Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Mysterious Bandit (Closed)

She examined the water carefully, like it was a snake hiding in the grass, it was odd but Quintus supposed it made sense after what she had gone through....what HAD she been through? went through his mind. Watching as she took off the brace he bit back the urge to say something, chances are she was fine so the removal shouldn't make a difference. He was about to speak when Atoli beat him to it, as she explained that they were in fact strangers, he was left wondering even more about the woman's state and how it had occurred. He spoke up, "That was a kind thing of you to do, especially for a stranger" saying that he smiled, people in this world seemed friendlier than those in his universe, though, that may have just been due to the war.....it was nice though.

At her question though he paused for a moment, attempting to find the best way to respond, before replying with the half truth. "I'm a soldier, or uhm, I Was a soldier....I guess I'm kind of retired now" he chuckled. " For the most part I just tend my lands, visit and trade with Alnwick, a little village nearby, and I guess I also aid in its defense at times" he stated.

"Actually I helped repel a bandit attack just two weeks ago, wiped out the whole lot, the villagers have been following my advice.....the area is much safer than it used to be...so this is a bit of a surprise" He finished, musing over the last bit.

"As for reward, I don't need much but," He paused thinking over his request, " Some information on current events out of this little valley would be nice, it's been a while since I've been involved in worl-err national events" Technically not a full lie he thought to himself, after all, he Really Had been out of current events....just not this worlds. Though that was partly to not being interested in this worlds geopolitical situation, he was just a guest along for the ride. At least until he could find a way home. He smiled before looking at the injured woman, "you know, in some cultures it's considered rude not to introduce yourself to your host" he teased.

Iskra's eyes narrowed dangerously at the harpy, "Ah yes, a hunting accident. A beast such as yourself should understand-- though if I need to simplify it for you, harpy, I will." She turned her nose away, folding her arms as a scowl settled on her face; it hurt to do but she was a stubborn woman, and wouldn't make her pain clear, "I hunt often so it hardly surprises me I wandered into the wrong region, and this isn't the first time i've taken an arrow to the side." Her words were said through gritted teeth, and something about the woman's eyes said any more questions about it might invite more danger than would be liked at the moment.

She listened to Quintus for a moment, and smiled when he mentioned killing the bandits, though her fingers dug into her sleeve- so that was where that group had gone off to. Well then, what a situation this had become. 'I suppose that's one less favor I owe.' she thought, pursing her lips.

"You know, in some cultures it's considered rude not to introduce yourself to your host" For a moment her blue eyes were icy cold, staring Quintus down, but then her lips curled into a smile; this was not the best situation to be in, injured with this obviously powerful Knight, and the damned harpy to her side.

"What kind of woman would I be if I went around telling any random stranger my name? Host or not, a woman has to retain some air of mystery." But Iskra was, in this moment, swamped in mystery, "Asya. My name is Asya." It had been her mothers name, but it was good enough for now. If it would keep him off her back, she could fake an entire life story; Iskra had always been good at lying.

Atoli blinked slowly at Quintus when he mentioned his previous endeavors, offering a simple, “Ah…” in reply before continuing, "As for information on events out of this valley... I don't know. I think most are preparing for the winter months, ya know?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked back to Iskra. The harpy stiffened under the female’s glare and carefully removed her hand from the other’s back; It was easy to see what Iskra thought of harpies from the words that were said and the look in her eyes. A small bitter knot formed in the bird girl’s throat as Iskra turned away.

'Of course.' she thought. How stupid of her to think things would be otherwise. Atoli's gaze fell downwards to her scaly black bird legs. This bandit likely wouldn’t bat an eyelash at catching her kind for profit. Many bandit clans hunt beasts like her, but for the most part she tried to show those groups that she was worth more as an ally. 'Why had I hoped this situation would soften things?' She wondered, before glancing back to her.

She opened her mouth before closing it once more, staring hard at the woman. Her disappointment soon rose to annoyance at her words. “Oi. I could’ve left you on the road to bleed out you know. Keep your mysteries to yourself for all I care, but a thank you is in order.” Atoli said in a lowered tone, serious. “You can make it reaaal simple-like. To make sure a ‘beast such as myself’ can understand.” She continued, snark creeping into her voice at the last bit.

