"Are you alright Arkady? I'm going to search these bodies for any clues, although I'm afraid we will end up with little interesting stuff."
The first body Ullar examines is the body of the fallen warrior.
He finds that the sleeping warrior is not equipped as the shaven-headed archers are, wearing chain mail and carrying a shield and long sword. He is a brawny fellow, nearly as muscular as Ullar. "Forte, you interested in chain armour?" Ullar asks, while gesturing towards the unconscious body in front of him.
"Yes!" Forte exclaims excitedly, anxious for better protection than the leather he currently wears. "Can you help me get the armor off him and on me?" he asks Ullar.
Ullar helps Forte in any way he can, enjoying the fact that he is happy again.
Once Forte crosses the river, he easily puts on the more protective garb. It does not fit well, rather tightly, but it's tolerable.
After that he searches the archers, retrieves as many arrows as he can and puts them all arrows in one stack. "Suit yourself.." he mumbles to the ones carrying missile-weapons.
All the archer are equipped identically, with leathers, short bows, short swords, and one quiver of arrows each.
Forte steps out from behind the tree, hoping to get a shot in with his bow - if he can avoid hitting his allies.
The running swordsman has vanished from sight, and those across the river look with gratitude that none of their companions was hurt badly or killed.
Seeing that the others have taken out the threat Rhune smiles and holds her bow down, though not unknocked. Standing up she looks around to make sure that there are no more that might come out and attack.
Dakath leaves his hiding place and wanders over to the river bank he shouts over "Congratulations, bring the ferry back over so we can transport the horses."
Rhune comes out from behind the trees and calls over, "We will be there in a little bit." then goes to the horses to get them ready for transporting across.
Forte follows Rhune, helping to get the horses ready for transport on the ferry.
Ratlin helps her gather the horses.
After seeing that everybody is ok, Pietro grabs his horse, and rushes to the ferry.
Those still on that side of the river pull the boat slowly across to their side. Pietro leaps aboard with his horse, not waiting for the others or any additional horses, thus necessitating everyone else to drag the boat back once again once he is across.
Once he crosses, seeing Arkady hurt, Pietro lets go of his horse, helping with the healing of the Russian. "If anybody wants to get the leader, get my horse! Mmmm, lie still Arkady, one day you are going to get yourself killed, young man. Now clench your teeth, I've got some cleansing fluid for wounds here. It will burn a little bit." Pietro applies the fluid, which has the color of rust, to the wounds.
"None of us has tracking abilities, Pietro. We've tried before, but I rather continue on our way to the Rifflians. I bet that the escaping warrior has spotted the white horses, so they know where we are heading. The sooner we get there, the better." replies Ullar
As the burning liquid enters his wounds Arkady bites down hard and grips Pietro's calf with a death grip to keep from screaming.
He cleans the wounds, and puts bandages on them. "Lie still, close your eyes, and relax. Pietro gets his medallion in one hand, puts another hand on the chest of Arkady, and performs the now well known ritual of healing.
The effects of the magic are strong, healing most of Arkady's recent injuries. They also seem to calm him somewhat.
Feeling a little restored and bandaged, Arkady stands with Ullar's help and retrieves his weapon. Grinning painfully he claps Pietro on the back. "Thank you my friend. I will one day learn to control my urges to fight. Tolik, do not blame yourself. I have not died and that which doesn't kill me makes me strong."
Tolik hears him, and for a moment looks up. But he doesn't seem to be put at ease by the words, and continues to mope.
After arriving to where the others are, Ratlin looks wide eyed at Arkady but not condemning him with his look, "Arkady, I have a question....Were you like this before you got your sword?"
Arkady stares downcast and embarrassed. "Unfortunately yes. As Pietro has said I am cursed with rage and violence. I try to control it but many times it slips my grasp. I apologize if my actions frighten you....." He walks unevenly away a few steps and faces away from the others. Trembling with emotion he stands and tries to phrase his next request as well as he can.
