Fantasy The Quirky Adventures of Tieve and Tordel

[BugDozer73]

The coals simmered in the early light, dancing a dying dance in the cool morning air. Its final moments were a display to be held only in the eyes of the rising sun and those of its tender, stirring it gently with a long stick. T'was a hill, thickly coated in green, weighed heavy by the first dew, where laid this pit. Its last breath of smoke curled reluctantly towards where all dying souls go; up, and up, and up some more, until the final wisps melted into the low hanging clouds.

Tordel, sitting quietly beside the coals, looked deeply into the ashes. He was handsome: With long red hair on the top, pulled taught back into a short and contained pony tail. His ears were easily visible, next to the shaved sides. They came to a sharp point, but with no length to give him airs. The skin on his face and hands was pale, with a smattering of light freckles and very intricate, geometrical green tattoos that curled around his features like vines around a tree. His eyes were spring pools, glowing green with the reflection of the canopy of the forrest. He sat hunched over the fire, wrapped in leathers of dark and verdant greens, with tan looping belts, pouches, a satchel, and at his side a long quarter staff with very similar markings in it as the ones on his body. Around his neck was an Iron knot, a curled symbol that looked tarnished and worn, maybe even ancient, but to the trained eye of a mage, hummed with living energy.

He stared into the ashes, as if looking back through time; contented with the morning silence, which was, in fact, not silence at all, but a symphony of sound. Tordel looked up, finally, and smiled at the birds song, harmonizing with the wind in the surrounding wood. With one stark inhale, he found a comfort in the early spring fragrance of the pond a mile west (now a home for the frogs who slept through winter), and the sap of the elms (rolling slowly down the tired bark, covered in a deep scum green moss) and the earth itself, soaked through with minerals. The world hummed with power, and it filled him with purpose.

Tordel laid his palm on the ground, and flexed his magic, like a muscle, letting his pure spirit flow through this patch of earth. Lacing through the rocks and ashes, snow lilies blossomed, small flowers that extend tiny white petals, that peel away to reveal a small, glowing yellow center. They seemed happy to grow, and so they continued, reaching towards the sun. But in response to his own magic, the world pushed back evenly, filling him with the stillness of nature, and sending over him waves of purity, like the tolling of glass bells. Tordel had enjoyed traveling with his friends, but being back in nature was doing wonders for his spirit.

A small rustle from behind pulled his pink lips into a smirk. Out of the corner of his eye, flashed a red foot, darting itself back inside the canvas tent from which it had been hanging for the entirety of the second watch. Some grumbling from the inside let him know that Tieve had finally awoken. Tieve was grumpy in the morning: Something Tordel would never understand. The night was beautiful, but the morning was.... well, exactly what he just experienced. For him it was fulfilling and a vital part of soul healing. The morning was the best part of every day.

She didn't see it that way.

With a light chuckle from himself, and an irritated moan from the small make shift shelter, Tordel began to work his magic. After the two weeks they had been together after the party had went their separate ways, Tordel had learned how to tame her beast. With a snap of his fingers, the fire place burst back to life, a trail of sparks coughing upwards at the initial burst. He reached in his back and grabbed a small metal circle pot holder, and a cast iron pot. With a wave of his hand, much of the dew on the surrounding plants, fresh clean water, rose and swirled into a large blob of water, which he gingerly drifted into the tea pot, placing it over the rack and letting it cook. He put his hand out to the ground, flexing his magic again, and small tea leave and spices like ginger grew to his fingers, which his picked and placed into the pot. Soon the clearing smelt like Ginger and Jasmine, and a hint of lilac.

