On Patrol (Open)

[Merides Ague]

Merides would never admit it to himself, but he hated the dark.

The moon was out, like a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. And the world, for the most part, was silent. Here and there lights flickered in the windows of the city, and there were the hushed murmurs of voices in corners, the cheap games of cards and the rowdy tavern noise in the distance.

With a nod and a gesture he dismissed his personal guard: "Go on home, recruit. You're off-duty."

"Th-thanks, sir," said the weasly-faced boy in armor much too big for him striding alongside Merides, and after saluting he was gone.

And now Merides was alone. For a second he could almost forget the armor and the swords clanking at his side, and the weight of the world on his shoulders. And he looked up to the sky, shielding his eyes as if from bright sunlight.

"

[Lord Commander De Montford]

"You'll find no answers up there Merides," Arthur said as he walked up beside the Lord Commander out of the thick darkness, from the same way his guard had come from. The direction of the citadel of Mylithia. He looked up at the stars beside him as he spoke, "Whatever they know they never tell..."

"How have you been old friend?" Arthur averted his eyes to the armoured commander beside him. "Its been quite a while since we've been in the same city at the same time. What, seven months now?"

ooc: I hope you don't mind the history between us there

[Merides Ague]

Merides stiffens abruptly as the Commander comes up behind him; still unable to shuck those reflexes after all these years, it seems.

"Yes, inscrutible as always," he replies with an air of nonchalance, his arms coming up to clasp behind his back, standing at-ease for the moment. "Much has happened in seven months. I am loathe to delve into it for fear of prying ears, and eyes... the silence about this street ill befits a private conversation. Would you care to accompany me nearby, my friend?" he motions to the tavern about forty feet off, aglow in firelight and cheers.

OOC: Not at all. xD

[Lord Commander De Montford]

Arthur followed Merides' indication to a nearby tavern someway down the street. It was a higher class tavern so at least they would be welcome there. "It saddens me to say that I am on duty, so I will not be toasting to the good old days for the moment. But soon, that is for certain."

"However I would gladly welcome the offer of a clean drink, a sturdy chair and a good tale. The guards have everything under control here, and I doubt there will be any discrepincies tonight. Lead on Commander."

He wasn't wearing his dragonscale armour at the moment, just a regal, blue doublet embroidered with black and trimmed in white over a suit of pale, light ringmail. His longsword hung at his belt and his shield lay in his quarters.

Arthur noted how he had stiffened on his approach earlier, and elected to voice on it as he fell in step beside the Commander. "It seems you are still as alert and edged as last time I saw you, friend." Last time he saw him was with two shimmering swords in his hands and foes lying dead around him on a field of battle, but Arthur did not want to talk about that just yet...

[Merides Ague]

"Ah, how regrettable," says Merides, a little lilting smile on his face as they sit down within the tavern, Merides sprawled rather ungainly in his seat for someone who presumes himself to be Lord Commander of anything. Still a little awkward, even after all this time. It's good even to see Arthur's face, the familiar etchings he's known for so long.

Nevertheless Rid distracts himself long enough to call a tendress and order a tankard of water for himself and whatever Arthur wants - on Rid's tab, of course. "Tis good to know the city is secure and that the good health of the great Commander de Montford has been preserved," he says to lead into what he wants to impart, "But the citizens of Mylithia... still ought to worry. I remain alert only because of this, my friend." He quiets for a moment: "There are things... breeding in the forests between here and Vyry. Things so misshapen and horrid one might assume them to be human, but they... they aren't at all." He runs a hand through his hair in acute frustration. "Reconnaissance leads me to the knowledge that they are puppets; souls of what were once humans, now revived. They have yet to kill anyone notable, but my scouts assure me that there have been rumors of disappearances of travellers from the wayside."

He lets that sink in for a moment before he says, "You and I have oft worked together in the past. Perhaps we can do so again. Have you heard any whisperings of such a thing?"