"No, it doesn't frighten me. I have read about this before in a book. But I have also read about weapons who are able to 'speak' to their wielders and mold their actions. I was thinking such was the case with you." Ratlin replies, his face calm.
He rubs at the bandages around his neck and then speaks in a near whisper. "Promise me that you'll end my life if this rage ever turns on any of you......" Emotion and tears choke him before he can finish.
Ratlin walks up to him and lays a hand gently on his shoulder, "Do not worry Arkady, I plan on staying well out of your way so that won't happen."
He moves over to Tolik and waits in line for treatment while waiting his answer.
Tolik, seeing Ullar looting the bodies, grabs his dagger before Ullar gets to it. He then quickly bandages the wounds.
"Thank you" Ratlin says.
Asif steps delicately through the grim remains of the dead. Each footfall placed with precision. He looks to the left and right and picks at random a few arrows to fill his nearly full quiver of arrows. He sighs deeply, his shoulders heavy with sadness at the continued need for bloodshed.
"Ullar, shouldn't we, you know... Kill the sleeping ones too?" Amibar is clearly uncomfortable with the notion, but also keeps glancing at the sleeping forms, fearing they would wake up any minute and charge him.
"You are right!" says Ullar. "But I will not kill them. These are just some kind of drones. Let's just tie them up against a tree, than it is their leaders responsibility to save their lives.. or not.. I don't like to be killed in my sleep, and neither do they" is the dry comment of the ex-gladiator.
Dakath chuckles "Next thieves guild meeting I go to I'll be sure to let all the assassins there know." The smile leaves his face as he draws his longsword and dagger. "Don't you all have something you need to be doing over there." he indicates a spot with a nod of his head, just beyond the sleeping forms.
Ullar, who has not turned away, for he has seen Dakath to work before, steps in his way. "No, you're not." is his sturdy comment.
Dakath stops and looks at Ullar "If it was the other way round they'd have qualms about ending your life. I'm not particularly fond of doing this but our very survival is at stake here." Dakath makes no move to pass.
"No it's not. These are drones. I bet they don't have a clue where to go or what to do when they regain consciousness. If we leave them tight up here we have nothing to fear of them." says Ullar, with a stern voice.
Tolik looks up when this is mentioned, but he is still feeling guilty so he keeps his mouth shut.
"You're right about the archer," agrees Ami, " but what about the guy who was holding Tolik? He seemed a sort of leader-type. Maybe we can question him..."
"But you are right about that sword-fighter.." says Ullar with a nod to one of the 'leaders' who has been tied up against a tree. ".. interrogation should give us at least some info. I think Forte and/or Dakath have no problem whatsoever with interrogating him.." says Ullar, with a little smile.
Dakath runs a hand through his hair. "I'm not so sure interrogation is going to do us much good. After all the last man we interrogated seemed to of lost his mind."
"True, but it seems to me that this one.." says Ullar, while indicating the sleeping fighter ".. was giving commands. We have to squish some info out of him".
"I agree with you Ullar," Pietro mentions, "just tie them to a tree. I cannot stand by and let everybody we find on our way be slaughtered, just because we cannot take them. I do not think that we will see them again pretty fast. We slaughtered them this time, they will think twice and need a small army before they will attack us again. We can do a quick search for horses, so we can take them with us."
Amibar lets out a sigh of exasperation. " What do you mean, slaughter everyone we find? It's not like we interrupted their tea-party and attacked them, they shot at us! And if we leave them here, they'll only chase us and do it again!" Ami is really frustrated with the healer's position. " I understand you sentiments about killing, believe me, it's hard for me too. But this is for our protection - they wouldn't return the kindness, you know, if things went the other way."
Tolik looks up guiltily. "I agree with Ami. As Ullar said they act like drones... I don't think they'd hesitate to come at us again." He has finished bandaging wounds so he heads to the ferry to take it back for the others.
"How can you judge about these people?" says Ullar, raising his voice a little; in frustration that is.
As he does so, he and Pietro tie the two men up to a nearby tree.
