Night's End

(by Issic)

Issic nodded to Silas and went over to the table, he pulled Caelynn's chair out for her and then sat down in his. They began to drink their ale and talk about the last few weeks. He listened and shared in laughs, his eyes caught Caelynn's every so often, once he thought he saw her blush a bit. It was good to be back to what he considered home. He had told them both of what he did with the exception of going to Caelynn's parents house. He thought that would be something left for Silas's ears only. He did say that he found their old house, and his fight with the Draks and Nelsor, how if it weren't for a wondering scout who happen to be traveling to the Fort he perhaps would have been lost. Which that part of the conversation led to the rumors that he was last checking out around Diogel.

They talked for a few hours before Silas stood up and announced that he was off to bed. Moments later Caelynn and Issic sat there at the table in silence.

"I thank you for your apology, but it was not necessary. You should not be sorry for your feelings. You love your brother dearly and just stuck up for him. It's hard for me to understand sometimes because I don't have much of a family and no brothers of sisters that I know of. But I know you care for him deeply, thus if he is alive. I shall do what I can in attempts to find him for you."

He could see her eyes moisten and a tear fall. He slowly wiped the tear away from her cheek and gazed into her eyes. He had missed her dearly.

"It's late though, perhaps it is time for you to rest. You've had a busy day today I'm sure." He got up and gently took her hand, helping her to her feet. Walking her to her room he smiled at her. "I told you I'd be back, and I am. So, no need to worry. If you need me for any reason. I'll be at my chair."

Welcome Home

It was all she could do to keep her mind on her work until the pub closed. Often she would glance at him - as if wanting to assure herself that he really was there and wasn't just her imagination playing tricks on her. Watching her, Silas had to chuckle to himself. For all the excitement of the evening, she still seemed as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In more than one way he had to admit - it was good to have Issic home again.

Shooing the last of the customers out the door, the trio set about cleaning the place up. Carrying dishes back to the kitchen, Caelynn paused as she passed Issic in the hallway. "Welcome back, Issic" she spoke softly. Hesitating, she continued "I... I'm sorry I was so cross with you the last time we spoke."

Issic smiled, but his response was cut off by Silas calling them to the main room. Stepping into the room, they saw Silas at a table with three mugs of ale. He motioned to the other seats at the table. "So... shall we catch up with one another over a pint?"

The Return

(by Issic)

The night was much busier then normal. There was a large crowd of people in the pub drinking, eating and having a good time. Silas was very busy mixing drink behind the bar as Caelynn ran around serving the drinks and the food. Silas didn’t expect this many people to have shown up this night, but he was somewhat grateful as Caelynn hadn’t exactly been herself since Issic had left. He could see that it weighed heavy upon her shoulders, as if there was something she had to get off her chest but could never find the words. The large amount of people was what they needed to get her mind off of whatever troubled her.

Silas just poured his last pint of ale and handed it out when he told Caelynn that he’d need to go down into the cellar and bring up another keg, that he would only be a few minutes. He scanned the large room for a second to make sure that nothing was out of the norm, then headed down a hallway and into the cellar.

Caelynn kept up with the orders for food and drink, always greeting the customers with a friendly smile as they walked in and left. There was a small group of highlanders that had started coming into the pub regularly a week or so prior. They were very rude and always kept their eye on Caelynn.

“Wench!!! Another round for me and me friends! And make haste we ain’t got all night girlie!!!” The larger of the men yelled out. Above anything, Caelynn hated being called a wench. She was more then that, she knew it, but she was working and tried to keep a professional manner about her. She gathered a few glasses and filled them then brought them to the table and sat them down. As she tried to escape from the table she felt a large hand grab her butt, then another hand grab her wrist.

“Where ye go’n so fast girlie! We wanna talk.” The man said to her as he pulled her close to him.

“Please take your hands off of me, that’s not allowed in the pub, and I’ll be forced to ask you to leave.”

“Ye can ask all ye want, but I have the coin to pay for the drinks, and I say I stay right where we are.”