Tordel removed a small bit of cloth from his satchel and pulled out the last bit of sweet rolls that they had left. He sighed. Soon, they would need to make their way to town to resupply on foods like breads and meats. Veggies and fruits, he could manage, he thought with a smile. But the bacon had been gone for 3 days, and being a druid was not a code for vegetarian. He resolved himself to bring up a stop in town to Tieve after breakfast. He slipped his hands back into his satchel and produced two, simple, no handle cups, and laid them by the steeping tea water. Using his own cloak as a insulator, he grabbed the handle of the pot and poured two cups of tea, the heated water sending steam into the morning air. Placing the pot back onto the fire, he took his own cup and sipped, hoping that this odorous assault would be enough to coax the she demon from her cage.
Purize

 

[Purize]

Wind filtered through the threads of the canvas tent and chilled Tieve's skin, raising bumps as it licked past. She could feel the warmth of the sun washing through the forest seeping down through the canopy. She stirred, rolling in place with a soft groan. She did indeed hate mornings.

Not that she wasn't accustomed to waking up early... or going long periods of time without sleep for that matter. She was well trained in the art of discipline and patience. They were virtues for her people (the people who raised her anyway.) Nevertheless, no amount of discipline in the world would get her to like waking up in the morning. Sleep was often the only time she ever felt at peace, and even then sometimes her nights too were plagued by restless dreams.

In any case, she could smell the sweet fragrance of jasmine on the wind and hear the soft crackling of a fire. Tordel was up and already making breakfast.

With one last reluctant moan she heaved herself upright, her tail flicking out from under her. Pins and needles prickled along it, complaining that she had yet again slept on it wrong during the night. Being a freak of nature came with many perks it seemed.

The Tiefling that unraveled from the heavy, worn winter blanket had a small, gentle face. It was speckled with freckles that covered the bridge of her nose and parts of her cheeks and her eyes were bright and fierce, despite her otherwise soft features. She was short and yet toned with sleek muscles built like steel cords beneath her skin. Golden bangles hung lazily from her dark red horns, which curled on either side of her head and matching gold earrings glittered from pointed ears. And atop her humble robes, around her long swan-like neck, was a single beaded necklace. It was long enough to loop around twice, hanging at two different spots on her chest, with a frayed yellow tassel at the end.

Tieve left the tent, brushing off her clothes and straightening herself as she went. Nothing could be done about her short, spiky white hair that was no doubt a frazzled, poofy mess. She pulled her cloak over her reddish pink arms in attempt to keep some semblance of warmth and comfort she'd left behind by getting out of her sleeping spot. Then finally, her yellow eyes drifted to Tordel as he sat in front of the fire.

It still felt new and strange to travel alone with him since the party split their separate ways. I suppose the two of them could also have decided on different paths, but she believed there was some sort of hidden connection that kept them together... one that was unbeknownst to her. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and let the smell of the freshly brewed tea flow over her. Tordel was a wise man to know that Jasmine and ginger tea was the breakfast of champions.

"Good morning," She said as she sat across from him, helping herself to a steamy cup. "What's on the agenda for today?"
BugDozer73

 

[BugDozer73]

Tordel stifled a chuckle at the messy haired tiefling that stumbled out of the canvas. Her eyes were barley open, and she sat down on the earth, grasping the small cup of tea and sipping. With a smile, Tordel followed suit, taking his time with his tea. He thought back to the past, sitting in similar wood, sipping tea with his master, Merana. He could almost see her now, sitting alongside them, sipping tea with her auburn hair tied back, and the leaf of seasons tucked behind her ear. The memory of her stretched from the tea, drawing back the feeling of being in her calming presence, and Tordel closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

"You sure slept well on second shift" He replied, teasing her slightly. "I suppose we should make it to town soon. We are running low on food." He handed her the last half of the last sweet bun, biting into his own half. It was sticky, and sweet like aged sap. A thin frosting covered the top of the breakfast danish. It moments it was gone, with just the memory of its taste haunting his tongue. Between them, he raised a finger, and a small 2 by 2 foot square of earth raised itself into a small surface, like a table. He wondered if she had gotten used to him so casually casting magic. Naturally, the world was full of magic, but he wondered if people had actually begun to remember his name after he had won the magic competition in Ivy peaks. Not that he was truly that impressive, although he had noticed a considerable difference in his own magical talent since he had woken up months past.

