Xaul grinned widely. "And where's the fun in a door? Life is so much more interesting then that!" Xaul bowed to Blade, chuckling to himself. "Mi'lady, may I present your chariot for the trip!" Gesturing to the carriage, he explained. "I found it for a real, ahem, steal, and it is fully loaded with enough provisions to last for a week! there is even room inside for sleeping comfortably, and I present it to you, provided you come along."

Xaul kept up this sort of salesman's patter as he inched closer to the silent monk. suddenly, he twisted, three knives flying out directly at the man's sleeves, where they would hopefully pin him to the wall. "Hey, look, monkey-elf," Xaul yelled to Drys, laughing madly, "a monk-man! maybe the two of you are related!"

Drys gritted his teeth and glowered at Xaul. "How many times do I..." seeing Xaul start to grin wider, he shut up. "Never mind, never mind..." On the subject of the monk, though, Drys hoped the poor man was skilled enough to dodge. Though the sense of paranoia was often helpful, sometimes Drys wished his friend would wait for a conflict to start instead of insisting on being the catalyst.

Blade rolled her eyes at him. She could recognise a fellow thief a mile off and this man did nothing in order to hide his profession.

She looked to Lorne, keeping on eye on the events at the same time.

The monk continued to watch the odd group as they conversed. So engrossed was he that he didn't notice the dark figure slowly inching his way. Suddenly the dark figure twisted about and three streaks of silver shot forward. Caught by surprise the monk let out a imple "Oh", as he was pinned to the wall. It wasn't beyond the monks ability to dodge the projectiles rather... he hadn't been in the right mindset. The monk made eye contact with the dark figure... Xaul was his name? "Do you greet everyone like that?" he said in a tired voice. Reaching up he removed the knives from his robes and stepped forward towards the group.

"No, only the ones that I don't like," smirked Xaul, twirling another knife in his hand. "You, I don't like. What do you want, Stranger?"

"Want?" The monk tilted his head to the side just a little. "I was just walking through here when I noticed your unusual habit of making houses attack you with fireballs. You can't blame a person for being curious after seeing something like that." The monk rigthtened his head and began to shuffle his feet; they were tired from walking and standing all day.

"True," said Xaul, sheathing his knife and gathering the other three. an idea had just occured to him. "Can you fight, stranger? Can you battle? If so, Your help would be appreciated."

When the sound of what I was later to learn were throwing darts of some description was heard, Cluarch simply lept up and went off to investigate. I was, of course, only too happy to let the robbert take place, but I was of course supposed to play the bluff, heroic, well endowed Brooke-Stanley, so I toddled along after him.

We found the lunatic who had started this whole affair trying to make a monk looking chappie join in. The sight of the robes made Cluarch step back and reach for his pistol, which I didn't as such understand at that stage. I just tried to give him a not very obvious warning look, which is of course difficult to pull off when it isn't meant to be obvious. By this point Xaul had turned to look at us, so I just gave a sort of wave and a smile.

"And hail, hail...the gang's all here." muttered Drys. A monk wearing twenty-odd shrunken heads, a semi-demonic partner with an itchy knife hand, a rather not-so-genuine war hero, an apparently magic-phobic soldier, and a father, wife, and child. Just the sort of people he wanted by his side when he was preparing to go into combat with the fears of humanity manifested into flesh.

But he had given his word, and Xaul was his friend. His mentally unstable friend, but friend nonetheless. Ah well, beggars couldn't be choosers. Who knew, Xaul probably had all of this worked into a master plan anyways...and Drys was just along for one helluva ride. Since it appeared that they would be fighting together for the immediate future, Drys decided to make the best of it. Nodding to Brooke-Stanley, he made a 'stand down' gesture at Cluarch as he passed the two. He stopped beside Xaul and faced the monk.

He gave a nod of greeting to the man and stood waiting for the reply.

Shaking her head at the lot, Blade chuckled. What a collection. She pressed a hand to her lower back, easing the pressure a little. She'd be damned if she was doing this ever again.

((XD))

((Could you please not have anyone knowing that Brooke-Stanley is not a real hero? It adds to the fun, you see, and he hasn't done anything that cowardly or caddish. Yet.))

Cluach lowered the pistol, and looked at the coach. It was quite enormous, and wealthy looking on the outside. ((Convenient: just as I mention practicalities, you all remember them...)) "That," he said, "may be sufficient. Unless we have to go through woodlands, or something dense and with no roads."

