Author: Silanus, Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:08 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Finally the troopers were out of the damn forest and arrived the main road. There were some people walking by and a carriage transporting goods; the path had more people than usual. The soldiers then realised how exhausted they were, for they have been walking for hours with very little rest. Perhaps a quick slumber might help.

The soldiers walked past a few trees and placed their fur blankets there, where they laid and slept for around 2 hours. They would have appreciated to sleep more, but probably the people of Amiternum, the heart of the Fratian civilisation, would be troubled by them missing out. The looting expedition Silanus was leading should have returned yesterday.

The Fratians continued to walk, this time north following the road until they found a sign. This sign indicated that if they continued north they would cross the border with the Steppes, excellent! The soldiers, as exhausted as they were, continued marching further, even if they would have loved to lay down and sleep once more. Finally, after 3 long hours of walking with some constant, quick rest stops, they crossed the border. 

Silanus knew it was the border, for he was most familiarised with it; the trees were mostly pines, the weather colder, the grass darker and the terrain started to turn into a big hill. The soldiers smiled in relief, they knew that now, having crossed the border, some scout, patrol or border guard would see them and safely escort them to Amiternum.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 8:44 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest stared after them for several minutes before realizing that she should probably get out of sight of any beasts that were lingering after the wolf attack. She pulled herself up into a tree, and then just sat there, staring at what they had given her. She almost didn't believe it. The troopers, who had tried to enslave her and sell her off, had accepted her as one of their own. 
It took her very little time to decide to follow them. She wanted to see this village that she had been invited to. Follow the dirt roads, the fallen trees, eventually you will find it. 
Early in the morning, she set off, wondering at the change in her fortunes still. She followed the trail left by the men, and presently, the trees began to thin out until Ernest was standing on an endless plain, the way she had come from, she thought. She could just see the troopers far ahead of her. They seemed to have stopped, which she found odd, as they were nowhere near lunchtime yet. What had happened? Were they lost? Was she lost? Ernest pulled out a map, squinting at it before realizing that she couldn't read it. This should have occurred to her. Now, she was lost on the endless plain with no idea where she was. Finding herself without options, she hiked off toward where the troopers had camped. It was a lot further than it appeared.
((OOC: I had made it so they stopped because they were going south the entire time, and the Steppes are in the north. Sorry if it's a bit gmod-y. You can say she saw it wrong if you had something else in mind.))

Author: Silanus, Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:05 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

While Silanus was being helped by one soldier to stand up, he, thankfully smiled and said: "You, Ernest, are now officially an honour-citizen of ours. Back in the Steppes, with enough dedication and following the clues, you"ll find it…" He stopped for a brief moment now that he was finally standing up without the soldier's help.

Silanus continued speaking: "You will find our city hidden in the plains of the Steppes in the Highlands. Follow the dirt roads, the fallen trees, eventually you will find it. We have caused enough trouble already, but even then you decided to help us with the little you had." The general whispered something to one of his soldiers, then the trooper walked towards the stuff they were carrying.

Among the stuff of the Fratians there was a bag filled with food, maps of different regions and then a second, smaller bag, this one contained three big pouches of silver coins. The soldier picked one of the pouches and gave it to Ernest. It was what seemed to be a gift. Silanus said to her: "Being captured and sold into slavery is one of the most humiliating things I can imagine, for that we apologise. Accept this as a gift. Do visit us one day, if you find your way. We"ll be leaving, farewell." and so the men picked their objects and walked, heading the same way as before. One of them lit a torch so they could see at night.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Fri Dec 9, 2016 4:07 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest poked her head out of the branches just in time to see one of the men gesturing for her to come down. She briefly considered ignoring him, but discarded the idea. She was almost certain they wouldn't hurt her.
Nonetheless, she was cautious as she slid down from the tree and into the forest glade, stone in one hand. She had her dagger, but she decided to keep it hidden, her little ace in the hole. 
"Are you all right?" she asked the troopers in general. It seemed a polite thing to do, and several of them had been hit hard by the wolves. And, to be honest with herself, she cared. Just a little bit. 
It was an odd feeling to her - she almost never honestly wished someone well. She usually was content to see them go on their way, neither their enemy nor their friend. But she had been in several fights now, with the troopers there, and she sort of knew them. They weren't strangers anymore, and that felt odd.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Fri Dec 9, 2016 12:49 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

An unexpected event happened, right in front of the soldiers' eyes. A stone hit one of the wolves, giving them the opportunity to slash it to death. However, while his fellow troopers fought, Silanus was there standing in front of what seemed to be the strongest, biggest wolf.

