, fury, and a will to do brutal murder. It smelled... volatile.

"I kin fix i' bett'r. Don' gotta be wrapp'd up li'e a big bag a meat. Lemme up 'ere, would ya?"

[NPC Post]

Oh, Cedar's here. At least he's not missing. He came up and... looked real wary there. Well, not a new look as far as Matilda's concerned. New recruits tend to share the same dread whenever she caught them doing something they're not supposed to be doing. Kinda new seeing it on a bear though, all things considered. The orc snorted as she banished the thoughts, not even in the mood for dark humor at the moment.

"Go for it. But dont spend too much energy now." Her eyes returned back up, staring straight to the covered roof of the wagon. "It'll probably get violent real soon."

The bear nodded, then set to work. Despite her bravado, she was hurt worse than she looked. The armor had protected most of her body from some kind if searing heat flash, and had taken the brunt of numerous tiny impacts. Tiny bits of earthenware shard prickled from the breastplate's surface, and tiny bits lingered below the skin on her face, neck and ears. Those were easy enough to fix.. the bigger worry was deeper, as if some impressive hand had slapped her very hard all over her body at once. There were blunt force injuries inside her skull, inside her chest, all through her arms and legs. Whatever had struck her, he was glad it only hit her once.

"Ya piss sum wizz'rd off er summat?" He gruffed, guiding bits of debris out of her face with a healer's touch. "Don' smell li' magic dou... "

He paused a minute to marvel at her.

"Wha' hit ya? Ain't ne'er smelled da likes. Mebbe summat I should look ou' fer?"

Jazdia listened, and at the same time observed the castle with her eyes. There were no sizable forces being prepared or mobilized. She had suspected that there was a connection between Pesti and Fanghorn, and had prepared several countermeasures to deal with their reactions, but now everything played as if it was not the case. Apparently, the enemy was blind, even more so than herself.

Her attention shifted to a certain bear who climbed onto the cart and began some healing spells. Some reprimand or two ought to be in order, but to think that the bear was here and not somewhere else in the forest doing God knows what, maybe she didn't need to freak out

"Wha' hit ya? Ain't ne'er smelled da likes. Mebbe summat I should look ou' fer?"

"The usual saltpeter and black powder." the elf chimed in. "Enchanted with condensed mana and runes for remote detonation."
Jazdia knew she might overlook a few elements, but knowing that Matilda was there and glared at her like an angry warrior with a wounded pride, she stopped right there and gave her a playful wink instead.

"I have received a report from our hunter. Is there anything interesting in the scenic route you took, Mister Bear?"

The bear hummed. "Nothin' un'us'al. Jus' trees 'n grass. Pesti road an' the bridge south shoul' be all over-growed li'e at' 'ere patch near da gate buh naow."

It took several moments for Jazdia to fully comprehend what she heard, and she was damned sure she heard it right. The forthcoming interrogative uttered instinctively. "You what?!"

""I's assumes 'as whatcha wan'ed, seein' as ya wan'ed da roads all closed like. Aint nobuddy gittin in er ou'.
Wunner why the sides aint all o'ergrowed.. 'hem fellas in da castle spotted li'll seedlins in da dark er what?"

"It was not what I--"

The bear looked at her indifferently.

Yeah yeah, druids were a such piece of work, but to think he took a literal meaning of her order, it was... confounding indeed.

"So you are saying we have some more of those vicious vines growing on the road somewhere between Pesti and this place?" she touched her forehead, but immediately regained her composure. "You know what? I will see this as a blessing in disguise. There will be nothing coming behind us when we deal with this damned castle."

"So, if I'm getting this right, we'd just stroll in there? And then what?"

At the Rosenving daughter, Jazdia nodded. "We will improvise, but the objective is to reach the tower. I have considered all the options we have. I saw a single passage leading to the inner complex, but relying on a single rat-way, without knowing what awaits us at the end of the route is ill-advised. Our other option is to go loud and assault the compound. This too is a risky, stupid move and prone to causing collateral damage." she paused, feeling a tingle as she glanced at the destroyed bridge.

"We will approach the castle peacefully. As King's Agent normally would. Our dear Captain here is our perfect excuse to infiltrate the place, invoking the law of hospitality in the process. We are King's People, tasked to retrieve the Prince per His Majesty's order, we were attacked on our way to the Western Province, but unable to return to the Capital due to a very unusual overgrown blocking our way back. We are there to seek shelter while we wait for help from the Capital."

Jazdia exchanged glances at everyone present. Some of them would require a stronger alibi, but she was confident. With Matilda with them and her sealed document, they will manage.

"Once we get in there, it will be easier for us to plan ahead and improvise if the enemy somehow discovered our true intention. We will meet the opposition at our optimal number, undivided. Any more questions?

Cedar interjected at the opening for questions, pausing his work on doing a simple patch-up on the guard captain's more serious injuries, where he had been focused on preventing the deleterious effects of a concussion, and staunching the slow internal bleeding. She wouldn't be at 100%, but shouldnt be worse off than aches, pains, and slight dizziness. She HAD said to conserve energy, and he felt he had better to as he was asked.

"If we's goin' inside... shud I put muh clothes back on? Folks tends ta get da wrong idears 'bout meh if'n I aint wearin' muh drawers, dontcha know."

He huffed, then resumed his work while talking.

'Alsos... if'n deys gone an' dun us an in'jry.. wont dey be 'spectin' us innere? They WUZ playin' hoopty-doo wit' da scryin, ta lure us off... i'it were a 'remote detonation', at means summat as gone an set it off, an' at summat knowed we's been ta Pesti... "

He made a dour expression at Matilda, who had not stopped frowning.

"An dey'd knows dey give us a bloody nose. Walkin' up ere with snoots full a prickles be a dead give'way, no? Dey gunna throw us inna hole fer sure."