Tordel pulled from his satchel a tube, which inside produced a map of the country. "We are here" He pointed to a part of trees by the river along the inland, in between Ivy peak and Tri-Rivers. "It is about a days worth of travel to the capital from where we are. If we travel all day, we should be able to make it to the town by nightfall, and maybe find a nice Inn to stay the night in. We can get supplies and decide where to go from there. With Alastor gone.... well we kind of have to decide where we are going." He felt a tinge of sadness, with the thought of his blue friend still residing in Ivy peaks, a decision he had made in the heat of the moment to study under the silver dragon.

 

[Purize]

Tieve sipped her tea, savoring the natural flavor. The heat of the boiled water didn't bother her, in fact she enjoyed it. She had grown up in the cold, harsh Eastern Arc Mountains and she had learned to cope... but nothing was better than the heat of sun or the lick of flame against her skin.

She chuckled into her cup at Tordel's teasing remark. "As well as I could after listening to your snoring during the entire first shift," She quipped. He continued on, raising the earth like it was as malleable as clay and pulled out a map, explaining our situation for supplies. Truthfully, she knew the two of them could survive on the provisions of nature, but she was keen to go on to the next town. She had a mission. A question that required answers.... ones that would not be found in the woodlands. She had to go where the people were.

She continued to sip her tea down to the dregs and then gently placed the cup to the side, leaning over to get a better look as he pointed out our route.

"It is about a days worth of travel to the capital from where we are. If we travel all day, we should be able to make it to the town by nightfall, and maybe find a nice Inn to stay the night in," he told her. His luminous green eyes gliding along the map. After a moment she realized she was watching him rather than the actual map and shook herself to pay attention.

"We can get supplies and decide where to go from there. With Alastor gone.... well we kind of have to decide where we are going."

She could hear his voice quiver over Alastor's name. The two seemed to be close friends and Tordel would miss him greatly. Even Tieve admittedly missed her so-called brother. (A jest that started when the three of them had met, though no blood, except the blood of hell, was shared between the two.) Alastor had started her on the path of figuring out her past and went to great measures to procure a book for her that may or may not have the answers she sought.

She nodded to Tordel solemnly. A quiet assurance that she understood his feelings. "I'll start packing up camp then. The sooner we start off, the better." With that, she rose, giving the druid a gentle pat on the shoulder before returning to the tent. Inside it was her crumpled blanket and a couple of sparse belongings such as a lamp and her quarter staff. Stuffed under the burlap sack that served as a pillow was a whole other mess of things. Small, torn pieces of paper littered the bottom of the tent, ink smeared over some of them and all were scrawled with her meticulous notes. Among them was the book written in Infernal. She'd been studying it ever since she acquired it and most of it so far was cultish nonsense, having a lot to do with demons and summoning circles... but something in her gut told her that the book withheld something important.

She straightened her papers and placed them in her rucksack along with her other various note books and personal items. She folded her blanket and started dismantling the flimsy canvas construction.

 

[BugDozer73]

As she stood to collect her things, Tordel nodded and retracted the map, rolling it up carefully and stowing it in its scroll case. With less effort than Tieve, Tordel gathered his own things. He cleaned up his bedroll, which was clearly in "used" condition. After the clean up of the tea set, and the dusting off of his own clothes, he was ready to move. That was the benefit of his past as a wanderer; it was easy to move, and the practicality of packing light had its hold on him. Of course, his sack of holding came in handy too.

With a wave of his hand, the fire curled in on itself, dying in a large puff of smoke that got dragged into the mid morning sky. No doubt, any thieves nearby would have seen it, and had these two been normal people, they might have worried. But being who they were, Tordel silently pitted any who would even consider to attempt to rob the two.

"Lets no have any forrest fires now" He smiles and willed the nearby dirt to roll over the pit. With no more burning coals exposed, he turned to Tieve, ready to set off. Down the hill was the road, rough cobble that snuck off into the trees, winding like a cobble snake slinking through the shade.