[Lord Commander De Montford]

"Just a water if you would," Arthur said to the waitress as he took a seat on the opposite of the table to Rid. He took a drink from the clean mug as he listened to what the Commander hads to say.

"You flatter me unessecarily dear Lord. You are just as great as I in the grand scheme of things." What he said next did not fall on welcome ears. Another enemy was not something Arthur needed for the moment.

He frowned, "Do you mean to say that some form of the undead is rising again?" Arthur was far from being a superstisious person, but he had seen a lot of strange and terrible things in his life to disbelieve Rid on something as grave as this. "This couldn't have occured on any worse occasion. I am currenlty calling my banners to sail on the isle of whatever beasts have been storming Tarantara over the past few months. Their attacks are growing more frequent and confident. I have to strike with the selkies, dragons and herana soon, or all will be lost."

Arthur leant back in his chair, rubbing his stubbled chin in thought and took another drink of water. "Although the royal armies are massing, I believe I will be able to spare a regiment of our more experienced warriors for this battle you speak of. I would gladly fight beside you again on the field of battle dear friend."

[Merides Ague]

Rid's face does not change, but one would come to know the aura of surprise wreathed about him. More? So soon? Damn! Has all Tarantara succumbed to such misery lately?

"I have heard of them," he says quietly, his voice carrying that same note of tranquil formality it always has - or at least the semblance of it."These beasts of which you speak. Business mandates I stay here-- as much as I'd like to garner news of them myself." Merides isn't quite sure what he ought to say for a moment, and so he averts his eyes to the fireplace, drinking from his tankard idly.

"I don't know if this is going to be a battle. Not yet. For now, we have two choices: we can route these... 'undead', I suppose they are, before they come to full force. Or we can leave them be. Perhaps the threat is an idle one, and not to be tarried with. You've issues of your own to deal with, and so the second option might be a more favourable one to you."

[Lord Commander De Montford]

Arthur shook his head. "Our allies have been much slower to rally their forces compared to us. I have some small time on my hands, and I intend not to waste it so mindlessly. But this threat you speak of... this would not be a waste of time on my account."

"I am limited in my response to these beasts until the other races have gathered their forces. So, as strange as it may occur to be, the first option is actually more favourable to me."

The Lord Commander drank again from his mug, draining its contents silently and setting the empty tankard on the wooden table with a drum of his fingers. "Do you know anything else about these beings? Their strength? Numbers? Arsenal? Do we even know if they have a leadership position at all?"

[Merides Ague]

For a good time Merides looks as if he wants to say something but doesn't; finally he manages, "I am not sure of their arsenal, nor their strength, as they have yet to properly engage us - the only things I can be certain of is they are fast, hideously fast. Their numbers are somewhere in the fifties or so... possibly more." he pauses; "I looked through some of the older blueprints of the city before its recent patroned renovations to see if I might detect a clue or two. It seems they are all breeding on the grounds of old gravesites, in the woods around the capital. As to their leader-- I cannot say. Can you recommend a scout, a professional, one we might send for further intelligence?"

[Lord Commander De Montford]

Arthur though considerably on that, and a memory came back to life in his mind. Something which happened not too long ago at all. "Now that you ask about it. Yes, I know of a Captain in the Imperial ranger battalion who has seen considerable combat experience. He was actually the first contact we ever recieved of the brutes which engage our lands as we speak. He has been recently re-equipped in his armament, and his patrol are all made of experienced veterans."

The Lord Commander nodded, "Yes, if its intelligence you seek, Captain Faolan Lupus is your man." He ran a finger around the rim of his tankard, in silent thought for a moment. "Graveyards you say? That is interesting... maybe they draw some sort of power from there..." He was only stabbing in the dark here. Allegations of such nature in the end were useless, but none the less they gave a situation some entitlement to thought...

