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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraithdrit" data-source="post: 925602" data-attributes="member: 10820">More side story...Serin sighed and looked down at the valley beneath them. Brilliant idea she had, taking an over mountain route instead of going around to the north. Everyone knew that if you could find away through the mountains it would be the fastest way from Tethyamar to Dagger Falls, she figured it was a good time to find it. It had not occurred to her that if such a route had existed the dwarves of Tethyamar would have blazed the trail long ago. Now here she stood, atop a fifty foot cliff, overlooking a lush valley with another fairly sizeable cliff on the other side.  To the right and left of the valley were even higher cliffs, far off to the right, one mountain top held an ancient set of Netherese ruins. Serin glanced back at her prisoner. The priestess sat quietly, her hands fidgeting with the tattered end of a scarf. It was Harvestide and in the mountains it was getting cold already. Serin cursed knowing that if she had only taken the established route she would be sitting in Dagger Falls by now, enjoying some warmed cider, maybe even enjoying the company of someone who was not either under her command or under her watchful eye. "Sgt Serin... we found a way down." Private Hultin jogged up, smiling a bit. He seemed rather excited. Serin could not help but smile. "And there is a way up the other side. Its all very well overgrown, has not been used in a long while, but it should be passable with a bit of work."Serin nodded, "Good job Private." She turned to the others, "You heard him. Form up. I want Hultin and Ferill up front. Vert and Crencon, you take the rear, keep your eyes out, these parts are fairly wild. Probably orc country." "And where do you want me?" It was Alethra, the Banite Priestess. The priestess was smiling darkly.Serin frowned, "You are with me. Just remember your oath to King Tethyamar."Alethra snorted, "Don't you mean 'King' Alepounder?" Her emphasis on the word King made it obvious what she thought of the Kings newly found title.Serin grabbed Alethra by the shoulder as the priestess stood. "Whatever, just walk." She shoved the Banite forward. Serin could not really stomach the thought of returning this priestess to her people, but she was not about to go against the King's orders. How many of her own kin had this priestess ordered slaughtered? The Zhentarim were no better than the orcs they often hired to do their dirty work. Benevolent dictatorship, thats what the elite in the Zhentarim liked to the think of themselves as. They held an iron fist over their people because only they knew what was best for them. Right, thought Serin, Fzoul knows best. At least when the Zhentarim where under Senemmon there was some intelligence at the top. With Fzoul now in charge it was all for Bane and nothing else. It made Serin sick to think about it.Lost in her thoughts, she was not really paying much attention to the trail they were led down. Her bow was in her hand, an arrow was nocked, but she was not really ready for the explosion of moment that hit her like a run away horse. It was proceeded by a howl, that gave her just enough warning to look up before a massive brutish orc slammed into her, throwing her to the ground. Ahead and behind her the cries were repeated. Startled militia men could be heard yelling. Hultin died instantly when an orc sprang from its hidden perch amongst a tree and landed on Hultin, axe first. It turned on Ferill in a flash. Ferill back-peddled and managed to duck under his attackers first blow. He never saw the second orc come at him from behind. He just felt the sharp pain in his back and chest. He looked down and saw the tip of a spear thrust from his chest. His eyes closed and he died a moment later. Two militia men in the middle managed to bring their bows up and loose arrows at the front two orcs. The orcs fell to the ground dead, a pair of arrows sticking out of each orc's chest. To the back Vert heard the whoosh of the thrown axe and managed to duck, but the axe sailed into Crencon, embedding in his shoulder. The wounded militiaman stumbled to his knees as another orc ran up and sliced with a massive greataxe. The blade was not very sharp, more ripping his head off than really cutting it from his shoulders. Vert took advantage of the orcs momentary distraction and stepped in, stabbing the orc in the gut with his short sword. The orc howled in pain and let loose of his axe as Vert twisted and dug with the short sword. Vert's hand was covered with gore and orc blood as the beastial humanoid fell to its knees in front of him. He heard the howl of another orc coming from behind him. Spinning he only barely managed to parry its attack.The militiamen in the middle turned their bows in either direction, trying to get shots off as more orcs burst from the brush. Two more orcs fell, but there were too many of them. The bowmen dropped their bows and tried to get their swords out but the last two orcs got to them too quickly. Both men fell dead, their chest's opened up by the orc's swords. On the ground, Serin wrestled with the brute that had knocked her down. It brought a knife down, fast and hard at her head. She barely managed to dodge to the side. She grab at his wrist and the two fought for control of the blade. Vert called out to Serin, "There are too many of them!" He parried another attack and skittered to one side as another orc