The slight tenseness in both females made Quintus raise an eyebrow, it raised even further at the woman's explanation; hunting accident would only explain one of the many injuries she had sustained, instead of interrupting though, he allowed her to continue, watching as they seemed to turn on each other. 'Perhaps it was some sort of species conflict?' he thought to himself as the woman finally finished dramatically revealing her name, Asya.

"Well Asya,it's nice to meet you." clearing his throat he continued, "but I'm going to have to ask both of you to cut this little back and forth out and play nice...at least as long as you're here." before either could raise any protest he continued

"Now, I have some questions for both of you because, to be frank, I don't really believe either of your stories....BUT, I can leave the questioning until after you've both caught some rest, it's nearing midnight" he punctuated his statement with a yawn. Moving forward he raised his armored gauntlet to help Asya off the table. "I'll show both of you to your rooms for the night." he said. He sighed internally, He only had one extra bed, which meant they'd either have to share, unlikely as they might kill each other....or he'd be forced to sleep on the couch. He could already feel his back flair with pain at the thought.

The night may have been dark and full of terrors but that was of little concern to the restless hunters as they pressed on focused on the task to hand, lead by their agrieved, furious lord knight. The thirst for retribution was intense enough to make up for the loss of light, the loss of warmth, the loss of food, the growing tiredness, that woman ... would be found... her corpse... would be found. Lord knight Tron Pentre was more than certain that arrow had hit the target and became embedded deep enough to ensure not only a certain death but also a painfully slow one.

There would be no resting until the fugitive was found, whether she was dead or alive. Without a horse and with such injuries she could not have gone far, the only refuge known in the area being a single house a few miles off the nearest village that they had already dutifully and thoroughly searched to no avail. The lack of success not deterring them from continuing in the search. No one escaped the arm of justice under lord knight Pentre's watch and she was by far its most prized captive.

Loud impatient hammering fists, slamed against the door. The gauntlets resounded in the silence like the thunder that preludes the arrival of a storm; armed knights on horses and guards on foot were crowding the entrance of the property, bearing torches and naked blades to hand, which glimmered against the moonlight. Archers with bows and crossbows tensed ready to shoot on command were complemented by the hunting hounds which barked after they were able to positively identify the fugitive's scent hiding behind those closed doors.

"Open up! Open up in the name of king" demanded Pentre in a loud bark, his voice was clear indication of how tired, cold, impatient the lord knight of the realm was, much effort had gone into the search and at last, the dogs picked up a trail, perhaps the hunt was indeed coming to an end at last.

Iskra hadn’t exactly taken too kind to that scolding, and opened her mouth to protest; but when he mentioned sleep, she closed her mouth once more, her lips forming a tight line. Yes, she couldn’t lose her temper here. Not when she was in a safe spot. No, she would have to tolerate this, maybe wake early, steal a bit of food and equipment, and slide out before—

The banging on the door brought her attention from her thoughts, and at the yells, Iskra’s blood ran cold. She grabbed Quintus by his shoulder, hissing quietly under her breath, “You do not know me. You have not seen any woman. The name Iskra Sokol means nothing to you.” Her voice was dangerously low, hardly the same soft tone that had spoken her name— was that even her name?

“A back door. A window, anywhere I can slip out. Now. That man— he’s psychotic. You can’t let him see me—“ her voice hitched a bit, on the verge of panic- she had gotten away with her life many times, but Pentre had been the only one who almost claimed it. She held a hand to the bruises on her neck, her eyes frantic as they flicked rapidly across the room, “We need to leave. Now.” God, she got lucky with the hanging, had he tried to burn her at the stake or beheaded her?

She wouldn’t think about that. Instead, she snatched her cloak from the floor, hissing in pain at her sore muscles and body, but hurriedly she secured it around her neck and yanked the furs up around her shoulders.

Atoli looked back to Quintus when he scolded them and gave her acceptance by not arguing further, and watched as the knight helped Iskra from the table. She shrugged her shoulders, not surprised that he didn’t believe her story; and was about to reply before the banging on the door erupted from down the hall.

The harpy flinched hard and looked to the others, alarmed, and watched the injured woman grab at Quintus and whisper something, though what she said couldn’t quite be heard. Atoli slung her satchel over her shoulders and swiftly tied it in place before hopping off the table.