Instead of casting a spell or waiting for the wolf to make the first movement so he could counterattack, Silanus went berserk, something really unusual on him. To fight, you must have your mind calm, yet aggressive; ready to attack fearlessly, but at the same time waiting for any opening or opportunity to strike. This was not the case for Silanus, not this time.

For the first time in years, Silanus made the mistake that was letting his inner rage consume his mental state. The general charged mindlessly against the wolf, then bashed his shield against it. The giant creature flinched, so Silanus slashed the area near it's neck. The thick fur saved the wolf, so it jumped and brought Silanus to the ground.

Without sword or shield, the only thing keeping the beast's jaws from Silanus neck was his arm, which was, in what seemed to be an useless attempt to save his life, strangling the wolf. The wolf got each time closer to his face, so Silanus finally attacked. Grabbing the Pugio dagger he always carried, the general stabbed furiously and multiple times the wolf, finally killing it. The other wolves were dead, and the soldiers safe. They looked up to see what was throwing the stones; of course, the girl from before! With a hand gesture, one of them told Ernest to come down while the rest was helping the injured ones.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Sun Dec 4, 2016 9:28 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Watching from a tree above, Ernest was shocked. To her eyes, it looked as if the general looked almost… scared? She raised an eyebrow. Wolves. He didn't like wolves. That was good to know. Even the bravest men had fears.
But, to the problem on hand. The troopers were probably doomed. Even Ernest, who was no explorer, could tell that these were not ordinary beasts. They might even be able to smell her from here. Despite that, she had two options. She could run, and hope, if they did see her, that they would be distracted by the troopers and not follow her. Or, she could stay put, hope they couldn't climb trees, and maybe help the troopers out a little. That seemed to be the better option. Wolves, her uncle told her, would always attack a moving target. If she stayed relatively still, maybe they wouldn't notice her.
Ernest stayed put, waiting. She did not have to wait long. One of the wolves near the end of the line pounced. In that fraction of a second, Ernest threw a rock. She wasn't sure why, or what she hoped to accomplish, but she did it anyway. The wolf paused and looked up, searching all around for the person who'd thrown the rock. She was sure it had seen her, but it had no time to attack. The troopers all around it surrounded it and stabbed it into submission.
Behind her, Ernest heard a shout. She turned, but not quite quickly enough. Bearing directly down on Silanus was the largest of the four wolves.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Sat Dec 3, 2016 11:57 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

The crack of branches, the howls, the growls, the heavy inhuman breathing, the steps… There was a creature stalking them, perhaps even more than one. A pack of four huge wolves! What a great way to start the night…

Their fancy battle tactics and formations would not work against the wolves, for those beasts could jump twice the height of a human being or charge as strong as an outraged boar. Normally, they would throw a spear or javelin at them, but unfortunately the Fratians had already used them.

Silanus could lighten his sword on fire to scare them, or cast a spell to defeat the wolves, however he could not. The general was merely an adapt battlemage, so in order to cast a spell, he requires much concentration, something that seemed impossible to have right now. Silanus was well known for his great fear of wolves; how unlucky he is to find these ones.

While the soldiers formed a tiny line formation, the wolves prepared to surround them. Silanus would fight, of course, but not at his full might. Smelling, hearing and seeing a wolf made him doubtful of his moves, it made him want to leave his fellow men alone and retreat. But of course, he's never do that. The wolves were ready to attach without hesitation, while the troopers prepared for the worst.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Sat Dec 3, 2016 9:54 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Author: Silanus, Posted: Fri Dec 2, 2016 3:26 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

"What a coincidence, she´s going the same direction as us." Whispered one soldier to the others. The soldiers, who already had their armors and equipments on, walker south, of course keeping a distance from Ernest. Who would have guessed? This was her lucky day! If the girl kept going at the same direction, she would get out alive, or would she? Why didn´t the soldiers simply throw a javelin at her back and laugh as she struggled to give her last breath? It was not easy to answer that question; Sometimes even the most ruthless people feel compassion.