“Then I suggest you get your hands off of me now!” Caelynn demanded. Most times she only had to get a bit vocal to get the attention of the men who attempted to persuade her. This man merely laughed and yanked her closer to him, taking her off of her balance as she fell against the table. She got up quickly and slapped the man as hard as she could. The sound echoed in the large room and everything became instantly silent as everyone turned to look at what was going on.

Silas found a full keg and began to roll it out of the cellar when he noticed there was no music, no chatter, not a sound in the main hall above him. T’was very odd to not hear anything when such a large crowd of folks. His thought instantly fell on Caelynn. Something was wrong he knew it. He ran up the stairs and down the hallway to see a large man holding both of Caelynn’s wrists behind her back with one of his own hands looking at her. He began to draw a dagger of his when out of the corner of his eye he saw a cloaked figure walk through the door with their hood up over their head. He had seen that cloak before and smiled.

“Silas! Help!” Caelynn called out, she couldn’t see him as her back was facing the bar. She hadn’t noticed the person walking through the door as her attention was purely locked on the man holding her arms.

“That didn’t feel very nice wench!!! I should show you just how I take care of lil girls who get out of line!!!” the man yelled out.

“Silas!” Called the figure that walked in. “I’m still employed at this pub am I not?”

“Indeed, that ye are. I hope your vacation was a good one. We could use you right now.” Silas called back to the figure.

The mans hand rose up and began to come down hard closing the distance to Caelynn’s face when it suddenly stopped. A small slapping sound could be heard. When Caelynn opened up her eyes she saw the mans hand was stopped by another.

“Let her go now or I shall be forced to show you how I deal with your rude mannered absent minded, been hit one too many times in the head warrior types.” He said forcefully.

Caelynn’s eyes brightened when she saw Issic standing before her protecting her once again as he had done before. She also saw Silas moving quietly towards the entrance to guard their escape if they choose to run off with her.

“Who the HELL are you boy!!! Ye need to be taught a lesson! Do NOT interrupt me when I’m in the middle of something. Do you NOT know who I am!!!”

“Perhaps you don’t understand. I don’t give a damn who you are, or where you came from. But I know exactly where you’re going to end up if you don’t get your hands off of her.”

The man laughed and turned slightly releasing Caelynn who had taken this as a prime time to make her way quickly to Silas’s side. Suddenly the man’s whole body shifted again as he took a mighty swing at Issic who was not fooled and evaded the strike very gracefully and with much ease.

“Were you going to teach me that lesson, or should I look for another to do so?” Issic taunted the man.

“I’m going to kill you boy!!!” Again he swung at Issic who kept dodging and evading the blows. Everyone got up from their tables and spread against the walls to get out of the way of everything. To add insult to injury as Issic evaded another swing he grabbed a glass of ale and took a drink from it, all the while continuing to watch the man trying to attack him.

“Oh, did you want a drink as well?” He asked just before he his jerked his arm forward and then back, sending the remaining ale straight into the face of his attacker.

Having enough of all of his, the large highlander took out a sword and began to swing at Issic. The other men who were at the same table seemed to blend in with the crowd never taking their eyes off of Issic.

“Watch out Issic!!” Caelynn yelled as one of the men ran up behind in an attempt to flank Issic.

Issic quickly grabbed a chair and flung it behind him hitting the man in the legs and sending him to the floor. Another from another side found himself being stuck to the ground as Caelynn spoke some words of power and flung her hand in the direction of the attack. He was instantly engulfed in a huge shard of ice not able to move. Silas took care of the last attack who fell at Issic’s feet from a crossbow bolt.

Another swing from the sword that again was evaded. “This is getting old, haven’t you learned, that’s the problem with you all, you think you’re soo tough and strong, that you can treat others with no respect.” Quickly Issic back handed the man attacking him. “Respect shall be learned tonight, or you will die.” Again he ducked out of the way of another mighty swing of the sword, this time kicking the man in the knee which sent him down to the ground. Issic then kicked the sword away from him and another swift kick to his face which sent him back against a wall. “Hopefully we’ve learned something this night.” Issic turned around to face Caelynn and Silas. In the corner of his eye he could see the man getting up and grabbed a dagger from his side.