[Merides Ague]

Merides nods matter-of-factly, as crisp a gesture as any the man makes. "Please do inform him of the situation, my friend, if you'd be so kind - I'll have a messenger bring the local schematics of the creatures' locations to you at once, as soon as I've had a copy made." He pauses thoughtfully, rubbing the bristle of his goatee with the pad of one thumb: "You've taken quite a burden from my shoulders, Arthur. Any chance I can speak to this Captain Lupus posthaste?"

it appears he has noticed the stone time-dragon on the mantel of the tavern fire, and with it the fact that midnight has drawn near.

[Lord Commander De Montford]

Of course my lord, you can speak to him on the morrow. As chance may have it he is still in the city because just this morning, the King ordered him to remain in Mylithia until he was fully healed. However I gave him leave tomorrow if he felt he could adequately lead his troops.” Arthur thought about it for a moment. ”At this moment I believe he would be in the barracks, either sleeping or preparing for his departure very soon.”

”His current orders are to hold the defense line at the Ice Plains, however he is a loyal leader from as far as I can tell, and I believe he will be glad to lead a sortie against your undead.”

The Lord Commander stood up, noting that the hour was later than he had originally thought. ”I will escort you down if you want Rid…”

[Merides Ague]

Rid merely nods and pushes out his chair, paying the tab for the both of them with fluid ease. He knows the tenders of every tavern in the city-- 'tis, after all, his civic duty.

"As you will, Arthur." Though the barracks of the Royal guard are not his personal domain, he is nevertheless familiar to their location. And with that he prepares to accompany the fellow - as far as he'll lead him, anyways.

[OOC: Is this guy a NPC of yours or another player on Tarantara? xD *kind of retarded about whose character is whose*]

[Lord Commander De Montford]

”Follow me my lord,” Arthur said to Rid as he turned and strode out of the tavern…

__________________ In transit ;D ________________________________________

”Open the gates!” The watchman called down to the soldiers below him as the two Lord Commanders approached the barracks main field. It didn’t take long for them to navigate the stone corridors of the barracks to the wing where Faolan was staying, among other troops.

A squire met them in the entrance hall, young and eyes downcast. ”Go and wake Captain Lupus lad. Tell him that Lord Commander de Montford requests his presence.” The squire nodded and hurried off through a thick door.

”He shouldn’t be long at all,” Arthur said to Rid. ”Rangers are anything but tardy these days, and I’ve heard they sleep incredibly lightly as well. Please, make yourself comfortable…”

[Faolan Lupus]

Faolan wasn't asleep. He was always up early, a habit from constantly being on the move in the woods. To stay to long in one position would be death. Especially in these darkest of times. He was sitting at the window, looking at the stone jungle his disliked so much as the bright sunrise turned the sky from the midnight blue of night to the pink of dawn. Even the air smelt odd in the city. Faolan only came when he was needed. He far prefered to be constantly moving out in the open, or in the forests. He was going to leave today, whether or not it was desirable. Faolan believed his leg in perfectly good condition, only a slight limp remained, and the scars were always hidden beneath his clothing. He wasn't much one for short ended clothing anyway. All of his scant possessions were ready to go. His new light armour, sword, quiver full of arrows, some trinkets from his past that Faolan found it difficult to let go of and his most prized possession, his bow.

His thoughts were disturbed by a squire. He wasn't sure to which Lord this boy was a squire to, but he did know that the child needed more self-condfidence. His eyes were always on the ground, and his words came out only in a mumble. Faolan did manage to catch that the High Lord Montford was waiting for him.

Faolan stood up, keeping a perfect, proud posture. Whether Faolan willed it or not to visit the High Lord, he was a superior in rank, and it was Faolan's duty to report to him when summonded.

He was left his small amount of items behind him, wearing a simple dark green robe given to him by the people of Mylithia.

"You summoned me, High Lord." Faolan said, bowing as best he could to Montford and the Lord Commander he recognised as Merides.