“Ah… I should go… I didn’t intend to cause any trouble...” She said as she glanced to Quintus and cautiously began to make her way to out of the room, but her eyes stayed on the knight as she did so, watching for any sign that he might try to prevent her from leaving. The harpy silently scolded herself for having stuck around longer than she should have.

The banging startled Quintus, and the yelling that followed did little to assuage his suspicions which had put him on full alert. Listening to Asya's frantic tone meant these might be the ones who attacked her, why was a mystery but clearly she didn't want to be found. He frowned, there was only one way out, a precaution meant to aid him was now to their detriment as he'd never anticipated a situation like this...that is assuming he decided to help her. He sighed before Atoli spoke up “Ah… I should go… I didn’t intend to cause any trouble...”

Looking between the two he sighed again. Running his hand through his black hair, it wasn't too long, but it was far from regulations. He thought over Asya's words, the 'we' in particular....they needed his help, would he really abandon them? or continue his work once more? Looking at the wasted medical equipment he made up his mind.

"Well there's a bit of a problem.... uhh, there's no back doors, and even if their were.. they probably have this place surrounded, which also rules out the windows..."
he held his jaw in his hand as he paced a bit in thought. "I have a plan, it could buy us all some time to move out...but it's risky"

He looked at the two before continuing, "I have some red paint...both of you can paint your err, hair, red" He said looking at Atoli. " From there Atoli will lie in bed as if sick. In the cellar I have some clothes for you both to change into, and Asya you can hide in the cellar, I have a hidden wine cellar behind the book case for you to wait in......and no, you can't drink anything, it's vintage" He finished with a false grin.

"Alright, go get into positions" he said after explaining where everything was. Turning he returned to the 'medbay' to get his helmet, "Time to play stupid" he muttered placing his helmet on and darkening the visor.
Walking to the entrance he took a breath and opened the door.

What he saw would have probably impressed or terrorized a commoner or lower knight, the amount of bows, crossbows, Cav and footmen aiming their weapons at him was almost overwhelming. So Quintus did what any sane man would do, he cheerily waved and casually said, "hello there.....What can I do for you gents?"

"Citizen... we are entering your property to search and find a runaway royal prisoner. The woman in question is called Iskra Sokol, she is the leader of a clan of deadly bandits, rogue assassins, prolific thieves and callous murderers called "Onyx", who mostly operate from the North though not exclusively.

For all the deaths and tortures and thefts, done and ongoing, on her account and orders, the king has passed a sentence of Capital punishment and we were in the process of hanging her at the gallows when she somewhat managed to escape. I have wounded her with an arrow, and it seems, she found her way into your house.

I am compelled to inform you that sheltering fugitives and runaway captives makes you guilty of high treason and liable to slavery or death sentence so I suggest you go inside, find the woman and bring her out, tied up and ready to be taken. No use denying her presence here, our hunting hounds have an excellent sense of smell and are well trained to track down said fugitives." noted Pentre glancing down at the barking dogs that the handlers strained to keep back and restrain, the beasts growing wilder no sooner the door was opened and the scent became stronger.

"We will enter your property, search the place, if nothing can be found we will withdraw... on the other hand if you are trying to hide them, be prepared to face the king's wrath and the full force of the law" informed Pentre in a stern warning, letting this man pick his sides

"Deliver her and we will forget you even sheltered her, for you were not to know you were keeping such a dangerous bandit within your home and any righteous man would have provided assistance to the wounded, a very commendable task, in general. On this particular occasion, it is in your best interests and the kingdom's that you surrender her..." trailed off Pentre with reassurance in his voice

The bandit had dropped her cloak once again, kicking it off to the side— maybe Pentre would assume he had found it on the road and taken it home? It was made of rather expensive materials. But her furs remained on her shoulders, and as Quintus said, she ran down to the cellar.

But Iskra wasn’t a woman to rely on others, and certainly not listening to others. She had no intentions of putting her life in the hands of some random stranger. Which was why, it came as very little of a shock when she stripped, changing into the clothes he had mentioned, and snatching one of the wine bottles. She took a deep swig from it, before raising the bottle over her head and dousing herself in the wine. What a shame too, it was as good as she expected. But the alcohol could mask her scent. Her eyes moved to her furs, sitting on the floor, and she resecured them on her shoulders once more. Her scent would linger but...they were very important to her. One of the few things she would never leave behind.

