Fight the Real Enemy!
	Dax, We Hardly Knew Ye

Unwilling to leave a companion behind, Matteo motions to Urak for him to help with Kenshiro and, together, the three of them will do their best impression of a 6-legged horse towards the river. Seeing that Jacobus, too, is in need of help Matteo motions towards him. "Can someone aid our new friend in adding some speed to his flight. He seems a pleasant chap, but I doubt he really wants to stay behind and entertain the Bishop himself". As they run, both Urak and the semi-coherent Kenshiro are treated to a mumbled prayer to the old gods as Matteo mutters a constant, unending, prayer. With a last worried look at her patient, Marika turns him over to Urak and Matteo. Realizing that even with the help of two other strong warriors, Kenishiro will be easy to catch, Marika stops in the cave mouth. "Go on, I'll catch up in a moment," she says. Then, supressing a shudder, she plants her right sandal (the one she didn't lose before) directly in the pool of blood in the cave mouth. She runs a dozen paces across the rocky ground in the opposite direction from the way the party is travelling, leaving a clear trail of bloody footprints on the rocky ground. Then she removes the gore-crusted sandal and flings it down the hillside along this false direction of travel, aiming for a flat region where the trackers will find it without difficulty. She turns and races to catch up with the slower, injured or heavily armored party members, choosing her path carefully to remain on the rocks and avoid leaving footprints. There is little time to plan, or even think as the bishop's horsemen draw close. While an Urk or Man could outrun a horse over a long distance, over short distance, even with what lead they had, the odds looked far more grim. Stepping over to the still groggy Kenshiro, Urak takes the huge man's other side in an effort to support him. The river was not too far, but from the outcropping, it seemed as far away as the fabled Spice Islands. Could the party, injured as it was, make it that far? Time would tell. Lurching into the awkward gait alongside Kenshiro and Matteo, Urak makes the best time he can to the north and west. The horsemen would lose some time going down the far hill, though once on open land.... Muttering encouragement to Kenshiro, Urak makes the best time he can. Rhune, after hearing Krige's words, drops the branch. "Dax, do you need help in moving faster?" she asks him obviously wanting to help the man that just saved her life. If he needs her help she keeps her sword in one hand and helps him to move as quickly as he can with the other hand. She just hopes that they can get to the river before the bishop's men overtakes them. She, for one, does not relish the idea of another fight tonight. Silent, she prays to Erevan to let them move swiftly and quietly. "No, lass," Dax says quietly, giving Rhune a gentle smile. "I'm 'fraid all that ye tryin' t'elp me'd do is slow YOU down t'MY speed. Then neither o' us'd get 'way." "I don' thin' we got any much chance o' makin' it to tha' river," he says to her. "Prob'ly our best 'ope would be t' get o'er th' top o' th' 'ill an' THEN turn tha' way." As they begin helping Kenshiro Rhune looks at Dax and shurgs, "They are helping him, I will help if I can. So stop talking Dax and let's move" She stubbornly sets her slender jaw and takes his arm with one hand as she keeps her sword in the other. She looks around to see if anyone else could help as she knows she is not all that strong. She follows those with Kenshiro as quickly as she can. She calls on Erevan, god of trickery, for any aid and on Aeridine, Goddess of air to give their feet wings. She is prepared to stop and fight if necessary or if Dax pushes her away to run for it. Though this last is not to her liking. DAX gently takes Rhune's arm from his own as they both move toward the river. "Thank ye, lass," he says quietly, "but I am not a crippled old man yet. I WILL slow ye down though." Rhune only sighs and then smiles at the kindly man that helped her. She then turns towards the river and beings making her way to it. He continues to use his staff to move as quickly as he can, but sighs a bit with the seeming futility of it. "None o' us -- far as I c'n see -- are goin' t'be able t' out run those 'orses. Someone should go back an' try t' distract or delay their pursuit." He stops and turns to look back toward the hill and the tunnel they came from. Then turns back to speak to Rhune. "Go on wit ye friends, Rhune," he says kindly. "Let me 'ead up o'er th' hill where they c'n see me. They c'n follow me -- I hope -- but if I c'n get o'er th' crest 'fore they catch me, I c'n double back an' cover m'own tracks an' p'raps catch ye up on th' riverbank." She is about to speak to him but.... "No time fer arguin'," he says pre-emptively, with a gentle smile. "If fate wills it, p'raps we will see each other again." Dax heads off as quickly as he is able on a course aimed at the top of the hill and which will pass directly across the line of sight of the approaching riders. She sighs heavily praying to her gods that the brave man can make it and not get caught by the Bishop or his men. She then decides that his efforts should not be in vain she turns and begins sprinting towards the river and passing boat. Jacobus and Krige lead the way toward the river, both moving with good speed. Urak and Matteo are moving along quite slowly, practically dragging Kenishiro's weight with them, until Ullar sees the need and lends a hand. His strength makes a difference, and they manage to as a group half-carry, half-assist the large Asian toward the river. He has not spoken since awakening, and appears more and more confused and out of sorts with each passing moment. Asif and Sam come along fairly slowly, both of them being fairly fleet of foot, but very badly injured. They manage to make similar time to those dragging Kenishiro's bulk. After leaving the trail, Marika comes running forward, passing the still arguing Rhune and Dax, then moves up to and passes the foursome struggling to make ground and the injured pair. Finally, Rhune comes, alone, racing after the running and panting group. She looks back to see the older fellow turn very obviously toward the horsemen, though they are out of visual range and then head off in the same direction that Marika threw her shoe. Though unable to see the mounted mercenaries, many of you can hear them as they reach the rocky outcropping. Then the sound fades, as the group must have taken the bait. Vowing to make the most of the sacrifice of a fellow you didn't even know, the group redoubles their pace, making the best attempt they can to reach the river before the horsemen turn tail and begin looking for the rest of you. Krige and Jacobus are able to reach the river first, and see that the riverboat appears to be some sort of low keeled galley, as there are oars coming out of holes in the lower deck, driving the fairly small boat upriver at a relatively slow pace. Amazingly fortunate for the group, you can see that between the river and the mercenary camp, there are several thick stands of trees, and you judge that it would be almost impossible for anyone therein to see the boat coming by. Indeed, it is making almost no noise, so if the gods were with you (and if they aren't with you, then who are they with?) it is entirely possible that the camp would never even know it went by. One complication, though, is that the galley has moved past the point where Jacobus and Krige emerge to meet it. It is some twenty yards downstream. More problematic, it is some fifty yards out into the river. From what you can see, there is one main cabin and the lower deck with whoever is pulling those oars, and that's it. There are no beings in sight anywhere on the deck, though the front is blocked from sight at the moment. As the rest of the group slowly but surely catches up with Jacobus and Krige, the group of them charge east along the riverbank to catch up with the boat. It is not moving terribly fast, and even at the reduced rate several of you are travelling, you manage to catch it. Now all you have to do is figure out a way to cross the fifty yards of fast-flowing river water to get to it, then how to board without drawing an alarm, then manage to persuade the captain to not turn you in. Easy enough, huh?

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	Benjamin Lomax

This page was last updated on 20 January 2001