With their spears on their right hand, and their large shields on the other hand, the soldiers marched steadily and in silence. There seemed to be nobody else in there, no natives or tribesmen and luckily, no wild animals. It is well known that the animals of this damned forest are not very friendly. The exit seemed to be near, which also meant that Ernest would find it. For some reason, they hoped that something happened to the girl, for she was the typical ungrateful plebeian. They kindfully released her. If it weren´t for them, the tribesmen would have skinned her alive or who knows what; what a thankless pleb. 

If they could make it out before night, they´d be very thankful. But if night came, their life would be at a high risk, for everybody knows that in this unmerciful forest, man-eating things lurked when the sun was hidden.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 9:41 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest decided she officially hated troopers. They were so arrogant, and they told terrible jokes. For a moment, she entertained the idea of getting some people together and coming back here someday, but she realized that would be a bad idea. No one would listen to her anyway. 
Now, for the problem at hand - getting out of the forest. She knew there was nothing else she could do. She couldn't survive here for very long. But if the troopers didn't know where they were going, either… There was nothing for it, other than to pick a random direction and walk. But she could confuse a few troopers on her way.
"Well," she said, "I know where I'm going. You guys… have fun." She grinned and set off, by pure coincidence, heading south.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 1:18 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

This girl was surely not acting natural, but… Who cared about that? For now, the only thing Silanus knew about her was… Nothing; she was a nobody, a commoner, a random peasant, probably even a homeless nomad. Nobody to care about.

What they said was true, however one of the troopers had a compass, something that was leading the men south. The main road was located in there, so even if they had no idea where they were, finding the main road would mean finding the way out.

"Don't trust any strangers in your way out, Er-nest, or they might want to capture you, ha-ha!" said one of the soldiers, while the other ones bursted in laughter. Silanus stood up and put on his red tunic on his wet body, he didn't care. They should be marching soon, so he was simply preparing himself. It mattered not were the girl was going, really.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 3:56 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest's face fell when she realized the tribesmen were as lost as she was. Her only hope of getting out of this forest had been following them. She had a map, of course, but it didn't show this area - this was not where she was trying to be - and she couldn't read it anyway. But right now, she realized, she had to make up an answer that would satisfy them. She did not want them to know that she had been following them.
"I'm not really going anywhere," she said. This was partly true. She didn't really have anywhere to go, but "out of this forest" had been high on her priority list. "Is there somewhere I should be going?" 
She edged back a little further. If the troopers had no idea where they were going, there was little point in following them. Now that she'd gotten her dagger back, she hoped she could survive on her own. She had her map. That, she had kept hidden under her shirt. Not that it was any use to her anyway, but she was going to keep it.
She looked one more time at the pile of equipment, wondering if she should try to grab the bronzed locket hidden in her bag. After a moment, she realized it wasn't worth it. No point in getting all the troopers angry over something no one wanted to buy. Part of her hoped that the natives would get ahold of it, and the stupid curse everyone told her about would fall on them.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 10:07 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

"Ernest" now that was a name they had never heard of until now. For some reason, this girl seemed to be somehow "shady" as she did everything possible to avoid conversation. Well, why shouldn't she? They had previously captured her and almost enslaved her. But, at the end, they did the right thing and released her, didn't they?

None of the Fratians saw how she quickly stole, well, retrieved her dagger from their pile of equipment. Ernest seemed to be pretty skilled in the art of stealing; one soldier stood up, and with a mocking voice, said to the girl: "Aren't you going to stay, and speak more with the men who saved you from the tribesmen and then released you? How rude! Ha-ha!" after that, all the soldiers chuckled. 

