The Journey Ends

[Carthrat]

Karil grabs his signiature weapon and stalks out of his tent, a look of murder on his face.

Another man lost.

He hotlegs it towards the source of the noise, looking around for any obvious signs.

[Brian]

The obvious signs are there, and at least one soldier isn't dead -- not yet.

When Karil bursts out of his tent, guards call him over to a large, shadowed boulder.  A number of other guards, torches held at the ready, illuminate the area.

Currently, both of the twins are standing there, each with their blades pinning a guard to the boulder.  "It is about time you arrived," Karla comments, her free hand brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"We had begun to think you wouldn't come, even when called," Farel adds, mirroring Karla's gesture.

Both draw their swords free, leaving the guard to collapse to the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Meet us," Karla says, throwing a scroll to the ground.

"We will settle things then," Farel completes.

Then the two salute mockingly with their swords, and leap into the darkness, vanishing from sight.

[Carthrat]

"Get the physician!" orders Karil, hopefully needlessly. He ignores the scroll for the moment and rushes to check the wounded mans pulse, to see if he's alive.

[Brian]

The man has been badly hurt, but Karil saw the blades.  They were placed to cause the man pain, not kill him.  With the physician's help he would live, but it remained to be seen how much his wounds would cost him.

Shortly after reaching this conclusion, Karil sees the physician's assistant, trailed immediatly by the woman herself.  The healer immediately sets about cleaning, and then sewing the wounds shut with specially prepared thread and needle.

At Jaramine's direction, about twelve guards search around the outer perimeter of the camp, while the rest check the interior.  Jaramine then approaches, stull buckling on his own chestplace, and with a pillow-line next to his eye fading into his beard.  "Two guards are missing," he says, blinking both eyes blearily, "I've sent Hong and his men to see if they're just outside the camp, and missed the alarm."

[Carthrat]

"Make sure they travel with some bandages," says Karil, heavily. "This has been an awful day, Jaramine," he continues, in a low voice. "Damn them! Bad enough they would strike at me, but to attack untrained men such... "

His eyes flitter to the scroll on the ground, and he walks over to pick it up.

[Brian]

Jaramine's mouth compresses into an unhappy line, and he shrugs.  "They could have done far worse," he says, somewhat unhappily.

The scroll is well made, but the message is hastily scribbled.  Where the twins have pressed themselves, it obviously wasn't caligraphy.  It's still a legible message, though:

Code Select Expand

A day into the jungle along the path, and you will reach a fork.  Turn north, and then always take the side of the road with a stone that looks like a turtle.

Then you shall find us, and we shall claim what is ours.

-Karla and Farel

[Carthrat]

Karil crumples the scroll and rips it in half, turning back to Jaramine. "What they have done is bad enough. That man will never fight again. But he still lives. He will be a constant reminder to the clan of their betrayal... and my weakness.

They want me to go, Jaramine. To a place of their choosing, so they can cut me down and take Twilight Song from me."

[Brian]

Jeramine is silent for a long moment before he says, "Sir Karil....  We could place archers around the location they specify for a fight.  I'm sure the men would wish to help anyway, and we know who our true leader is, despite what they may think.

"But our archers....  We'd need only a day to rest the men from the march to be ready."

[Carthrat]

"I have already considered this possibility," states Karil, a thoughtful pose coming across his face. It is one Jaramine knows well, for the same look is seen whenever a battle is in the planning.

"It is a tricky game my sisters play. Unfortunately, they are not fools. More the pity. A few archers alone, I suspect, will do no good. No doubt they have already considered the possibility that I will bring extra men. Perhaps many, for they could be overwhelmed. I am sure they have a plan for such a contingency.

No, this will require a little more.. finesse. They wish to fight in the jungle, where the bow of an archer has a short range, but the man is easily hidden. And they will expect me to come with allies.

So I shall. Jaramine, you shall take the majority of the clan to the city. Keep them safe. See to it that food is found, and if it can be done, remain there until my return.

But now, assemble for me fifty men. Those fleet of foot and skilled with bow and spear. Those who know the jungle and it's tricks. I will be setting two traps, come the day Karla and Farel deign to cross blades with me."

Karil's voice turns sharp, and he looks Jaramine straight in the eye. "Be wary. Something is not right, here."

[Brian]

Jaramine nods.  "As you will it, it shall be done," he says.  He immediately then starts looking for the best fifty men to send with Karil.

The rest of the clan settles down, save a few well-wishers for the healer and his ward.

[Carthrat]

Despite the late hour, Karil again begins to make rounds of the Serpent camp.

Rumor can spread like wildfire. Uncertainty can take hold in shallow ground with ease. The appearance of his sisters must have already caused consternation; perhaps seeing him alive, healthy, and at least appearing to be assured will do some good.

[Brian]

The people of the Serpent Clan do seem calmed a bit by Karil's presence ... but also worried for him, against the twins.

Karil is greeted with the customary invitations to join such-and-such family for dinner, or to sleep with so-and-so ... life on the run is as normal as it gets, it seems.

[Carthrat]

Despite the fact that some offers are really quite tempting, (the Gyu-san daughter was really quite a looker...), Karil manages to retreat to his tent in solitude.

[Brian]

Ah, the burdens of being a chieftan.

After returning to his tent, Karil finds it easier to meditate; in fact, it's almost as though life outside the tent has shut off.  Quickly checking indicates that life does indeed continue, it's just that the rest of the camp's noise doesn't carry very well ... though the guard's call for help apparently did.

That oddity aside, everything seems normal.

[Carthrat]

Is it the acoustics? Well, there's nothing for it.

Damn. I should've accepted that offer...

Trying to put aside troubling thoughts for another night, Karil tries to get a little sleep. Only a little, though; an early rise tomorrow.