[IC] Blood Debt: Medieval/Fantasy Vengeance

[ibyaah]

From the masking shade of the mid afternoon sun against the forest's canopy, Quinn observed the old hunting cabin that had once served as his and his sibling's refuge in the wild. It seemed, as recent times would show, that it would be appointed for that purpose once again. Quick elven eyes scanned the trees surrounding the structure, searching for any obvious signs of prior approach or departure. It was a well hidden sanctuary, only known to Brand's children and a select few others outside the family, the path leading to it a jumble to confused hunting trails and a maze of dead end walkways only someone who'd been there before could hope to navigate. The flight from the Scuffed Boots proved to be a lengthy affair, the armed response by the remaining Guards was sluggish but surprisingly organized and dogged. In the end, the archer was forced to wing a couple with some green feathered shafts to convince his pursuers of a different path.

A sigh escaped the hooded elf's face; it had been a long day. However, even with aches from the road and sleep now starting to call to his eyelids, he stuck to the hard taught discipline to remain vigilant. Quinn still had an arrow knocked to the composite shortbow, ready to draw back the weapon at a moment's notice. He now wore his full ranger garb, having changed into it before bidding his siblings and Emma farewell. Being in the outfit and the familiar landscape comforted him, despite the circumstances surrounding the return. How often is it that all of us would be back together like this? His mouth upturned in a wry frown, gaze momentarily dropping down to the forest floor. I should have stayed with him longer... A slight pang of guilt stabbed through his abdomen. Though master and apprentice, father and son, parted on the best of terms, would have it been too difficult to have visited more often?

Quinn pushed the thought from his head. Now was not the time to regret or mourn even - that would come later, with reminiscing and alcohol...a lot of alcohol. The archer gave his immediate area another scan. He gave his tail of guards the slip over an hour ago at Fool's Lake in the confusion of tagging one of them with an arrow to the right shoulder, just under the iron pauldron. Still, he ventured out even farther in the Vendland wild, letting his pursuers track his obvious path into a dead end before circling back to the cabin. This time, he made sure to mask his movements, ensuring that any tracker short of Brand himself or one of the champion's other children would have a difficult or improbable time catching up much less finding the elf.

A grin played across Quinn's features as he mused over how his brothers and sister would make their way over. Given how many guards followed him, the elf guessed his reputation for an easy going individual was still intact. Good, let them think I'm the easiest to find and capture, soft leather boots started padding slowly towards the cabin, while they're chasing me, the others gain an even greater lead. As he made the final approach, Quinn noted the old stump was still as it was when he and Brand last left it, an old rusted axe with its handle almost rotted away leaning against it. Looks like I'm the first to make it... He skirted the cabin's perimeter and located the old well on the far side. Gauntleted hands picked up the wooden pail laid unceremoniously next to the well and laid it down, bottom up, on the well's ledge. Satisfied that he still remembered their sign for 'someone is home,' he turned and made for the cabin's main door.

The door remained locked as it always had been but Quinn still swept the interior with bow half drawn. Convinced that the cabin was secure, the archer closed the front door and set about taking a silent inventory of the cabin's supplies. He decided against a fire or anything overt for the time being. There would be time enough for that when the rest of Brand's children arrived. For now, the telltale sign out front would have to do.

[Feisty-Pants]

The Moon

With a slight frown, Artemis strode quietly after Quinn from a distance. She watched as guards pursued him, a quartet of them, and sighed. It seemed that her brother recognized that he too had pursuers of his own right, immediately went to disguising his movements as he descended deeper and deeper into the wood. It was only a mater of a few minutes, and before they even realized it, the guards were walking in circles.

From the trees, she watched and smirked. Fools like these would never find her father's cabin if only by sheer luck. Even still, that was not a risk that the silver-haired girl was willing to afford. From a distance between the trees, she notched an arrow onto the string and drew the fletching back to her ear. With a singsong twang, the arrow whistled through the air and struck a guard through the neck before burrowing into the chest of another.

What were once suddenly four guards became two as both men collapsed into a gurgling mess of blood. Crying out in fear, the remaining two fled as the wounded one attempted to crawl away. She watched him, considering how it was best to retrieve her arrow, and then hopped down from her perch.

Sauntering up to the slowly dying man, she heard him whimper as with her footfalls, her presence became overly obvious. She did not draw her knife to finish her prey, instead she grasped the shaft of the arrow and pushed it slowly deeper. Breaking his weakly fluttering heart and snapping his mortal coil.