Silanus stood up and then spoke, too. "Where are you going, anyways? We're in the middle of this forest, the only man with a map got killed, and nobody here knows were we are. That road over there? Oh, it's an ancient road, built probably hundreds of years ago. It leads to some ruins, not to the exit of this internal place!" what he said was true. At first, after seeing a road, the troopers had a light of hope. But, it was all a false hope. Until now did the Fratians realise they were lost as well.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 5:07 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest knew she was doomed. The soldiers were not pleased to see her - and why should they be? She was, after all, following them.
"In response to your first question," she said, for the moment ignoring Silanus, "I did not fall out of a tree. I jumped out of a tree. And that was because the bees were attacking me. How else could I have avoided them?" She avoided the question of why the tree she had jumped out of was so close to their stream. The less she had to talk about that, the better. 
"As for 'who in these cursed lands am I?'" she said, "you probably have never heard of me, but my name is Ernest. I'm really no one of consequence." That was, unless you belonged to one of three little tiny towns closer to the coast. The people in those towns currently wanted to hang her for stealing. She hoped the men hadn't seen the signs posted on those towns' message boards. She smiled. "If you don't mind, I'll just go now." She edged away from the men, and as she passed the pile of their things, which they had put down, for a break, she assumed, she snatched up her dagger and slid it under her sleeve. She didn't care about most of the other things she'd had. Everyone she talked to said they were cursed, anyway.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:29 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

A person, chased by a trail of bees fell on the water. It was not only easy to see, but her fall caused too much noise, something that they hoped nobody else besides them could listen. Now, the big question was… Who was this person? Oh, of course, who else could it be? That girl they captured, then released some while ago; what a coincidence, or not.

Suddenly, they all moved through the water towards her, curious to know why in the world she fell from a tree. One soldier said to his companions: "So, this is the kid we released before, uh?" Silanus, with a small frown in his face, answered to him: "It seems so. Oh, and she is being attacked by… Bees?" The soldiers didn´t help her. They thought about it, but… How would they scare those bees? Splashing water at them? If they did, it was very possible they´d be attacked by the insects as well.

Tacitus Silanus pointed one of his hands at the bees; he sighted deeply as his hand began to glow. The general, who was an adept spellsword as well, casted a purple cloud that affected the bees. Suddenly, it was as if the bees saw their natural predators; of course, it was the miasma spell he was casting at them, something that would cause them to see an illusion of their fears. Thankfully, the cloud of bees fled, now leaving the girl alone with the soldiers.

The soldiers were not very happy to see her, was she following them? Now that the bees were gone, they got closer to the girl. How funny it was, her face all stung by those insects. One of the troopers asked to her: "So… Is there a particular reason you fell from a tree? In a tree that is, curiously, very close to our stream?" Silanus, obviously curious about her actions, said: "Be thankful the bees are gone. I am Tacitus Silanus, commander of the Fratians. These are my fellow, loyal  companions. As you may know, things didn´t go pretty good for us. Same as you, we got attacked. Anyways, who in the cursed lands are you?"

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Wed Nov 9, 2016 5:34 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest, watching the men, was certain they were almost wherever the men were going. They seemed more cheerful. They talked about how wonderful it would be to be home. Ernest was glad as well. She would finally be out of this infernal forest, and back to civilization. She began to glance ahead for their destination, and that was her undoing.
As she jumped toward one particular branch, she was not watching too closely. She missed the nest. Her foot landed directly on top of a giant bees' nest and sent it tumbling several feet through the canopy. She cursed. The bees were coming for her, and she had heard tales of the insects in the rainforest, and all of them were considerably more dangerous than they appeared.
She had two choices. There was water below her, not too far, but far enough that the men were sure to notice her. She could jump, or she could take her chances with the bees. She considered. Bees, she was pretty sure she could handle. Soldiers, she wasn't so sure. She had almost made up her mind when the first bees reached her. The legends had not been wrong. The sting felt as if it was on fire, and she knew that the soldiers were by far the lesser of two evils. A small part of her hoped the soldiers wouldn't see her, but she doubted it. They had good eyes, and it was hard to miss a splash of that magnitude.
Gritting her teeth, she leapt toward the water, cloud of bees in hot pursuit.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Tue Nov 8, 2016 11:34 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Now that it seemed that the girl chose to go on her own, the Fratians walked forwards. Around 10 minutes passed and, through all the woods and plants, they found a small water stream, deep enough to cover the half of a human body at least.