Her thin hands slid along the wall until she found the hidden panel, and she dumped her clothes there, sliding it shut with a faint thump. Iskra stared for a moment, then carefully replaced the wine bottle, wiped the red liquid from her face, and ascended the stairs once more.

Slowly, she slid upstairs, listening to Pentre talk and moving silently across the floor, deeper into the house. Her blue eyes swept over the windows, waiting until she found one small one, with barely a hint of torchlight visible. And carefully, the bandit pulled her knife from her waist, and began to pry the glass panel from its wooden frame, listening for Pentre’s voice through the hall.

Atoli stopped walking as Quintus offered his plan. She muttered, her voice deadpan in reply, “I am NOT going to dye my feathers, nor my hair…” And followed after Iskra when the knight left. The harpy paused at the stairs leading to the cellar and shifted uncomfortably; preferring not to go into tight spaces, she decided to wait at the top of the stairs until the woman returned.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the lady’s new stench of wine. “Ugh! Did you dye your hair…with wine?...” She whispered. Covering her nose with a hand, she eyed Iskra’s damp and reddened hair. The harpy followed her once more and assessed the windows. There was no way she was going to climb into some strange bed and hope they would overlook her. As the injured bandit took out a knife and began to work at one of the windows, Atoli glanced over her shoulder, keeping watch.

"Ahh...I see" Replied Quintus, a scowl appearing on his face. A bandit, he'd saved a bandits life and not just any bandit, one heavily wanted by this lands Kingdom for a long list of crimes apparently. He was very tempted to simply show them where she was but stopped, he knew how people here mostly treated beast creatures, so would they harm Atoli? there had been no mention of the bandit having company meaning she could truly be a good pers-err creature.... He made up his mind, he'd give them the bandit and make sure they left the Harpy alone.

"She actually was here I believe, at least assuming your hounds aren't confusing the smells.....but she left. Someone helped her reach my home earlier today and so i helped heal her wounds, let her bathe and gave her fresh clothing, the smell your hounds are picking up must be the blood and clothes... If you'd like I could give you a tour, even let your men search my place as long as they don't damage my home, though I do swear on my knights honor that she left almost near evening. Her wounds weren't that bad surprisingly so she may be making considerable time as we speak....I'm also just realizing why I couldn't find my favorite sword" He finished with a frown.

What the hell am I doing his mind yelled at him....this was not what he was going to do, at all. In fact,this was the exact opposite. He punched the door in frustration before apologizing, "Apologies, If I knew who she was I would have slit her throat and had her quartered" he continued with a growl before stepping back, "would you like to come in, I was about to make tea" he finished

At least my very real frustration sells this better, goddammit!

Why did he always do this to himself? was it an early mid life crisis? boredom? a death-wish?.....he kept thinking to himself as he began to walk back into his home. The coat on the ground and the smell of wine gave him a...bit..of a bad feeling.

"Do no hold yourself to blame for being an honourable man aiding the wounded, the code of chivalry compells all of us to provide aid and assistance, to the help, the wounded, the damsels in distress and she probably never dared mention her true identity for fear of death or reprisals" soothed Pentre in a reasonable tone.

"You are probably right that the hounds are picking up the scent of her old soiled clothes, yet, since you an honourable knight swearing by your knight's honour that she left, best we do not waste further time talking and proceed to find her before she kills or maims or robs anyone else.

In the name of the king and justice I hereby summon you to assist our cause. Go quickly, fetch your armour and return, you are to come along... I have fresh horses ready for you, you will join in the hunt henceforth until she is found, after all, you would know your own clothes, the ones that you have given her, far better than any of us would. This will help us identify the culprit quicker. All we had for a reference is what she was wearing at the time of hanging which she isn't wearing any more based on your accounts. Hurry now... time is not on our side" urged Pentre enrolling Quintus to his search party seeing no reason to assume the knightly man who could swear upon his honour would dare lie or tell half truths.

Iskra heard the footsteps and talk, and the woman frowned bitterly. Was that... guilt in her eyes? Iskra hardly felt guilty, but she knew she owed this man, and the harpy-- after all, they had saved her life. And Atoli obviously knew who she was...

