MysidiaDrakkenbane

Feja had patched up Mysidia’s wounds to the best of her ability with what little time she had. When she was sure Mysidia could survive the transport, Machene gathered her up in his arms and they began to leave the Citadel.

Kryimsson struck out first seeing as he was the most equipped for whatever surprises would come their way. His sword was at the ready. Xerbius wasn’t too far behind him, ready to blast anything that moved. Faid kept a sharp eye on any secret passage they could take, that would hasten their escape. Feja, of course, kept watch on Mysidia and Austforbeer kept up the rear with his bow knocked.

Xerbius looked around at other cells and saw several slaves reaching out to them all. He turned to Machene who was looking intently on his wife. “What about the others? Are we going to leave them behind?”

Machene looked at several of the slaves and noticed the poor condition they were in. They wouldn’t live the rest of the month out with the conditions they were given. He nodded slowly. “Set them all free. As many as you can find.”

Slavery was such a nasty trade and always was kept out the line of sight for many of the transport officials that roamed the docks and other ports. Slavery, outside of Freeport, was illegal. That was the law. But still, Freeportians have been known to turn a blind eye if the profit permitted it.

Machene’s own parents were slaves, once. Long ago, his parents’ village was conquered by a tribe of Snow Orcs. His parents were captured and turned out to slavery. His mother and father exchanged several ownership’s hands before being finally set free. Machene remembers the horrifying tales his mother used to tell him, to warn him on such evils that existed.

So naturally, slavery had always struck a chord with Machene. Before the Rendering, before Mysidia, Machene spent his days pillaging the Dervish Camps and setting their slaves free. Then he met Mysidia and her cause became his.

“The arena cells should be just up the hall, here.”, Faid nodded ahead of them. “It’s not too far out of our way and there’s a passageway we can use to easily escape the orc masses.”

Machene grunted Faid on. When Xerbius unlocked the arena slave cell, hundreds of slaves came pouring out rejoicing. The slave to orc ratio was far greater than the orcs had realized and soon, any resistance from the orcs was thwarted. Slaves were running every which way. Faid mentioned that using the chaos to their advantage would probably be a wise approach to escaping the Citadel. Xerbius agreed.

A short battle worn Dwarf had approached Machene. He was covered in a vibrant woad from head to toe, it seemed. The moment the Dwarf noticed Mysidia, he looked up at Machene nodded. “Ye take care of that lass. She’s a special one.”

“You know her?”, Machene asked.

“Aye. She saved me life a few times in th’ ‘rena. Every time I’d return the favor, she’d up me ante.”, the Dwarf said and grinned.

“Your name, Master Dwarf?”, Machene asked rushed.

“Drus. Should ye need anyone to finish off these orcs, I’d be happy joining ye.”, Drus said in a serious tone.

“I’ll be sure to look you up in Qeynos, friend. You best get on with the others. We are heading a different way.”, Machene said and nodded in respect.

Drus walked up to Mysidia and placed a gentle hand on her draping arm. He gave a small smile and ran off with the rest of the slaves.

Faid waved over Machene and pointed towards a narrow but passable hallway. The rest of his group followed down, cautious.

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Drin-Sha angrily threw his arms over his dining table and shoved the plates of food onto the floor in a thunderous crash. The only thing louder than the platters hitting the floor was his growl echoing off the stone walls.

“What do you mean she’s GONE?”, he yelled.

Val’eth’s face was pale with fright and the other orcs in Drin-Sha’s chambers flinched under the intensity. Drin-Sha flashed around, his eyes glowing red. He growled low boring holes in Val’eth’s head with his eyes.

“This is YOUR fault!”, Drin-Sha yelled.

“I highly doubt an early morning battle caused your Citadel to be infiltrated, my lord.”, Val’eth said in a shaky voice, but none the less, egotistical.

Drin-Sha quickly back handed Val’eth and caused the dark elf to fly off his feet and crash to the ground on his back side. A stream of blood tugged at the corner of the Tier’Dal’s mouth and he used the back of his hand to wipe some of it away. The look in his eyes was filled with anger, but he knew enough to quell his temper.

Drin-Sha grabbed the nearest orc by the arm. “You go and get me the Captain of the Guards. Do not return to me until you find him.”

“What if he is dead, my lord?”, the orc asked afraid.

“Then you find whoever is next in charge and you keep going down the line until you find someone you CAN bring me. So help me, if you come back here empty handed, I will have you skinned alive and eaten by Fire Mites. DO YOU HEAR ME?”, Drin-Sha yelled.

The orc nodded numbly and Val’eth watched him leave. An evil grin began to spread across his face. He cautiously walked over to Drin-Sha. “Leaving her alive was a dangerous risk. The Emperor will not look on this favorably if she is not returned.”