The soldiers looked at each other, then at the stream. One of them asked: "So, what you say, lads? Shall we rest our bodies in the water?" The general answered, as he removed his sandals: "I'd say we go for it, to regain our strengths and wills to keep walking. Let's try to not stay here too much, though." Happy and eager to bath themselves, the soldiers began to remove their heavy armours.

Some of them maintained their short red tunic, others simply kept their wool underwear, which was interesting, due to it's antique, notorious look. In fact, all their clothes were ancient styled, none of them had pants for example, since their skirt-like tunic covered all their body, reaching to their knees.

An hour passed and the men were still bathing, talking about how bad it felt to lose almost all their unit and how clumsy they were, getting betrayed like that. However, now that their energies were regained, the men put their clothes and armour on again and processed to march, with some odd feelings that they were being observed by somebody. The Fratians were almost out of the forest!

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Mon Nov 7, 2016 4:45 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest simply stared. He was letting her go? Why? She didn't pose her questions, though. He didn't seem to be in the habit of answering them. She shrugged. Not that it mattered. 
Now the real question. Should she follow them? They had tried to sell her into slavery. But still, they didn't seem all bad. The general was letting her go. And she was lost. Not that she had anywhere to go, but she was pretty certain that to stay in the jungle meant death. She had never even planned to be here in the first place. It had all been a huge mistake.
She glanced over the men. She was certain she didn't want to travel with them for a long period of time. But they did know their way around. And that man still had her dagger.
She was absolutely sure of two things. Firstly, she did not want to travel with these men. And secondly, they were her only way out of the jungle. 
That left her with only one solution. She would follow them. She out of their sight, but they not out of hers. 
"I believe I can make my own way back to civilization," she said. "Thank you, gentlemen." She decided a bow would be out of character, so she left it there. Turning on her heel, she slid off into the woods. 
Soon, the troopers were leaving, content to dream, she supposed, of returning to kill the natives. But this time, they had a shadow. Silently, she followed them. She was sure they would not find her. She was excellent at hiding, when she chose to be.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Mon Nov 7, 2016 12:24 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Silanus didn't answer the girl's first question, for there was no answer. Leaving her on her own was profitless, however killing her without a reason seemed to be plainly stupid. Capturing her would be a terrible idea, since she's be a burden. If they helped her, perhaps she could help, or maybe Silanus wanted to compensate for his cruel acts. 

The shouts, at first they seemed to be from the natives, however later did the Fratians realise they were from their own people. The soldiers were still alive, and they were fighting. "We must go, help the survivors!" said Tacitus, focused to help his people. But one trooper held his arm, stopping him and answered: "If we go, we die, Silanus." 

Silanus looked at the soldier carefully, what he said was sadly true, but he didn't want to admit it. The general looked back, frustrated and outraged, he said: "we'll return, then! Come back to this treacherous land with an army of a hundred troopers! Let's go to our lands!" The soldiers nodded and Silanus looked down with fury in his eyes.

 Now that he was calmer, the general spoke to the girl: "It seems that our cruel acts of slavery were punished by our fate, giving us this… This treason, the deaths of our companions. This happened because we lusted for riches, I beg your forgiveness, for almost ending your life, you cursed girl! You are free to go in your own, or follow us, do as you want." Not all the soldiers agreed on this, but what they could agree now is that their selfish acts of slavery were poorly rewarded and that perhaps the Divines themselves did not favor this act. "Let's continue, shall we?" commanded Silanus.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Fri Nov 4, 2016 4:07 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest slowly slid down from the tree, keeping a careful eye on the leader of the group. She wasn't sure she trusted him, but if he wasn't lying - and how could he be? - there was no point in remaining in hiding. She didn't exactly have many other options, anyway.
"If you're not planning to capture me, then what are you doing? I'd rather not be speared just for an ironic play on words." She scanned the area, and the five men nearby, noticing with some frustration that one of them had her dagger. She would be getting that back soon if she had any say in it. 
She stood, back to the forest, waiting for a response. The bushes in the distance rustled, and she could hear shouts - whether natives or barbarians, she had no idea. 
"And, whatever you're doing, you might want to hurry," she added. "I think I hear the natives." Not that she would overly mind something happening to the barbarians, she simply thought she had a larger chance of survival dealing with them. And, she supposed, she ought to tell them if she heard something. Information, when giving it wouldn't hurt you, should not be treated as a commodity. 
She turned, facing the leader. She didn't trust him, and she certainly didn't like him, but right now, she knew her life depended on him not wanting to kill her, so she hoped that wasn't his purpose. 