"Got it..." Iskra mumbled quietly, finally removing the wooden panel away. She eased the bottom of the glass from the window, pushing until she could slide it out completely-- and suddenly, her fingers slipped. For a moment, the bandit felt time freeze. This was it. The glass would shatter, Pentre would hear, he would find her before she could escape into the woods, she would be hung....they all would hang.

The glass hit the ground outside and shattered, and Iskra made her move, leaping out of the window as fast as she could. A short distance away, the trees called her name; saftey, solace, if only she ran a bit further. But there was that damned guilt, that ate away at what little of a moral code she did have. She couldn't leave the stranger to die. So Iskra picked up a rock after she had ran a short distance, whipping it at the house and shattering another window; "If you want your blade back, you'd better come get it, you murdering knight!" Iskra was a cocky woman, it was well known; who was to say she had not come back to taunt the savior of her life, now that she knew guards were near?

Atoli listened to the discussion, one of her eyebrows quirked up in curiously at the knights lies. After all that the king’s men said, it surprised her that he would still aide them. She looked back to Iskra to see how the progress was coming along, and looked in time to see the glass slip from the woman’s fingers.

She flinched as the glass met the ground with a sharp crash and quickly clambered out the window after Iskra, careful not to step on any shards on her way out. The harpy ducked her head in confusion when Iskra threw a rock and ooked back to her, startled. “What the— What are you talking about?” she exclaimed in a hush hiss, trying to keep her voice down. Not catching on to what she was doing for the knight. Her eyes darted around nervously, looking ready to take flight if she saw anyone approach from around the house.

She stared at Iskra hard for a moment, considering things quickly. So she ‘was’ right in assuming that this woman was an important member of the Onyx clan, the leader even! There would be a good chance that this might mean she could get a hefty reward as thanks for saving her… or a knife to the back. You can’t really tell until you get to know each clan and their principles. Atoli had no previous dealings with the Onyx yet; maybe this would be a good ‘in’ for her.

She followed the Onyx leader for a moment and spoke quickly, “Oi, if you’ve got somewhere to go then you best run off before the hounds are loosed… but if you don’t I got a place not too far. Seein’ how you aren’t in the best of shape.” She added as an afterthought, eyeing the ragged looking woman.

Quintus swore internally, the sound of shattering glass and a voice yelling out a taunt echoing in the crisp cool air. WHY?! why didn't they just stick to his plan?! he would have a few very choice words with that bandit if they all ended up making it out of this fiasco alive. Strapping a sword to his side and bow and quiver on his back he headed to the windows glancing out to see if he could see Asya or the missing Harpy. Seeing neither he began closing all the windows metal shutters as fast as he could before racing out the door and ensuring it was properly closed, it was safer this way, who knew when he'd be back? Drawing his sword he nodded to pentre simply stating "Lead the way".
For the two woman's sake he hoped they were good runners, or at least hiders.....

Pentre nodded in agreement.

"Many hands make light work, we will scatter around and cover more ground in less time... you... valiant knight will lead the avantguard and head north deep into the forest, I will keep the rear guard and head south. We will reconvene here at the crossroads by sundown tomorrow or encounter each other at the centre, where there is a clearance.

You will take Aynor and his handful of mercenaries at your command, I shall take charge of my loyal guards. If you were to encounter her be carefully for Iskra Sokol has no morals and won't think it twice to tear you down, despite your healing help. She does indeed have deadly hands too, so tread carefully around her" warned Pentre

Pentre was unaware that Aynor had afinities to rogues and bandits within Onyx and would more likely than, not only betray Pentre but also this miscreant knight who was giving a random bandit chase.

Since Aynor was not fully trusted he had been kept at the back of the group and kept in the dark so he did not hear the explanation as to who Iskra was. He was not aware of any friendship between this strange knight and the runaway female bandits and .. perhaps... these two ladies were foes towards Onyx and a danger to them all. He would make it his task to capture the knight, and the two bandits and deliver them into Onyx clan's hands. Those paid good rewards for valuable captives, that much he knew for sure.

For now, he had taken the money and played the part of a bribed mercenary rather well, following Pentre's every word without questioning.