 

[Purize]

Packed and ready to continue their journey, Tieve walked alongside Tordel, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings as they traveled. She listened to the calm scenery around them. The whistling of the birds and rustle of the occasional squirrel or mouse in the underbrush. The leaves brushed one another in the gentle breeze and sun filtered through them, casting shining spots across the road and forest floor, the light dancing like a kaleidoscope.

Then there was the soft shuffle of the man next to her as they walked along the worn path. She realized she didn't know much about Tordel. They weren't as close as he and Alastor had been. Consequently, it made long treks somewhat quiet and awkward, she always wondered if she should find something to say or let the peaceful silence linger. It wasn't that she felt the need for constant conversation or distrusted Tordel for knowing so little about him. She was content with the silence. It allowed her time to think and reflect about many things.... but perhaps she should learn to be more social. Tordel was a kind man, though you could sometimes see the faraway look in his deep green eyes, reflecting on his own troubled past. She wanted to comfort him at times, but didn't quite know how. And maybe it wasn't her business to inquire. It's not like she's the most open book either.

Still, she thought it best to attempt conversation. "I don't suppose you know anything about the town you're going to?" She didn't know how much he'd traveled (if at all) since the day he'd woken up after being petrified as a rock for over two thousand years.
BugDozer73

 

[BugDozer73]

"No clue" He said with a smile, which was true. From what he remembered about this area, a lot had changed. An after affect of the time he had spent caged away through time in a stone. He vaguely remembered a small hamlet Called Tri-rivers, but from what Alastor had told him it had grown in size, and was now the capital of the country. He was relatively certain that whatever he did know had little relevancy anymore.

"However, Alastor said something about it being big. They were hosting a giant music festival there that he was planning on performing in, so maybe we will catch it? He said it was like a month long festival, so who knows. Are you up for some music?" He turned and looked at her quizzically, wondering what she actually did for fun besides punching bad guys in the faces and getting locked up for stealing.

 

[Purize]

Tieve hadn't traveled much herself prior from fleeing the mountains. As a matter of fact she had practically had been stumbling around the country blindly until she had run into the others and really didn't have much knowledge of the geography other than a few maps she'd glanced at. So to say that she was heavily relying on Tordel's navigation skills was an understatement. She supposed neither of them really knew what to expect here on out.

"I suppose," she replied slowly, seriously considering his question. "The monks used to chant on the cliffsides of the mountains at dawn every morning, but it was always so.... somber." Her eyebrows knit together and a small frown curled in her lips. "Though, I've heard Alastor's music and some of the festival music from the previous town we were in. It's much different than what i'm used to, but honestly quite refreshing." The frown faded to a look of faint amusement as she recalled the fair that they'd enjoyed in the previous city.

"How about you?" She said with a dismissive shrug, "You play a bit too, don't you?"
BugDozer73

 

[BugDozer73]

They had been walking for a good hour now. The trees grew tall, up into the sky, each one a pillar to a community of nature. Tordel watched them as he and Tieve talked. Although, from time to time, he found himself staring at the plump cheeks and vibrant golden eyes of his traveling companion. It was not lost on him that now that the group had split, and it was just him and her, that they would most likely get a lot of alone time together... and he was boy, and she was a girl...

His cheeks turned red at the next thought, and he fairly heard her question. "Oh, yeah.. I can play a little." He reached over and withdrew his pan pipes, playing a small tune. His notes come out clear, with a semblance of melody of a long lost song. At the playing of his instruments, some of the birds begin to harmonize with his song, fluttering closer to be part of the melody. The sound is soft and sweet, with a bit of haunting as it slips somewhat into the minor key. The fog from deeper in the woods seems to draw closer in around them as he continues, his playing getting louder, and more emotional, until it stops abruptly. "..yeah it was a gift from my mother. She would play to the plants in our garden to help them grow. She would make the silver Lillie's around our doorstep dance in the moon light" He said wistfully, looking back into his head with shut eyes as he visualized her charming the world.

As he was thinking, he didn't notice the dark shapes slinking past them in the trees, starting to cut them off; But Tieve did.

 

[Purize]

Tordel's music filled the woods around them and she felt herself smile as a moment of peace fell over the world. His music was definitely better than the Gregorian chanting.