Author: Silanus, Posted: Thu Nov 3, 2016 10:01 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Those natives fought like demons. No remorse, no fear, it seemed they were impossible to tire. When a Fratian killed one, another took it´s place, just like trying to kill all the bees of a hive with a single stick, most likely a waste of time. Their commander, Tacitus Silanus, had time to fall back and try regroup his forces. This… This was an humilliation for him, for all his people; treachery is the worst of all things you could do. And, for such thing, they had to be punished, just like the animals they were.

Silanus, with a javelin in his hand and his shield in the other, ready to take vengeance for his fallen men. Four other soldier accompained him, all of them hiding in the bushes, ready to begin down their ambush on the nearest tribesmen that walked through there. While waiting, some other bushes were shaking; somebody was in there! Preparing to throw his javelin, Silanus was waiting for the perfect moment to show up, and pierce the native´s heart.

Silanus finally saw it; the woman they had captured before was climbing a tree, with a handful of stones. Of course, he would not throw her a javelin, there was no reason to. "Lower your javelins, men. Use them in a savage, not a refugee." As he commanded, his men followed and hid once again. In no time, a small group of 8 savages arrived, seeking for any survivor. At the beggining, they did not see the hiding girl, but her feet revealed her. A barbarian approached to her, ready to hold her foot and throw her at the ground.

Silanus, taking advantage of this situation, yelled: "Throw your javelins!" and threw his weapon at the approaching barbarian. The other soldiers followed him, throwing theirs. A small battle began, but ultimately the Fratians murdered them all. Now, that the battle was over, Silanus looked firmly at the hiding girl and, mockingly said: "Oh, you can come out of there. Everybody sees you, anyways. We won´t waste time capturing you or whatever, not this time." A small smirk appeared in his face. Enslaving people was the last thing he´d do in this situation, anyways.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 11:35 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest wanted to punch the leader out when he told her being a sacrifice was for her own good, and she probably would have had her hands not been tied. With a glare, she followed the line of slaves into the village. 
The next second, it seemed, all hell broke loose. She barely had time to register that one of her captors had been shot before the donkey leading them burst into a run. Ernest barely kept her footing, and when the rope was slashed, she lost it entirely, tumbling to the ground. Hurriedly, she got to her feet. 
She was too late, or at least in her mind. The troopers had already found them. She did the only thing she could - she ran pell-mell towards the exit. The troopers were running behind her, and she was sure they were about to catch her. It was much to her surprise, then, when several men ran right past her. They were fleeing, too, she realized! 
Despite that knowledge, she did not slow her pace. The fact that these strong warriors were fleeing said a lot about how capable the men behind them were. She could hear them calling in the distance, now, chasing the large group of running men. Ernest tried to gather her thoughts. If they wanted sacrifices, and a lot of them, they probably wouldn't notice one person running off on her own. She glanced around, and after a few seconds, dove through a gap between two berry bushes.
After a few minutes of running, Ernest paused, listening for anyone behind her. For a moment she heard nothing but birdsong and the buzz of insects. She was almost certain she was free. But then, in the distance, she heard footsteps - coming her way. She knew she had no real allies here, so she grabbed a handful of stones and climbed up the nearest tree, waiting to see who was following her.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 5:38 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Tacitus Silanus grinned as he saw how quickly she surrendered and gave up her freedom. As he was walking away back to his horse, he spoke to everyone and said: "Alright, let´s take those people to the nearest tribe. Let´s see, the natives of this Forest, right?" Silanus had made a deal with the native tribes of the Silvas Region before and many of them were willing to pay good silver or trade food for a bunch of slaves, which seemed to be a good deal. "And don´t forget to sack and then burn the carriages, let the nearby travellers know what happened to the others who crossed here without my permission!" Said the general once again.