“I’m going to kill you!!!” He yelled out.

Issic spun around in a circle quickly letting two daggers fly, hitting the man in each hand and pinning him against the wall. “Last lesson for you….” Issic vanished out of sight of everyone. His voice seemed to be close but couldn’t be pin pointed. Silas knew what was to happen and covered Caelynn’s eyes and turn her towards him so she wouldn’t see.

“NEVER screw around with me or the ones I care about.” The words came out loud and just before anyone could see. Issic had come out from his hiding right in front of the man. Spinning around he sliced the man’s throat with one of the blades and the other at the end of his spin slammed it into the side of the man stricking his heart. He yanked both blades out of the lifeless corpse and gathered both of the daggers that still held the man against the wall. He then walked to the one still engulfed in ice. “You’ve learned the lessons your friend could not learn right?” Issic asked in a low voice.

“yee…. Yess, yes I have sir, please don’t kill me…” Issic took the blunt end of the dagger and struck the ice which seemed to magically shatter but left no remains of ice or water around.

“I don’t EVER want to hear of you coming back here causing trouble or I will kill you slowly. Now get out of here.”

The man turned and rushed as fast as he could out of the pub and through the portal that lead to the Marsh. A few guards had walked in and saw everything happen. Once all was over and done with they began to drag the bodies of the dead ones out and jailed the one unconscious still laying on the floor.

“Well, I’m back.” Issic spoke softly as he turned to Silas and Caelynn as everyone in the pub cheered.

Clues

(by Issic)

It had been a week since the night they were welcomed to stay with the Lammia's. Each day Issic and O'honat would go out and search the surrounding area for any signs of the caravan of drakorans that had passed through. Each day that passed Issic couldn't help but wonder about Caelynn, what she was doing, what she thought, if she was still upset at him. If she'd ever look at him with those eyes that seemed to be able to look into his very soul. He missed her greatly and longed to see her again.

As he continued to drift off in thought he scanned the ground almost absentmindedly looking for any clue he could find. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye something shown brightly through the sun and almost blinded him when he turned to face it. The thoughts of Caelynn suddenly lost as he went to find out what it was. He stepped closer to the object which looked like a small symbol of sorts. Most of it covered up by mud and sand. Issic turned and whistled to O'honat to let her know that he may have found something. He picked the object up and walked over to the water to begin to wash it off. At a closer inspection it was a necklace with the family crest upon it. He knew the symbol from the one that he had seen in Caelynn's room, and from the house of her parents. This was a very large clue and he had to go back to Silas to inform him. He put the necklace into his pocket and turned around only to face an Orc and their hunting dog.

The dog stood there snarling at Issic, twitching every once in awhile as if ready to strike. "Who are you and what do you want in this area of the Orcs?"

Issic looked beyond the orc to see if O'honat was anywhere to be seen. He saw a shadowed figure standing next to a tree with their bow readied. She didn't have a clear shot on it from where she was standing. He hoped that she was a good scout and wouldn't miss only to hit him. "My most humble apologies, I was sent to look for anything out of the ordinary in these parts. Perhaps you have seen something to note?"

The orc growled at him and spit down at his feet. "Why would I help you, I've half a mind to kill you where you stand and bring back fresh meat to the tribe!"

Issic slowly side stepped the orc to get out of the water and to help O'honat get a better shot should she take it. "I come with great importance. Perhaps you've seen a Drakoran caravan pass through that valley and come to the shore, and if you did, it would make my job easier. I know that Orcs and Drakoran clans have a strong distaste for each other. So if you can tell me what you know, we could help your clan out by killing those Drakorans."

"You have a silver tongue human... there was a drak caravan that passed through here moons ago. We fought some of them, killing a few of the draks, but they were not alo...."

The orc fell to the ground with a large spear stuck to his back, the dog turned to look at it's master and then ran off. In the distance he saw Ogres rushing towards them. "Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!!!! Meet back up at the camp site!" He yelled to O'honat. He spun around and began to run towards the tree line, then without a trace he had vanished.