A gift from his mother.

Sadness pricked at her heart and her fingers went up the the mala beads around her neck, fiddling with the threads of the tassel at the end. She had never known her mother.... but it was hard to mourn something you'd never had, whereas Tordel must feel pain in remembering his. She hesitated, wondering if she should offer some condolence when something else caught her attention.

In an instant she had paused, a stiff arm grabbing Tordel's sleeve to signal something was wrong. She swung her staff from her back and stood watching the dark treeline. Figures moved in and out of the shadows.

Her tail thrashed back and forth behind her like an agitated cat, but the rest of her body was rigid, poised to strike at the first thing that moved toward them. "I know you're out there." She growled, her voice low and menacing. "It would be wise to walk away while you still can."

She waited for the darkness to answer.

 

[BugDozer73]

The shapes emerged from the trees, Revealing 7-12 cloaked figures in tattered grays and blacks, most of them humanoid with various drawn weapons. Grim faces with crooked smiles revealed very sinister intentions.

" 'Ello love. Quite some eyes you got there" The one immidialaty in front of them stepped forward, twirling his dagger in his hand. "You shouldn't 'ave let your fire burn so obviously. We've ben follwin' ya for 5 miles now. Do us a favor and just drop all your valuables right there in the dirt, and maybe we let you live?"

Tordel chuckled, and leaned back casually on his staff, with no hint of concern on his face. This seemed to set the man off a little.

"Ey, gorgeous. Tell your servant boy to stiffen up and stop acten a fool before 'e gets imself gutted, uh?" He took a step forward, menacingly brandishing his knife. Tordel looked over at Tieve, silently offering her the first go at these soon to be sorry assailants.

 

[Purize]

"Maybe we're not afraid of being found." She said, a smirk cracking her stony expression. She glanced at Tordel and chuckled, "Ladies first, then?" Then, without a second thought, she shot forward, a blur of red fury as she struck the first one. Both hands gripping her quarterstaff and twirled it out, whipping it from the side to strike his ribcage, a satisfying crack echoing in the air.

The man who had audaciously stepped out first, taunting the two travelers, fell to his knees in one fell swoop. He wasn't dead, but he sure would be sore and heavily bruised when he came too. Tieve flourished her staff and gazed at the rest of them with a wicked smile. "Who's next?"

Before anyone could answer, she locked on to her next target, going in for another two-handed swing with her staff. She hit the second man behind his knees, sweeping him off his feet. He fell back, smacking his head hard on the dusty road beneath him.

Another ran up behind her, screaming and brandishing a shortsword wildly in her direction. Without even turning she shot a foot out, kicking him in the ribs, making him stumble back. She spun, finishing off her assailant with another strike to the chest with her palm. He too fell back, sputtering and coughing up blood.

Tieve surveyed the battlefield. They were still surrounded, but three of the twelve men were down. She'd made a dent, but some didn't didn't seem to care as they continued to close in, the look of greed and bloodlust showing in their glassy expressions. However, three of them recognized that these two mysterious travelers were more than they had bargained for and fled back into the forest, leaving only six left.

 

[BugDozer73]

Tordel smirked as a bolt of red quickly dropped 3 of the ballsy hunters. Hot headed and precise. He had lucked out on partners. Several more immediately fled, probably the younger, less hardened bandits. Unfortunately for the ones that stayed, Tordel and Tieve were well rested and completely interested in cleaning up the streets a bit.

Tordel turned around to see the four behind them closing in, beginning to charge toward him with swords and sticks raised, each yelling menacingly. Tordel calmly tapped his staff on the ground, and with a burst of glowing green energy out towards them, the grass exploded upwards, winding around their ankles, hips, arms and wrists. In a panic, they all began to thrash around, but to little avail.

"Well now boys.. surely we could have thought of a better strategy than just running in, couldn't we? Now, due to your collective incompetence, you have been thwarted by overgrown weeds, and my friend is going to hit you with a stick."