All the slaves´ hands and feet were tied to each other and at the same time to a donkey the Fratians had brought. A man was riding the donkey, leading the slaves´ way. The first tribe was a near one, a tribe of mostly hunters and fishermen, who prefered to build simple houses and stay out of the traveller´s way. They traded some salted fish for some of the slaves, an offer good enough for the Fratians, since Winter was approaching and they needed any extra food they could have.

The second stop was at a group of pillagers and brigands, who accorded to pay gold they had "found" the last week for a good quantity of slaves. They needed people to sacrifice to their gods and clean their weapons, so instead of doing the hard work and finding some people, the tribesmen decided to make a deal with the Fratians. However, they were not willing to pay gold for them, instead, why not capturing the armed troopers instead? More people for the gods, of course!

The small wooden gates opened and the Fratians entered with their slaves. Silanus stepped forwards and spoke to the man who seemed to be the leader; the general knew how to speak their language, so communication was way easier. "Here we are, as promised. Healthy, young slaves for your gods, shall you show us the gold you… Sacked last week?" Asked Tacitus. Few did he know what was going to happen. Silanus continued talking, this time to his comrades: "Give them the rest of the people. All of them." as he was talking, he turned his gaze towards Ernest, then he said: "Oh, don´t worry it´s for your own good! This way, you won´t suffer a life of slavery, instead, you will be murdered inmediately instead!" 

As soon as he finished talking, one arrow hit one Fratian´s eye, obviously, killing him. The soldiers un-sheated their weapons and raised their shields, but got ambushed from both sides by outnumbering quantities of natives. They donkey was frightened, so it ran away, carrying the slaves with it. However, a sharpened stick that was buried in the ground cut the rope, so the slaves were practically free, of course if they were not captured by the natives. Silanus and a bunch of his soldiers, after opening a way through the hostile natives, found them. He was not interested in them anymore, instead, he wanted to escape from there with his fellow troopers. 

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:15 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest scanned the crowd again, searching for a way out, but there seemed to be none. She sighed. For some reason, this man seemed to think selling her to a nicer tribe was going to convince her. Not a chance. The only deciding factor here was that she would probably live somewhat longer if she was willing to let them capture her.
Just for now, she thought. She dropped the dagger, not without a pang of regret. She loved that dagger - it had belonged to her uncle. Out loud, she simply said, "Fine." 
She extended her arms, letting them tie her up. She had the feeling it would not go well for her if she resisted. Inwardly, however, she seethed with frustration. It was so annoying to give up her freedom. She wondered what they would do to her. She had heard many stories of slavers, and they rarely ended well.

Author: Silanus, Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 7:18 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Most of the marksmen aimed their weapons at the retreating woman, also, she was surrounded by other troopers. It seemed impossible for her to escape. One allied orc, who was a good friend of Silanus, looked at him and asked: "Why don´t we just put her down and make her serve as an example for the other captives? It´d be much easier." Silanus, as serious as before, watched carefully at the struggling girl and then answered: "And waste a pair of working hands? Do you know how much would the Northern tribes pay for a young, healthy gal like her? Nah, I don´t think so." As soon as they heard that, the soldiers lowered their spears and let their leader walk among them.

Tacitus smirked arrogantly at her, and pointed at her with one of his open palms. Then, the dictador said: "Come on, you. Drop your dagger, you won´t do much with that butter knife. I´ll promise you that, if you cooperate, I´ll sell you to the most civilized tribe we can find, instead of some ruthless savages. Now, that´s quite an offer." The leader felt somewhat pity at her and the other captives. Sometimes at the long nights, his sleep was troubled by the tiresome thinking. What would happen to them? Is that the right thing to do, let the big cultures crush the little ones? Two more soldiers walked towards the woman, ready to grab her arms and tie her with the rest of the prisoners as soon as she dropped her dagger.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 4:26 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest was almost away when the branch snapped beneath her. She slid downward, catching the edge of the tree with her fingertips, attempting to pull herself up. She hung there, swaying for nearly a second before reaching up to the next branch. She almost had it, but it was farther than she had expected. She couldn't quite reach it, and, her balance upset, she tumbled to the ground. 
Her eyes darted to and fro, searching for an escape route, but the men had nearly surrounded her. Tugging out her dagger, she stared down the men coming toward her. If, somehow, she could get up higher, she could escape, but she found that thought unlikely.
((OOC: Ernest isn't much of a fighter. If she can't get in a lucky stab in the first few seconds, she's likely to be defeated.))