"Who would this be?" I started to ask about the monkish looking chap, and then a girl walked into sight. She was quite beautiful in every respect, with perfect proportions and that sort of thing which still sets me itching after all these years. I had a sudden desire to get to know here and, as one man put it, teach her anatomy and get taught about the local lingo. I was about to make an offer, and then Lorne walked up to her. Dammee. She was married. This would just take more time than it otherwise would, and there are few better than a Brooke-Stanley for breaking vows of wedlock.

((Actually they were brought up prior, quite a while ago. And also remember, Blade is also quite visibly pregnant.))

Lorne watched the talk as he sat down on the ledge outside the window. "That's quite a wagon." He commented quietly to Blade.

((They were brought up by me, in his mind. But none of the other characters have noticed him being an explicit coward. And it really doesn't do to delve too deeply into Brooke-Stanley's sexual opinions...))

"It looks like a Pfiellmann," Cluarch said wonderingly. He had often tried to requistion such a thing to transport goods to market, but there was always another business. Later on, he had tried to do the same thing to use on as an ambulance, again to no avail. But, at long last, he could use one: leaf springs, and a large amount of space.

"Aye, a Pfiellmann," grinned Xaul. Secretly, however, he was thinking to himself, What the hell is a Pfiellmann? I just took the most expensive looking one... Shaking his head and forgetting the issue, he went on.

"Normally, thay can hold up to a week's worth of food, but I also acquired enough dried food to last for months. This is the good stuff, this time," said Xaul, holding up his hand to quell Dry's protests. "I tasted it." They had spent several days together surviving on dried food once, and had both concluded that dried food was usable only for torture, and even then it was only for people you really hated.

"The lady and her family, along with one other person, can ride inside, and the rest can ride on the top or sides, or walk. Unless there's anything else, then we can leave any time."

Lorne watched the talk as he sat down on the ledge outside the window. "That's quite a wagon." He commented quietly to Blade.

Blade agreed with a reluctant smile. ordinarily, she would be glad to walk wherever it was they were going and she would have no problem with it. Being so pregnant, however, had it's disadvantages and she was coming down with itchy feet already.

"The lady and her family, along with one other person, can ride inside, and the rest can ride on the top or sides, or walk. Unless there's anything else, then we can leave any time."

She nodded at Xauls acknowledgement and wondered, looking around at the group, who the extra person would be.

"Pfiellmann?" The monk glanced at the large wagon and than back at Xaul and his companion...Drys was his name? "Well, yes I can. I'll accompany you, your group seems... entertaining." The monk gave a slim smile. "Where exactly is your group going any way? And why are you bringing a mother?"

Drys chuckled in dry humor. "Upon a grand and noble quest to free an oppressed people from demonic masters. Ask Xaul for the specifics." He jerked his thumb to the Half-Drow beside him and walked to the...Pfiellmann. He placed his foot on the rail and opened the door, swinging his other arm out in a gesture beckoning the mother and her child (whose names he made a point to learn). "If you're ready, madam."

"For several years, I was a captive of the Golgatha Arena. While there, I and my fellow gladiators were subjected to horrors that you could never imagine," whispered Xaul, pinning the monk in place with his gaze as he spoke of the nightmare.

"I only managed to escape thanks to my cell-mate, who died in the attempt. I vowed to return and free the rest. It's time for the return of the prodigal. Will you come?"

Blade huffed at being spoken to as 'madam' she was not but climbed in anyway, wishing this baby was out so she could march and fight with the rest of them.

"Thankyou." she murmured, not forgetting her manners as she ushered Daryx in as well.

Lorne helped Daryx down before heading down himself with the whole family's packs.

"It's big!" Daryx commented as he hopped on.

Blade chuckled and patted the seat next to her for her son- not like Lorne would fit next to her anyway in this state. She huffed a little and shifted, watching him with the packs, already feeling bad. She wanted to help.

We both mounted up and got to it. Self feeling extremely apprehensive, with Cluarch looking annoyingly pleased with himself for getting such an expensive mode of transport.

In this spirit, our expedition set forth...

Xaul hopped up on the carriage and stretched out, smiling grimly. Finally, he thought, finally I'm going back. returning with an avenging... Army? Xaul grimaced as he thought of the meager forces tht made up the little group. Oh well, if nothing else they can be cannon fodder...

((I would reccomend that we move this to the Unordnung Sylvani topic, as that is where we're supposed to be going. Oh, and awilla, I was hoping that you would put Brooke-Stanley in the carriage, with Blade.))

((Moo-haha! That'd be... awkwardly hillarious.))

((Quite so with Lorne inside as well.))

It didn't take long for the monk to decide; after all he felt a kinship to those mad eto suffer in the colosium. Following Xaul to the wagon he sat on the roof, he would rely on his training to keep him from falling off.

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