As he smiled at them, an arrow whizzed by him, a ways off. He looked over casually at a smaller boy who could barley see out of his own hood, and had to lift it up to see whether or not he had hit his mark. The one other by Tieve lifted up his crossbow and fired.

 

[Purize]

Tieve was briefly startled as the earth trembled beneath her and glanced back in time to see Tordel successfully thwart four of the men with weeds (lmao). The moment of distraction caught her off guard and she narrowly avoided that crossbow bolt that shot by her, missing her shoulder by centimeters. She whipped towards her attacker with a feral snarl and darted forward. Her foot swung upward kicking the crossbow out of his grasp while she used the butt of her staff to whack him in the temple. He crumpled to the ground, hitting at the same time as the crossbow. A bolt sprung loose and shot haphazardly into the trees.

The only ones left now were the four men Tordel had preoccupied and then a younger boy off at the edge of their clumsy circle. Their eyes met and Tieve sighed. For a moment she wondered how a child could end up on this sad path, mixed up with bandits and stealing to get by. Not everyone had it easy and we all had to find our own ways to survive in this world... but everyone had a choice to do the right thing, no matter how hard things got.

Her hands shook as she gripped her staff and she ran forward again, this time towards the boy. She saw a flash of panic in his eyes just as they were covered again by the hood that kept falling in his face. He pushed it back hastily and feverishly readied his bow. He shot once and she caught it in her hand, snapping it like a twig and tossing it aside. He stumbled back, tryin to gain distance between them as she advanced but he kept almost tripping on the underbrush. He managed to get another arrow off but it went way off, disappearing above the canopy.

She caught up to him and shot out her foot, sweeping his feet out from under him. He fell easily to the ground with an "Oof!" of surprised and tried to skitter back on his elbows. Her staff came down and pinned his cloak to the forest floor and she bent to kneel over him, her hard yellow eyes staring, blazing into his. "This path you have taken with bring you nothing but pain and suffering." For a moment her eyes softened, pity filtering over her face before he hardened her expression once more. "Correct your course before you end up like them." She pointed behind her where the men encaptured by Tordel would surely meet their fate.

She took his bow and snapped it over her knee and took his quiver of arrows, slinging it over her shoulder. "No go. And pray we never meet this way again."

 

[BugDozer73]

Tordel watched her quickly dispatch the other two, and turned to the four, all still struggling with the vines. "Well, it looks like I will handle the clean up here. I don't suppose any of you want to apologize and go looking for another line of work?"

His question was sincere, but as he finished the query, one of them, the older one, ripped free of his vines. Tordel raised an eyebrow. It had been a while since anyone had escaped his traps. The man grabbed his ax and charged at Tordel, quicker than he anticipated. In a moment, he descended upon the druid and hack down, catching him on his shoulder and giving him a good slash down his chest. Tordel winced, and the two fell back, collapsing into the ground, with the assailant aggressively over Tordel.

His face was scared, despite only being in his late 20's, with a ragged beard and a set of light blue eyes that looked as feral as a creature in the forrest. His hair was long a stringy, clearly not having been washed in some time. The smell on the man was of sweat and adrenaline, and maybe a bit of feces. These people had clearly been living outside of civilization for sometime.

"Not so smart now, huh wizard? Now you die!" And he held his ax high up in the air, readying to bring it down on the collarbone of the now "helpless" man.

In a moment, Tordel expanded, his body growing and shifting, growing hairy. His nails elongated into razor claws, and his teeth sharpened into grinning canines. His face filled out, and with one swipe of his arm, sent the man over him flying a good ten feet to the side, with 5 new claw marks through his clothes and chest producing blood. The once man, now Large brown bear rose to his feet and let out a horrendous roar, that sent all the creatures and birds fleeing in every direction.

The vines dissolved, freeing all of the others, but who immediately turned and fled at the sight of the enormous bear with green druidic markings. The man who had held the ax, was now bleeding heavily, and clutching his chest and stomach, he struggled to get away. Tordel walked closer, snarling loudly, and gnashing his teeth over the man, who now looked on in pure, unfettered fear. Tordel stood over him, rearing back up on two paws, and lifting out his bear arms, letting out another roar, this one of triumph.