"They are just drones, following commands because of some weird influence the men of the Bishop have over them. I owe my life to one of those drones and I will never, ever, kill when it's not necessary. Life is a treasure which should be cared for, at least, that is what I have been told."
Some time later, as the others finally finish crossing the river, Forte notices the two evil men tied to a tree. "So, what are you going to do with them?" he asks the group. "We can't just leave them here to tell their comrades which direction we went."
"Currently they are asleep. If we tie them up correctly, and take their horses it will be quite some time before they are able to pursue us. If we knock them unconscious if they awake before we leave, they may not have a clue where we are heading!"
Forte begins searching the captives, not sure if anyone has already done so. As he checks them for valuables, he says, "Dakath is right. I don't want these goons chasing us, ambushing us again, and killing us - which they certainly will do, given the chance." Having finished the brief search, he turns to Ullar directly. "I hate to keep beating a dead horse (thief), but we have always slain those who tried to kill us. Why should we change now?"
Forte comes upon a small purse hidden within the warrior's belt, full of small gold coins with unrecognizable writings on them, about one hundred.
"Looks like we have some traveling money," Forte says to the rest of the group. He shows the coins to the others. "Anyone recognize these marks?"
"That's not true my friend.. " replies Ullar, ".. for we spared some of the goblins when we encountered a sub-chief of Vlack, well, of another goblin-tribe at that place with those scary fish in the water. We exchanged them for a prisoner, remember?" counters Ullar.
Forte looks at Ullar with a bemused grin. "YOU spared those goblins, not me. And ultimately, we freed them AFTER you had talked with their leader and come to some sort of a truce." The large warrior looks at the bound captives, then back at the ex-gladiator. "As soon as you engineer a truce with THEIR leader-" he gestures toward the sleeping captives - "we can spare their lives."
".. and for me to do that, I need them alive!" replies Ullar, grinning at Forte.
Dakath waits patiently sword and dagger still in hand. "You can't fault his logic Ullar, If we leave these men they can provide all kinds of information on us, who practices magic, who are the main dangers, it'll give them a chance to organize and the chances they could defeat us."
"That's just plain nonsense! They haven't seen most of us, since you where on the other side of the river when they fell asleep by Ami's spell. These are just little buggers, who are absolutely not dangerous to us. If we take their horses it will take them 3 days to reach Arezzo by foot, and a full day on horseback to get back here. By then even our traces should have vanished if it rains."
"Not dangerous to us? Are you nuts?" shouts Forte. "They tried to kill us! As soon as they awake, they'll try the same." "Besides," says Forte, his tone softening a little, "I'd rather not take a risk on an 'if', Ullar. If it does NOT rain, then we're easily tracked by these men, or any others they work for."
"Why would they attack? As far as I've witnessed, they only attack when they are ordered to do so. And we have captured one of the guys who ordered them to attack us, so let's bring him with us and question him. I bet we can get some information out of him. I think I know some ways myself.." adds Ullar, with a questionable look in his eyes.
"Forte, if you and Dakath really are bothered by it, I suggest we take them with us. I bet someone is able to get some information out of them. Don't you know somebody Stephen? Or you, Taras?" inquires Ullar, not really happy with the division within the group.
"Take them with us?" Forte asks. "Well, if I'm to be taking dead weight along, it will truly be dead."
"Why? Then they are no use to us. Now we can exchange them, if necessary. And we have plenty of horses with us where we can bind them to. So what's the big deal? We are with 8, they are with the two of them. They would be nuts to attack us. If we can find out why these 'drones' are under control, we might have found a way to counter the forces of the Bishop. If we kill the two of them, what would we gain? I bet there are plenty of drones around, so their ranks will be replenished immediately. If we take them with us, or question them right here, they can provide information which can be useful to us."
"There is no pride in killing a captured opponent, no honor, no nothing. I just can't understand why you are so eager to kill a defenseless man. In my eyes that is showing your only weakness: fear." concludes Ullar, eyes wide open while looking at Dakath and Forte.