“You don’t think I already know this?”, Drin-Sha said behind clenched teeth.

“What if I told you I had a contingency plan in place, right now, that would ensure your position here in the Citadel?”, Val’eth said and began to rub his hands together.

Drin-Sha’s eyes narrowed. “What do you have in mind?”

“Mmm…no so much what as who. And let’s just say the only thing it will cost you is a bit of faith and half her fee.”, Val’eth said and placed a hand on Drin-Sha’s shoulder.

**********************************
Akahsha sat comfortably on the cliff overlooking the Citadel. It was late in the morning and she was finishing up her breakfast of dried meat, cheese, and peasant loaf. She had made herself a few crude sandwiches and was quite content in being warmed by the sun.

She had watched the motley crew of Qeynosians slink into the Citadel undetected. She knew they would have to come out sooner or later, unless they were slain in the process. She decided to give them until nightfall before following them in to find Mysidia.

The conversation with Val’eth had left her even hungrier to finish her job. She’d be able to clear her family name and have a nice nest egg to get herself started. She’d never have to sleep in the streets or eat scraps tossed out for the rats. She’d be a functioning part of society never again to be treated like a leper.

When the early hours of the afternoon hit, she was busy dipping her arrow tips into the vial of poison she had made days earlier. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She saw ripples streak across the water of the moat with various bodies wading their way across. Her eyes narrowed curiously. She didn’t recognize any of the people coming out of the Citadel.

When she saw the people reach the land on the other side, she raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Clever.”, she muttered realizing that it was the slaves that were coming out in droves, not Mysidia’s rescuers themselves.

Then she saw Faid and Kryimsson coming out another exit far away from the slaves. Taking her cue, she stood up and placed her arrows in her quiver. She lifted her bow and shimmered into the shadows around her, disappearing from sight.

****************************************

“We need to get far away enough from the Citadel before I can Escape all of us.”, Austforbeer declared. “I don’t want to draw any unwanted attention by using it.”

“Smart move.”, Faid said and nodded.

Machene lifted Mysidia’s body higher in his arms as he waded his way across the moat. With his height, he easily kept his head and Mysidia’s out of the water. When they reached land, Feja instructed him to lay her down on the ground so that she could give her a once over.

Machene stood up and stretched, easing his stiffing back. Kryimsson was attentively looking around, making sure nothing dangerous was within reach.

“She’s very weak.”, Feja said quietly. “But her spirit is strong. We need to get her to safety where she can recuperate.”

“Will she…”, Machene asked, his green eyes full of fear.

“Yes, she will be fine, if we can get her out of here. My spells and medicines will only draw attention. The further away we can distance ourselves from here, my lord, the better off we all will be.”, Feja said and slung her medicine bag over her shoulder.

The fur on Austforbeer’s neck began to rise. A small whirling sound began to buzz around him, and he spun around trying to pinpoint the origin. He flicked his ears forward and the cat slit in his eyes dilated to focus.

“What’s that….”, Faid began to say. The moment Austforbeer and Faid recognized the sound, they both dodged out of the way.

On a near by rock, a distinct “Plink” was heard. Machene, Xerbius, and Kryimsson all shot looks towards the rock and the watched curiously as an arrow caused a small spark and fall softly to the ground.

Xerbius picked up the arrow and looked it over. Austforbeer recognized the arrowhead. He cursed as he growled.

“Tier’Dal Assassins. RUN!”, Aust shouted as he quickly picked up his bow and arrows. Machene scooped up Mysidia in his arms and the entire party began to charge up the hill in front of them.

Faid moved his arm ahead of him and used the other to guide the rest of the group ahead. “MOVE, MOVE!!!”, Faid shouted.

Another arrow shot out of nowhere. It zipped by Kryimsson’s head and stuck into the dead tree next to him. His eyes widen with shock. He actually felt the breeze from the arrow, it was so close.

“Great Seven Hammers!”, Kryimsson exclaimed.

“Keep going! Don’t stop for anything until I say so!”, Aust yelled to the front of the group.

The Kerran ranger turned around and knocked three arrows into his bow. Pulling back, he released them into the area in front of him, hoping to pierce whoever was firing.

Akahsha’s eyes widen and she quickly rolled to the side to get out of the line of fire. A small dust cloud betrayed her location. She cursed realizing her mistake.

“Got you.”, Aust said grinning. He knocked another arrow and fired towards the dust cloud.

Akahsha twisted to the side, but not before the arrow nicked her arm. She grabbed it and fell to her knees. Feeling the warm blood trickle down her fingers she shot a blazing look towards the Kerran male.