 

[Purize]

The boy, wide-eyed and quite literally scared straight, scrambled away and ran into the woods, tripping a few times before he completely disappeared from Tieve's view. She nodded, more to herself than anything and walked back to Tordel in his bear form. She patted him on his furry head with a chuckle and cocked her head as she stared down at the last misfortunate soul. "People like you make me sick. Preying on the weak for your own benefit. You kill and pilfer at your leisure without a care of the pain and suffering you cause others." She shook her head, closing her eyes in disdain. "Despicable."

"Come on Tordel. Finish up. We're going to have to make up for lost time. These idiots already put us behind schedule." She picked her rucksack off of the road where she had dropped it and slung it over her shoulder along with her new quiver.

 

[BugDozer73]

Tordel cocked his head to the side as she scratched him, enjoying the tactile sensation, before listening with a smirk to her telling off the bandit.

"Finish up. We are going to have to make up for lost time." She was right. This little tango had taken a good minute of two off their schedule, and one tight enough for it to matter. As she walked away, Tordel Snorted at him, and he coward and cried out in fear. That was enough for him. He stood back up, reverting to his natural state, and dusted himself off. His shoulder still had a small slash on it, through his tunic, which was now a little red around the wound. Nothing like what he had taken in the past, but it would have to be stitched. He sighed, and turned back to the man.

He leaned down and picked up the ax, and hurled it back against the tree behind him, which it stuck deep into with a wobble, followed up by a quick blast of flame from his hand, igniting the extended handle. The fire would not spread through the metal of the blade, and leave the tree safe, but the handle would become unusable. The bandit winced and continued to lay in his "don't kill me" pose.

"You have really cut into out time" He said, now squatting over the man "so I wont stay and make sure that this doesn't happen again." The man exhaled and visibly relaxed. "but they will" Tordel pointed to several stags and bucks emerging from the trees. They snorted and walked agitatedly over to the man, who looked on at them with confused fear in his eyes. "Play nice, alright? Also, when your friends come to, if you are conscious, just fill them in about changing careers, ok?" And with that, he left the man to the thundering barrage of hooves coming towards him, and caught up with Tieve.

"Ready?" He asked, shouldering his satchel and cloak to cover the wound. He didn't need Tieve to worry over a scratch.
"I have something that could speed this up." he said, and put his staff forward. With a tap on the ground and a few mutters in druidic, two green fey fluttered from inside his cloak, and circled around him, before growing quickly in front them in the form of two horses, with saddles and packs all ready to go. Anticipating her question, he pet one, saying over his shoulder "They will last about an hour, but it could put us a bit ahead of schedule. Maybe we should invest in real horses going forward?"

 

[Purize]

Tieve looked on, impressed, as two horses appeared before them. She gave him a hardy pat on the shoulder. "Good thinking Tordel. Maybe we can get there early enough for some shops to still be open."

She had ridden horses before, back when there were still a group of them. But she was still fairly new to it. She approached one of the fey horses and pet along its maine. "Yes perhaps we should. Then pesky bandits would be somewhat less of a problem." She rolled her eyes. As if they were a real problem already.

She mounted her horse and settled herself atop the saddle, gripping the reins (perhaps a bit too tightly). Her horse huffed, almost as if to mock her fear and she waited for Tordel to be ready before hitching the reigns. "Hyah!"

 

[BugDozer73]

Tordel winced, and put on a fake smile as she patted him on his wounded shoulder, and through gritted teeth he squeaked out "gg-g-g-reat! lets ri-i-de"

He quickly mounted the horse, and the two set off, riding quick through the trees. They passed through blurring greens and browns, listening to the calls of the birds and the hoofs that beat rapidly on the earth as they moved. The smell of damp earth and composting leaves filled the air, clean and fresh forest smells that gave them something to enjoy as they traveled. through their own rapid transit, they quickly broke through the tree-line into long rolling hills and grasslands. The waves of wind rolled over the vegetation, following behind them as they rode quickly over the earth.