Author: Silanus, Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:31 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

The spearmen got closer to the caravan, which had now surrendered and agreed to let the Fratians steal their goods. However, just as the troopers were beggining to loot the carriages, one marksman saw something moving, right above one of the carriages. A girl was there, and she was escaping!

Quickly, the marksman shot his crossbow bolt at the girl, aiming at her head. However, the young one was lucky and the bolt merely hit the tree branch, causing it to break. If she fell off the tree, the soldiers would swiftly catch her. 

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 9:12 AM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest glanced around, pulling herself high enough over the edge of the carriage that she could see around. A horde of men stood in a circle around the caravan. Further back, a row of archers stood, pointing their bows at the caravan. She watched each one carefully, making sure that none of them had their weapons pointed at her. None did. For all intents and purposes, they probably hadn't even seen her - no one expected someone to be hiding on a carriage roof. 
She spotted a branch a little to the left of the carriage roof. It was far enough away that she would have to stand up and jump for it. She would need a distraction. And just as she thought that, one of the men - he looked like the leader - started speaking. She didn't wait to hear his words. She pulled herself to her feet and leapt for the branch.
((OOC: Feel free to say he notices her and gets his men to pull her out of the tree. It would be kind of boring if she just escaped.))

Author: Silanus, Posted: Sun Oct 9, 2016 3:53 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

This time, for the poor and unwary travelers in the carriage, the animal, insects and tribemen were not the only menace. Oh, no, absolutely not. This time, unfortunately for them, the ruthless dictator Tacitus Silanus was in search for loot. And what other way of getting loot, than sacking carriages travelling in the road? He and no less than 20 of his loyal troopers wandered in the untrustworthy depths of the Laeto Rain Forest, awaiting for their first victims of the day.

And here they are, the people they would attack in this peaceful day. Poor of them, heedless and careless of their surroundings. One would expect that will all the huge insects and hostile tribemen that sometimes dared to attack the roads, travelers would learn that coming un-armed here is a death sentence. However, they were quite lucky to encounter Silanus, in fact. Since they seldom kill their victims, unless they fight back, of course. Usually, the Fratians enslaved the merchants and travellers and sold them to other tribes and villages in the Highlands. And this time, it wouldn´t be different. 

The silence was interrupted by the sound of a horn played by one trooper. After that, the horde of soldiers appeared from everywhere, until they surrounded the carriages in the caravan. In the upper lands, crossbowmen and archers were aiming at the travelers, just in case any of them attemped to flee. The spearmen and swordmen had their weapons ready, not only to prepare themselves if any of the travelers had a weapon and tried to fight back, but also to intimidate them. Tacitus Silanus, with his arrogant, confident smirk on his face, walked nearby them and yelled to the travelers: "Oh, don´t worry, you all! If you stay there and let us peacefully sack whatever loot you are carrying in your carriages, nobody will be hurt. I can´t promise you will be released after we´re finished sacking you, but we´ll see! Now, men, do your job." As he finished talking, some soldiers approached to remove anything valuable they could find in the carriages. Everything was going perfectly for the Fratians.

Author: Silver Star, Posted: Wed Oct 5, 2016 5:54 PM, Post Subject: Crash Course [P]

Ernest watched the surroundings carefully from her position on the roof of the carriage. They had entered the forest earlier that day, and already it was making her edgy. The dim light and unfamiliar sounds kept her alert. She wondered where they were going. She had just meant to get away from the village a little faster.
The never-ending rustling of something moving caught her attention and she tried to reassure herself that it was only animals. At least, she hoped it was only the animals. If there were people there, watching her… She shuddered at the thought.
A flicker of deep red caught her eye- a strange colour she had seen nowhere else so far. She turned to look, but it was gone. Odd, she was sure she'd seen something. She turned her head back to where they were going, waiting for something to happen, and hoping desperately that nothing would.