They had avoided a fight with the ogres, something that Issic really didn't feel like getting into. They met back up at the Lammian camp a bit later and began their trip back to Diogel. Issic needed to go back to the pub and fast. It was about mid-day when Issic and O'honat reached Diogel. He had told her that if things started to get strange in these parts or at the keep to leave and wait for him to return at the Lammian camp. Issic jumped on the horse and rode as fast as he could back to the Harbor. He would finally be able to see Caelynn again, but he knew it would be almost closing time for the pub when he would arrive. He heeled the horse again and he jumped into a fast gallop as they raced along the road.

Safe Haven

"You are welcome here, Issssic." The tall Lammian huntress in charge of the encampment addressed him formally. She turned to eye O'honat a bit. " Assss issss your friend. You may both find ressst here thisss night."

O'honat remained quiet through the exchange and seemed a bit tense. The Lammia and Inconnu were not exactly friendly to one another, though not hostile, either. Despite the mutual distrust, she was grateful for a safe haven to spend the night and quietly expressed that gratitude before finding a place to curl up and sleep.

Ashala nodded her head cordially at O'honat's word of thanks. Issic was well-known to the Lammia and was always welcome in their camp. That he traveled with the Inconnu showed that the woman could be trusted as well. She turned back to Issic, who still stood by the camp fire.

"You ssaid you are trailing a Drakoran caravan." Her tail rattled slightly at the mention of the Drakorans. "There hass not been one of note through here in ssseveral monthssss. Assk you're quesstionsss, Issssic. I will tell you all we know."

Continued Search

(by Issic)

The sun had set long since they exited the valley searching for anything that would resemble the caravan that had passed through the area days, if not weeks perhaps even a month or two prior. Their torches lit as much of the landscape as it could, but it just wasn't enough to get a good scan of the area. He looked back to O'honat and could see that she was very fatigued. They had been up for close to twenty hours. He could go on and press through if he needed to. He was trained to withstand long endless endurances. But as he looked back, he felt a slight concern for the scout who didn't seem to look like she was used to this sort of work.

He sighed and looked around. "This is hopeless to keep searching this night. It's much too dark to see anything that isn't almost directly in front of us."

She looked up at him and nodded. "Aye, but there isn't much of a camping area here. These places are filled with orcs and ogres."

"I know of a camp that would take us in for the night. Perhaps they'll even be able to tell us about our draks that we're searching for, or the prisoners."

"What camp is this? I know this area fairly well and there aren't any secured encampments around here." She asked him with a hint of wonder to her voice.

He looked at her and laughed. "Define secure. If you're speaking secure as in camps that we have secured then you're right. There are none in these parts. At least not from Diogel to New Haven. But the camp that we are looking for is one of the Lammias's encampment that is out here. I sure hope that you haven't pissed them off, they tend to remember those things for a long long time."

They walked for a few minutes up over a hill and off into the distance they could see a few large standing stones and a few torches lit. Every now and again you could see the shadow of a large snake-shaped figure slither by.

"There it is. We should be there soon, tomorrow we can restart our search."

Retirement Plans

He stood at the window looking out over the rooftops of Camelot, his brows knitted in a concerned frown. Though all had gone according to the plan thus far, he knew he was walking a fine line. He glanced down at his scarred hand and gave a small, rueful smirk. The diversion certainly worked - the fire most definitely drew the lookout's attention to the courtyard.

But the scout's report on his desk showed that there was still at least one witness to the caravan's passage. But the report was from a low-ranking scout - and an Inconnu at that - sweeping it under the rug would prove to be little problem. Turning to his desk, he picked up the report and casually dropped it in the fireplace, watching it burn to ensure nothing readable was left of it. Turning back to the window, he continued to make plans for his "retirement".

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Enter" he called out.

"Lord Malcomn, I realize that certain precautions must be taken in light of the current suspicions, but I really must protest this new order of regular inspections of my home!"

Malcomn turned from the window with a gracious smile. "Please, Gareth, calm down and have a seat. I'm certain we can work something out."