Dakath looks up at Ullar grimly "What do I care about honor Ullar ? I'm a thief, a rogue and when it suits a murderer."
"..and I am not. If I have the possibility to avoid such revolting actions, I will." replies Ullar. Judging the tone of his voice he is not going to give in on this issue.
Dakath shrugs "I'm not asking you to do anything, but one thing is certain, no man determines my actions."
"I don't feel the urge to do that, Dakath. However, you must understand that no man will be killed the way you are 'suggesting' when I can prevent it."
Dakath nods "I understand, no man is to die when you can prevent it."
Ullar frowns. "That's not what I said, but I think we understand each others points."
Tolik watches but doesn't speak, realizing that the decision is to be made by the more experienced group members, and as one of the newest members, he keeps his mouth shut.
With a sigh, Ullar continues: "Look, if we interrogate them here, or take them with us and interrogate them someplace else we can get some useful information. If they can't provide us with any, we can tie them to a tree or put them in some place else. However, if they try to escape I wouldn't be surprised if they end up dead..." says Ullar, with a faint wink to Dakath.
Dakath frowns for a moment before returning the smile "Well the wilderness is an awfully dangerous place, all kinds of things can happen to a man alone in the woods."
Glad that this matter has been settled Ullar gives Dakath a faint smile, while nodding softly with his head. "It is, my friend, it certainly is."
Asif listens to the debate with some deliberation before finally deciding to offer his opinion.
"The choice is simple efendi. If enemy of free will they be, then death shall I deliver them without remorse. A warrior decides takes the path of the sword knowing the consequences of defeat. But this is not so, warriors of free will be they not. The working of heka upon them has crushed that freedom choice, the ability to decide between right and wrong. They are now sadly but an empty vessel, a vehicle of the Bishops hatred for those not of his chosen path of truth. What we must decide I feel is not whether killing them is right or wrong, but what is the greater mercy. A quick merciful death by our hands, or a lingering death as no more than lifeless ghouls under the ensorcement of the Bishop! "
Ullar eyes his Arab friend with curiosity. "Very well said Asif. However, the question you rise is something we can't decide upon, since we don't have all the information on this issue. I rather leave it to the Gods to judge them. If we tie them up and leave them here and they are rescued, well, than someone is looking over them. If they are not rescued, matters will be taken care of, don't you agree?"
Hearing this Rhune turns around, "Yes that may be true, Ullar. But if no one comes to rescue them and they are unable to get free, then you condemn to a death by starvation or thirst or if they are lucky the bear that roams these woods or not then wolves. My friend there is no easy decision here...and for that I am sorry." she turns away and heads to her horse.
"It may be best to leave the decision in the hands of the gods as you decide. But I wonder indeed efendi if this sorcery upon them is permanent. Are their souls for ever destroyed or may gifted healers restore them to their former selfs? It is pity that none amongst us are trained fully in the complete truths of a chosen faith. A high ranking Inman of Aten could reveal the nature of this ensorcement and tell us whether it could be broken"
Ullar looks at Pietro, then at Amibar and Tolik. "Do you know of any means to identify this ensorcement as Asif puts it? My knowledge in this matter is very limited, to say the least, but I am curious, as you already know by now..." adds Ullar, with a brief smile.
"I fear I cannot help you, once again Ullar, in questions of magical theory," answers Amibar with a glum look. " I was never much of a scholar, and what little knowledge I have, I had a hard time coming by. I know nothing of this mind enslavement we have witnessed on these men..."
Pietro frowns for a bit. "Curses and ensorcements are not my specialty, but I may be able to shine some light on the situation. It is possible to detect sorceries and curses, it will even be possible to cure people from their magical entrapment. Curing though will normally take a wizard or priest of at least the same power as the caster of the spell or prayer. I do not have the possibility to cast such prayers, only Hermes knows if I will ever have the chance to do so. I can only be faithful and do what seems right to me.