It only took a few minutes longer for her to arrive at the cabin. Within it, Quinn would be able to hear the sound of footsteps lightly tapping across the rooftop. It was an intentional giveaway to mark her presence there, it had always been her favorite perch when visiting this cabin, so she comfortably sat upon the rooftop and swept the hood from atop her head.

Crossing one leg over the other, she patiently waited just like Quinn for her other siblings to arrive.

[Color_Weaver]

The Countess Adelaide had been enjoying a superb meal of rabbit stew, along with few slices of cheese dashed with a chalice of blood red wine to wash it down when news of the attack had reached her ears. The messenger, a young man of the Lost Sons stood there watching her eat. She eat slowly to help with her thinking rationalizing what had been said, looking at the said young man and had shooed him away. Knowing that Brand's so called children would come back, though hadn't anticipated the manner they'd come back. Taking a slightly less than lady like sip of the wine since the only other occupant with her was Garmin and a few servants. Motioning for a refill, sitting there in thought. She had hired the Lost Sons for two reasons. One being that her husband had use their services frequently and she couldn't afford much else since her funds had been depleted helping in the Kings war. But to kill five and a presumed sixth, was idiotic saying the least. Exhaling a sigh rubbing her temple.

"Countess?" Garmin had heard the news too, but waited to say anything until it became obvious and finishing his seventh pint of black ale at the sitting. Looking at her, his look estranged and also curious on her thoughts.

"It is nothing, my giant. But we shall take a trip to town regardless. I want to see the damages and the town after all, it is by right mine now. Have the horses saddled please, I don't to come off too high to the town after all." Smiling coyly, though it was obviously threaded with maliciousness.

Garmin had snapped his large fingers to one of servants in hall, a rough man with age but loyal too the two for sparing his family out of humility. What Adelaide had wanted was heard, so in respects Garmin only gestured towards the stables for their horses to be saddled and ready. Motioning for another pint before they were to take off, only feeling a buzz of minuscule proportions. Tearing apart the rest of his chicken, preferring it plain.

Adelaide had finished her second cup before Garmin had finished, wiping the crumbs and dribbles of black ale with her satin handkerchief. Nodding seemingly in unison as it was time now to cheek the damages inflicted. Both of them taking different routes to the stables, Adelaide to grab her velvet riding cloak while Garmin in his leathers and mail. Making the rendezvous at the stables quick, she was curious on the matters at hand despite it being a thorn in in her side. Garmin helping Adelaide up as to not rip the expensive silk dress, after which he mounted his own humongous black Shire horse that made him further imposing. As if the massive blade at his side wasn't enough.

The ride had been silent between them as any unnecessary was avoided out in the open. But coming up to tavern which she cared little for the name of. Looking about at the string of mercenaries and the their captains, the disapproval obvious but sometimes situations arose she do little on. The captains Carlin and Nrave knew she wasn't the type to be explained from their work in their homeland. Adelaide once again receiving aide from Garmin to get down, ignoring the peasant onlookers as she looked at the corpses of the slain men. Seeing the methods used before shaking her head. Two or three losses would've been acceptable but not this many. Exhaling a sigh, looking over the the carnage that the tavern had seen. Watching the woman in the back with torn dress, but her attention diverted when Garmin and the two captains had come inside the tavern.

"We're chasing them down now." Carlin spoke after taking a half full mug from one of the tables.

"Call them back. We'd only be feeding into what they want. They kill using stealth or distance and them following into the woods is just what they want. We need this pack Brand's cubs on our terms." Adelaide had quickly retorted.Both men hated to admit that Adelaide was right and had yielded to her request to spare their men. "All is not lost though, perhaps we can lay a trap for them though." Musing a smile

"Pardon Countess?" Nrave had spoke questioning her motive.

"We're going to throw a celebration. Expose them, frame them for something perhaps. Possible catch or kill one of them if possible. All under the guise of simply having a good time. I will explain it to the both of you as you accompany me back to the estate. Garmin?" The giant of a man looking at his small mistress as she waved her fingers down for him to hear her. "That girl knows something, the one in the tattered dress find out please and thank you." Adelaide kissing Garmin's cheek before taking her leave with the two captains.

With the light reflecting off his bald head, Garmin looked to the woman in the tattered dress. His eyes growing dark as he turned to the woman in question. His very steps mirrored a quake as some drinks split as mugs fell and tremors flowed from him. Looking down at her obviously terrified of the man and had every right to be. Grasping one of the metal mugs, making sure she was watching as Garmin crushed to a ball in his hand before dropping it. After he said only four words in a both solemn and terrifying low tone of voice.

"We need to talk."