Aust began to skitter backwards up the hill, keeping another arrow knocked and ready to fire. Faid slid down the rocky hill and grabbed Aust by the arm. The ranger turned to Faid and nodded for both of them to move back up.

“What is it?”, Feja asked concerned for the welfare of her husband.

“It’s Akahsha. I’m sure of it.”, Faid said helping Aust climb up the hill.

Once Austforbeer had returned with the rest of the group, his Evacuation ability was used. The entire group shimmered in a bright light and flashed into nothingness. Akahsha, not willing to be outrun, used her own ability to follow after them.

The entire group ended up on the docks and Faid, Xerbius, and Kryimsson all ran towards the guards to explain the situation. Machene laid Mysidia carefully on the ground and knelt next to her while Feja began to further use her abilities to heal Mysidia.

Austforbeer handed over one of the arrows that was shot at them. Machene looked over the arrowhead and sniffed the unusual green sticky substance and the end. The sharp acrid odor made him quickly turn away.

“Poison, and a strong one.”, Austforbeer acknowledged. “We’re not dealing with a first year Assassin.”

“If she’s anything like her mother, no. Akahsha was one of the best. I can only imagine her daughter followed suit.”, Machene said remembering the original Akahsha.

Mysidia had hired the original Akahsha to be her royal spy. She had saved Akahsha’s life from the pits of the Iksar dungeons years prior to her hiring. That Akahsha was dangerous and she had left a rather infamous VIP list in her wake. Mysidia knew the key to winning a war wasn’t merely done on a battlefield. It required strategy beyond the sword and shield. Akahsha was nicknamed Mistress of the Blade and she lived up to it very well.

Akahsha had renounced her Tier’Dal ways, including the god Innoruk. She had chosen her patron god to be Bristlebane, which was quite a shock to some. Mysidia knew her on a more sisterly intimate level and Akahsha had quite a sense of humor. Her deity choosing was fitting. It was sad to see that her daughter didn’t follow in her mother’s footsteps with personality. It appeared that the daughter took up her father’s hatred and her mother’s deadly skills; a formidable opponent to anyone who dared to cross her path.

“She needs to rest now. We need to get her to a bed.”, Feja said wiping her hands on a cloth she had removed from her bags.

“I doubt the conditions here are conducive to hygienic and healing.”, Austforbeer noticed looking around.

“Find out when the next ship is scheduled to dock, my love.”, Feja said and looked down into Mysidia’s face. She lovingly smoothed away several bloodstained strands away from her face.

“If Akahsha is following us, Feja, we need to get off these docks and quickly. She can slip in easily when we’re all asleep and the guard is minimal. I won’t feel safe until we are sailing away and Zek is in the distance behind us.”, Machene said.

“Agreed, my lord.”, Feja said applying a topical medicine to one of Mysidia’s wounds.

Austforbeer came back with a grim look on his face. “The guards said the last one left a few hours ago and they’re not expecting another one until next week. They offered for us to use their stronghold barracks to lay Mysidia in.”

“It will have to do.”, Feja said and picked up her bag.

“Man the gates! Something’s in the distance!”, one of the guards from the tower shouted.

Aust and Machene both looked at one another and raised an eyebrow. Kryimsson came running back towards them shouting, “It’s th’ slaves! They’ve made it to th’ docks!”

“How is that possible?”, Machene asked. “It took us several hours to get from here to the Citadel.”

Kryimsson laughed slapping a hand on his knee. “Would ye believe it? Some o’ them ransacked th’ orc’s stables and stole some o’ their horses!”

Several minutes later, a large group of disheveled slaves came bounding in on horseback, several them wounded and slumped over in their saddles. Feja squeezed Machene’s arm gently. She grabbed her bag and walked off towards the wounded.

It didn’t take long for a few waves of orcs to come and try to infiltrate the stronghold. Machene kept a keen watch on the cliffs around them. The chaos would have been a prime cover for Akahsha to strike.

“We need to get her out of here.”, Machene said to Austforbeer sternly.

“If you have a few favors to collect from the gods, Machene, now would be a good time to cash in.”, Austforbeer said grimly.

“Faid!”, Machene shouted and waved him to come forward. Faid came bounding down the docks.

“Smuggle her into the barracks undetected and do not leave her side for anything until I return, understood?”, Machene said gravely. Faid nodded.

Machene lifted Mysidia and gently placed her in Faid’s arms. Faid and Mysidia’s figure shimmered into nothingness before them.

“Where are you going?”, Aust asked.

“To prepare. Orcs are not the type to simply lay down and take what we’ve done to them. There is a battle brewing and it will happen before nightfall. I can promise you that.”, Machene said and began to walk away from Aust.

Just when Aust thought half the battle was over in getting Mysidia out, he began to realize that the real trouble had barely begun.

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