Not too far ahead, was a small caravan, with 3 well painted carts, several horses and a man in fancy clothing waving at them as they approached. Tordel looked over at Tieve, giving her a questioning look. They would have to decide to continue or to stop quickly.

 

[Purize]

Tieve groaned internally. She didn't want to spend more time than she had to on the road... but she also was not one to turn away from someone in need. So, with an exasperated eye-roll to Tordel she slowed her horse to trot along next to the parked caravan. When he was close enough to the man who had waved them down she nodded in greeting.

"Are you all right here?"

 

[BugDozer73]

The man smiled as they slowed, with almost and air of smugness in his expression. "Glory to the 9 that you stopped. It is fate that has brought you to me. I am duke Wellington Von Strastlneck Cornelius Perton the III, and this is my caravan! We were traveling to Tri rivers when we had a problem with our wheel. Several of the spokes are snapped and we cant go forward. But since you have arrived, you can fix them and escort us back to town! How fortunate for both of us!"

He spoke with a very proper, educated tone, with flourishes on many words, echoed by flapping of his ornate, brightly colored clothing. among the caravan were several workers, none of which seemed to be heavily armed.

 

[Purize]

Tieve glanced at Tordel, giving him a look that said she didn't like this situation at all. She looked at the rest of the people belonging to the colorful caravan. A few workers surrounded the wheel in question and a mean-looking mercenary stood off to the side, eyeing the road while another boy tending to the horses.

"I mean no disrespect Duke Wellington, but why can't your workers repair the wheel and your hired help," she motioned towards the mercenary guard, "escort you back? Surely that's why you have their company. I'm not sure we could be of any more assistance."

Tieve looked to Tordel to see if he had any additional input on the matter.

 

[BugDozer73]

Tordel looked back at her with a similarly questioning glance. "I think we must be on our way. We wish you well on your repairs" And he spurred his horse to continue walking down the road. The duke panicked slightly. "W-wait! You can't leave! Im the duke!" Tordel said nothing. "Surely we could work something out! My men don't have the supplies to fix the wheel, and we must make it to town before nightfall! I can promise you money for safe passage to the city! Gold!" He ranted as he walked along side the two horses, pleading with the adventurers.

Tordel stopped his horse, looking back at Tieve to see what she thought of the proposal.

Feeling a moment of possible persuasion, the duke pressed forward as he straighten his clothes and back. "Not to mention that riding into the capital with a duke would earn you a fair bit of notoriety! People would revere you as well endowed adventurers, with high ties! what do you say?"

 

[Purize]

He seemed genuine enough and the seal on his fancy vest looked like the real deal. But just because he was a real Duke didn't make him any less shady as a person. If he tried anything then they should have much of a problem just ditching the caravan behind... and there was gold in it. Not that doing shady shit for gold had worked out well for her in the past. That scam had almost cost her her life and she and the others barely made it out alive. What a mess it was... but this situation wasn't quite as suspicious.

Tieve sighed and stopped again. "What sort of supplies do you need? We don't have much of anything."

 

[BugDozer73]

"Of course! No I completely understand. Simple wood and maybe some tending tools to replace the spokes! Do you have any of that?" Tordel sighed and dismounted, and walked over to the wheel. The men working on it backed up as he approached, and watched as he took the spokes into his hands, rubbing over the break with each snapped spoke, mending the wood with ease. In a moment, the wheel was repaired and the cart looked as good as new. The duke eyes glittered, as if he had found an enormous amount of wealth just lying before him.

"MagNIFICENT! bravo sir, had I know I was in the presence of such a gifted young lad I would have been more formal! And now, with our caravan working, we can make way to Tri Rivers! Come, you will ride with us! Please, allow me your name!"

Tordel straightened up and smiled at the man. "Tordel. A pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine! COME!" And he clapped his hands, spurring the workers to get the caravan up again, and spurring it forward. The Duke climbed quickly into the most elegant of the carts and smiled as we all continued forward.