joined the one attacking him. It was just him and Sgt Serin left, he thought.Serin groaned against the weight and strength of the orc. She could smell his disgusting odor and it made her want to gag. She did not have time to think about it though, fighting for her life with the angry brute. A loud sickening thunk sounded above her and the orc's eyes rolled into the back of its head. Alethra stood over Serin, holding a bloody rock. Serin yelled, "Look out!" Alethra lept forward over Serin, the orc coming up behind her caught nothing but air with its sword swipe. Serin hefted the unconscious orc off of her and grabbed his knife. She spin it in her grasp and flung it at the oncoming orc. The knife buried in its throat. The orc sunk to its knees then crumpled to the ground, blood gurgling from its mouth.Vert parried as fast as he could, but the two orcs were moving to flank him. Once they did, he knew he would be dead. He moved to keep a tree between him and one attacker. That successful he lashed out at the other orc after parrying another attack. His blade sunk into the orcs shoulder, but did not penetrate enough to take the orc down. It howled in pain and stumbled back while its companion darted to try and take advantage of Vert's over extension. Its blade swung down hard. The blow severed Vert's wrist, his hand and sword fell to the ground with a soft thump. Vert screamed and stumbled back, his free hand gripping the end of his bloody wrist. The two orcs move forward, slower, almost cocky. The wounded one raised its sword to deliver a final blow. With a soft meaty thunk an arrow stabbed through its elbow. The orc screamed and dropped its sword. Another arrow seemed to sprout from the side of its head. The orc fell dead at Vert's feet. Serin pulled another arrow out of her quiver.The other orc spun on her and howled out its rage, charging at her. She held her ground and nocked another arrow. Instead of aiming at its chest or head, she let the arrow fly when her bow was still aimed low. The arrow ripped through the orc's knee, sending it sprawling to the ground in front of her. She buried a second arrow in its chest, pinning it to the ground. When it tried to continue to get up, she buried a third arrow in its head. It finally stopped moving. Alethra was already wrapping the scarf she had worn around Vert's wrist when Serin got there. Alethra did not even need to be asked, "He is going to live for now, but if we don't get him some healing soon, he will bleed to death out here," the priestess informed Serin."We are still half a day from Dagger Falls, if we are lucky.""He won't make it that far.""Can you do anything more for him?" Serin knew the answer."I've done all I can without calling on Bane's aid." Alethra smiled up at Serin. One of the other militia men groaned, there were others still alive, but they too would die soon without Alethra's aid. "Why should I trust you? You'll betray us the moment you can. Besides I do not have a holy symbol of your god handy."Alethra pointed to the Banesword strapped to Serin's back. "That will do. But I will only help you if you let me go afterwards. I give you my word that I will not attack you or your men this day. I will help you out of this valley, then I will head north, returning to my home, with the sword."Serin growled in frustration. "Fine. Bargained well and done. Now heal him!" She pulled the sword carefully from her back and tossed it to Alethra's feet. She quickly nocked an arrow and muttered, "One false move and I will put an arrow through your head." She leveled the bow at Alethra as the priestess picked up the sword and smiled. She unwrapped it, revealing the symbol to Bane on its hilt. She intoned a dark prayer and put the severed hand up to the bloody wrist. Muscles shot from bloody stump, attached to the hand and drew it back in. Vert screamed in pain and passed out. Serin pulled back the string and prepared to loose."Bane's healing is not all light and harp music, Sgt! Interrupt me now and he WILL die." The priestess kept going, the skin of his hand seemed to crawl forward to cover the wound, till finally nothing of the wound remained. Vert's face went from an expression of pain to no expression at all. "Almost finished... " She cast one more spell of some sort and Vert seemed to sleep gently finally.  Alethra stood and looked at Serin. Serin still had the bowstring pulled back. The hatred in her eyes was so deep Alethra could not help but smile. She walked half a step forward, placing her chest an inch from the end of the arrow. "I have others to attend to Sgt. So either break your word and kill me or lower the bow and get out of my way."Serin lowered the bow and frowned. She regarded Alethra for a few moments then nodded. "Fine..." She would have to release the priestess now. She had given her word, and the priestess had kept her part of the bargain. Serin hoped that the Heroes of Tethyamar would forgive her. She looked at the fallen comrades around her. Most of them were dead. The few that lived were hurt badly. All because she wanted to be the one to find the over mountain route. She had been a fool, she thought. As the few survivors gathered themselves for the rest of the journey, Serin determined that when she made it back to Dagger Falls she would resign the militia. Maybe King Tethyamar would find it in his heart to forgive her, but she knew she was not fit to lead people. Maybe he had a place for her in his new kingdom.</blockquote>

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